Accidents involving larger trucks are often devastating for those inside traditional passenger vehicles. The size and weight of commercial trucks often mean that traditional passenger cars stand no chance when it comes to the impact. It is crucial for victims in these cases to be able to secure compensation for their losses. This includes coverage of their injury expenses as well as property damage losses. Here, we want to discuss the importance of preserving evidence in a truck accident claim as well as how crash victims can preserve this evidence. This is a crucial part in determining liability and ensuring that victims recover the compensation they need.

The Evidence is Critically Important After a Truck Accident in Arizona

We need to start this article by pointing out that truck accidents are going to involve much more evidence than other vehicle crashes in the state of Arizona. That is because these vehicles are much larger, and there are typically many other parties involved that will have records related to the incident.

If you are involved in a truck accident, it is important to act quickly to preserve as much evidence as possible. That is because it is critical for the evidence to stay in its original condition and not get lost. Most skilled personal injury lawyers understand this and have systems in place to begin gathering evidence as quickly as possible after a truck crash occurs.

Only if it is safe to do so at the scene of the crash should victims take steps to preserve evidence immediately. This can include using a phone or another type of camera to take pictures of everything at the scene, including damages, causes of the crash, debris, skid marks, injuries, and more. However, this is not always possible at the accident location due to the severity of the incident or injuries.

When an attorney gets involved, there is a range of other types of evidence that they will gather. Typically, this will involve going through the court system to get subpoenas for the evidence within a day or two after the incident occurs. Some of the most important evidence that an attorney will obtain includes the following:

• The truck’s electronic control module (black box)
• The truck driver’s electronic logging device (keeps track of driving hours)
• Truck company records of daily inspections
• Roadside inspection records
• The truck company’s maintenance and repair records
• The truck driver’s employment and training history
• Complaints against the driver

For all of the types of evidence that need to be gathered in these cases, there is a time limit for how long drivers and companies have to retain the information. That is why this becomes time-sensitive. An attorney needs to get involved and get court orders for all of the evidence as quickly as possible.

Why an Attorney is Critically Important

As a truck accident victim, there is no way you should be expected to gather and preserve all of the evidence needed to prove viability in the case. Most truck accident victims do not have the resources or legal expertise necessary to stand up to trucking companies, their insurance carriers, and well-funded attorneys. When you have an Phoenix truck accident attorney by your side, you will have an advocate who can match the resources of these other parties and go toe-to-toe with them both in and out of the courtroom.