Legally Reviewed and Edited by: Terry Cochran

Published on: January 6, 2025

Trucks are among the largest vehicles on Michigan’s roads and highways. In addition to the standard 80,000-lb. semi-trucks, many businesses in the state can legally use extra-heavy trucks that can reach up to 145,000 lbs. or more.

While these vehicles are necessary to many industries, such as farming, logging, steel, or construction, they can also be the most dangerous in a traffic accident.

In 2024, there were 5,694 crashes involving large trucks in Michigan. While only 92 resulted in fatalities, more than 5,600 resulted in injuries, many of which are more severe and life-threatening than injuries from accidents only involving cars.

If you or a loved one was involved in an accident with a large truck, you have the right to take action and hold the responsible parties accountable.

Our skilled Michigan truck accident attorneys at Cochran, Kroll, & Associates, P.C., will help determine who is responsible for your injuries and seek the compensation you need to heal and regain control of your life.

Why Truck Accidents Are So Devastating to Victims

All traffic accidents can be dangerous, but truck accidents are more likely to cause severe injuries. In crashes involving trucks, people in smaller vehicles face the highest risk. The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that 73% of those injured in the 161,000 large truck crashes in 2022 were occupants of lighter vehicles.

A typical car or light truck in the U.S. weighs about 4,329 lbs. A large truck is more than 18 times heavier, and some truck classes in Michigan weigh even more. This added weight increases the force of impact in a crash, leading to more severe injuries than in a typical accident.

Common consequences of a truck accident include:

Given the severity of these collisions, accident victims need to act quickly after a crash to protect their rights and well-being.

Critical Steps To Take Immediately After a Truck Accident

If you were involved in a crash with a semi-truck, you may feel disoriented or not immediately realize what just happened. Knowing what to do can help you stay calm and take the proper steps. Do the following to the best of your ability:

1. Seek Medical Attention Immediately

Call 911 right away if you or anyone else is injured. Even if you don’t feel injured, see a doctor as soon as possible. Some injuries, like internal trauma, head injuries, or whiplash, may not show symptoms right away.

A medical evaluation creates a record of your condition, which can be important for your recovery and any legal claims.

2. Obtain Evidence at the Scene

Collect as much evidence at the accident scene as possible to document conditions and witness statements. Gather the following:

• Photos and videos. Capture clear images of damage to your vehicle, road conditions, skid marks, traffic signals, and apparent injuries. If possible, take a video of the accident scene to document factors like traffic flow and weather conditions.
• Driver and truck details. Get the truck driver’s full name, employer, insurance provider, and license plate number. If the truck has a USDOT number on the license plate or other identifying markings, make a note of them, as they can help identify the carrier responsible for the vehicle.
• Witness contact information. Speak with anyone who saw the accident and ask for their full name, phone number, and a brief summary of what they witnessed. Their statements can support your claim if liability is disputed.
• Police report details. Ask the responding officer for their name, badge number, and department. Once the report is available, request a copy, which may contain important details about the crash and citations issued.
• Your own notes. Write down everything you remember about the accident while it’s fresh in your mind. Include details like weather, road conditions, traffic signals, and any statements the truck driver or witnesses made. These notes can help clarify events later.

Don’t Sign or Agree to Anything

Avoid discussing fault or making statements to the truck driver, their employer, or insurance representatives. Even a simple apology can be used against you later. Do not sign anything or agree to any statements about what happened. If investigators or company representatives arrive, refer them to law enforcement and avoid giving recorded statements.

Exchange only the necessary information and wait until you’ve spoken with a personal injury lawyer in Michigan before making official statements.

File With Your PIP Insurance

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) covers medical expenses, lost wages, and other costs regardless of fault. This coverage can help pay immediate medical bills, rehabilitation, and essential services like household help. File a claim right away to access these benefits while waiting to get trucking accident legal advice from an attorney.

Taking these immediate steps safeguards your health, preserves key evidence, and helps you access critical benefits; however, other actions can support your legal claim and clarify liability.

How To Protect Your Rights: Legal Steps After a Truck Accident

Once you have taken the necessary steps to protect your safety and well-being, you may wonder about legal actions. The following actions can further protect your claim and support your case for compensation:

• Follow your doctor’s orders. Missed appointments or gaps in treatment give insurers a reason to question your injuries. Some hire private investigators to catch you doing anything that contradicts your claim, like lifting groceries or walking without assistance. Stick to your treatment plan to protect your health and your truck accident injury claim in Michigan.
• Stay off social media. A single post can be used against you. A picture at a gathering or a comment like “feeling better” might suggest you aren’t as injured as you claim. Unrelated posts, like a vacation photo or gym check-in, may be taken out of context. Keep your accounts private to prevent insurers from misinterpreting your activities.
• Access EDR and black box data. Trucking companies can erase critical data from the truck’s event data recorder (EDR), which records speed, braking, and driver actions before the crash. Act quickly to preserve this evidence, which your attorney can use to prove factors like excessive speed, hard braking, or failure to take evasive action for your claim.
• Obtain maintenance records. Trucking companies must document inspections and repairs, but missing or falsified records can indicate negligence. These logs could prove whether bad brakes or worn tires caused the crash. Request these records early to prevent the company from altering or destroying them.
• Get ELD and logbook records. Federal law requires commercial trucks to have an Electronic Logging Device (ELD) that tracks driving hours, rest breaks, and total time on the road. If the driver exceeded legal limits or skipped mandatory breaks, these records can prove fatigue was a factor in the crash.
• Track your losses. Collect every medical bill, prescription receipt, and proof of lost wages. If you hired help for daily tasks or modified your home, include those expenses. A pain journal can also support your claim. A detailed record of losses makes it harder for insurers to undervalue your compensation.
• Speak with an attorney. Trucking companies and insurers move fast to protect themselves. Working with a skilled Livonia truck accident lawyer can help you secure evidence, handle negotiations, and push back against lowball settlement offers, increasing your chances of receiving full compensation.

How a Michigan Truck Accident Attorney Can Help

After a truck accident, you need a Michigan truck accident attorney who understands what you’ve been through and knows how to protect your interests against aggressive trucking company insurers. At Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C., we have decades of combined experience representing the interests of truck accident victims in Michigan.

We made it our mission to represent people and their families, not companies or insurers. That means we are ready to use our skills, resources, and experience to obtain the best possible compensation for you.

Our senior partner, Eileen Kroll, is also a registered nurse with extensive medical knowledge. Her unique background allows her to understand and interpret the full extent of your injuries and medical records in a court of law. She can accurately evaluate the financial support you need to recover and is ready to assist you with your truck accident claim.

We will assist you with the following:

• Obtaining police reports, medical records, and witness statements on your behalf.
• Speaking to the trucking company’s insurers on your behalf to avoid low or unfair settlement offers.
• Securing access to driver’s logs, black box data, or ELD content by issuing spoliation letters or obtaining a court order.
• Assessing whether the truck driver was fully compliant with FMCSA regulations and Michigan law.
• Identifying all liable parties in the accident and determining whether the driver, the company, or a government entity is at fault.

If you’re searching for the best truck accident attorney near you, choose Cochran, Kroll, & Associates, P.C. Our past verdicts include a $1.3 million settlement for a tragic wrongful death case involving a semi-truck in Marlette. We can use our experience and legal resources to pursue the full compensation you’re entitled to.

Get Legal Help After a Truck Accident

Whether your truck accident happened in Flint, MI, or anywhere in the state of Michigan, you need legal representation from skilled truck accident attorneys.

Contact Cochran, Kroll & Associates, P.C. today for a free consultation; we are ready to handle your case with the experience and compassion you deserve.

Our contingency fee basis means we only get paid if we win your case, so there is no financial risk to you to get started. Call our law firm today at 1-866-MICH-LAW and schedule your no-obligation, free case evaluation.

Disclaimer : The information provided is general and not for legal advice. The blogs are not intended to provide legal counsel and no attorney-client relationship is created nor intended.