Oregon Truck Accident Lawyers Explain Gathering Evidence

The most important thing that you will need to do when involved in a truck accident, aside from making sure that you are personally well, will be to make sure that you do everything possible to obtain as much information about the accident along the way.  This means obtaining as much information at the scene of the accident as you are able, including taking pictures and speaking with witnesses, and keeping any documentation that you receive during the course of what follows after the accident has occurred to show your Oregon truck accident lawyers, if you hire them.

Why is this so important?  Because this information and data will assist you in receiving the kind of compensation that is appropriate when considering the damages that you have sustained, and the injuries that you have incurred.  This information will be vital when making a claim to an insurance company for a settlement, and in the worst case scenario, it will be the cornerstone of your battle against the responsible party if your claim has to go through a trial.

Your Oregon truck accident lawyers, in the event your claim does go to trial, will ultimately use this information to make your case to a jury.  The time that they will find this information most useful is during the discovery process right before the trial.  During this phase, your attorney will work with you to:

1. Obtain as much evidence as possible regarding the truck accident.
2. Provide this evidence to the opposition (the responsible party’s attorney/s).
3. Review any and all evidence to determine its usefulness for an impending trial.

If you’re wondering what kind of evidence will be important to your truck accident case, you should know that most evidence produced during the discovery process includes witness account statements, any electronic or written documents relating to the accident, and physical evidence.  This means that there are a large variety of pieces of evidence that you should pay attention to immediately after the accident.  In a truck accident case, specific examples of evidence that may be relevant include:

• Photos of the accident scene, the landscape and vehicle damage.
• Hand-written notes regarding accident specifics, driver information, and witness accounts.
• Typed letters and accounts made by those involved in the accident and provided of their own free will.
• Any receipts for repairs to damaged vehicles or estimates obtained.
• The black box of a commercial truck
• The company policies of the commercial truck involved in an accident.
• The log books for the trucker involved in the accident.
• Any evidence that the trucker involved in the accident has been involved in other vehicle accidents.
• Medical evidence including doctor’s diagnoses and receipts for medical treatment.

Other evidence will be obtained later in the discovery process and will include such items as depositions.  These are recorded question and answer sessions with those people that have direct or indirect knowledge of the case specifics.  These sessions will include the witness, the truck accident lawyers in Portland for both the plaintiff and the defendant, in addition to a court reporter.