EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 Trucking companies are required under federal law to carry insurance coverage of at least $750,000, attorney Daniela Labinoti said during a weekly legal Q-and-A segment of Legal Jargon focused on truck-accident issues.<\/p>\n
Labinoti also said texting while driving is a common cause of truck crashes and that phone records can be critical evidence in those cases.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s important to hire a lawyer,\u201d she said. \u201cYou need to get their cell phone data because they\u2019re always on the cell phone. They\u2019re looking at videos and they\u2019re texting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Labinoti said she has handled a case in which phone data helped prove what happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a case where I was able to prove that they were on the phone and they were not sleeping and that\u2019s how we won the case,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Labinoti warned drivers not to speak with the other driver\u2019s insurance company without legal representation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe answer is false. You should not talk ever to another driver\u2019s insurance company without an attorney. A huge mistake. So, always false. Don\u2019t even think about it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She also said data from a semi-truck\u2019s \u201cblack box\u201d can be used as evidence, and that attorneys can obtain and analyze it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely. We do it all the time,\u201d Labinoti said.<\/p>\n