The Power of Expert Investigation: How Technical Evidence Revealed Months of Deferred Maintenance in a Truck Accident Case
When a commercial truck’s brakes failed and crushed a mechanic’s foot, expert analysis uncovered over 3 gallons of water contamination—proof of months of neglected maintenance that Defendants claimed was irrelevant to the accident.
A Dangerous Repair on the Highway Shoulder
On the evening of June 6, 2019, our client, a commercial truck mechanic, was dispatched to repair a semi-truck on the shoulder of Interstate 405 in Los Angeles. The truck’s brakes were smoking from overheating. Positioned on a downward slope with failing brakes, our client was instructed to work on the brake valve system while another employee sat in the cab holding the brake pedal.
That employee failed to maintain pressure. The brake released. The truck rolled forward, crushing our client’s left foot.
But the real question wasn’t how the accident happened—it was why the brakes were failing in the first place. The answer would require deep technical investigation and expert analysis that uncovered months of hidden maintenance failures.
The Catastrophic Consequences
The crush injury to our client’s left foot led to Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), traumatic brain injury, cauda equina syndrome requiring surgery (with additional cervical surgery still needed), PTSD, and insomnia—approximately 15 separate diagnoses in total. Medical experts concluded he has zero future earning capacity. A skilled commercial truck mechanic was rendered permanently unemployable.
The defense claimed our client’s own negligence in attempting the roadside repair caused his injuries, and that the truck’s maintenance history was irrelevant. Our investigation would prove otherwise.
The Right Expert Makes the Difference
In complex mechanical failure cases, expert witness selection is critical. We retained Michael Ashley, a commercial vehicle expert with over 40 years of experience: ASE Master Mechanic, Fleet Manager for the Ventura County Fire Department overseeing 700+ vehicles, and decades of hands-on experience with commercial air brake systems.
What made him invaluable wasn’t just his credentials—it was his investigative approach. He obtained and analyzed every maintenance record, repair order, and service document. He understood the regulatory framework. And critically, he could connect seemingly unrelated maintenance failures to the catastrophic brake system failure that caused our client’s injury.
The Discovery That Changed Everything
Michael Ashley’s analysis of maintenance records uncovered something stunning: on May 20, 2019—just 17 days before the accident—technicians at an Independent Truck Maintenance Center had discovered over 3 gallons of water and oil contamination in the truck’s air brake system.
Three gallons of water doesn’t accumulate overnight. This level of contamination represented months of deferred maintenance and failure to follow basic protocols. The water was found coming out of the modulator valve at the rear of the truck, proving contamination had permeated the entire system: the compressor, air dryer, wet tank, primary and secondary tanks, and all brake valves.
This was our smoking gun. Now we needed to prove how it connected to the brake failure 17 days later.
Tracing the Chain of Failures
Michael Ashley’s analysis revealed how months of deferred maintenance led directly to the accident:
The truck’s Lease Purchase Agreement required annual air dryer service and monthly tank draining per manufacturer guidelines. The 3+ gallons of accumulated water proved tanks hadn’t been drained monthly for many months—a clear violation of maintenance standards.
When the independent truck maintenance center discovered this contamination on May 20th, they drained the water and replaced the air dryer. But they didn’t purge the water and oil that remained in brake valves throughout the system or replace components already damaged by months of moisture exposure.
Over the next 17 days, the remaining contamination swelled diaphragms in the brake chambers, causing air leaks that reduced pressure below the 125 PSI minimum for safe operation. The pressure loss caused brakes on axle #2 to drag continuously. Dragging brakes overheat. On June 6th, those overheated brakes began smoking—leading to our client being called to make repairs on a highway shoulder, on a downgrade, with a truck that had insufficient brake pressure and inadequate safety protocols.
The catastrophic injury was the direct result of months of deferred maintenance creating a cascade of mechanical failures.
Overcoming the Defense
The Defendants filed for Summary Judgment, arguing our client’s injuries resulted “solely from his negligence.” Their expert claimed “the maintenance of the truck before June 7, 2019, could not have contributed to that accident in any way.”
We opposed with detailed expert analysis showing the direct causal chain: deferred maintenance → water contamination → component damage → air pressure loss → brake dragging → overheating → brake system failure → the dangerous repair situation. We demonstrated Defendant’s regulatory and contractual obligations to maintain the brake system, and showed how the inadequate May 20th repairs failed to address systemic contamination.
The case proceeded past summary judgment to settlement.
The Settlement
On November 1, 2024, the case settled for $4,449,999.98—two weeks before the summary judgment hearing and six months before trial. The settlement reflected the strength of our technical evidence, the severity of our client’s catastrophic injuries and permanent disability, and the clear chain of maintenance failures we established through expert investigation.
Why Expert Investigation Matters
This case demonstrates how the right expert conducting thorough investigation can transform a case. Without Michael Ashley’s analysis of maintenance records, we wouldn’t have discovered the May 20th contamination finding. Without his technical expertise, we couldn’t have traced the chain from that contamination to the brake failure. Without his ability to explain complex air brake systems clearly, we couldn’t have overcome the defense’s claim that maintenance was irrelevant.
The Defendants wanted to frame this as a mechanic making a dangerous repair. Our investigation revealed a trucking company failing in its maintenance obligations over many months, creating the conditions that necessitated the dangerous repair in the first place.
Effective technical investigation requires selecting experts with the right credentials and investigative skill, obtaining all relevant maintenance and regulatory records, understanding industry standards and regulations, connecting technical evidence to legal theories of liability, and presenting complex evidence in accessible terms.
When Mechanical Failures Cause Catastrophic Injuries
At Adamson Ahdoot, we handle complex cases involving mechanical failures, maintenance negligence, and catastrophic injuries throughout California. These cases demand access to highly qualified experts who conduct thorough technical investigations, resources to obtain extensive maintenance records, understanding of industry regulations, ability to overcome defense motions, and skill in presenting technical evidence clearly.
When corporations defer maintenance, fail to follow manufacturer guidelines, or create dangerous conditions through equipment failures—and those failures cause catastrophic injuries—they must be held accountable through proving not just that an accident happened, but why it happened and what could have prevented it.
Your Case Deserves Thorough Investigation
If you’ve been catastrophically injured due to equipment failure, vehicle malfunction, or maintenance negligence, the cause may require expert investigation to uncover. Defendants often claim incidents were caused by the victim’s actions or were unfortunate accidents. Proving otherwise requires thorough technical investigation, the right expert witnesses, and resources to take on corporate defendants through summary judgment and trial.
That’s the level of investigation your case deserves.
About Adamson Ahdoot LLP
Adamson Ahdoot LLP is a personal injury law firm based in Los Angeles, serving clients throughout California. Our attorneys handle catastrophic injury cases involving mechanical failures, maintenance negligence, commercial vehicle accidents, and complex technical litigation requiring expert investigation and analysis.
Contact us for a free consultation:
Phone: (310) 888-0024
Website: aa.law
Address: 1122 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035
