The size and weight of semi-trucks often lead to traumatic accidents and injuries. In 2022, the number of truck accidents in the United States totaled 168,320. Of those truck accidents, around 4,766 ended with fatal injuries to one or more people.
While it may be easy to assume that a truck’s driver is solely liable for an accident, it is not always that simple. There may be more than one party that is responsible for what happened. Here is what needs to be considered:
Was it the trucker’s fault?
The truck’s driver may certainly be at fault for an accident due to their negligent or reckless actions. For example, the trucker may have been distracted while using their phone just before a collision. Or, the trucker may have been driving above the speed limit, which prevented them from avoiding obstacles and stopping before an accident. Truckers have a duty to follow traffic laws and consider the safety of other drivers. Failing this duty can make a trucker responsible for a victim’s losses.
Was it the trucking company’s fault?
Trucking companies may also be responsible for a victim’s injuries if they violated state and federal laws or company safety policies. For example, a trucking company may have failed to mandate truck maintenance policies, which directly resulted in a truck collision. Or, an employer may have pushed a trucker to violate rest stop policies to meet deadlines, which put the trucker and other drivers in danger.
Was it the truck manufacturer’s fault?
In some cases, a truck manufacturer is at fault for a truck accident. This can happen if a manufacturer fails to recall a defective vehicle. Or, a manufacturer was aware of a defect during manufacturing, but failed to take steps to prevent accidents.
Was anybody else involved?
Other parties may have also contributed to a collision. For example, the company that made the truck’s tires may be liable for a wreck if the tires were not properly designed or manufactured. A repair company could also be at fault for a wreck if they did poor work and some equipment failure contributed to the crash. Loading companies, too, could share in the liability for an accident when a badly distributed cargo shifts and causes a rollover.
Professional legal guidance can help victims of truck accidents seek fair compensation for their injuries and losses. Part of that job involves identifying all the potential liable parties after a wreck, since that opens up additional avenues of compensation after a terrible loss.