Building a personal injury claim after a car accident is rarely a simple or quick process, especially when the accident involves a commercial truck. Victims who rush the process often miss out on compensation that they deserve, because they need help getting back on their feet as soon as possible.
Truck accidents may involve multiple parties, including the truck driver, their employer, and possibly manufacturers or others who contributed to causing the collision. In many cases, it is more complicated to build truck accident claims than other accident claims, and the victims often end up losing.
If you recently experienced a truck accident in Pennsylvania, gathering as much evidence from the scene of the accident and the vehicles involved is a key part of building a strong claim to keep your rights and priorities secure.
Obtaining the driver’s log
One of the key pieces of evidence that you should gather as soon as you can is the driver’s log. This is where a driver must document how often they stop to rest while making a long haul. Industry regulations require that drivers maintain detailed logs of how often they rest to make sure that they are not staying behind the wheel for too long in one sitting.
Many drivers work difficult schedules and feel pressure to make tight deadlines, which can lead to fatigue and exhaustion. if a driver does not rest frequently enough, they may experience drowsiness behind the wheel, which may cause a collision.
It is wise to request these as soon as you can to minimize the possibility of them going missing, although drivers must generally give them to you upon request and are not allowed to alter them or leave them empty.
Obtaining electronic control module data
Modern trucks built since the mid-nineties contain an electronic control module that records various data about the internal function of the vehicle and the habits of the driver. This module is sometimes referred to as the truck’s “black box” because it is similar to the flight data recorders kept in airplanes to help investigators understand the causes of a plane crash.
It is important to know that this data may disappear if you do not request it from the owner of the truck as soon as you can. Until you formally request the data from the owner (who may not be the driver), the owner has the right to delete it, because it is their property. The sooner you request this data, the better.
The more evidence that you gather from the site of the accident, the more tools you have to work with while building your claim. A strong claim requires time and attention, so make sure to use excellent legal resources and guidance as you need them, to protect yourself and ensure that you receive the full compensation that you deserve for your losses.
