If you have been hurt in a vehicle accident with a truck, it’s very likely that you are suffering from severe or life-threatening injuries. Your medical bills should be paid by your own insurance company and your pain and suffering damages should be paid by the negligent party. Unfortunately, truck accidents tend to more complex in nature than regular car accidents in the State of Michigan. Immediately following the accident, the trucking accident will deploy an entire team of attorney and experts in an effort to minimize their liability and minimize the amount they will have to pay you for your injuries and suffering. For this reason, it’s crucial that you contact a truck accident lawyer right away so you can get the information and documentation to prove your case.
Collect As Much Information As Possible About The Accident
The first thing you should gather is the police report from the responding officer(s). Having the official report will go a long way to knowing the strength of your claim. You also need to note the name of the person driving the truck at the time of the accident, what trucking company they are employed by, and what insurance company they are utilizing. You need to document your injuries carefully and you should keep copies of any medical documents that you receive. Keeping a notebook where you write down everything about your injuries including the details of your diagnosis, the names of the doctors treating you, the dates of any treatment you have been given, and any information about physical therapy appointments or any other treatment in general regarding your health. This information is paramount to proving your injuries and damages, yet many people fail to properly document their medical history. Some people even downplay their injuries and refuse to see a doctor. You are entitled to recover medical damages, lost wages, attendant care, medical mileage, and even pain and suffering if your injuries pass the “threshold”.
Contact The Trucking Company And Gather Information About Them
Trucking companies collect and log valuable information about their employed drivers. You will need to contact the trucking company and get this information. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires that truck companies use an electronic logging device which includes the amount of hours that the driver has driven and how many hours in a row they were driving before the accident. This purpose of this ELD system is to ensure protect the safety of everyone on the road and to make drivers more accountable. It’s very possible that the truck driver did not follow the State Laws by driving too many hours and was fatigued at the time of the crash. Obtaining the ELD is important to finding out this crucial information. You should also ask to obtain the truck maintenance logs that will show if the truck has been maintained properly. If you feel uncomfortable asking for all of this information, our truck accident attorneys will gladly assist you in doing so.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Truck drivers have one of the most dangerous jobs in America and there is a shortage of truck drivers in the United States for a reason. Truck drivers should be held to a high standard simply because a minor mistake can result in serious injuries of death. Some of the most common reasons for truck accidents include:
- Truck Driver Fatigue
- Inadequately Trained Drivers
- Alcohol and Drug Use
- Speeding
- Mechanical Errors
- Reckless Driving
Truck Accident Reconstruction
As mentioned previously, trucking companies routinely deploy their own team of experts to determine the cause of the accident and they are not always fair. You need to hire your own team of accident experts to combat their testimony. Our attorneys know the best accident reconstruction experts in the state and we work closely with them. Truck accidents are complex and there a multitude of reasons why the crash occurred. Our experts will uncover the truth using sophisticated concepts based on their multitude of experience analyzing truck accidents. The driver might have been fatigued, there could have been a mechanical breakdown, or many other reasons. Our accident re-constructionist will analyze and determine the real cause of the crash and will help strengthen your case.
Expert Witnesses Help Prove Your Case
Negligence can be difficult to prove in truck accident cases, and many times you will next expert testimony to prove your case. An expert might be required to give medical testimony, testimony about the conditions right before the accident, about mechanical breakdowns, or any other issue that the trucking company is using to make your case weaker. When you have experts on your side, your case will be much stronger and your chances for recovering damages is much greater.
We charge no fees for all trucking accident cases, and we will pay for any accident re-constructionist(s) or expert witnesses out of our own pocket. You will pay nothing unless you win. Call us today for a free consultation if you have been injured in a trucking accident in Michigan at (517) 347-6900.
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