If a truck driver acts recklessly or carelessly behind the wheel, or if a trucking company or other third party fails to fulfill their obligations to create a safe driving environment, serious accidents may result. Due to their large size, commercial vehicles can cause catastrophic harm to the occupants of passenger vehicles in the event of a wreck.
Does Liability Change for Commercial Vehicle Drivers?
Truck accident claims are somewhat unique among other types of personal injury litigation, primarily because of the number of ways liability could be assigned. An injured claimant could establish liability by proving a truck driver drove recklessly or violated a rule of the road, such as by speeding or failing to yield, resulting in the collision that caused their injuries.
In addition, a lot more restrictions apply to commercial vehicle drivers than apply to regular commuters, at both the state and federal levels. Liability for violating state or federal trucking regulations may fall to either the truck driver directly involved in an accident or the company who employed that driver, depending on the circumstances. A local attorney familiar with trucking regulations could establish this violation was the cause of the crash making the truck driver liable.
