Tractor trailer crashes can cause serious injuries that cost countless dollars in medical care, rehabilitation, lost wages, and other damages.
In addition to the astronomical financial cost associated with them, heavy truck crashes are also unique in that there may be numerous entities found to be at fault.
Considering the severity of many truck wrecks and the costs involved, personal injury lawyers must approach these cases very carefully and thoroughly to properly determine fault, then negotiate suitable compensation.
In doing so, they follow a process that allows them to do a proper and thorough accident investigation.
- Collection of Evidence from Accident Scene - The collection of evidence must be started quickly after a tractor trailer crash has happened, as this will all be critical for the case. The crash will be documented using photos and videos, police reports, and lawyers will typically send legal notice that all evidence must be preserved so the investigation can be done.
- Witness Interviews - Personal injury lawyers will interview those involved in a truck crash, plus any witnesses who saw it to hear different accounts of what happened.
- Inspection of the Truck Driver and Trucking Company - Lawyers will then progress to inspecting the employment and driving record of the driver involved in the truck wreck and that of the trucking company as well, looking for any safety violations that may indicate the driver or company operated using unsafe practices.
- Examination of the Truck - The vehicle involved in the tractor trailer crash will be carefully examined to check for mechanical issues and other problems that might have contributed to the accident.
- Analysis of the Truck Data Recorder - The truck data recorder will also be analyzed to further understand what happened during the truck crash and what the cause might be.
- Expert Witness Consultations - Finally, an expert witness such as a forensics specialist may be asked to go over all existing evidence and give their expert opinion on the cause of the truck wreck. Medical experts, life care providers, and other experts may also be consulted with to fully understand the severity of a person’s injuries so that an accurate injury settlement can be negotiated.
The investigation of tractor trailer crashes is very detail-oriented and can be extremely time-consuming.
Still, every personal injury lawyer will go through this same process every time to gather all of the information required to accurately determine fault and fully understand the extent of the injuries suffered by the injured party so a proper settlement can be negotiated.