In many personal injury cases, the statute of limitations is 2 years. In the instance of a truck accident, the statute of limitations in Pennsylvania is 2 years. However, if you have been involved in an accident involving a government vehicle the timelines are different and you only have 6 months to file a claim.

No matter what circumstances caused your accident or who it involved, legal representation is vital. Time is of the essence as there is evidence to collect and preserve, witnesses to interview, traffic reports to gather and video evidence, if present, to obtain. Truck accident cases often take a significant length of time to get resolved and the longer you wait to hire a truck accident attorney, the longer it takes for you to recover much needed compensation for your injuries.

Waiting may mean evidence is lost and witnesses do not remember the incident. It may also mean that insurance adjusters can take their time with the claim and make the wait longer, meaning you could miss your date to file. If you miss the date to file a personal injury claim, your case cannot be heard.

It is important to remember that Pennsylvania follows a modified comparative negligence rule which means that you may receive damages, but they could be reduced according to your percentage of fault for the accident. If you are more than 50 percent responsible you are not awarded any compensation. Comparative fault also typically comes up during any injury settlement negotiations.

A few quick tips to handle the aftermath of a truck accident:

• Stay as calm as possible.
• Call 911.
• Take as many pictures of the accident scene, injuries, the damages, etc.
• Collect contact information and insurance information from everyone involved in the accidents
• Collect contact information from any witnesses
• Get in touch with Melaragno, Placidi & Parini as soon as you can

The other thing to remember is that truck accidents complex issues. You need to speak with a Melaragno, Placidi & Parini truck accident attorney to find out what your legal rights are as soon as you can.