This is the fifth installment in my series of blog posts on tips for truck lawyers, based on some in-depth presentations I will be giving for two upcoming legal seminars I have coming up this fall for lawyers litigating truck accident claims.
Today I want to cover how important it is for lawyers to obtain all photos and videos after a serious crash.
Evidence you can get from pictures can be invaluable. They illustrate the devastation that occurs. People forget that these tractor-trailers are like moving brick walls.
These pictures and videos can also capture elements you otherwise would not have discovered from a police report. Think about the image of a teddy bear lying amongst the wreck, or skid marks of a certain length that prove the trucker was speeding or wasn’t paying attention.
Here’s a list of things you should try and obtain:
- Law enforcement photos,
- Dashcam police video,
- Store cameras,
- Firemen who carry cameras,
- News media,
- Cell phone photos made by witnesses,
- TDOT video,
- Photos made by truck drivers who are required to keep cameras in accident kits, etc.
TRAP – Most police cruisers now run video in their cars whenever they arrive at a serious truck accident. These “Dashcam” police videos are generally only kept for a period of months, and are not listed as part of the police investigation. A separate request for these dashcam videos must be made, and sometimes that requires lawyers to start a lawsuit or file a TRO with a judge.
– Steven Gursten is past president of the American Association for Justice Truck Accident Lawyer Litigation Group, and was named a Michigan Lawyers Weekly “Leader in the Law” for his work promoting national truck safety. Steve was also named a Michigan Lawyer of the Year for a record truck accident injury settlement, as well as the top trial verdict in 3 of the preceding 6 years.
Related information:
Help for Michigan truck accident attorneys
8 important things to know about truck accident cases
Michigan Auto Law exclusively handles car accident, truck accident and motorcycle accident cases throughout the entire state of Michigan. We have offices in Farmington Hills, Sterling Heights, Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Detroit. Call (248) 353-7575 to speak with one of our truck lawyers today.
