If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a truck accident, it is important
to understand that every piece of evidence can be crucial to build and strengthen your claim for compensation. A truck accident investigation can be quite different from a car accident investigation because the factors that are at play are often different. A truck accident case tends to involve a number of different parties — from a truck driver and trucking company to a large corporation that operates the truck such as Amazon or Wal-Mart.
Here are six important components that have a significant impact on your truck accident investigation:
1. Evidence from the Crash Scene
The scene of a truck accident contains vital evidence that can potentially determine the cause of the accident as well as highlight fault and liability. Some crucial evidence that your attorney will look at from the crash scene include road conditions, vehicle damage, skid marks, signs on the roadway, debris from the crash, etc. Your lawyer can also help obtain surveillance video that offers valuable information about how the truck accident occurred.
2. Eyewitness Statements
Someone else — a bystander or passerby — may have seen your truck accident and can help corroborate your account of the incident. It is important that you obtain names and contact information for those eyewitnesses as their statements can be a valuable part of the evidence in your truck accident case.
3. Information from the Black Box
Almost all trucks contain an event data recorder or “black box” that documents the truck’s movements based on the decisions its driver made, leading up to the crash. The black box offers information including the speed of the truck right before the collision, whether the truck driver applied the brakes, etc.
4. Truck Driver Logs
Truck drivers are required under the federal Hours of Service rules to maintain a log of the number of hours they drive. Federal rules require truck drivers to get adequate rest before they get on the road. Truck driver logs will help determine whether driver fatigue caused your crash.
5. Inspection and Maintenance Records
Your truck accident lawyer will also look into other information including but not limited to vehicle inspection records, truck repair history, maintenance reports, etc. to establish that mechanical malfunction and poor vehicle maintenance on the part of the trucking company caused or contributed to your accident.
6. Driver Background Information
Your truck accident lawyer can also look into a truck driver’s driving history to check for alcohol or drug violations; involvement in other crashes where the driver was at fault; criminal history, etc. Trucking companies must do their due diligence and conduct thorough background checks on drivers they hire and retain.
Contacting an Experienced Lawyer
Victims who have been injured in truck accidents may be able to seek compensation for damages including, but not limited to, medical expenses, lost income and benefits, hospitalization, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, disabilities, past and future pain and suffering, etc. Families of deceased accident victims may be able to file a wrongful death lawsuit seeking compensation for damages such as lost future income, funeral costs, medical expenses, pain and suffering, etc.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, or if you have lost a loved one in a motor vehicle accident caused by a negligent or careless driver, the experienced New York personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options, and also fight hard to recover just compensation for you.
For over 50 years, our skilled accident attorneys have established a proven track record of helping injured victims get fair compensation for their losses. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 for a bicyclist who was hit by a van, and $2,550,000 for another victim of a truck accident, and $3,000,000 for a pedestrian who was hit by a car, and $2,000,000 in a hit-and-run accident, and the full $1,000,000 insurance policy for a pedestrian who was hit by a truck, and $4,625,000 for a driver who was in a car and was hit by a van, and $2,500,000 for a man who fell through an improperly secured hole. Also, one of our clients obtained a verdict for $43,940,000 and another of our clients got a verdict for $23,500,000, both in medical malpractice cases.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury and/or medical malpractice cases in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com