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Even with an empty bed, the average dump truck still outweighs the average passenger car by several tons, and this difference in weight and mass is exacerbated when the truck’s bed is full of raw materials or scrap. Unfortunately, this means that dump truck accidents in Philadelphia often result in serious injuries to those inside the smaller vehicles involved. Even worse, the injured parties often have done little or nothing at all to cause the wreck to happen in the first place.
If you have been hurt recently due to a dump truck driver’s negligence, you may have grounds to demand comprehensive compensation for the harm you have suffered and can be expected to suffer in the future. If you want the best possible result from your lawsuit or settlement demand, you should seek help from an experienced truck accident attorney as early as possible.
What To Do After Getting Into a Crash With a Dump Truck
In Philadelphia, many of the same basic rules and best practices that apply to handling crashes between passenger cars also apply to traffic accidents involving large construction and industrial vehicles.
First, everyone involved in a wreck like this is required by law to remain at the scene of the accident until they have either confirmed that no one was injured or called emergency medical services for assistance, reported the crash to the police, and exchanged contact and insurance information with all other involved parties. If someone has sustained immediately life-threatening injuries, they may be exempt from these responsibilities until they have received necessary medical attention.
Once they have met these legal requirements, every accident victim’s top priority should be seeing a qualified medical professional for diagnosis and treatment, whether they have suffered an obvious injury or not. That said, it can also be helpful to take certain steps before leaving the scene of a dump truck wreck to create and preserve evidence for an ensuing civil claim—for example:
- Taking photos of vehicle damage and the surrounding environment
- Getting contact information from witnesses
- Making note of security or dashboard cameras that might have recorded the accident in progress
Are Dump Truck Drivers Always at Fault for Wrecks?
While Philadelphia dump truck drivers certainly have a greater capacity to harm passenger car occupants in wrecks compared to the other way around, that does not mean they are always considered legally at fault for ensuing losses. The burden of proving that the dump truck driver’s reckless or careless behavior caused the accident falls solely on the person demanding compensation from them for accident-related damages.
Furthermore, the injured person may need to be proactive about proving that they did not also contribute to the cause of the accident. Otherwise, as an experienced attorney can further explain, a court may assign a percentage of “comparative fault” to them for the injured party’s negligence. The court may then reduce the value of the final damage award based on that percentage, or even bar the injured party from recovery altogether.
Consider Working With a Philadelphia Attorney on a Dump Truck Accident Claim
Dump truck accidents in Philadelphia are fairly rare, but they do still happen, often causing life-altering harm to the drivers and passengers involved. If this has happened to you, you can take legal action against the negligent parties, just like you can after any other type of serious auto accident.
Working closely with a skilled truck accident lawyer will be key to effectively enforcing your rights and obtaining the compensation you need in the wake of a dump truck accident. Contact us today to learn more.
