In the chaotic aftermath of a truck accident, knowing what to do and how to preserve key evidence can be crucial to determining the outcome of any future legal action and protecting your right to financial compensation. The qualified and experienced truck accident attorneys at Robenalt Law know how to properly investigate your claim and the steps necessary to preserve critical evidence.

Robenalt Law has decades of experience representing people who were injured in truck accidents. Our dedicated team of attorneys is committed to seeking justice for the injured and has a demonstrated record of success in resolving even the most complex personal injury claims.

To put our experience to work for you, contact a truck accident attorney at Robenalt Law today.

The Importance of Preserving Evidence After a Truck Accident

If you were hurt in a truck accident, you face the daunting task of bringing a personal injury claim against a trucking company, the truck driver, and others who caused the accident that led to your injuries. To obtain the compensation you deserve, you must prove the other party — whether it was the truck driver, the trucking company, or another business — was negligent, reckless, or intentionally did something wrong.

Preserving evidence is key to achieving a successful outcome. Failure to attempt to preserve important evidence, like paper records, electronic data, and information about the truck itself, can lead to the destruction of evidence that is critical to the success of your claim.

For example, you may need the maintenance records of the truck that hit you, only to learn that they were destroyed in accordance with the trucking company’s records retention policy. An experienced truck accident attorney can act quickly to preserve evidence that may be crucial to proving an element of your claim.

What Evidence Needs to Be Preserved?

Crashes involving commercial trucks include a great deal of physical evidence and electronic data that can be analyzed to prove who was at fault for causing the accident that caused your injuries. Most commercial trucks have electronic data storage devices that record information about the vehicle itself, as well as the actions of the truck driver in the hours, days, and seconds leading up to the crash. This information can provide vital evidence about the truck and what was happening in the moments immediately before the crash, including:

• The truck’s speed
• The timing of gear changes
• When the truck driver applied the brakes
• How long the truck driver had been on the road
• The truck’s GPS location
• Communications between the truck driver and the trucking company
• Reports filed by the truck driver, including daily inspection reports and other safety data
• Truck maintenance information

All of this data may be important to your case. Our experienced truck accident attorneys can ensure this important information is preserved so experts can analyze it to establish who was at fault for causing the accident that led to your injuries.

What To Do After a Truck Accident

You should contact an experienced attorney as soon as possible after a truck accident. Our truck accident attorneys will act quickly to write a letter to the proper entities formally requesting that they preserve any information potentially related to the crash. While the precise wording of the letter will vary depending on the circumstances of your case, it will emphasize the need to preserve any evidence that could be material to your case. This letter notifies the potentially liable parties of a claim and their legal obligation to preserve relevant evidence. If a trucking company destroys evidence after receiving such a letter, it can be held liable for destroying evidence, which could lead to losing in court, punitive damages, sanctions, and even criminal charges.

Contact Our Experienced Truck Accident Attorneys Today

The truck accident attorneys at Robenalt Law have decades of experience representing individuals who have been seriously injured in truck accidents. We can provide expert advice and legal guidance to help you navigate this difficult time and recover the financial compensation you deserve.

Robenalt Law has offices in Cleveland and Columbus, and handles truck accident claims throughout Ohio and nationwide. Call our Cleveland office at (216) 223-7535 or our Columbus office at (614) 695-3800 or contact us online to schedule a free, confidential, no-obligation appointment to discuss your situation and how we can help.