Florida Injury Attorney Blog

After a crash with a tractor trailer, semi, 18 wheeler or big truck, as they are called, it is important to talk to an attorney experienced in these matters if a claim for injuries and damages is to be made. First, after an accident involving injuries, a representative from the trucking company or its insurance company may contact you to give them a statement. You can be sure that the questions asked about the accident are going to be designed to elicit answers that are helpful to the truck driver and the trucking company. Additionally, if injuries resulted from the accident, you may not be in the right mental and/or physical condition to answer questions about the accident. It is important to speak with a lawyer before anyone representing the truck driver or company so you understand the issues and know how to avoid being misled by an aggressive interrogator who does not necessarily have your best interests in mind.

Of course, those general principles also apply to a car accident and other types of injury cases. However, there are implications specific to tractor trailer accidents that make it especially important to consult a lawyer if injuries were involved and they were caused by the truck driver. Some of the issues that should be explored are:

• Was the tractor trailer driver qualified to drive that vehicle? In other words, did the trucking company perform the required due diligence into the driver before they sent him out on the road? Was a background check done into his or her driving record, employment history and criminal record?
• Were the required drug and alcohol tests performed on the driver before he or she was hired and after the accident?
• How many hours was the truck driver on duty and/or driving prior to the crash? Is there evidence of driver fatigue?
• Is there any electronic data that can be recovered from the tractor trailer which shows how the driver was driving just before the accident?
• Was the driver and/or company given any violations by the Department of Transportation prior to the accident that would indicate an ongoing safety risk?

These questions and many more may be important in determining all of the factors which caused or contributed to an injury accident with a tractor trailer. Hiring an attorney after an accident will help shed light on those important issues.