Help with accident review

Sounds like you have a good plan.This must be some kind of computer glitch.I`ve heard and seen weirder things.Who said computers don`t lie???

 

I hope that you did not throw that first letter in the trash! Keep ALL accident documentation. FOREVER.

Are you aware that he can get a copy of the law enforcement accident report? If this is needed, contact that agency that investigated the accident. There will be a charge of the copy, but it would not hurt to get this, and keep it.

Also, I assume he filled out a company accident report. Hopefully, he copied it before turning it in. If not, see if he can get a copy from the safety department.

It may sound like I am over-reacting here, but I believe it is better to cover all bases. Any time there is an accident, there is the possibility of law suits. What you need is documentation, documentation and more documentation.

All drivers should carry their own camera, in addition to the one that the company puts in the "accident packet." Any time your truck is involved in an accident/incident, take pictures. LOTS of them. Be sure to get pictures of your truck with the truck number on it. Also, true for the other vehicle.

In this instance, before you panic too much, see what his company has to say. But even if they give him all kinds of assurances such as, "oh that second letter was a mistake," or whatever, he should strive to get the reports that I mentioned.

Remember CYA FIRST!

 

You have to rember we do not have all the details of the accident.

Alot of people come on here crying pitty me and only give details that make them look good and leave out all the bad stuff that they did.

You also have to rember that it does not matter weather or not the driver was found at fault or not by the police in the accident.

Even a person that was found to be not at fault in a accident the company can still hit you with a preventable accident on your dac.

A preventable accident can be anywere from parking on the sholder of the highway and getting hit by another vehicle to hitting a curb blowing a tire out to running off the edge of the road tearing up a small patch of grass.

 

Well thank you for not taking my post the wrong way.

I hate some of the company policy's regarding accidents.

My oppinion for accidents if the officer on scene found the person that got hit not at fault. Then it should be ruled as a non preventable but these companies as you know think they can determine the cause and fault even though they were not there.

The companies should be required to take the findings of the police officer and leave it be at that.

 

The reason that the companies don't just go with the police report is simple. LAWSUITS. If there is ANY way some scumbag attorney can twist the facts enough to show that the trucker could have done ANYTHING, no matter how minor, to prevent the accident, they will file a suit. They are going after the "deep pockets" of trucking company's insurance.

So, insurance companies and trucking companies risk management people are trying to CYA for themselves. At the expense of the driver, of course.

 

You've got that right. That's why my company has installed cameras in the truck that operate when the brakes are jammed on or a sudden change has happened. As of now they only point forward and at the driver but I'm sure they have saved a driver or two already. We have those deep pockets plus we're an oil company. They are groups out there that actually plan to tag team an accident to get us in court. I know at one time we had a large legal department buy lately they have been outsourcing to good firms.

 

There are also companies out there that di truck accident investigations. I've watched some of their tricks and they make sense. They can re-create some scenes and it will be real a close to what really happen. You've just got to be sure they have no affiliations with the other company involvoed

 

G H, it's great that your company has invested in these cameras. To those companies who say "It's just too expensive," I say, "how about if it saves you from losing just one lawsuit." Those cameras will pay for themselves the first time you win one.

OTOH, they will certainly show if your driver did screw up. Then, I guess you just quietly pay up.