Most people do a lot of their holiday shopping online these days. This means there are a lot more delivery trucks on the road now than ever before. These drivers log a lot of hours and deliver a lot of packages. With so many trucks on the road, there’s a higher chance that you could get hit by a delivery truck. If this happens, you’re going to need to call an experienced truck accident lawyer in Baton Rouge.
Do You Need to Call the Cops if You’re Hit by a Delivery Truck in Baton Rouge?
If you get into a crash with a commercial vehicle, you’re going to suffer some serious injuries. Even though you think you can trust that the driver will do the right thing, there’s never a guarantee. You need to treat this crash the same way you would any other truck accident in Baton Rouge. This means you need to do the following things:
- Call the cops. Even though the other driver is a company driver, you still need to call 911. They will do the same kind of investigation as if you were hit by any other driver. This includes checking to see if either of the drivers were drunk or high. They also look to see if there are any witnesses to the event. They’ll create a police report that your lawyer can use to prove your case.
- Seek medical treatment right away. You don’t really have a choice in this matter. Nobody wants to spend the afternoon in the emergency room. But it’s important that you see a doctor. They’ll make sure you’re okay and check to see if you have any internal injuries. They’ll also create a medical record that can be used to prove your case.
- Call an experienced accident lawyer in Baton Rouge. You won’t want to go up against the trucking company on your own. It’s a good idea to call and retain an experienced truck accident attorney. This way, you can handle your claim on a level playing field.
If You’re Hit by a Delivery Truck, You’ll Suffer Serious Damages
Your truck accident lawyer in Baton Rouge is going to work hard to get you as much money as possible. You’ll be entitled to damages if you can prove two things. First, you need to show that the delivery driver caused the crash. This means you’ll have to prove negligence. In order to do that, you’ll need to show:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care – This isn’t difficult. All drivers owe other people on the road a duty of care. This applies even more so to a commercial driver. Since they drive for a living, they owe a certain duty of care. This includes that they follow all traffic rules. They’re also required to follow all federal guidelines about hours and miles logged along with truck maintenance.
- They breached this duty – If you can show that the delivery driver didn’t drive the way they should have, you may be able to collect damages.
- You were injured – You have to actually be injured in order to file a legal claim. Your attorney can only recover for injuries you actually experienced. This is why it’s so important that you go to the hospital after your crash.
- The breach caused your injuries – This shouldn’t be difficult to prove either. Your Baton Rouge lawyer will show that your injuries were directly caused by the defendant’s breach.
Call an Experienced Truck accident Lawyer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
If your vehicle is hit by a delivery truck this holiday season, don’t panic. Follow the steps outlined above. Call the police so they can do their investigation. Go to the hospital and get checked out so you can get medical treatment. And call our office. Get us involved early on so we can make sure your claim is handled properly from the start.
You may feel intimidated going up against a trucking company. They may have a whole team of lawyers working for them. This is even more reason why you should rely on an expert. They aren’t afraid to go up against the trucking company or their insurance company. They have years of experience dealing with these kinds of cases.
Call and talk to us today. We can set up a good time for us to meet and review your case.