When you’ve been hurt because of someone else’s negligence—whether in connection with a car accident, truck or 18-wheeler crash, plant or refinery explosion, or an oilfield accident—obtaining and preserving crucial evidence is key to holding the responsible parties accountable and ensuring you and your family receive the maximum compensation possible for all of your injuries and losses.
What many people don’t realize is just how quickly that evidence can disappear. Accident scenes are cleaned up, vehicles are repaired or scrapped, security footage is erased, and witnesses’ memories fade. When an accident results in catastrophic injuries, it’s been our experience that companies and their insurers will often deploy their own investigators within hours—sometimes before victims have even received medical care—to protect themselves from liability. Without quick action on your part, the evidence proving exactly who is to blame for your pain and suffering could be lost or even destroyed.
Scene Investigations
Many crucial clues about the cause of an accident can be found at the site itself. For example, after a motor vehicle or commercial truck accident, skilled investigators should be sent to the scene to measure skid marks and yaw marks and document the exact location and condition of the wreckage. Even the location of broken glass or gouge marks on the pavement can provide critical clues that will allow accident reconstruction experts to accurately recreate the crash and build a case based on scientific evidence rather than speculation.
ECM or Black Box Data
When an 18-wheeler or other large truck is involved in a crash, one of the most valuable pieces of evidence is hidden in plain sight: the truck’s ECM, or “black box.” This onboard computer records critical data such as the truck’s speed, brake usage, engine performance, and driver inputs in the moments leading up to a crash. However, ECM data automatically overwrites itself after a set number of days or once the truck has traveled a certain number of miles. If the information isn’t preserved and downloaded immediately after a collision, it can be lost forever. The sooner you hire a lawyer who knows how to secure and preserve this data, the better the chances of proving whether a truck driver was speeding, failed to brake, or violated federal safety regulations at the time of the crash.
Medical Documentation
Injury claims rise and fall on medical records. They document not just your diagnosis and treatment but also your recovery and the costs you’ve incurred along the way. Emergency room charts, surgical notes, imaging results, and therapy reports all tell a story that connects your injuries directly to the accident and the defendant’s negligence. In Texas, where companies and insurers often challenge whether an accident “really” caused an injury, consistent and detailed medical documentation can be the deciding factor in proving the connection.
Bills, receipts, and ongoing treatment plans also provide tangible proof of the financial impact of your injury. Without them, it becomes far harder to calculate damages or to secure compensation for future medical needs.
Official Reports
Official reports are among the most compelling evidence in any personal injury case. For a motor vehicle crash, that might be a police report detailing traffic violations or unsafe driving behaviors that caused or contributed to the accident. In a workplace or industrial setting, it might be an OSHA investigation or an internal incident report that identifies hazards. These early official accounts often capture details that otherwise fade from memory, including witness names, environmental conditions, and initial assessments of fault.
Visual Evidence
Photographs and video have an immediacy that written statements can’t match. An image of a mangled vehicle or a slick factory floor can make an impact that words alone can’t achieve. In cases involving commercial vehicles or industrial accidents, dashcam or surveillance footage can provide an objective, timestamped record of events—evidence that can be difficult for a defendant to dispute.
Witness Testimony
Eyewitness accounts can corroborate your version of events, potentially providing details you might have forgotten or missed at the time. Co-workers, bystanders, first responders, or other drivers may have noticed key information—such as a distracted driver glancing at a phone or a piece of machinery malfunctioning—that helps establish fault. In Texas personal injury claims, securing sworn testimony through depositions helps preserve these accounts, so they remain consistent months or years later when the case reaches trial.
Expert Witness Testimony
Some evidence needs interpretation, and that’s where expert witnesses come in. Accident reconstruction specialists can piece together the mechanics of a crash from skid marks and vehicle damage. Medical experts can explain how your injuries will affect your life over time. Vocational and economic experts can project the earnings you’ll lose in the years ahead. In high-stakes Texas cases—particularly those involving catastrophic injuries—expert testimony often bridges the gap between what happened and the damages a jury can award.
Financial Records and Proof of Lost Income
When injuries prevent you from working, you need documentation of your financial losses. Pay stubs, tax returns, and employer statements help demonstrate precisely how much income you’ve lost and whether your ability to earn has been permanently diminished. These records help quantify economic damages and counter insurance company arguments that your losses are exaggerated.
Internal Company Records and Safety Histories
A company’s records are often some of the most revealing evidence in a Texas personal injury claim. Maintenance logs, safety inspection reports, and internal communications can show whether management ignored hazards or failed to follow industry regulations.
Personal Records That Show the Human Impact
Not all evidence comes from outside sources. Many personal injury plaintiffs keep journals detailing their pain, limitations, and emotional struggles following an accident. These accounts can bring to life the day-to-day consequences of an injury—missed family events, inability to enjoy former hobbies, or the toll of ongoing pain—that medical charts alone can’t convey.
Our Texas Personal Injury Lawyers Know What Evidence You Need—And How to Get It
Even the strongest case can crumble if critical evidence is lost, altered, or destroyed. That’s why our Texas personal injury lawyers always make it a priority to identify, secure, and preserve every piece of proof that might support your claim.
The process starts as soon as you hire us. Our legal team will immediately begin issuing spoliation letters—formal notices to individuals or companies requiring them to preserve specific evidence. This could mean saving surveillance footage before it’s overwritten, retaining damaged equipment for inspection, or preventing the deletion of important emails and text messages.
We’ll also move quickly to document the scene, deploying top investigators and accident reconstruction experts before conditions change. Following a plant or refinery explosion, this might include photographing safety equipment and machinery before repairs are made. In a trucking accident, it might involve downloading data from the truck’s electronic logging device to capture hours-of-service violations. Throughout our meticulous investigation, we’ll be working to expose safety violations, ignored warnings, and systemic failures that caused or contributed to your injuries.
During the discovery phase of your case, our attorneys will compel defendants and third parties to turn over documents, records, and data that they might otherwise keep hidden, including internal safety policies, prior incident reports, and personnel files relevant to the case. Our attorneys will also work to secure witness cooperation, taking depositions while memories are still fresh and making sure testimony remains consistent over time.
Finally, we’ll collaborate with top medical experts to develop an extensive damage model that accurately reflects the physical, emotional, and financial harm that you’ve suffered as a result of your injury, so you can be confident that any eventual verdict and settlement will fully compensate you and your family for all of your injuries and losses.
Contact the Undefeated Texas Personal Injury Lawyers from Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers for Help Today, Call 1-888-603-3636
Our Undefeated Personal Injury Lawyers have won billions and consistently recover Record-Setting Verdicts and Settlements for accident victims throughout Texas and across the United States, including the #1 Largest Recoveries in Texas and our opponents’ corporate histories.
For more information, please contact our Undefeated personal injury attorneys in Texas at Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers to schedule a free consultation today.
We proudly serve Harris County, Midland County, and throughout the state of Texas. We are located in Houston and Midland and throughout the state of Texas:
Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers – Houston
2700 Post Oak Blvd #1000, Houston, TX 77056
(888) 603-3636
Open 24 hours
Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers – Midland
306 W Wall St Suite 701, Midland, TX 79701
(432) 220-0000
Open 24 hours