Mon Nov 14, 2016 9:19 am by cornbinder89
Quite often, the officer at the accident is just there to assist the injured and document what he saw, A serious accident then gets a accident investigation by a trained " accident reconstruction "officer who measures skid marks and vehicle final positions. It is why you often see painted marks on the roadway, so they can come back and figure out what was where. Fatalities always get that kind of reconstruction, but some less serious do also. It can take several weeks for the outcome of the investigation as they want to get it right, knowing there testimony is going to be questioned in court.
I can seam like they take a truck-drivers life less seriously then John Q Public sometimes, however.
I have been in two serious accidents in a truck, one where a drunk hit three vehicles (including me) and there were 4 witness who all confirmed what happened, so not much of an investigation. The other was when I was hauling grain for a farmer at night in his truck on a narrow dirt road when a pick-up came over the rise with his brights on and blinded me, I got too close to the edge of the road, and the embankment gave and rolled the truck and trailer. The sheriff interviewed me a few times, but no tickets were issued. The pick-up never stopped to see what happened.
There are times for lawyers and this is one. The driver should have one and the trucking company should get another, the insurance company will have one, but their interest is not your interest! They are similar but not the same. All fee's should be chargeable to Swift, if they are found at fault. Regardless, there is more at stake than a lawyer fee here. Your trucking record and authority can be at risk. Be prepared for a DOT audit. On fatalities they are automatic even if you are not a fault, but a serious accident can also trigger an audit. They go thru EVERYTHING and you better have it all in order. I've know 3 people who have gone thru a DOT audit, all describe it a living hell. Not trying to scare you and it might not happen if the results of the investigation clearly point to Swift, but it might.