6 Ways We Help Establish Liability and Prove Negligence When Fighting for Your Case
Being involved in a car accident can rattle even the easiest going person. Insurance adjusters and hospital bill collectors pester you for weeks or potentially months afterward, as if the accident wasn’t bad enough. This is not taking into consideration whether or not the other vehicle involved was commercial or privately owned. Accidents involving commercial trucks open a completely different set of questions to answer as the accident could have been caused by something unrelated to the driver. The trucking company, the truck’s maintenance crew, the individuals who secured the load being transported, etc. are all now involved in your case. This is where Lewis & Feldman can help. Hiring a lawyer to fight for you could save you from having to answer many different inquiries. Here are six ways we can help establish liability and prove negligence when fighting for you.
Interview witnesses
It is crucial that individuals, who witnessed the accident or were present at the scene, be interviewed. When you are in a traumatic accident, your brain remembers bits and pieces of the event, it then pieces together to remember what happened. Speaking to witnesses that were on the scene not only helps us collect the information you may not have remembered, but also provides details that you might not even have known occurred. They provide objective observations that help us clearly see what happened.
Document evidence from the scene
Documenting evidence from the scene helps us paint a physical picture of the incident. From tire skid marks on the pavement to dents in the vehicles, these details could confirm what you and/or the witnesses on the scene described. Physical evidence allows us to prove facts.
Examine the 18-wheeler’s maintenance records
Reviewing maintenance records on 18-wheelers could either help us rule out the maintenance workers from being involved in your case or allow us to focus on the right people responsible. We need to be certain that no routine checks were missed, as a malfunction with the vehicle could have been the primary cause of the event.
Investigate regulation violation, careless inspection, trucker’s logging hours and training
Along the same lines as maintenance work, it must be confirmed that trucking regulation standards were strictly followed. We must be sure that any part of the truck that did not pass inspection was logged and remedied immediately. Additionally, the driver must be able to prove that they passed the necessary training before driving, as well as continuously log their hours and stop for breaks as required.
Perform background checks on the driver
Background checks do more than inform us of any criminal history. They also give us insight into any previous drug or alcohol use, which is vital in a vehicular crash. Obtaining a background check is an easy way to gain instant knowledge about the driver’s history.
Review raw data from black box and GPS devices (For commercial trucks)
Similar to black boxes in airplanes, black boxes in commercial trucks provide a wealth of helpful information. Details like sudden acceleration/deceleration, brake usage (or lack thereof), cruise control usage, driving above speed limits, the physical location of a truck, tire pressure, airbag deployment, seat belt usage and more could make or break a case.
These 6 areas are just the beginning of how lawyers like us will fight for you. Because we know what questions to ask and what information to look for, we can help make your life a great deal easier post-accident.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an 18-wheeler tractor trailer accident, please schedule a free initial consultation and case evaluation by calling the law office of Lewis & Feldman, LLC locally at 205-896-6410, toll-free at 888-705-3997 or complete our contact form. You can also email us at jon@LewisAndFeldman.com and dfeldman@LewisAndFeldman.com. We’re the truck accident lawyers serving Birmingham, Bessemer, Hoover and the state of Alabama who can help you receive the justice you deserve.
No representation is made that the quality of legal services performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.