If you're seriously injured in a trucking accident, you may wait until you get out of the hospital to call an attorney. But that might be the wrong thing to do. Even if your injuries leave you unable to walk or leave the hospital, it's critical that you or someone you love contact a trucking accident lawyer as soon as possible. A trucking accident lawyer needs to file a claim for your case before it's too late, or you may not have a chance to do so later. Here's why.
The Trucking Company Destroys the Driver's Logs
Every state places a statute of limitations on personal injury claims. In the case of a trucking accident claim, you may have about six months to obtain valuable documents and evidence from the trucking company before it destroys the driver's logs. Drivers keep logs of the services and trips they make for their companies, including any accidents and traffic violations they experience. Trucking companies destroy the drivers' logs for a number of reasons, including to keep the files organized and to hide evidence.
In addition to destroying computer and paper files, trucking companies may wipe clean the black boxes found inside their drivers' trucks. Black boxes are some of the most useful forms of evidence because they record:
There are a number of cases about truck drivers who operate long distances without stopping. Black boxes can reveal the mileage put on the drivers' trucks. If the at-fault driver in your case experienced fatigue because of their duties, the black box can help an attorney document it.
If a trucking accident lawyer doesn't obtain the crucial evidence above, it may affect the outcome of your case. In many cases, it may take much longer to compile or find the evidence you need for your case.
The Trucking Business Changes Names
A trucking business can change its name before you have a chance to file a claim. If this happens, a trucking attorney may have a difficult time locating the original managers and owners of the company, because the new owners may not feel obligated to reveal this information. In some cases, the trucker who hit your car may also leave the job, which requires an attorney to hire an investigator to locate them.
Keep in mind that if the trucking company has a history of violations or lawsuits, they may try to go out of business or file bankruptcy to avoid the legal ramifications for their actions. Although the legal system generally prevents this from happening, it may keep an accident attorney from obtaining evidence right away.
The best thing to do is contact a trucking accident attorney immediately following your accident. If you physically can't do so, have someone, such as a parent or sibling, do it for you.
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10 December 2015
When I was injured in a slip and fall accident a few years ago, my family and friends had a hard time relating to the things I was going through. While some people thought that my decision to file a lawsuit was frivolous, others were under the impression that I would walk away as a millionaire. Their lack of personal experience with this type of legal problem left me feeling alone during one of the most difficult times in my life. That is why I decided to start this blog so that accident victims from all over would have somewhere to come to get the information and support that they need. I truly hope that this page can be that place for you.