Truck accidents are catastrophic and can cause multiple cars to collide, resulting in many fatalities. Most deaths resulting from a large-truck accident are the affected drivers of other vehicles, where 71% of car occupants die compared to 18% of truck occupants. A majority of these accidents are either because the truck driver made a fatal error while driving or because the truck malfunctioned. When you get into a horrifying truck crash, you should get immediate help from attorneys who have your best interests at heart. They can perform an investigation to discover who was at fault to help obtain compensation for your personal injuries.
Work with a great team of truck accident attorneys who can initiate an investigation on your behalf. Contact Mike Agruss Law now for a free consultation.
How Truck Accident Investigations Are Performed
Large-truck accidents are disastrous and life-threatening, where 5,005 people died in truck collisions in 2019. If you have been in a terrible truck accident, you can get legal representation to prove the truck driver is at fault.
How Can a Truck Driver Be At Fault?
Truck drivers often make fatal mistakes, where about one-third of truck accidents are caused by driver error. Their work requires them to drive long hours, and because of this, truck drivers can be fatigued and even drowsy at the wheel. Possibly, the truck driver didn’t take scheduled breaks so that they can meet break-neck deadlines, despite this being against federal law. To prove that a truck driver is at fault, the truck driver’s activity, the quality of the vehicle, and electronic data are all scrutinized by your attorney.
How Black Box Data is Used in an Investigation
A majority of trucks have a black box built into their electrical system to collect crucial information about the vehicle’s performance. For example, the black box can show the truck’s speed, how many hours the truck was on the road when the truck driver pressed the brake before the accident and other physical properties about its performance. It even records the communication and emails of the truck driver, revealing if the driver was distracted at the wheel.
Technical Devices in the Truck Can Help
Your truck has a variety of internal computers that help engineers maintain its performance. Your attorney can also request data be pulled on the inclinometers, GPS, and other navigation systems from the vehicle. This information further reveals the performance specifications of the truck to help identify if it was malfunctioning. If the truck had an internal error, this could be a clue to who is at fault.
The Truck Driver’s Logbook Has Useful Information
It is illegal for a truck driver to go beyond their hourly driving limit without taking breaks. This prevents them from falling asleep on the road. In addition, a truck driver’s logbook contains information on when they arrived or departed from pickup and dropoff locations, where they paused at stop-rests, and how long they were driving on the road. This can reveal if a truck driver was breaking the law and fatigued during transportation.
Accident Inspection Reports
After the truck has collided with other cars, a certified inspector is sent by the trucking company to the wreckage site. They analyze the truck and submit a report to the state trooper. This information is excluded from the police report and can be requested by your attorney.
Checks for Substance Abuse
Sometimes, truck drivers are under the influence and may not have been entirely alert while driving. Truck drivers are often tested for substance abuse after a large accident. If the police show up at the scene and discover that drugs were involved, your attorney can include this in your claim.
The Background and Qualifications of a Truck Driver Matter
Your attorney’s investigation can include their work history, driving records, and other company files that expose how experienced a truck driver is. If they are in some way unqualified for their position, this can increase your settlement amount.
Reports From Warehouses Can Indicate Incorrect Behavior
Additional evidence can be requested from weigh stations and loading docks. These facilities may have noted behavior that indicated how an accident may have happened. You can also check the dispatch instructions assigned to truck drivers to help piece together additional evidence.
Find Out More About Truck Accident Investigations
Truck accidents require a massive examination to reveal how the collision came to be. If you suffered damages because of a truck accident, get a personal injury attorney on your side to begin inspecting the evidence around the crash. Contact Mike Agruss Law today to get a free consultation.
