Your Wisconsin Truck Accident Case Stands or Falls on Investigative Skills

Proving fault forms the basis of any successful claim for compensation. Victims of a crash with a tractor-trailer in Wisconsin may initially think the case is clear-cut, the motor carrier is 100 percent liable, and they will get the full settlement they deserve.

In many cases, though, reality sinks in when they discover that the truck owner is an independent operator with minimal insurance protection, that the truck driver now says the opposite of what actually happened, that damages claimed are fiercely contested, or that evidence has been tampered with or has disappeared. Motor carriers and their insurance companies will often fight ruthlessly to deny or reduce the amount of the settlement you are claiming.

The truth is that you will need to:

• Prove exactly how the accident happened;
• Establish whether the motor carrier violated any of the numerous mandatory safety rules and as such caused or aggravated the crash;
• Discover who is liable, which could be the owner-operator, the motor carrier, the trailer owner, a maintenance services company, the cargo owner, the truck manufacturer or any combination of these.

A successful Wisconsin 18-wheeler crash claim starts, ideally within a day of the accident, with the launching of a thorough investigation that will focus on the various aspects that may have led to the accident:

• Crash Circumstances: reports, photographs, truck inspection, and reconstruction.
• Truck Driver: qualification file, blood tests, cell phone, and traffic and personal records.
• Motor Carrier: safety track record, inspection reports, contractual links, insurance policies, licenses, and maintenance records.

If you have been hurt in a Wisconsin or Illinois car, truck or motorcycle accident, contact the attorneys of Hupy & Abraham, S.C. today at 800-800-5676 (toll-free) or 414-223-4800 (local) for a free evaluation of your case, or send us an e-mail with your questions. Hupy & Abraham has lawyer offices in Milwaukee, Madison, and Appleton in Wisconsin, and Gurnee and Bloomington in Illinois.