Why Do You Need to Hire an Attorney Immediately Following a Truck Accident

So you've been involved in a semi-truck accident and you aren't sure where to turn. The bills are piling up, the insurance company is giving you the run-around and the stress is compounding. To help mitigate these stresses, it is ideal to hire an injury attorney after a truck accident IMMEDIATELY, and here's why:

1. Hire an experienced, recognized, talented and qualified personal injury trucking accident attorney within 24-48 hours. Your injury lawyers have to act immediately to protect your rights against the trucking company. This will allow you to treat for your injuries and focus on getting better while your personal injury attorney handles the legal priorities in your case.
2. In the days following your accident, do not speak to any trucking company representatives or insurance adjusters. Refer anyone who contacts you to your attorney. Sometimes, these individuals will attempt to get accident victims to make statements that may diminish the strength of their personal injury claims.
3. The lawyer needs to identify all the critical evidence from the crash in the trucking company’s possession and send an immediate letter of representation out instructing the company to preserve evidence related to the incident.
4. When necessary, the lawyer needs to schedule an inspection of the truck before it is repaired or put back on the road – vehicle ignition restarts and/or miles added to the vehicle after a crash can electronically write over evidence that may have been recorded by the semi-truck at the time of the accident.
5. The lawyer needs to make sure the trucking company is following through with its investigation procedures required by state and federal regulatory agencies including the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
6. The lawyer needs to, in many situations, obtain dispatch records, cell phone records, black box data inside the trucks electronic control system, vehicle sensor information, global vehicle positioning data, installed cloud based video surveillance from the interior and exterior of the truck – often triggered by hard breaking or frontal impact, vehicle maintenance records, employee drug testing, driver disciplinary records, corrective action reports from prior similar incidents, driving logs, employee driver medical screening documents and, among many other things, driver fitness reports.
7. The lawyer needs to request publicly available documents about the company through the Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) and the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to obtain the trucking company’s Department of Transportation (DOT) number, Motor Carrier Principle Place of Business identification information, registration reports, compliance reviews, initial agency applications, hazardous material endorsements, driver and equipment compliance road checks, vehicle roadside inspection reports, safety ratings, operation revocations, and audit records. You need an injury attorney who carries experience, recognition in this area of practice, and sufficient knowledge in working on trucking accident cases – someone who is sophisticated in how trucking companies operate and the universe of documents that need to be requested in your case. There is no substitute for this experience.

At Whalen Injury Lawyers, we’ve represented many car and semi-truck accident clients over the years and recovered over $25 million in settlements and judgments. Our goal in representing you is to establish a direct, meaningful, trusted and reliable relationship and secure a settlement that is fair and equitable. Our firm exclusively represents clients against insurance companies and corporations in personal injury matters, and we will work closely with you to ensure that you are treated fairly and receive the medical attention you need, the support you deserve, and the representation you depend on.

If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident caused by a semi-truck and are seeking a compassionate, experienced, personal injury attorney with a proven track record of success, give us a call. Whalen Injury Lawyers will fight for your best interests. Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your legal options.

You can reach us in Denver at (720) 307-2666 or in Colorado Springs at (719) 644-7000 to learn more. Our offices are located in the Denver Tech Center at 7955 East Arapahoe Court, Suite 2375, Centennial, CO 80112, and in Colorado Springs in the Alamo Corporate Center located at 102 S. Tejon Street, Suite 1100. We look forward to working with you to help you receive fair and just compensation for all your losses and damages.