What Evidence Can Help You Win Your Truck Accident Case?
Trucking companies never want to cooperate during a truck accident claim because they would rather deny any ounce of liability. Trucking accidents often result in severe injuries that trigger monumental damages, which is why trucking companies and their insurers are so adamant about insisting they aren’t responsible for what happened. To defeat their opponents in court, you need to come prepared with ample and convincing evidence, which is best used in the hands of an experienced truck accident attorney.
What type of evidence is gathered in a truck accident lawsuit, though? There are a few great sources of evidence that might be available to you, ranging from trucker logs and maintenance records to eyewitness statements and dashcam footage.
Truck Accident Evidence from the Trucking Company
Truck drivers are required to keep logs of their workdays and workweeks. Within a typical trucker log, you can find how much time the truck driver spent on the road before taking a break, how far they traveled between rest stops, what type and weight of the cargo were in their trailers at the time of a crash, and much more. Your truck accident lawyer might be able to use these records to prove in court that the truck driver must have been exhausted before the crash due to an unreasonably long time spent behind the wheel. Or the record can show that an overloaded trailer could have contributed to a brake failure that caused the truck to careen out of control.
Maintenance logs from the trucking company that employs or contracts the truck driver can be crucial pieces of evidence as well. Commercial trucks and big rigs need to be maintained on a regular schedule to ensure every part is in safe, functional condition. If there is a gap in maintenance and repairs in the maintenance logs, then it could be used as proof that the company was negligent to the point that it contributed to the accident.
Importantly, you should speak with a truck accident attorney as soon as possible after being in a crash, so they can speak with the liable party the same or next day. Truck and maintenance logs can “disappear” in a few weeks if the trucker or trucking company is not careful with how those logs are recorded. Your attorney can instruct them to save a copy of those logs for their law firm to use. If the evidence is lost after your attorney instructed its preservation, then it could be argued as evidence tampering, which could doom the defendant’s chances before a judge or jury.
Truck Accident Evidence from Outside Sources
Sometimes the most useful evidence to use in a truck accident case does not come from “official” sources. Instead, third parties and video cameras provide the most valuable information about what really happened at the time of the collision.
Eyewitness testimonies can be candid sources of information about your truck accident that neither you nor the truck driver ever would have discovered otherwise. From their outside perspective, eyewitnesses can often see the details that led to a collision better than those involved in it. If anyone stopped to help you after your truck accident, and they gave you their contact information, then be sure to pass it along to your attorney. They can interview the witness further and determine if they have anything helpful to add to your case.
Do you have a dashcam installed in your vehicle? Its footage could be instrumental for your lawsuit, so be sure to send a copy to your attorney for review. There could even be nearly security cameras that saw your collision like those installed at the front of retail stores along the street where the crash occurred. Your truck accident lawyer can contact the proprietor to see if they would be willing to share footage that their cameras captured.
Make the Most of Your Evidence
Getting evidence is different from using it correctly. It would be a shame if the tangible evidence you have regarding your truck accident goes to waste because you aren’t sure how to integrate it into your lawsuit. If you live in Rochester or Buffalo, then you can leave the guesswork behind by turning to Faraci Lange, LLP. Our truck accident attorneys can build your claim, file your lawsuit, and represent your best interests in and out of court, so you can always be confident that your case is in good hands.
Choose a team with 50+ years of legal experience! Call (888) 997-4110 or contact us online now.