When you have been involved in a serious accident, it is crucial to not only understand your rights, but to exercise caution when you talk with anyone. You should be able to work with a professional attorney to move forward with getting the settlement you need to heal and recover, although many people don't see it that way.
Choosing a new attorney could be the difference between getting a great settlement and watching possibilities slip out of your fingers. On this blog, learn more about what it means to work with a new lawyer, and how they could help you to start on the road to recovery.
What Sort Of Evidence Is Used In An 18-Wheeler Accident Case?
When an 18-wheeler accident law attorney suspects that something more was going on in a case than just happenstance, they have to build their argument. Doing so requires developing evidence of what happened and how the defendant might be liable. Take a look at some of the kinds of evidence that an 18-wheeler accident attorney may use to back up a claim or a lawsuit.
Driver Records
The defendant in most cases isn't the driver of the rig. Instead, most cases are focused either on the company that owns and operates the truck or whoever contracted the load.
Many records are kept regarding drivers. When they're hired, drivers are frequently subjected to drug and criminal background tests. Likewise, as drivers travel the roads, they have to maintain logs. These logs include information about when they slept, which is evidence that may be used to argue that a driver was driving a vehicle for too many hours in the time before an incident.
Maintenance and Repair Logs
Given how dangerous rigs can be, it should be no surprise that maintaining and fixing them is important. That means every time a truck or a trailer is worked on, there should be logs noting what was done and why. For example, an 18-wheeler accident attorney will want to know when the last time was that the brake system on a rig was inspected.
Load Records
Sometimes the most dangerous thing involved in an accident isn't the truck or the trailer. Instead, it may be the contents of the trailer. In these scenarios, it's just as important to confirm what the load was and whether it was legal at the time. Trucking loads are tightly regulated in terms of materials, licensing, weights, and even how they have to be distributed.
It's also important that the right trailer is used for the job. Employing a trailer without sufficient spring supports when moving something like a massive steel I-beam, for example, can be dangerous.
Digital Data
Modern trucks also generate tons of digital information. Many companies now track their rigs with GPS logs that track how long the vehicle was on the road, what its speed was, and both its origin and destination.
Also, it's normal for a trucker to have a cell phone on them. Phone records may be obtained to show, for example, that an operator might have been texting at the time of an incident. Sufficient evidence may add up to demonstrate that negligence occurred.
For more information, contact an 18-Wheeler accident attorney.