How Do Lawyers Investigate Truck Accidents?

How do lawyers investigate truck accidents? Truck accidents are catastrophic events. Because of the weight of the vehicles, injuries are almost always guaranteed in any accident involving a tractor trailer. However, most people aren’t aware that truck accidents can begin long before the accident itself takes place. A truck driver is supposed to adhere to certain rules when driving, and when they don’t they are far more likely to get into an accident. But how does a lawyer find out whether or not a truck driver broke their rules before the accident?

In this FAQ, we’ll go over the different steps lawyers take to see if a truck driver was following the rules of not before they caused an accident. If you have any questions about your truck accident case, call or contact our personal injury lawyers in St. Louis now. We don’t charge any fees for our consultations, and we don’t require any attorneys fees until we win your claim. Call Burger Law today at or fill out our online form.

With any accident, there is going to be evidence. That can be evidence from the scene as well as logged data that trucking companies are required to keep. Your personal injury lawyer’s job is to find this evidence and use it to show how the truck driver caused your injuries. So what are the steps to collecting this evidence, and what evidence will your lawyer get? Listed below are several types of evidence a lawyer should go after.

Driver log books — The log books are going to directly detail how many hours the driver had been logging, where they had been driving, and any other events that occurred along their route.
Hours of service — Truck drivers have certain hours they are allowed to drive, and when they go over those hours they run a risk of driving fatigued or tired, which can increase the chances of an accident happening.
Inspection and maintenance records — Commercial trucks have to undergo several inspections throughout the year. These inspections guarantee that the truck is safe to operate on the highway. If a truck driver hasn’t had their truck inspected it’s probably because they forgot, or because they are trying to skip the costs that can come with the inspection.
Weigh-ins — If the driver claimed to weigh in at certain weigh stations, those logs can be checked to make sure that they either did weigh in there, or that the driver lied on their logs and did not weigh in.
Truck Engine Control Module (ECM) — These black boxes perform the same functions as the ones in planes. It lets us now how fast the driver was driving, what the state of the vehicle was and other precise pieces of data that only a computer can log.
Post-crash inspections — Knowing the state of the vehicle after the accident helps determine how the accident happened, how severe the accident was, and the actions the driver took before, during and after the accident.
Evidence from the scene — Every other piece of possible information is also collected. Were there any witnesses? If so, we get their statements. Are there any other photos? We get those photos. Photos of skid marks or nearby damage can be tell-tale signs of what took place. We collect everything piece of information and evidence that we can.

All of this evidence, when taken together, paints a complete picture of how your injuries occurred and why the trucking company needs to compensate you.

Missouri and Illinois Truck Accident Lawyers | Burger Law

Truck accident investigations are complicated, and you can bet the trucking company will do everything they can to refute your claims. That’s why you need an experienced, award-winning truck accident lawyer to fight for your compensation on your behalf. If you have any questions about your case, or think it may be time to hire a lawyer, call our office for a consultation. We can answer all of your questions for free. Call Burger Law today at or contact us online for a free consultation.

Gary Burger

Founder | Injury Attorney
Gary Burger has dedicated his career to standing up against bullies. The founder and principal attorney of Burger Law | St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer has helped hundreds of Missouri and Illinois individuals and families recover th …
Years of experience: 30 years
Location: St. Louis, MO

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