When you get in an accident involving a truck, one of the first things that you should worry about first is your health and condition. Collisions with trucks can be fatal. If not that – it can lead to serious injuries. Once you have checked your condition, what’s next for you to do? Most legal experts will tell you that you should document the scene and get evidence immediately.
Just a few years ago, over 4,000 trucks were involved in fatal crashes. Thousands more are involved in crashes that lead to serious injuries and damage. It’s best to be prepared for such cases so that you can get compensated for the injuries and trauma caused by the event. Here’s why you should focus on getting evidence after the crash.
Help Determine The Cause Of The Accident
The key factor for the court to rule whether you should get compensated or not is the cause of the accident. Leading causes of truck accidents include fatigue, driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, distracted drivers, and overspeeding. If these are some of the causes, then the court will side in your favor mostly.
The police themselves can help you determine the cause of the accident. The easiest one to prove if driving under the influence as all police need to do is give the drivers a breathalyzer test. Determining the cause of the accident also helps prove your innocence in the accident, meaning it’s more likely that you get compensated.
Prove The Other Party’s Negligence
Truck accidents are common for a lot of reasons. For starters, since these are large vehicles, they are harder to handle than your typical car or delivery van. It takes a lot of training to be able to drive a truck safely and some drivers are required to get a special license for it as well.
Another common reason is that truck drivers work long hours. As such, they are prone to experiencing fatigue at work. Understandably, these are just people trying to make a living. However, that doesn’t mean that they should put the lives of others in jeopardy on the road.
As with most civil cases, your lawyer will need to prove the other party’s negligence if you are to be cleared and compensated for the accident. This is a ton of work. It’s tough to prove the other party’s undoing without sufficient evidence so it’s a must that you secure the necessary evidence early on.
Keep in mind that it’s not just the driver you should look into. You should also consider if the driver’s company had any part in the accident. They could’ve been forcing the driver to work extended hours. They could’ve also given him a truck that’s not above the safety standards.
Truck accidents are both dangerous and costly. If you are not at fault, you should do your best to acquit yourself of any wrongdoing in the accident. Evidence is a key part of any criminal case so you should do your best to secure them after a truck accident case.
