Is leaving the scene of a pickup truck accident with no one else involved okay? While it may seem like it’s alright to leave immediately, truck accident lawyers in Indianapolis often recommend that you stick around the accident scene to take a few steps.
It’s essential to stick around long enough to assess property damage, take pictures, and sometimes notify the police. You can learn more about your steps after a single-vehicle pickup truck accident with our team at Vaughan & Vaughan.
Call or complete our online contact form to discuss your situation.
Can You Leave the Scene of a Single-Vehicle Pickup Truck Accident?
Many people feel tempted to leave the scene of a single-vehicle accident immediately. However, it’s often a good idea to stick around, even if you believe the accident only impacted you personally.
Before you leave, you may want to:
Assess the Extent of Your Property Damage
A single-vehicle accident can still result in severe damage to your pickup truck. You may receive compensation through your insurance for repair costs if you can establish the damage came from the collision.
Therefore, we recommend taking pictures of all damage and the accident scene. Taking this step can help back up your story about what happened in your pickup truck accident.
Look for Witnesses
If someone else saw your pickup truck accident, you may want to get their contact information. Your lawyer may contact them later when building a claim on your behalf.
Review Damage to Other Property
Just because no one else was physically present at the time of your pickup truck accident doesn’t mean the collision failed to cause property damage. If you struck someone else’s property – including a vehicle or building – it’s essential to address the situation.
You may need to locate the property owner if they’re nearby to give them your contact and insurance information. If you cannot find the property owner, you can leave a note to notify them about what happened and provide your information.
Notify the Police
Sometimes, a lawyer may recommend that you contact the police to report a single-vehicle pickup truck accident. Notifying the police allows them to assess what happened and file a report.
It’s especially important that you take this step if you believe that someone else caused your single-vehicle accident. Having an official police report to draw on may help you establish liability and seek damages for your collision.
It’s much harder to establish what happened if you leave the scene of the collision, even if no one else was involved.
How do Other Parties Cause Single-Vehicle Pickup Truck Accidents?
Staying at the scene of a pickup truck accident with no one else involved may help if someone else caused your collision. Someone else may hold liability for the wreck if you crashed because:
You Were Trying to Avoid a Collision with a Reckless Driver
Sometimes, drivers have to swerve to avoid another vehicle operating in a reckless or negligent way. If you strike – for example – a property owner’s fence to avoid a dangerous driver, the driver would hold liability for your losses and the property damage to the fence.
You Were Driving on an Unsafe Road
Hazards on the road may leave you with no better options than swerving and striking something else. Issues with road maintenance – like large potholes – can contribute to single-vehicle accidents in some cases.
However, you should know that securing compensation based on road hazards caused by poor maintenance can prove very challenging.
Your Vehicle Demonstrated a Defect
Sometimes, vehicle manufacturers produce and sell pickup trucks with severe defects. These defects could cause you to lose control, resulting in an accident. In this situation, you may secure damages from the company that manufactured the defective truck or vehicle part.
You can contact a pickup truck accident lawyer for help building a claim for damages in any of these situations. Your attorney may help you secure funds to cover the costs for:
- Your medical care
- Pickup truck repairs
- Lost time at work
- Your pain, suffering, and mental anguish
Contact us now to learn more. We understand that even single-vehicle accidents can severely impact your health, with collisions potentially leading to concussions, broken bones, or internal injuries.
What Should You do After a Single-Vehicle Pickup Truck Accident?
Is leaving the scene of a pickup truck accident with no one else involved okay? While it may seem perfectly fine to go after a single-vehicle accident, our team at Vaughan & Vaughan recommends that you stay, get pictures, and potentially notify the police.
You can learn more about your next steps by calling us or filling out our online contact form.
