Being involved in any accident with a commercial truck can change the rest of your life. We are talking about much more serious potential injuries and property damage. If you are driving a regular vehicle and get into a collision with a truck, there is a huge possibility your vehicle will be destroyed and you will be seriously injured. And to make matters even worse, according to literally all trucking accident injury lawyer out there, the injury claim you will have to make will be more complicated due to the several parties involved in the case.
Company Liability Versus Truck Driver Liability
Liability in commercial truck accidents is sometimes very difficult to identify. It might not be clear if liability lies with the truck company, the truck driver, or someone else. Usually, the rule is that employers are liable for all the negligent acts that were committed by employees during the employment course and scope.
What this means is that the truck driver who did not intentionally cause the accident can be liable but the employer is also considered to be liable, if the driver was on duty. This is a good thing since trucking companies have more funds than their employees. You might not be able to get financial compensation from the driver because they do not have the money to pay. But insurance companies for trucking companies do.
Accidents Involving Government Vehicles
When saying government vehicles, we also include all county and state municipalities. They should be highlighted because the injury claim filing statute of limitations is much shorter. When in a crash involving government vehicles, you have to quickly contact an experienced accident attorney since the proper government entities have to be notified fast. Unfortunately, there are so many cases in which the statute of limitations, which can even be as short as 30 days, passes. When this happens, you cannot file the personal injury claim anymore.
Some examples of government vehicles you could find yourself in an accident with are mail trucks, fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars. In all of these cases, there are limitations when it comes to liability coverage. So, the attorney needs to build the strongest case possible and you should never file a claim alone.
The Complexity Of The Case
We naturally tend to believe the fault for the accident lies solely with the truck driver or the trucking company. This is rarely the case. Sure, these parties are often liable. But, there might be several others that share some level of blame. For instance, when the cargo of an 18-wheeler was improperly loaded, it can lead to the truck turning over. If the truck hits a car, we are talking about a personal injury claim that should also include the company responsible for loading the truck as it has liability.
The bottom line is you should always work with an experienced commercial truck accident attorney to help you out. As you surely already noticed, complications can always appear and you need a legal professional to help you receive the deserved compensation.