Most people don't give a lot of thought to what distinguishes a major truck accident from a minor one. Truth be told, the measuring stick is pretty obvious: The scale of the injuries involved. While a minor truck accident case might involve no injuries, scrapes/bruises, or other injuries fixable with a single visit to the ER, major truck accidents are a much different animal—one resulting in life-altering (or -ending) injuries. So what kinds of injuries do those major truck accidents cause?

Answer: Victims of major truck accidents often suffer severe injuries like brain damage, limb injuries resulting in amputation, severe burns, and herniated disks or other spinal injuries. Sadly, many victims die of these injuries or others they receive in truck accidents.

That's an incomplete list of the serious damages which often follow a commercial wreck. Any of them, alone or in combination, could lead to tremendous physical, personal, and economic hardships. Let's look more closely at those injuries and who can help with them.

Common Injuries Suffered in Major Truck Accidents

As we mentioned, a major commercial truck accident can have long-lasting effects. The most notable of those are usually the injuries inflicted by the crash, which under many circumstances are devastating. Some common serious injuries we've seen after a truck accident include, but are not limited to:

• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) - Various impact forces after a truck collision can result in a victim's head hitting the steering wheel, dashboard, or other objects, leading to concussions or more severe and traumatic damage to the brain.
• Spinal Cord Injuries - Injuries to a victim's spinal cord can cause anything from chronic pain to temporary or even permanent paralysis, heavily impacting a victim's mobility and quality of life.
• Amputations: Severe truck accidents sometimes result in severed or crushed limbs. In cases where the accident itself didn't result in limb separation, emergency amputation might still be necessary due to the extent of limb damage.
• Severe Burns - Any accident may trigger a vehicle fire, but the precarious position of an 18-wheeler's "saddle tanks" Accidents can lead to fires or explosions, causing burns that range from mild to severe, depending on the exposure to flames or hot surfaces.
• Internal Injuries - The force of a high-speed impact with a 40-ton truck can seriously damage a crash victim's organs, such as the liver, spleen, or kidneys. Organ damage can also lead to internal bleeding and other complications.

Those are some of those most serious physical damages a truck accident victim might face, but they aren't the only ones. Their severity can vary widely based on factors like the speed of the collision, the size of the vehicles involved, the use of safety devices, and the overall health of the people involved.

Should I See a Doctor after a Truck Accident?

Speaking plainly, yes. Regardless of the extent you think you were injured, it's best to seek medical assessment and treatment right away and then follow up if your injuries worsen.

What do I mean by "worsen?" Let me explain with an example: Not long ago, the firm handled a case where our client, a commercial truck driver, was rear-ended by another 18-wheeler out on the road. After the wreck the victim went to the ER for evaluation, and left there thinking he mostly had bumps and bruises.

Our client tried to recuperate at home over the next week or so, but didn't realize that a disk in his spine ruptured in the crash. During that week the damaged disk leaked fluid, until eventually nothing was left to stop the nerves in his spinal cord from pressing against his backbone—which caused him excruciating pain.

The defendant trucking company's attorneys tried to argue that since the symptoms didn't appear for a week, the victim's spinal injury wasn't caused by the truck accident. Fortunately, when things took a serious turn for the worse he returned to the hospital. His visits there both after the crash and the following week helped create strong evidence that the accident was the true origin of his serious injuries. We were ultimately able to prevail over the defendant's attorneys, but without expert testimony from our client's doctors and hospital records reflecting his visits it would have been far more difficult to overcome their arguments.

Seeing a doctor after a truck accident documents evidence of your sustained injuries and their treatment plan. Knowing not only how you were hurt but also what steps a hospital took to treat you would be crucial information for holding a reckless truck driver accountable—though there's far more to that than medical paperwork.

Should I Call a Lawyer after a Truck Accident?

Truthfully, an attorney is an invaluable ally for anyone seeking a recovery from a trucking company. Those who choose to go it alone may not realize everything they'll have to do to manage and progress their own case if they don't seek a lawyer's help. Among the time-consuming and effort-heavy steps would be:

• Coming up with a treatment plan, then carefully following it;
• Investigating the crash scene and vehicles before evidence can disappear;
• Gathering clear physical evidence;
• Knowing and navigating the relevant statutes and case law;
• Obtaining sworn testimony from witnesses and experts; and
• Proving up evidence so the court is willing to admit it.

In truth that's just a handful of the many actions that are almost always needed to win a truck accident case. As a theoretical matter, there may be people other than attorneys out there with the necessary resources and skillsets. More practically speaking, though, almost everyone will need an attorney's help to prevail in their lawsuit.

Grossman Law is Here to Help

The Texas truck accident attorneys at Grossman Law Offices have litigated commercial truck accident lawsuits more than long enough to be familiar with the catastrophic injuries one can cause. That familiarity helps them understand what's at stake, as well as what's needed to make things right. Let them put their knowledge and skills to work for you: If you were injured or lost a loved one in an accident with a commercial vehicle, call Grossman Law any time for a free and confidential consultation.