MYTH: You Didn’t Cause the Crash So You Don’t Have to Do Anything to Get Compensation
If you are injured in an Iowa truck crash, you cannot assume that overworked police officers or state troopers will take the time to discover the whole truth about what happened. Why? Because the burden to produce evidence is ultimately on you – the injured motorist.
Under Iowa law, a truck crash victim who wants to be compensated for an injury must be able to prove:
- That the truck driver was negligent
- That the truck driver’s negligence caused harm to the truck crash victim
- The amount of the truck crash victim’s harms and losses
If the truck crash victim cannot prove any of one of the above three elements in a court of law, he or she is not entitled to compensation from the trucking company. That means the burden of proving everything – from identifying important witnesses at the accident scene to providing documentation of all injury-related harms and losses – falls on the truck accident victim or his or her family.
You Need Someone on Your Side Investigating Your Truck Crash
One of the unique things about a semi accident is that trucking companies typically respond to a report of a crash involving one of their trucks by immediately sending out a team of investigators and lawyers to the scene to build the trucker’s defense. That is why if a truck wreck results in a serious injury, someone acting on behalf of the injured motorist must make sure that all necessary photographs are taken, all important records (like the truck driver’s driving logs) are preserved and that all eyewitnesses are interviewed. If this does not happen, the only evidence saved is evidence that helps the truck driver.
Unfortunately, valid truck accident cases are lost every year because the injured person mistakenly believed that a traffic ticket against the truck driver was enough proof to get compensation. Of all the types of auto accidents, truck accidents require victims to know their legal rights and act quickly to protect themselves. Trucking companies are quick to take advantage of those who do not.
Find Out the Rest of the Dangerous Myths About Iowa Truck Accident Claims
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