What Do Trucking Insurance Companies Do After an Accident?
Commercial trucks are often massive vehicles that are difficult to operate safely, and as such they cause numerous accidents every year. Because trucking insurance companies are in business to both protect themselves and their clients from liability, they will often do everything they can to give themselves an advantage.
Knowing what these companies might do can help you properly prepare and take the appropriate actions when you are injured in an accident. From our team of Texas truck accident attorneys at the Stewart Law Firm, here’s what you need to know.
Truck Accident Scene Investigators
Trucking companies will often have teams of investigators out to accident scenes within mere hours of an accident happening. These investigators will start combing through the wreckage to look for evidence and possibly even start cleaning up and removing it for testing at a different facility once its initial state has been documented.
That being said, these investigators are on the insurance company’s payroll and therefore not on your side.
It’s not uncommon for little to no evidence that supports your side of the claim to be revealed in these investigation findings. And in still other instances, critical information such as black box recordings or odometers have mysteriously gone “missing” after these investigators are done with their work.
That’s why The Stewart Law Firm conducts our own investigation into each of our client’s accidents – to make sure we can discover the real cause of the accident and determine what steps need to be taken to ensure our client receives the compensation they deserve.
Protecting the Evidence in a Texas Truck Accident Case
With trucking companies having so many additional resources, what can you do to protect the evidence you need to support your claim and hold them accountable?
- The first step you should follow is to immediately reach out to an Austin truck accident attorney. While you might be injured, a lawyer can handle the complex legal battle that might ensue while you are recovering.
- The next step will be with the help of your lawyer: your Texas truck accident attorney will likely file a restraining order against the insurance company and the trucking company to preserve the evidence and prevent them from destroying or losing any of it. Violating the terms of this order can have serious criminal consequences so companies have a strong incentive to listen to them.
- Next, your attorney may choose to hire expert witnesses and an investigative team of their own to comb through the wreckage and obtain evidence that you can submit in support of your case. This can include the recreation of the accident to determine just how you sustained the injuries in question and point to any liability that the trucking company (and thus their insurance company) have as a result of the accident.
What Kinds of Injuries Could Be Covered in a Truck Accident Case?
The sad truth is that injuries caused by truck accidents can be incredibly severe – which is part of the reason why insurance companies will want to avoid having to pay for them.
With the help of an experienced Texas truck accident attorney, however, you may be able to obtain compensation for the injuries you sustain in an accident.
These injuries may include, but are not limited to:
- Spinal injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Cuts and abrasions
- Broken limbs
- Burns
Contact The Stewart Law Firm Today to Get Started on Your Case
Reach out to The Stewart Law Firm, PLLC today by dialing (512) 326-3200 if you or a loved one has sustained a serious injury as a result of a commercial trucking accident.
