A collision with an 18-wheeler leaves most people shaken, hurt, and unsure what comes first.
The order matters more than people expect. Some steps are legal duties under Texas law, some protect your health, and a few protect evidence that a trucking company controls and won’t keep forever.
This guide covers:
- What Texas law requires at the scene
- The information and photos worth gathering
- How to protect evidence the carrier holds
- The deadlines that start running on the day of the crash
The 10 Steps
The list below follows the order most people will face after a crash. Your situation may shuffle a step or two, but the early ones carry legal weight in Texas.
1. Stop and Stay at the Scene
Texas requires the driver of any vehicle in a collision that results, or is reasonably likely to result, in injury or death to stop immediately, check whether anyone needs aid, and remain at the scene. That duty applies to you and to the truck driver. Leaving can bring serious criminal charges, including felonies when someone is badly hurt or killed. The law requires you to stop at the scene or as close to it as possible without blocking traffic more than necessary, and to return if you drove past it.
2. Call 911 and Report the Crash
When a crash injures or kills someone, or leaves a vehicle unable to be driven safely, Texas law requires the drivers involved to notify police right away by the quickest means available. In a city, that’s usually the local police department; outside city limits, it’s the sheriff or state troopers. Ask for both police and emergency medical services. An officer who investigates a crash with injuries must file a written report, and that report often becomes the first official account of what happened.
3. Get Medical Care, Even If You Feel Fine
Adrenaline hides pain. Neck, back, and head injuries from a truck impact sometimes take hours or days to show symptoms, so accept an evaluation at the scene or get to an emergency room or urgent care soon after. Beyond your health, prompt treatment creates a medical record that links your injuries to the crash. Gaps between the collision and your first appointment are something insurers routinely point to when they question whether an injury is real or related. Keep every discharge paper and follow-up instruction, too.
4. Exchange Information With the Truck Driver
Texas drivers involved in an injury crash must share their name, address, vehicle registration number, and liability insurer, and show a driver’s license if asked. With a commercial truck, collect more. Federal rules require most trucks to display the operating carrier’s name and USDOT number, so photograph the cab doors. Note the trailer number, the company name on the trailer if it differs, and the driver’s employer. Those details often reveal that more than one business is involved, such as a separate trailer owner or a company that arranged the load.
5. Photograph Everything
Use your phone before the scene changes. Capture every vehicle from several angles, the truck’s markings and plates, skid marks, debris, road signs, traffic signals, weather, and lighting. Photograph your injuries that day and again as bruising develops. Wide shots matter as much as close-ups, because they show sightlines and lane positions later. If a load shifted or spilled, photograph the cargo and how it was secured, since that detail can point toward a loading or securement problem rather than just a driving mistake.
6. Find Witnesses
Other drivers, pedestrians, and nearby workers often leave within minutes. Ask for names and phone numbers, and note what each person saw. Look around for cameras on gas stations, stores, and traffic poles, since that footage is often recorded over quickly. Some trucks also carry dash cameras, and some passenger vehicles do too. Write down which businesses might have video so the footage can be requested before it disappears. A neutral witness can matter a great deal when the truck driver’s version differs from yours.
7. Get the Crash Report
The investigating officer’s report, known as the Texas Peace Officer’s Crash Report, goes to the Texas Department of Transportation. People involved in the crash, and their representatives, can buy a copy through TxDOT’s Crash Report Online Purchase System. Read it carefully once it’s available. Check names, insurance details, the diagram, and any contributing factors the officer listed. If something is wrong, ask the investigating agency whether it can correct the report or accept a supplemental statement. Keep the report number handy, since insurers will ask for it.
8. Be Careful With the Carrier’s Insurer
A trucking company’s insurer may call within days, sometimes sounding helpful. You don’t have to give a recorded statement to the other side’s insurer, and anything you say can be used to shift blame under Texas’s comparative responsibility rules. Report the crash to your own insurer as your policy requires, but keep the details factual. Before discussing fault with anyone representing the truck, it helps to know your options, and if a commercial carrier was at fault, a Fort Worth truck accident lawyer at Laird & McCloskey can explain how these claims differ from an ordinary car wreck.
9. Protect the Evidence the Carrier Holds
The most important truck evidence sits with the carrier: electronic logging data, driver qualification files, maintenance records, and post-crash drug and alcohol test results. Federal rules only require some of it to be kept for limited periods, such as six months for hours-of-service records. A preservation letter puts the company on notice, and Texas courts can sanction parties who fail to preserve evidence once they know or should know there’s a substantial chance of a claim. Many injured people ask a DFW truck accident law firm to send that letter early.
10. Track Your Deadlines
Most Texas deadlines start on the day of the crash, and missing one can end a claim no matter how strong it is. Keep a simple file with the date, report number, medical visits, missed work, and every call from an insurer, including the adjuster’s name. If a government vehicle or a road defect was involved, a much shorter notice deadline can apply, as the next section explains, so that possibility is worth raising early. Put each date on a calendar you check every week.
The Deadlines That Keep Running
According to section 16.003 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, most personal injury suits must be filed within two years of the injury, and wrongful death claims within two years of the death. Claims against a government unit generally require formal notice within six months of the incident, and some city charters set shorter periods.
| Deadline | Applies to |
|---|---|
| Immediately | Stopping, giving aid, and reporting an injury crash |
| 10 days | The officer files the crash report with TxDOT (nothing for you to file) |
| Six months | Notice to most government units |
| Two years | Most injury and wrongful death lawsuits |
The Bottom Line
The first hours after a truck crash are about safety and legal duties, and the following days are about evidence that won’t wait. Taking the steps in order protects both your health and your claim.
Key Takeaways
- Photograph the truck’s carrier name and USDOT number before anyone leaves.
- Get medical care the same day, even for pain that seems minor.
- Put the trucking company on notice to preserve its records quickly.
A little organization in the first week makes every later conversation easier.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long after an accident can you file a police report in Texas?
Texas law expects drivers in an injury crash, or one that leaves a vehicle undrivable, to notify police immediately. If police didn’t come to the scene, contact the local department as soon as possible and ask how they handle late reports, since practices vary by agency.
What should you not do after an accident?
Don’t leave the scene, admit fault, or guess about what happened. Avoid recorded statements to the other driver’s insurer, don’t skip medical care, and don’t post about the crash on social media, since insurers look for anything that can be used to shift blame.
What not to say to your insurance company after an accident?
Skip speculation. Don’t estimate speeds, say you’re fine before a doctor checks you, or apologize in a way that sounds like accepting blame. Give your own insurer the basic facts it needs, and let the trucking company’s insurer know you’ll respond once you have more information.
What is the average settlement for a semi truck accident?
No reliable average exists, because many settlements are confidential and each depends on injuries, insurance limits, and fault. Federal minimum coverage for for-hire interstate carriers hauling general freight in trucks over 10,000 pounds is $750,000, which is one reason truck claims often involve larger policies than car crashes.
How long does it take to settle a trucking accident case?
Some claims settle within months, while complex cases with serious injuries or several companies involved can take years. Finishing medical treatment, gathering carrier records, and resolving disputes over fault all affect the timeline, so early organization tends to help move things along.Â