July 15, 2016 | truck accident
If you have been involved in a collision with a semi-truck, it may be necessary for you to obtain documents that show the safety history and the regulation violations of the trucking company that was involved in the accident.
Indianapolis Freedom of Information Act Requests
In an Indiana trucking accident case, one common mistake that many inexperienced personal injury lawyers make is waiting to send a Freedom of Information Act[1] (FOIA) request to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration[2] (FMCSA) or worse, failing to send a FOIA request at all. It is imperative for an Indianapolis trucking accident attorney to send a FOIA request out almost immediately because the turnaround time can be lengthy. This is especially true if the trucking company that caused the truck accident has a particularly long history and many interactions with the Agency. In those instances, if you delay for any significant period of time, you run the risk of missing out on critical safety information because some requests can take an extremely long amount of time to process.
What an Indianapolis Truck Accident Lawyer Looks for in FMCSA Documents
The FMSCA has records that provide a history of safety regulation violations by the trucking company involved in the collision. Those records are more detailed than the summary information that is sometimes available for attorneys and the public online.
Of particular importance can be Form OP-1 and Form MCS-150, both of which prove that the trucking company acknowledged and agreed to abide by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations[3] (FMCSRs). There is also crucial information about regulatory fines, agency intervention, agency correspondence, compliance reviews and safety ratings, inspection reports and much more.
Contact an Experienced Indiana Truck Accident Attorney
If you or a loved one were involved in an accident with a large truck, you need an experienced Indianapolis trucking accident attorney to send out all of the necessary requests for information on your behalf and to make certain that you obtain all of the compensation that you deserve for your injuries and related losses. The injuries from a big-rig collision are usually very serious and even life threatening and the skilled truck accident lawyers at the Fountain Law Firm, P.C. can review the specifics of your situation and recover the compensation you deserve for your injuries and related losses. To protect your rights to recovery, it is critical to have an experienced truck accident attorney handling your case. Attorney Merry Fountain can help you today by meeting in her office or, if you are unable to travel to the office, by meeting in your home. Call Merry Fountain anytime at 1-888-242-HURT (4878) for a free consultation.
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