Undefeated Texas Truck Accident Lawyers
After a truck accident, preserving evidence is critical to proving what happened and holding the responsible parties accountable. By law, trucking companies must retain records and data related to your crash, even if their standard practices include deleting or overriding this information.
However, many trucking companies go to great lengths to “lose” key evidence—employing tactics to pay you as little as possible, discredit your injuries, or even shift the blame onto you.
Read on to learn the common strategies trucking companies use to destroy or hide evidence and how our undefeated Texas truck accident attorneys do whatever it takes to combat their dirty tactics and secure your family’s future.
Why Do Trucking Companies Destroy Evidence?
Under both Texas and federal law, intentionally destroying or concealing evidence is illegal. But, in our experience, trucking companies will stop at nothing to exploit legal loopholes or employ delaying tactics in order to avoid responsibility after a truck accident.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) mandates that trucking companies maintain detailed records on driver activity, vehicle maintenance, and accident history. But many of these records—such as driver logs and black box data—are only required to be kept for a limited time before they can be legally discarded or overwritten.
The more time that passes after a crash, the easier it becomes for trucking companies to claim that vital evidence was “lost” due to routine processes. This delay tactic not only weakens your case but also diminishes your ability to seek the full compensation you deserve.
Common reasons trucking companies may destroy evidence:
- To avoid paying the full compensation you deserve: Trucking companies have a financial incentive to manipulate or discard evidence (a practice often referred to as “spoliation”).
- To shift blame: Electronic logging devices and black boxes aboard modern trucks are notoriously complex, providing opportunities for trucking companies to manipulate data or redirect fault.
- To continue putting profits over safety: The destruction of critical evidence isn’t limited to what happens after a serious accident. Every day, truck drivers face intense pressure to falsify logs or avoid reporting safety issues to protect their jobs. This culture of fear and noncompliance not only violates safety regulations but also puts everyone on the road at greater risk.
How to Protect Your Rights After an 18 Wheeler Accident:
Without properly preserving critical evidence, it becomes much harder to prove the trucking company’s negligence and secure your financial future. To hold the trucking company fully accountable, it’s crucial that you contact an experienced truck accident attorney as soon as possible.
However, not all law firms who claim they handle truck accident lawsuits actually have what it takes to stand up and fight for you. Only a law firm with a track record of historic victories against the largest trucking companies in the world can truly protect your rights and seek the justice and compensation you deserve.
At Zehl & Associates, we have won Billions on behalf of individuals and families injured or tragically killed in catastrophic truck accidents in Texas and across the U.S., including the largest verdicts and settlements in trucking industry history.
Don’t let the trucking company’s delay tactics impact your road to recovery — Contact us today.
How Do Trucking Companies “Lose” Evidence?
Trucking companies will stop at nothing to manipulate or eliminate critical evidence after a crash in order to protect their bottom line at all costs. In fact, the more severe the accident, the more aggressively you can expect the company to be in its pursuit to avoid responsibility.
Common ways they “lose” evidence include:
- Deleting Data from Onboard Computers: Modern trucks are equipped with black boxes, truck driver logbooks, and electronic logging devices (ELDs) that record crucial data like speed, braking patterns, and hours of service. Trucking companies may intentionally delete or overwrite this data to prevent it from being used against them.
- Document Shredding: Physical records, such as maintenance logs, inspection reports, or driver performance evaluations, can conveniently “disappear” when they might reveal negligence.
- Withholding Records and Information: Trucking companies may refuse to release key documents, such as dispatch communications or accident reports, hoping to delay or weaken your case.
- Doctoring, Destroying, or Overriding Electronic Logs: ELDs are intended to ensure compliance with hours-of-service regulations, but these logs can be tampered with to conceal violations like driver fatigue.
- Falsifying Records or Making Them Disappear: Some companies go as far as fabricating documents to hide evidence of regulatory noncompliance or negligence, such as altered maintenance records or false accident reports.
- Destroying Documents Required by Federal Law: Despite clear FMCSA requirements to retain certain records for specified periods, some trucking companies unlawfully destroy these documents to avoid scrutiny.
- Covering Up Fault: In some cases, companies may engage in a cover-up by manipulating crash scene evidence or coaching drivers to misrepresent what happened.
- Blaming Truck Accident Victims: Trucking companies often try to shift the blame onto the injured party, accusing them of contributing to the accident through reckless driving or other behaviors. They may even deploy a team of experts—from neurologists to accident reconstructionists—to dispute your injuries.
These tactics not only make it difficult to establish a clear timeline of events, identify regulatory violations, or demonstrate patterns of negligence, they can significantly undermine your ability to prove fault and seek compensation.
Only a top-rated legal team experienced in uncovering hidden evidence and holding trucking companies accountable can stand up, fight, and win for you and your family.
How Zehl & Associates Combats The Trucking Industry’s Dirty Tactics
Truck accidents are often won or lost based on an attorney’s understanding of federal and state trucking regulations, modern technology, and their ability — and willingness — to take your case to trial and win. At Zehl & Associates, we devote whatever resources necessary to build your case with compelling, irrefutable evidence that leaves no room for doubt.
And when a corporate giant tries to “lose” evidence, we know exactly how to respond.
1. We Obtain All the Evidence
Having successfully represented thousands of 18-wheeler and semi-truck accident victims against the largest trucking companies in the U.S., our undefeated truck accident lawyers know exactly what evidence to look for, where to find it, and—most importantly—how to use it to hold trucking companies and their drivers fully accountable.
From the moment we take your case, we move swiftly to gather ALL the critical evidence before it can be lost, altered, or destroyed. Our comprehensive investigations and expertise in federal and state regulations help us prove exactly what happened and how the accident could—and should—have been prevented.
Key evidence we gather:
- Black Box Data: Essential information on speed, braking, and other driving behaviors leading up to the crash.
- GPS Device Data: Detailed location tracking to establish driver routes and timelines.
- Logbooks and Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs): Hours-of-service records to identify potential driver fatigue or violations.
- Maintenance Records: Documentation of inspections and repairs to uncover negligence in vehicle upkeep.
- Communication Records: Emails, texts, and dispatch logs that reveal critical communications before and after the crash.
- Training Records: We obtain training records that trucking companies prefer to keep out of sight, revealing inadequate driver preparation or non-compliance with safety standards.
- Crash scene evidence including photos, video footage, and measurements
- Police reports and other official reports
- Eyewitness accounts and expert witness testimony
- Dashcam footage
- Cell phone records
- Medical records
- Lost wages
- Insurance coverage details
2. We Hold the Company Fully Accountable
Trucking companies will stop at nothing to avoid responsibility. We ensure they face the full weight of the law by taking immediate action, such as:
- Accident Reconstruction: We immediately send an accident reconstruction team to inspect the scene and the vehicles involved in the crash. This evidence helps establish how fast the truck was traveling at impact, if and when it braked, and whether the driver was fatigued or distracted at the time of impact.
- Preventing Evidence Tampering: We immediately send a “spoliation of evidence” letter that allows us to legally obtain all evidence, including vehicle data, driver logs, and maintenance records. If necessary, we also file a temporary restraining order to prohibit the trucking company from altering or destroying evidence.
- Consulting Top Doctors: We make sure you are treated by the best doctors and specialists in the nation for your injuries. We then work with these experts to determine the nature and severity of your injuries and your long term medical needs.
- Collaboration with Investigators: We work closely with Texas Department of Public Safety officers and other officials to uncover any attempts by the trucking company or driver to mislead investigators or falsify reports.
- In-Depth Depositions: Our attorneys conduct rigorous depositions of truck drivers, company representatives, and defense experts to uncover every detail and ensure all responsible parties are held accountable.
- Expert Knowledge of Federal Regulations: We are highly experienced in Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, including Hours of Service rules. We know how to identify violations and use them to prove negligence (and gross negligence) on the part of the trucking company and driver.
- Never Settling for Less Than Full Compensation: We relentlessly pursue the maximum recovery, whether at the negotiating table or in the courtroom. If the trucking company refuses to offer a settlement that fully compensates our clients and their families for their injuries and losses, we take the case to trial—where our 18-wheeler accident attorneys remain undefeated.
3. We Stand by You Every Step of the Way
No matter how hard trucking companies try to evade responsibility, our undefeated truck accident lawyers won’t let them get away with it. We can’t be outworked, outmaneuvered, or intimidated.
Our goal is simple: to secure justice and record-setting compensation for you and your family while providing the 24/7 support you need during this difficult time.
#1 Largest Truck Accident Wins in Texas
At Zehl & Associates, our results speak for themselves. Time and again, we’ve uncovered critical evidence that trucking companies tried to hide, leveraging it to secure the largest truck accident verdicts and settlements in Texas and trucking industry history.
Our recent wins on behalf of clients include:
- $37.5 won using traffic video and a forensic animation of the accident to show the truck driver was distracted and never applied his brakes before rear-ending our client at 70 mph.
- $23.5M won using employment and training records to prove the truck driver didn’t have the training and experience needed to drive a company vehicle.
- $20M won using the 18 wheeler’s black-box data to prove the driver was distracted by his cellphone at the time of the crash.
- Record-setting, confidential settlement using onboard technology to prove the trucking company violated federal and state regulations.
- Record-setting, confidential settlement using crash scene evidence and the 18 wheeler’s Electronic Control Module (ECM) to prove that the truck driver was responsible
- $5.1M won using cell phone records and certified driving history to prove the truck driver was fatigued and driving in excess of federal hours of service limits.
These victories are not just numbers—they represent justice for our clients and their families whose lives were forever changed by the reckless actions of others. When trucking companies try to cover their tracks, we uncover the truth and ensure our clients will never have to worry about their future ever again.
Preserving Evidence Starts Immediately After a Truck Crash
Remember, taking swift action after a truck accident is crucial to safeguarding your rights and ensuring critical evidence isn’t lost or destroyed.
Here’s what you should do to protect yourself:
1. Document Everything as Soon as Possible: Gather as much information as possible at the scene, including:
- Photos of the accident site, vehicle damage, and your injuries.
- Contact information for witnesses and first responders.
- Copies of police reports or any other official documentation.
2. Request a Comprehensive Investigation: Ensure the police conduct a thorough investigation. Their reports can provide invaluable details and serve as evidence to support your case.
3. Stay Alert to Common Delay Tactics
Trucking companies may claim evidence was lost due to routine processes or technical issues., delay sharing critical information, and ttempt to pressure you into settling quickly for far less than you deserve. NEVER sign anything they send your way without consulting a lawyer.
4. Contact an Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer Immediately: Only a seasoned truck accident attorney can counter these strategies, ensuring every piece of evidence is uncovered and used to your advantage.
At Zehl & Associates, we don’t just level the playing field—we tip it in your favor, ensuring your rights are protected and your future is secure. Because our clients are more than just cases — they are family to us — we devote our full resources and manpower into recovering the maximum compensation you deserve and making sure you’re cared for every step of the way, so you can focus on what matters most.
Undefeated Texas Truck Accident Lawyers: Call 1-888-603-3636 for a Free Consult
With Billions won and decades of experience, Zehl & Associates has the resources and expertise to take on the largest trucking companies in the world—and not only win, but set records. Our undefeated Texas truck accident lawyers have repeatedly recovered the largest truck accident verdicts and settlements in history on behalf of clients in Texas and across the U.S.
If you or a loved one were injured or tragically killed by a truck or 18-wheeler, call 1-888-603-3636, click the “Chat Now” button, or send us a confidential email through our Contact Us form.
We’ll answer your questions, explain your rights, and make sure you have all the information you need to decide what’s best for you and your family.
All consultations are free, and you won’t pay a dime unless we win your case.