Move to safety and call 911 right away. Get a medical evaluation at the scene even if you feel fine — truck crash injuries like internal bleeding and traumatic brain injury often show up hours later. Photograph the scene and collect the truck driver's information, then file a New York DMV report within 10 days if anyone was injured or damage exceeded $1,000.
Semi-truck accidents are not ordinary car crashes. A loaded 18-wheeler can weigh up to 80,000 pounds under federal limits. At that weight, the forces on your body in a collision are far greater than in a typical fender-bender. Injuries are often severe, frequently delayed, and the evidence you need disappears fast.
The steps below cover what to do after a semi-truck accident — from the scene, through medical care, through the paperwork New York law requires. For questions about legal liability or your options as an injured person, see our Queens truck accident lawyer page — that topic requires a separate, individualized review.
What's in this video?
An attorney from The Orlow Firm walks through the key steps New York victims should take following a truck accident, including scene safety, medical evaluation, and preserving critical evidence before it disappears.
Step 1: Make the Scene Safe and Call 911
Your first priority is preventing more harm.
If you can move safely, pull your vehicle off the travel lanes and turn on your hazard lights. This alerts approaching drivers and lowers the risk of a second collision — which happens more often at truck accident scenes than people expect.
Do not move anyone who may have a spine or neck injury. Spinal injuries from high-force crashes can get much worse if the victim is moved. Stay still and wait for paramedics unless the vehicle is on fire or filling with water.
Call 911 right away. The call does two things: it brings paramedics, and it generates a police response. A responding officer will file a police accident report, which becomes an official record of what happened. Under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 600, a driver who knows or has reason to know they caused personal injury or property damage and leaves the scene without reporting commits a crime. You must provide your information to the other parties and, if required, notify police.
Get the police report number before officers leave, or ask how to obtain the report later. You will need it.
Step 2: Accept Medical Evaluation After a Semi-Truck Accident — Even If You Feel Fine
This is where many truck accident victims make a costly mistake.
After a crash, your body floods with adrenaline. It suppresses pain and can mask serious injuries for 6 to 24 hours or more. Victims have walked away from truck crashes feeling alert and unhurt, only to find hours later that they had a brain injury or internal bleeding.
Injuries that often show up later:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI): The brain can swell hours after impact — a process called secondary injury. Symptoms such as confusion, headache, light sensitivity, and memory problems may not appear until the next day.
- Internal bleeding: Small vascular tears bleed slowly. You may feel only mild abdominal discomfort at first. A CT scan is usually needed to detect it.
- Soft tissue injuries: Whiplash and muscle damage to the neck, back, and shoulders often worsen over 48 to 72 hours as inflammation builds.
Accept the paramedic evaluation at the scene. If paramedics offer to transport you, go. If they don't, go to an emergency room or urgent care within 24 hours anyway. Ask for a CT scan of your head and abdomen if you had any impact to those areas. A physician's findings create a medical record that documents your condition close in time to the crash.
What's in this video?
An Orlow Firm attorney explains why semi-truck accidents differ from ordinary car crashes — in force, injury severity, and the complexity of figuring out who is responsible for the harm caused.
Step 3: Document the Scene Before You Leave
If your condition allows, spend 10 to 15 minutes documenting the scene before vehicles are moved. You often can't recover this evidence later.
Photos to take:
- All vehicles involved, from multiple angles
- All visible damage to every vehicle
- Skid marks, debris, and road conditions
- The truck's DOT number (on the cab door), license plate, and trailer ID number
- Traffic signals, signs, and road markings
- Your own injuries — photograph immediately, since bruising and swelling change quickly
Information to collect from the truck driver:
- Full legal name and CDL number
- Trucking company name and address
- Insurance carrier and policy number
- Dispatcher contact if available
Witness information:
- Names and phone numbers of anyone who saw the crash
- Ask if witnesses are willing to write a brief statement
Environmental notes:
- Write down the time and weather conditions
- Look for traffic cameras, business security cameras, or dashcam-equipped vehicles nearby. These recordings are often overwritten within 24 to 72 hours. An attorney can send a preservation letter to secure them.
Do not say anything about fault. Do not apologize, even casually. When speaking with police, stick to factual descriptions. Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurance adjuster without legal guidance.
What's in this video?
This video covers what investigation looks like after a truck accident, including the types of evidence — electronic logging device data, black box data, maintenance records — that attorneys gather for injured victims.
Step 4: Get Follow-Up Medical Care Within 24 to 72 Hours
Even if you went to the emergency room, follow up with your primary care doctor within the next day or two.
The ER focuses on ruling out life-threatening injuries. Many non-emergency injuries — herniated discs, nerve damage, joint injuries — turn up in follow-up visits as symptoms develop fully. Seeing a doctor during this window links your injuries to the accident and closes the timeline gap that insurance adjusters look for when disputing claims.
Keep a symptom journal starting right after the crash. Write down every symptom each day: pain levels, headaches, dizziness, sleep problems, trouble concentrating. This journal is a day-by-day record of your recovery.
Follow every instruction your doctors give you. Attend all follow-up appointments. Gaps in care are used by insurance companies to argue that injuries were not serious or existed before the crash.
Step 5: File New York's Required Reports
New York law sets specific reporting deadlines after motor vehicle accidents.
Police report: Filed by the responding officer at the scene. Get the incident number.
NY DMV Form MV-104: Under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 605, if anyone was injured or killed, or if property damage to any one person exceeded $1,000, you must file Form MV-104 (Report of Motor Vehicle Crash) with the DMV within 10 days. For commercial vehicle accidents, the supplemental form MV-104S is also required. Failing to file can result in license suspension. The form is available at dmv.ny.gov.
Your own insurer: Tell your insurance company right away. New York is a no-fault insurance state. That means your own Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage pays your initial medical bills — up to $50,000 — regardless of who caused the crash. Report the accident to activate this coverage. Note that PIP claims must be filed within 30 days of the accident.
Do not give the trucking company's insurer a recorded statement without speaking to an attorney first. Trucking companies often send their own investigators to accident scenes within hours. Their goal is to limit what they pay.
Step 6: Preserve Records and Protect Your Claim
In the weeks after the crash, keep everything organized.
What to keep:
- All medical records and bills from every provider
- Prescription receipts
- Receipts for out-of-pocket costs tied to your injuries (transportation, equipment, household help)
- Pay stubs showing time missed from work
- Police report
- All photos and videos from the scene
- All correspondence with your insurance company
What not to do:
- Do not post about the accident, your injuries, or your recovery on social media. Defense attorneys regularly search social media for posts that contradict injury claims.
- Do not sign any releases or settlement documents without legal review.
- Do not throw away damaged clothing or belongings. These can be physical evidence.
Have Legal Questions About What to Do After a Semi-Truck Accident?
This guide covers the safety and procedural steps: what to do medically, what to document, and what reports to file. The legal questions — who is liable, whether you can pursue a claim beyond no-fault, and what your case may be worth — are separate matters that depend on the facts of your situation.
If you were injured in a truck accident and want to understand your legal options, visit our Queens truck accident lawyer page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How soon should I see a doctor after a semi-truck accident?
See a doctor within 24 hours, even if you were cleared at the scene. Semi-truck crashes produce forces that cause internal injuries and brain trauma without immediate symptoms. A same-day or next-day medical visit creates a timely record and catches delayed injuries before they get worse.
What information should I get from a truck driver after an accident?
Get the driver's full name, CDL number, trucking company name, insurance carrier, and policy number. Also write down the truck's DOT number (on the cab door), license plate, and trailer ID number. If there is a dispatcher, ask for that contact too.
Do I have to file a DMV report after a truck accident in New York?
Yes. Under VTL § 605, if anyone was injured, killed, or property damage to any one person exceeded $1,000, you must file Form MV-104 with the New York DMV within 10 days. For commercial vehicle accidents, the supplemental MV-104S form is also required. Failing to file can result in a suspended license.
What injuries are most common in semi-truck accidents?
Common injuries include traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, fractured bones, internal bleeding, soft tissue damage to the neck and back, and chest injuries from airbag or steering wheel impact. Many of these injuries have delayed onset, which is why prompt medical evaluation matters.
Should I speak with the trucking company's insurance adjuster?
Not without legal guidance first. Trucking companies and their insurers often contact victims quickly after a crash. The adjuster's job is to limit what the company pays. A recorded statement given without counsel can be used to minimize or deny your claim.
Sources & Official Resources
New York Laws Cited
- NY Vehicle and Traffic Law § 600 — Leaving Scene of an Incident Without Reporting
- NY Vehicle and Traffic Law Article 22 — Accidents and Accident Reports
- NY Vehicle and Traffic Law § 605 — Report Required Upon Accident
Official Government Resources 4. File a Motorist Crash Report (MV-104) — NY DMV 5. NY DMV Chapter 12: If You Are in a Traffic Crash 6. FMCSA — Truck and Bus Crash Reporting
Contact The Orlow Firm
If you or someone you love was injured in a truck accident in New York, The Orlow Firm has handled these cases for more than 40 years. Founding attorney Steven S. Orlow and Senior Trial Partner Adam Moses Orlow — a former President of the Queens County Bar Association — handle truck accident cases throughout the five boroughs.
We offer a free consultation. There is no fee unless we recover for you. Se Habla Español.
Call us at (646) 647-3398 to speak with a Queens truck accident attorney.
