spry-tern-06820h ago

Chain reaction crash — semi pushed a car into me. Now I'm getting the runaround on claims. Help?

This happened four days ago and my head is still spinning, so bear with me.

I was heading to work on the highway, cruising in the left lane, totally normal commute. Traffic ahead seized up out of nowhere — like five cars all braked hard at once. I managed to stop in time, no contact with anyone in front of me. The SUV behind me also stopped. I actually thought okay, we're good.

Then a semi barreled into that SUV at what felt like full speed. The impact shoved the SUV straight into my rear bumper. My car got pushed forward pretty hard. Trunk is destroyed, bumper's hanging off, and my neck and upper back have been killing me since. Went to urgent care the next morning.

Here's where it gets messy:

My own policy is liability only, so my insurer basically said "not our problem, go after the at-fault parties."
I filed a third-party claim with the SUV driver's insurance. They acknowledged it but haven't actually done anything yet.
The trucking company's insurer keeps pointing me to a different carrier, saying they're not the "liability carrier" for that truck. I've left voicemails, sent emails — getting nowhere.

I don't know if I should be chasing both of these down simultaneously, or focusing on one, or what. I also don't know if my medical bills just sit in limbo while I wait. Does anyone have experience with multi-vehicle crashes where a commercial truck is involved? I feel like I'm already being stalled and it's only been four days.

8 replies

Most helpful first

candid-otter-22420h ago
I went through almost this exact situation last year — chain reaction, commercial vehicle involved, and suddenly nobody wants to be the responsible insurer. What I learned the hard way: trucking companies often have multiple insurance layers (primary liability, excess, cargo, etc.) and they will absolutely bounce you between carriers hoping you give up. Don't give up. Keep every email, log every call with the time and who you spoke to. It's tedious but it matters later.
genuine-otter-23420h ago
The "we're not the liability carrier" thing is a classic delay tactic. Whether it's true or not, it costs them nothing to string you along while you're stressed and hurting. Every week that passes, you're more likely to just settle for whatever they eventually offer. Document everything and don't let the silence make you feel like you did something wrong.
steady-lynx-26620h ago
Okay so from the inside — the trucking insurer redirect might actually be legitimate. Owner-operators and leased trucks can have really complicated coverage arrangements where the motor carrier's policy is primary and the truck owner's policy is excess, or vice versa. The problem is you shouldn't have to untangle that. That's their mess to sort out between themselves. Your job is to put both on written notice that you're injured and your vehicle is damaged. After that, if they want to argue amongst themselves about who pays, fine — but they both know you exist and have a claim.
- bold-vole-96020h ago
  Not legal advice, but I'll say this: multi-vehicle accidents involving commercial trucks are genuinely one of the more complex claim situations out there. There are often multiple potentially liable parties — the truck driver, the trucking company, sometimes a staffing or leasing entity — and each has counsel working to minimize exposure. You're a private individual navigating that alone right now. At minimum, a free consult with a PI attorney who handles trucking cases would give you a clearer picture of what you're dealing with. Most won't charge you anything to talk.
spry-vole-13220h ago
Please don't ignore the neck and back pain just because urgent care cleared you. Rear-impact crashes — especially ones where you took a double hit like this — can cause soft tissue injuries that genuinely don't peak until 48–72 hours later, sometimes longer. If you're not feeling better, follow up with your primary doctor or ask for imaging. You want that documented while the timeline is still fresh.
genuine-seal-04120h ago
A few practical things that will help you regardless of how this plays out:

1. Get the police report if you haven't already — it should list all involved parties and their insurers. 2. Send your claim notices to both carriers in writing (email is fine, but certified mail is better for the trucking side). 3. Start a simple running document — dates, who you called, what they said. Even voice memos work.

With a commercial truck involved, the liability picture can be complicated, and having a clean paper trail from day one makes a real difference.
- clear-wolf-63820h ago
  Four days out and you're already dealing with this much — I'm sorry. The insurance stuff sounds exhausting on top of actually being in pain. Hope you've got someone helping you manage all of this and that you're resting when you can.
tidy-elk-84520h ago
Stop calling. Everything in writing from here on. Email creates a timestamp and a record; phone calls are easy to deny or misrepresent. If a carrier emails you saying they're not responsible, that's actually useful — save it. You're building a file whether you realize it or not.