What to Do After a Tanker Truck Accident in St. Louis

If you were in an accident with a tanker truck in St. Louis, Missouri, understanding the steps to take afterward can prevent you from suffering worse injuries. It can also improve your chances of recovering compensation for the injuries you did suffer.

Common Injuries Suffered in Tanker Truck Crashes

Collisions involving large trucks of any kind can result in catastrophic injuries for victims. However, tanker trucks pose additional dangers depending on the materials they’re carrying. These materials can be flammable, explosive, or corrosive, leading to severe injuries. Some of the most common injuries include:

• Spinal Cord Injuries – The impact of a collision with a large truck like a tanker truck can damage the spinal cord, resulting in chronic pain or permanent paralysis.
• Traumatic Brain Injuries – The force of a crash involving a tanker truck can lead to severe TBIs with symptoms ranging from nausea and confusion to permanent physical and cognitive disability.
• Burns – Fires may be more common after a crash with a tanker truck, depending on the material it’s carrying. Burn injuries often require significant and lengthy treatment.
• Chemical Exposure – Tanker trucks sometimes carry dangerous chemicals that can burn the skin and damage the lungs of victims who come in contact with them.
• Explosion Injuries – One of the worst-case scenarios during a tanker truck wreck is an explosion. Explosions can cause severe internal injuries, burns, hearing loss, and other injuries.
• Broken Bones – One of the leading injuries suffered in collisions of all kinds is broken bones. The most common bones to break in a truck accident are ribs, wrists, forearms, and legs.
• Crushed Limbs – Limbs can be crushed or become stuck in the wreckage after a tanker truck explosion. These injuries can result in permanent disability, including amputation.

Immediate Steps to Take After a Tanker Truck Accident

Depending on whether your injuries allow for it, you should take the following immediate steps after a tanker truck accident:

• Get Away From the Tanker – After an accident, always get a safe distance away from vehicles on fire or tanker trucks. You never know when an explosion could occur.
• Call the Police – Report the accident to the police so they can get the situation under control and file an official report.
• Seek Medical Attention – Even if you feel fine immediately after the accident, get checked by a medical professional. Your adrenaline can mask the pain of internal injuries that require treatment.
• Document the Scene – Taking photographs and videos of the accident scene, including the vehicles, skid marks on the road, and relevant traffic signs or signals, can strengthen your case.

Additional Steps to Take to Protect Your Right to Seek Compensation

Beyond the immediate steps to take after a collision with a tanker truck, there are additional steps you should take over the next few days and weeks that will strengthen your legal case. These steps include following up with treatment, keeping medical bills, memorializing your memories, avoiding making a statement, and contacting a lawyer.

Follow Up with Medical Treatment

After an accident, you should always follow up with your medical treatment until your doctor releases you or says you’ve reached your maximum medical improvement (MMI). MMI is the point at which further treatment won’t result in further recovery. Generally, you should wait until reaching MMI to decide if you want to settle your case because you’ll have a better understanding of your long-term medical needs at that point.

If you stop your treatment early, the insurance company may claim that it’s a sign that your injuries aren’t as severe as you said or that the treatment wasn’t reasonable or necessary and so shouldn’t be covered. To avoid these complications, follow through with all treatment.

Keep Your Medical Bills

Keep track of all medical and other bills related to the incident. Your attorney will use these bills when calculating your compensation, including your medical expenses. If you suffer long-term or permanent injuries, your attorney can also use these bills to estimate your future expenses.

Write Down What You Remember

You may need to recall details about the accident later on during your deposition or at trial. To prevent yourself from forgetting important details or making contradictory statements, it’s a good idea to write down everything you remember about the accident while it’s fresh in your mind.

Avoid Making a Statement

Missouri follows a pure comparative fault rule that reduces a plaintiff’s compensation by their degree of fault. This means if you’re 30 percent at fault for the accident that caused your injuries, you could only recover 70 percent of your sought compensation.

After a tanker truck accident, the defendant’s insurance company will want to shift as much blame onto you as possible to reduce the amount of money it has to pay. One way insurance companies do this is by having insurance adjusters contact you for a statement about the accident.

You should avoid providing the insurance adjuster with a statement until after speaking with your attorney. Your attorney can walk you through what to say and what not to say so you don’t put your compensation at risk.

Contact a Truck Accident Lawyer

One of the best ways to protect your rights after an accident involving a tanker truck is to hire an experienced truck accident lawyer. Your lawyer can handle various parts of your case, including:

• Identifying all liable parties
• Collecting evidence collecting the parties’ actions to your injuries
• Calculating your damages
• Filing your lawsuit within Missouri’s five-year deadline for personal injuries
• Negotiating with the insurance company on your behalf for a fair settlement
• Representing you in court if the insurance company refuses to offer a settlement that covers all of your expenses

St. Louis, Missouri, Truck Accident Lawyers

Were you injured in a tanker truck accident in St. Louis, Missouri? Contact us online or call Goldblatt + Singer at (314) 231-4100 for a free consultation with an experienced truck accident lawyer. We’ll review your case, explain your options for seeking the compensation you deserve, and answer any questions you have about the legal process.