Trucking Accident

Baytown, Texas, Trucking Accident Attorneys

Truck accident cases are very different from car accidents. In car accidents, the driving record of the at-fault driver is sometimes an issue. The trucker's driving record is an issue in every tractor-trailer case. These cases also involve evidence such as driver logbooks.

Truck drivers are required by federal law to take rest breaks and to keep a log that shows where they have been and where they are going. Truckers are famous for fudging these logs. Some drivers even keep two sets of logbooks. The logbook is always important evidence in a truck accident case, since many accidents are caused by driver fatigue. However, if your lawyer doesn't request the logbook, the trucking company can destroy it within six months of the accident—along with other evidence such as trip tickets, GPS records, toll-road receipts, and gas and meal receipts.

At The Linebaugh Law Firm in Baytown, Texas, we know the importance of preserving evidence in any accident case. We want to know where the driver was before the accident. By comparing the logbook with other records such as gas receipts, we can find out if the driver falsified the logbook.

One of the trucking accident cases we handled involved the wrongful death of two young women in a rear-end collision involving a truck. In this case, the driver was supposed to leave the loading yard at 2 p.m. so that he could reach his destination in time get adequate rest before making his deliveries the following morning. However, the driver routinely did not leave the loading yard until 4 p.m. or later. So, the driver faked his logbook to show that he left at 2 p.m. On the day of the fatal accident, the trucker learned about a DOT checkpoint on the road ahead. He was in the act of falsifying his logbook when he came over a crest in the road and plowed into stopped traffic.

The case hinged on the evidence of the falsified logbook. Being able to introduce the logbook into evidence at trial allowed us to make punitive damage evidence relevant for our client. More importantly, it allowed us to hold the truck driver and his employer responsible for their conduct.

Free Consultation: There is never a charge to simply talk to a lawyer about your trucking accident case at The Linebaugh Law Firm in Baytown, Texas.