After a commercial vehicle accident, it truly is a race to the scene in many ways. The emergency team rushes there to help anyone who has been injured. Your attorney or investigators may rush to the scene to quickly preserve evidence. Even the truck company may hurry to get there to prevent the driver from doing or saying anything that could involve them in the crash.
Large commercial vehicle companies do sometimes have rapid response teams that come to the scene of accidents to preserve evidence. They gather evidence to use against you, the victim of their driver’s carelessness. While the commercial trucking company can’t withhold evidence, it will have access to more evidence than you if you don’t move quickly. Your attorney must obtain access to the vehicle’s logs and records for your benefit during a trial or the claims process.
It’s important to keep in mind that commercial drivers have to maintain several logs under federal law. The law requires that they show how long they’ve worked each day and how long they drove without breaks. They’re required to have a log of maintenance to their vehicles as well as roadside inspection reports. If any of these aren’t filled out correctly or have been manipulated, that gives you the perfect opportunity to seek compensation for the driver’s negligence. Falsifying information on logs could lead to federal charges against the driver, further solidifying your case against him or her.
Our site has more about what you should do if you’re in a truck crash. Move fast, so you can protect your right to a claim.