The moments after a truck accident can determine whether you recover fair compensation or walk away with nothing. When a truck crash victim is shaken, injured, or overwhelmed, it’s easy to make critical errors that can undermine their claim before they fully understand what happened. What feels like common courtesy or reasonable cooperation can become the reason a case falls apart.
At Fowler Pickert Eisenmenger Norfleet, our team understands how quickly a strong claim can unravel. Below, our experienced Kansas City truck accident lawyers explain common truck accident mistakes to avoid in order to protect your rights and prevent insurance companies from using your words and actions against you.
Table of Contents
Avoid Apologizing at the Accident Scene
The instinct to apologize after any accident runs deep, even when you did nothing wrong. You might say "I'm sorry" out of shock, politeness, or concern for others involved, but uttering those kind words can be used against you. Insurance adjusters interpret those two words as an admission of fault, and they will use them to try to deny your claim or reduce your settlement.
When recovering damages after a Kansas City truck accident, you should be aware that Missouri follows a pure comparative fault system, meaning any degree of responsibility assigned to you reduces your compensation dollar-for-dollar. If it’s determined that you’re 20% at fault, then you lose 20% of your damages. When trucking companies and their insurers review accident reports, witness statements, and recorded conversations, they look for any indication that the victim accepted blame. A casual apology can be used as evidence that you admitted contributing to or causing the crash.
Stay Away from Social Media
It is common for insurance companies to monitor social media accounts after serious accidents, searching for content that appears to contradict injury claims. A photo of you standing at a family gathering might seem harmless, but defense attorneys will argue that someone with a severe back injury couldn't possibly attend social events. A comment about feeling better than expected becomes proof that your injuries aren't as serious as you claim.
Key factors to keep in mind about social media dangers after a truck accident:
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Deleted posts still exist. Once you publish content online, it can be screenshot, archived, or recovered through legal discovery—even after you remove it.
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Friends and family can put your claim at risk. Someone tagging you in photos or sharing updates about your activities creates evidence you never intended to publish yourself.
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Private accounts offer limited protection. Insurance companies can subpoena social media records or use connections to access content you believed was private.
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Innocent posts get twisted. A photo taken before the accident might be made to seem as if it were taken afterward, or a comment about having a good day becomes evidence that you're not really suffering.
The safest approach to social media after being involved in a truck crash is to avoid posting about your accident, injuries, activities, or recovery until your case resolves. It’s a good idea to adjust your privacy settings to restrict who can view your content and tag you, and inform family and friends that you need their help to avoid sharing information about you online. Otherwise, social media posts can become the documentation that defeats your claim.
Don’t Give a Recorded Statement Without Legal Representation
Insurance adjusters contact truck accident victims quickly—often within hours of the crash—asking for a recorded statement about what happened. They present this request as routine, necessary, or helpful to processing your claim. However, the truth is that recorded statements exist to trap you into inconsistencies, downplay injuries, or accept partial fault before you fully understand your situation.
Adjusters ask leading questions designed to elicit responses that benefit their company.
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They might ask how you feel, hoping you'll say you're fine when, in reality, you're still in shock and haven't yet developed symptoms.
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They'll inquire about pre-existing conditions, then later argue that your current injuries stem from old problems rather than the accident.
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They will request that you share a detailed account of the crash before you've reviewed the evidence, knowing that even minor discrepancies between your statement and facts that are revealed later can be made to seem like dishonesty.
You have no legal obligation to provide a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurer. Your own insurance policy might require cooperation, but even then, you should have legal representation present during any recorded conversation. An experienced Kansas City truck accident lawyer knows which questions create traps and can provide advice on how to provide accurate information without jeopardizing your claim.
Don’t Delay Seeking Medical Treatment
Seeking immediate medical care after being in a truck accident serves two essential purposes: documenting injuries while they're fresh and getting treatment before conditions worsen. Insurance companies rely on gaps in medical treatment to argue that injuries either don't exist or weren't caused by the crash. If you wait days or weeks to see a doctor, adjusters will claim that you must not have been seriously hurt—or that something else caused your symptoms.
To protect your claim, you should go to an emergency room or an urgent care facility the same day as your truck accident, even if you feel relatively okay. Adrenaline and shock mask pain immediately after crashes, and symptoms like whiplash, soft tissue injuries, and internal trauma often don't appear for hours or days. Some truck accident injuries don't cause severe pain immediately, but still require medical documentation and treatment.
Medical records created at the emergency room establish a clear connection between the truck crash and your injuries before insurance companies can question causation. You should also follow up with specialists as recommended, whether that means seeing an orthopedist for back pain, a neurologist for headaches, or a physical therapist for mobility issues. Consistent medical treatment creates a documented record of ongoing symptoms and necessary care.
Avoid Putting Off Securing Legal Representation
Legal representation immediately after a truck accident is key to reducing the risk of making claim-destroying truck accident mistakes. The errors that destroy truck accident claims happen in the first hours and days after a crash—often before victims realize they're making decisions that will affect their compensation.
Seeking legal guidance right away can prevent errors like the ones discussed above and position your claim for maximum recovery. Fowler Pickert Eisenmenger Norfleet’s experienced Kansas City truck accident attorneys are here to help and advise you about what steps to take after a truck accident. Our team works diligently to investigate truck accidents thoroughly and gather evidence before it disappears, preserving key facts that establish trucking company liability so our clients can focus on recovery.