When a car is involved in an accident with a truck/semi-truck, it is of utmost importance that the automobile occupant(s) or family contact a truck accident lawyer as soon as possible. This is to preserve the evidence intact for an investigation to prove liability. The potential for great financial loss as a result of the incident can leave the victim with staggering medical bills to pay and an extensive stay in hospital. This further causes time lost from work that the victim may not be paid for. Pain and suffering, such as loss of limbs, or even fatalities occur frequently after an accident involving a big truck/semi-truck. The breadwinner of the family may be the victim, leaving the family members high and dry and unable to take care of themselves. The automobile is likely to be written off, causing further hardship unless insurance honors a claim swiftly.
Putting in a claim for compensation against the driver and carrier service is essential to recoup losses and pay for suffering endured. But the evidence can be tampered with or lost if a truck accident attorney is not appointed swiftly. The carrier’s insurance company will also do everything in their power to attach liability to the victim instead of their driver to avoid a claim. Much useful information for a successful claim can be achieved by hiring a truck accident attorney as early as possible.
Record of Duty Log
The Record of Duty Log must be maintained by law for a period of six months. This is as specified by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Your road traffic accident lawyers will want to see this information before there is a chance for it to be destroyed. This is one of the reasons for speedy action on the part of the victims of the crash. Getting hold of a truck accident lawyer immediately will ensure that the evidence is retained intact.
Route Records
The Record of Duty Log contains vital information on the routes the driver of the tractor trailer has travelled. This can help establish falsification or discrepancies in the logbook, such as not taking the legally prescribed rest periods after driving for a certain number of hours. Multiple laws ensures that drivers of tractor trailers are not too tired to perform well as they must have a ten-hour rest after each eleven hours of driving. Exhaustion and vehicle malfunctions are two of the most common causes implicated in such incidents. With the route records, it is possible to prove that the driver was negligent by driving without a proper break or speeding.
Potential Causes of the Incident
The truck accident lawyers you hire will take steps in the investigation to determine the possible causes of the accident. These causes include the following:
- Truck parts that malfunctioned.
- Negligent operation.
- Flaws in the design of the truck.
- A hiring process that appointed someone unsuitable as a driver.
- Inadequate supervision by management.
- Poor truck maintenance.
- Unreasonable duties, such as not having sufficient time to reach a destination.
- Exhausted driver with inadequate rest before driving.
The Black Box
The black box in a big truck/semi-truck is an item that stores electronic information about the vehicle and driver behavior. This device needs to be examined as soon as possible to prevent its data from being overwritten or deleted. That is why it is imperative to retain a truck accident lawyer as soon as possible after a crash. Without this device, valuable proof to support a compensation claim by your truck accident injury lawyer can be lost for good. Then, you may find that your claim cannot be supported by the necessary evidence to make the allegations stick.
How the Scene of the Accident is Documented
The sooner an investigation conducted by your vehicle accident lawyer can get underway, the better the quality of evidence will be to support your claim for compensation. The scene will be videotaped along with plenty of photographs to capture all the elements of the incident. Witnesses will be interviewed, and statements taken along with pertinent personal details. Surveillance cameras may provide supporting information to support your case. Witnesses may have taken their own video footage that can help your truck accident lawyer make the case. The better the evidence, the greater the likelihood of winning the case and receiving fair compensation for your losses and suffering.
The Defense Team will Counter Your Case
The defense team does not want to lose the case. They will have a team out on site within 24 hours of the accident and do as much damage control as possible to limit their liability. Their teams include expert witnesses, insurance company representatives, and their own attorneys. Such teams are already in place and simply must go to the scene of the accident at once, giving them an advantage over the plaintiff. If you can counter this by getting your truck accident injury lawyer on site with a team of experts experienced in truck/semi-truck accidents, you can beat them at their own game. In a case of wrongful death, you will want to get justice for your loved one and compensation for their loss of earnings.
Legal Expertise
Legal expertise is essential to your case. Choosing a competent and experienced truck accident lawyer can make the difference between winning and losing a case or having no case at all. As the specifics of one case differ from another, legal acumen and experience are essential attributes. Truck accident attorneys focus on road accident claims and understand the nuances of truck accident claims.
It is essential that the truck accident lawyer has a solid knowledge foundation of what constitutes federal and state trucking violations. They must be well-practiced at collecting the evidence and preserving it intact. Competent truck accident lawyers are fully aware that the driver of the semi-truck in their insurance company will try to hide evidence and know how to get it. Your truck accident lawyer will also be skilled with working out what amount of compensation they can institute a claim for with a good chance of winning the case.
Contact our legal team at What’s My Case Worth today 877-559-3513.
