The Role of a Fort Worth Truck Accident Attorney
Immediately following a truck accident, it is best to seek help from a seasoned legal professional. It can be a mistake to fail to contact an attorney right after a truck accident. In the immediate aftermath of a truck accident, time is a factor. These types of collisions often have devastating consequences for those that are involved, including serious injuries and potential fatalities. A person needs to seek medical attention first and then speak with an experienced truck accident attorney who can help someone seek fair and reasonable recovery for their injuries. A person is fighting against the statute of limitations, the decay of evidence, and the trucking company and their dedicated team of lawyers, so they need to act quickly after the accident to protect their rights.
The role of a Fort Worth truck accident attorney is to help those who have been injured in a tractor-trailer crash seek compensation for their injuries and damages. Speak to an experienced truck accident attorney to discuss your legal options.
How An Attorney Could Help Immediately Following a Truck Collision
An attorney could help navigate the initial steps of dealing with a truck accident. An early investigation could be vitally important to the preservation and obtaining of important evidence concerning how the accident happened. Documenting the scene early on can be critical to showing the court how the accident occurred, which will actually be different than the at-fault truck driver’s story. If the facts are averse to the trucking company, the insurance company will seek to protect their interest in any way they can. Many will have defense attorneys at the scene before the vehicles even removed.
An experienced 18-wheeler accident attorney is going to work to protect their client’s rights and not to protect the insurance company’s bottom line. Therefore, collecting and preserving evidence in the case is very important. Any skilled lawyer knows that without preserving evidence, there is no way to win a lawsuit, especially when it comes to trucking accidents. They apply a tremendous amount of legal pressure on the trucking company and their insurance company to ensure that any evidence relevant to the case is preserved. This includes sending an explanation letter to the trucking company to preserve such types of answers such as truck driver logs, any data from the black box, recording devices in the truck, inspections reports, and more.
Review Driver Logs
The lawyer can review the driver’s logbooks and other reports. One of the most surefire ways to prove the trucking company’s fault in a truck accident is to examine the driver’s logs, truck inspection reports, and other reports that may show any violations of federal truck regulations, including violations in the number of hours the truck driver has been on the road prior to the accident, whether or not they have taken breaks, and when the truck was last inspected.
Collecting Black Box Information
A tractor-trailer collision lawyer can review the black box and the truck’s electronic onboard recording devices. The devices can offer a unique insight into what caused the accident as they record the truck’s speed at the time of the crash, engagement of the brake system, driving time, and many more.
Work With Accident Reconstruction Experts
An attorney can work with accident reconstruction experts. While the services of accident reconstruction experts are not exactly affordable, what they can tell about the accident can be the key to legal success. That is why hiring a truck accident attorney is one of the best things a lawyer can do for their cases. They retain the accident reconstruction experts and pay for those out of pocket.
Investigate Driver History
The lawyer can investigate the truck driver’s history, including but not limited to their previous traffic violations, criminal convictions, DWI risk, previous accidents, and many more. Also, examining the driver’s medical history may be a good idea, depending on the circumstances of the accident.
Speak to Witnesses
Last, the truck accident attorney could collect witness accounts. Having witness testimonies in a case is almost always half of the success. Even the weakest legal case can turn into a solid one if a lawyer has one or two witnesses testifying in their favor and proving the defendant’s liability.
Contact a Truck Accident Attorney
The earlier a person contacts an attorney, the fresher the facts will be for them to explain, and the better the chances are of recovering compensation for their injuries. Some of the things that must be handled immediately after a truck wreck would include accident reconstruction, data downloads from the truck’s black box, and crash scene investigation. If a person waits to call a truck wreck attorney, some of these pieces of evidence may no longer be available.
Truck accident lawyers work on a contingency basis. That means that the attorney is only paid if they win money damages for the injured claimant, so this makes it possible for anyone to hire the best possible legal representation. Call today to learn about the role of a Fort Worth truck accident attorney and how they could help your case.