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After a truck crash, the clock starts ticking immediately. Evidence that could be vital to your case can disappear quickly, and trucking companies move fast to protect themselves. That’s why you need to act just as quickly to protect your rights.
Video Transcript:
The clock starts ticking immediately after the accident. So let’s talk about what needs to be done immediately after the accident to preserve evidence and make sure the evidence doesn’t disappear.
Trucking companies have unlimited resources. They have teams of investigators, insurance adjusters, and safety and risk assessment people at the trucking company who will go out to the scene of the accident immediately after it happens.
They will take photographs. They will do measurements. You want someone on your side to be able to do the same.
So in trucking accidents, it is much more critically important than in a typical car accident to reach out to an attorney as soon as possible after the accident occurs so that your attorney can go out to the scene of the accident, take photographs, and take experts.
What we do is our attorneys will actually go out to the scene of the accident. We will hire experts who specialize in trucking accident reconstruction. They will do the same. They will take measurements, take photographs, and measure the distance between gouges in the roadway and where the vehicles came to rest.
They will go to the tow yard, take photographs, and talk with police officers. These are things that must be done as soon as the accident happens.
In addition to that, if your attorney has experience handling these cases, they know the need to immediately send correspondence and talk with the trucking company representatives to make sure that they fulfill their legal obligation not to spoliate evidence.
So we reach out to the trucking companies. We send a special letter to them and talk to them, reminding them of their legal duties not to spoliate any type of evidence, to preserve any type of dash cam videos they may have, and to preserve the vehicle before it is fixed or sent away to be disposed of.
If they don’t do that in response to our letter and we’re subsequently in court, they can be sanctioned and they can lose their right to defend the case.
Bottom line: in these big truck accident cases, it’s incredibly important to reach out to an attorney who has experience representing people in big truck accidents as soon as possible after the accident occurs so that we can start working on your case immediately.
If you have any other questions regarding what you should do after being struck by a big truck, please reach out to me at 813-915-1110. I'd be happy to consult with you and answer any questions you might have. The consultation's always free.
Why Timing Is So Critical
Unlike a typical car accident, after a truck crash, trucking companies have enormous resources at their disposal. The moment a crash happens, they often send investigators, insurance adjusters, and safety experts to the scene. They take photographs, measurements, and collect information, all with the goal of defending their case, not helping yours.
If you don’t have someone working for you right away, crucial details may be lost forever. Skid marks fade, vehicles get repaired or destroyed, and dashcam footage may disappear.
What an Attorney Does to Preserve Evidence
When you contact an experienced truck accident attorney quickly, your legal team can get to work immediately. Attorneys and accident reconstruction experts can visit the scene, take photos, measure distances, and speak with police officers to secure the evidence you’ll need.
Your attorney can also send formal letters to the trucking company requiring them to preserve evidence such as dashcam videos, vehicle data, and maintenance records. If the company ignores these obligations and evidence is destroyed, it can face court sanctions.
Protecting Your Rights Starts Now
The bottom line is this: the sooner you act after a truck crash, the stronger your case will be. At Hancock Injury Attorneys, we know how to hold trucking companies accountable and make sure critical evidence is preserved.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, don’t wait. Call us right away at 813-915-1110 for a free consultation so we can start protecting your rights from day one.