Here's what we look for:
- Break records: By law, truck drivers are required to take periodic breaks to make sure they're rested enough to drive safely. We'll see whether all of those breaks were appropriately documented. If the driver did not take a scheduled break, we'll investigate further to see whether that was on the driver's own initiative or due to pressure from the trucking company.
- Maintenance records: A poorly maintained truck is a dangerous truck. That's why truck drivers are expected to complete frequent maintenance checks and document them appropriately. We'll review maintenance records to see if any steps were missed or improperly conducted, which could have contributed to the accident.
- Hiring practices: Often, inexperienced or irresponsible drivers are to blame for accidents. We'll conduct a full investigation into the trucking company's hiring process to see whether a thorough background check was conducted and the driver was appropriately trained and supervised.
- Black box: We'll look at the truck's black box as well as its GPS data. This information may reveal the truck's speed at the time of the accident as well as the amount of time it had been on the road -– which could point to wrongdoing if it contradicts the driving log.
- Loading: Strict federal guidelines determine how much a commercial truck can carry. We'll comb through records to see if the truck was overloaded or improperly loaded.
- Falsified records: It's not unheard of for a trucking company to unlawfully change records in order to eliminate information that could lead to a liability claim after an accident. If we can find out that the company falsified records, we may be able sue them for acting in bad faith in addition to the cost of the accident itself.
When you retain attorney Richard E. Lewis, you can rest assured that we will conduct a full investigation to turn up any evidence that could be relevant to your claim. When you're up against a trucking company and the stakes are high, that approach wins cases.
The sooner you contact us, the sooner we'll be able to start that investigation. Call 509-413-1278 today for a free case evaluation.
