We strongly recommend anyone who was in a 18 wheeler accident to contact a truck accident lawyer as soon as they are able to do so. There are a number of reasons for this. Most importantly, 18 wheeler accidents involve a number of regulations and standards that regulate the semi-truck industry. Compliance or non-compliance with these regulations may play a key role in establishing negligence. If there were violations of these regulations, for example, negligence is typically much easier to establish. Secondly, in most 18 wheeler accident cases, the evidence at the scene must be preserved and thoroughly investigating which is simply impossible to do if you are being treated for the serious injuries that are usually sustained. This evidence must be handled with care to be used in your case and an experienced professional should be the one to do this. Aside from that, as with any accident case, insurance companies involved do not represent the victim of the accident. The are well-funded with teams of defense lawyers whose sole job is to try to find any way to minimize the payout for their own liability or to fight liability entirely. This is why from a negotiation perspective, you should always have your own injury lawyer, who represents your best interests, to counteract the insurance companies resources and knowledge.