Accidents involving large trucks continue to be a problem in Virginia. The Virginia Highway Safety Office reported that truck accidents caused 116 fatalities and approximately 2,000 injuries in 2022.

There are some important steps you should take after a truck accident, whether your injuries are minor or major.

Call the police

Call 911 and let them know the location of the accident and how many people are involved. Get a police report even if the accident seems minor. This is the best documentation about your accident.

Get a thorough medical evaluation. You may not believe that you are hurt but symptoms, such as head injury symptoms, do not show up right away.

You might be examined by an emergency medical technician at the accident scene, but have another evaluation done at your primary care doctor’s office as soon as you can.

Gather evidence

Document everything at the accident scene through pictures or videos. Obtain contact information from everyone involved, including witnesses.

Get the truck driver’s name and contact information, their driver’s license number, insurance policy number, the truck license plate number and the contact information for the trucking company.

Watch your words

Be careful about what you say at the accident scene or after the accident. You might be feeling angry, scared or upset if you believe you caused the accident.

Keep cool and say as little as possible. Never admit fault for the accident even if you believe you caused it. Do not apologize since this could be taken as admitting fault.

Avoid posting about the accident on social media. This could be extremely difficult since many of us use social media to communicate about what happens in our lives.

When it comes to an event such as a truck accident, anything you post, even innocent sounding comments, could potentially hurt your case if you file a personal injury claim. Assume that anything you post online will be read by a judge or jury.