Hit by a FedEx Truck on I-65 With a Lumbar Fusion? Why a Commercial Trucking Case Is Not a Normal Alabama Car Wreck Case

By Benjamin Schoettker | J.D. | Barfoot & Schoettker, LLC | 25+ years | Personal Injury, Wrongful Death, Slip and Fall, Premises Liability, Car Accidents, 18-Wheeler Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents

Published: 2026-07-24 | Last updated: 2026-07-24

TL;DR: A wreck with a FedEx tractor-trailer on I-65 is not the same legal animal as a fender-bender on Eastern Boulevard.

A wreck with a FedEx tractor-trailer on I-65 is not the same legal animal as a fender-bender on Eastern Boulevard. Ultimately, when a commercial motor carrier is involved, you are dealing with a federally regulated defendant, a driver who has to keep logs and records under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, and a truck that is very likely equipped with an event data recorder, GPS telematics, and forward-facing dash cameras. All of that is evidence. And most of it starts getting overwritten or deleted the moment the truck goes back into service.

A lumbar fusion tells you how serious the forces involved were. It also tells you what the case is really worth in terms of future medical care, lost earning capacity, and permanent impairment. In a typical Alabama car wreck, you may be fighting over a twenty-five thousand dollar minimum liability policy. In a commercial trucking case against a carrier like FedEx, the available coverage is usually in the millions, because federal law requires it for interstate carriers hauling freight. That changes the strategy from day one — the carrier's defense team knows what is at stake, and they move fast.

Here is what most people do not realize. Trucking companies often dispatch a rapid-response investigator, and sometimes defense counsel, to the crash scene within hours. They photograph skid marks, interview witnesses, and download the truck's electronic control module data before the injured driver is even out of the emergency room. The injured person needs someone doing the same thing on their behalf — sending a spoliation letter to preserve the logs, the telematics, the driver qualification file, and the maintenance records before any of it disappears. Waiting weeks to call a lawyer can cost you the case.

One more thing worth understanding about Alabama. Our state still follows contributory negligence, which means if the defense can convince a jury you were even one percent at fault for the wreck, recovery can be barred entirely. That is why the trucking company's early investigation matters so much — they are building a story. In a commercial case with a fusion-level injury, you cannot afford to let that story go unchallenged.

“A commercial trucking case is won or lost in the first few weeks. If nobody has sent a preservation letter to the carrier, the driver's logs, the ECM data, and the dash cam footage may already be gone by the time a lawsuit is filed. It is important to understand that these companies are not waiting around — they are investigating from the moment the truck comes to a stop.” — Benjamin Schoettker, Barfoot & Schoettker, LLC

Frequently Asked Questions

I was hit by a FedEx truck on I-65 in Alabama and had a lumbar fusion. Is a case against a big trucking company different from a normal car wreck case?

A wreck with a FedEx tractor-trailer on I-65 is not the same legal animal as a fender-bender on Eastern Boulevard.

How is a case against a trucking company like FedEx different from a normal car wreck case?

Commercial trucking cases involve Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, driver logs, telematics, and much larger insurance policies. Carriers also send their own investigators to the scene quickly, so evidence preservation and early legal action matter far more than in a routine two-car wreck.

What evidence should be preserved after a truck wreck in Alabama?

Driver logs, hours-of-service records, electronic control module data, GPS and telematics, dash cam footage, the driver qualification file, and maintenance and inspection records. A spoliation letter from your attorney puts the carrier on notice that this evidence must be kept.

Injured in a Commercial Truck Wreck on I-65 or Elsewhere in Alabama?

If you or a family member were hurt in a wreck involving a FedEx truck, an 18-wheeler, or any commercial motor carrier in Alabama, Barfoot & Schoettker, LLC is available at (334) 834-3444 for a free consultation. The sooner the evidence is preserved, the stronger the case.

Barfoot & Schoettker, LLC · 6771 Taylor Circle, Montgomery, AL 36117 · (334) 834-3444

Contact us for a free consultation