What if I was hit by a semi-truck?

Commercial truck cases differ from car cases in three ways.

More potential defendants. The driver. The motor carrier. The trailer owner. The company that loaded the cargo. A maintenance contractor. A broker. Each may have separate coverage, and interstate carriers carry substantially higher minimum limits than personal auto policies.

More evidence — temporarily. Electronic logging device records, engine control module data, dispatch records, driver qualification files, maintenance records, drug and alcohol testing records, and in-cab camera footage. Much of it is subject to retention periods, and some of those periods are short.

Faster investigation on the other side. Carriers frequently deploy a rapid response team to the scene within hours — investigators, sometimes counsel, sometimes a reconstruction expert. That work begins before you've left the hospital.

What that means for you. A preservation letter needs to go out immediately, identifying the specific categories of data and demanding they be maintained. The vehicle itself needs to be preserved before it's repaired and returned to service.