3 People Who You May Be Able To Sue After A Trucking Accident
If you have been involved in a vehicle accident that involved a commercial truck, you might be thinking about filing a lawsuit. Filing a lawsuit can help ensure that responsible parties face the consequences for negligence. It can also help ensure that you are compensated for all your hospital bills and so that you will have money to live off of if you are currently unable to work.
What a lot of people don't know after these accidents is that there are actually several people and entities that you can often hold responsible after a trucking accident. For best results, you will need to sit down with a truck accident attorney to talk about the details of your specific case.
1. The Driver
First of all, you may be able to sue the driver who was operating the vehicle at the time of the accident. This is particularly true if the driver was not taking proper precautions to drive safely and prevent an accident, such as if he or she was driving much faster than the posted speed limit, was driving too fast for the weather conditions or was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the incident. In many cases, you can sue the driver in both owner-operator and contracted employee circumstances.
2. The Company Owner
Trucking companies that hire other people to drive big trucks and transport their freight have a certain responsibility to hire responsible drivers. They are also responsible for keeping their trucking equipment in good, safe condition. If the accident was caused by tires that were in poor condition that needed to be changed, for example, you can often sue the trucking company. You may also be able to sue the trucking company for not taking ample precautions to hire a safe, responsible driver to operate its trucks.
3. The Manufacturer
In the event that there was some sort of malfunction with the truck, it could be true that neither the driver nor the trucking company were at fault. In these situations, you may be able to sue the manufacturer that made the truck itself or that manufactured the malfunctioning part. In situations in which the driver is at fault but the situation was made worse by a vehicle malfunction, then you may be able to list both the driver and manufacturer on your lawsuit.
Trucking accident lawsuits can be challenging just because it's often tough to know who to hold responsible. These are some of the people who you might be able to list in your lawsuit; if you communicate with a truck accident lawyer like Fonvielle, Lewis, Foote & Messer, you can find out what best applies to your situation.