What should I do if I suffered a head injury from a truck accident in Charlotte? Seek medical care immediately if you may have a head injury from a truck accident in Charlotte, follow all of your doctor’s recommendations for care even if you feel okay right after the incident, and document your injury and all losses you have before speaking to the insurance company.
Be sure to work with a truck accident lawyer in Charlotte from Shane Smith Law. An attorney can protect evidence and negotiate fair compensation for your losses.
Seek Medical Care Immediately After the Accident
Victims of a truck accident are likely to have some type of head injury from the rapid back-and-forth movement of the vehicle at the time of the strike. The amount of force, angle of strike, and other factors play a role in the types of injuries you may have. However, not all are obvious from the outside. Some of the most common injuries suffered in truck accidents include:
- Concussions: A type of traumatic brain injury caused by the sudden impact or back-and-forth movement of the head during the accident, impacting brain function
- Contusions: Damage and bruising to the brain tissue can occur when the brain itself slams into the interior of the skull at impact
- Skull fractures: Often more obvious, skull fractures often happen when the bone breaks due to a hard hit to the window, steering wheel, or other hard surface
- Diffuse axonal injury: This type of injury occurs when there is significant stretching or tearing of the nerve fibers in the brain, often from the shaking or intense rotational force of the head
- Cerebral edema: This is another condition that can take time to develop but may be life-threatening as fluid builds up after the trauma
- Hematomas and hemorrhages: You may not know you have an internal brain bleed for some time after the accident, but it can create dangerous pressure buildup rapidly
By seeking a full examination from the local emergency room, you protect your health and your case. The evidence created during this evaluation, such as CT scans, MRIs, and other diagnostic tools, helps show how the truck accident caused you to suffer injuries and the extensive damage involved. Speak with a Charlotte personal injury lawyer from Shane Smith Law about your case today.
Speak with a Charlotte car accident lawyer and get a free consultation today.
Call (980) 294-4931Follow All of Your Doctor’s Orders for Continued Care
Ensure you take your doctor’s guidance seriously when you suffer a head injury from a truck accident. Get the tests they require, complete the necessary therapy, and have the procedures as needed. Document all of this information as well.
If your doctor recommends specialist care, seek it. Talk to your doctor about the benefits of adding holistic care to your treatment plan, such as chiropractic care. Discuss the need for mental health evaluations as well.
All of these costs become a component of your truck accident claim. However, if you fail to get care, the judge in any case may deny your right to compensation, as it may not seem like your injuries are serious. Because head injuries can carry significant damage that can last for years to come, do not hesitate to get immediate and ongoing support. Review the FAQs from Shane Smith Law.
Contact a Truck Accident Lawyer in Charlotte
As soon as you reach a point of being stable, contact a truck accident attorney to discuss your case and gather evidence. The sooner you do this, the better. Under N.C. Stat. § 1-52(5), victims have three years from the date of the accident to file a claim, though it is rarely beneficial to wait that long. When you contact an attorney right away, they can handle numerous critical tasks for you:
- Gather evidence to prove who was at fault in the accident, including seeking commercial data logs, dash camera footage, witness statements, and accident reconstruction professional insights.
- Handle all conversations with the insurance company, eliminating their ability to trick you into settling for too little or denying valid claims.
- Work to establish that another party was responsible for the accident through the collection of valid evidence, a necessary step to preserving your right to pursue compensation.
- Calculate all of the losses you have, including all medical, emotional, and financial losses you suffered as a result of this accident
- Submit a claim to the insurance company for the losses on your behalf, answering questions and negotiating a fair outcome when possible
- Go to court to fight for truly fair compensation if the insurance company is not being fair to you
Your attorney can handle a lot of the hard work in these cases. That includes providing you with helpful insight into the type of care you need and how to document your injuries. By contacting an attorney from Shane Smith Law now, you minimize the risk of complications later.
Gather as Much Documentation as Possible
After a head injury from a truck accident, it can prove to be critical to have documentation to support your claims. That starts with what you do right after the accident but should continue throughout the recovery period. Documentation in all forms helps substantiate your claim. When possible, take the following steps:
- Take photos of the accident location, damage to the vehicles, and any debris in the roadway
- Ask eyewitnesses to the accident to provide you with their name and contact information so you can contact them later if you need to do so
- Document all appointments, out-of-pocket costs, missed time at work, and other implications to your financial well-being and daily life
- Describe what impact the accident has on your quality of life, including the activities you can no longer engage in
Communicate with your truck accident attorney in Charlotte about any of the care needs you have as well as how your treatment needs change. Your attorney at Shane Smith Law will guide you in pursuing fair compensation to the fullest level allowed under the law.
Start with a Free Consultation with a Charlotte Head Injury Attorney
Head injuries from truck accidents carry significant risk of penalties and loss. What you do after you suffer a head injury from a truck accident in Charlotte matters to the outcome of your case. Reach out to Shane Smith Law today.
