Proving Negligence After a Truck Accident
Accidents caused by a negligent truck driver can be devastating. Personal vehicles offer little protection to their occupants during a collision with a much larger commercial truck. If you were hit by a careless semi-truck driver, odds are your injuries are fairly severe. You are likely to require intensive medical care after such an accident, and you may have missed a great deal of work. Settlements or awards related to truck accidents tend to be on the higher end. Unfortunately, this often means that truck drivers and the companies they work for will probably try very hard to avoid paying you the compensation you need and deserve. This makes objective evidence showing what actually happened during your truck accident extremely important. Multiple types of evidence may be needed to support your case.
The attorneys at Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices are skilled at conducting complete investigations to gather evidence of a truck driver’s negligence after a crash. The sooner you call us, the better we can help you.
What Types of Evidence Might be Useful After a Truck Accident?
No matter how truthful your account of the accident may be and how untruthful the truck driver’s is, your testimony alone is not likely to provide sufficient evidence to hold the trucker accountable in court. Your attorney will want to gather additional evidence showing that the truck driver was negligent, like:
- Witness testimony - Neutral third-party witnesses who have no interest in the outcome of the case are much more likely to be believed than someone who was involved in the crash and has something to gain from the case.
- Truck company records - Truck companies are expected to maintain extensive records to demonstrate their compliance with local and federal safety regulations. Hours of service records showing whether the truck driver had gone too long without taking a break can be subpoenaed, as can maintenance records if a vehicular malfunction is suspected.
- Police reports - Police officers are trained to conduct an initial investigation of motor vehicle crashes. If they determine that the truck driver was in some way being careless, their opinion is likely to be given a lot of weight.
- Accident scene evidence - Ideally, you should contact an attorney quickly enough that they can get to the scene of the crash before it is disturbed too much. Anything from the location of broken glass or torn-off vehicle parts to tire tracks on the road could be helpful.
One of the best things you can do for yourself after a truck accident is to contact a lawyer promptly. An attorney can take over the investigation so you can focus on healing.
Call a DuPage County Truck Accident Lawyer
Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices is ready to start investigating your truck accident as soon as you reach out to us. Our experienced Naperville truck accident attorneys are skilled at gathering impartial evidence and building strong cases against negligent truck drivers. Contact us at 630-932-9100 for a free consultation.