Determining Liability in a Truck Accident
For a complicated truck accident, finding a good truck accident lawyer District Heights MD can trust may not be easy — but it might be essential for receiving the compensation you deserve. It’s no secret that accidents involving large commercial trucks can cause a great of damage for any other drivers who are involved. If you are injured in a trucking accident, and if the truck driver was responsible for causing the accident, it might be time to call Cohen & Cohen for legal counsel.
Determining liability in truck accident cases is something that clients should expect when working with a capable truck accident lawyer District Heights MD can provide.
When a truck accident occurs, who is actually liable?
Individuals working with a respected truck accident lawyer District Heights MD has to offer will first have to nail down one important detail: whether the truck driver caused the accident, or whether another vehicle caused the accident. If the injured claimant states that the truck driver caused the accident, it will be essential for the person’s injury claim to prove that he or she was an innocent party involved in the collision.
Seeking financial compensation for a truck accident injury may be a complex process for victims. This is because, depending on what happened during the accident, there could be many different parties that may be held liable for the crash. If the claimant can prove that more than one party was liable, he or she may be able to seek monetary damages from several parties.
The individuals (or companies) that may be responsible for a truck accident could include:
- The truck driver — if the accident was caused purely because of driver error
- The trucking company or individual who owns the vehicle
- The trucking company or individual who leased the vehicle from the owner
- Any mechanics who performed safety inspections on the vehicle
- Any shipping services or loading services that loaded the truck’s cargo improperly
- The manufacturer of the truck, tires, brakes, or any other equipment that contributed to the accident
Because so many parties may be held responsible for an accident, a major truck accident that causes serious injuries could easily become a very complex matter. It is possible for injured victims to have trouble when they seek financial compensation because parties may be inclined to point fingers at another party.
In a case where improper loading causes an accident, the truck driver may say that it’s the company’s fault, and the trucking company may say that its contracted shipping service is to blame. If an accident is caused by faulty brake lines, the truck company that owns the vehicle may argue that the company leasing the vehicle was responsible for conducting an inspection; alternately, both companies may blame the brake manufacturer for selling defective brakes.
In many accident cases that a truck accident lawyer in District Heights MD could see, a trucking company will have leased all of its equipment and hired workers (including a driver) through an independent contractor. Trucking companies often outsource to contractors because it may be cheaper and it may give the company more flexibility when transporting cargo across long distances.
Contracting workers and leasing equipment may also allow the company to avoid taking the blame when a serious accident occurs. These types of situations may be difficult for injured victims to navigate without a truck accident lawyer District Heights MD residents depend on.
How can injured victims obtain compensation?
Injury claims often go through insurance companies first. Truck drivers are often required to hold higher auto insurance policies because — as any truck accident lawyer District Heights MD should already know — trucking accidents may cause a great deal of property damage and personal injury. If it is determined that the trucking company is responsible for the accident, the injured claimant may have to work with the company’s insurance provider (instead of the truck driver’s insurance provider) in order to receive compensation.
When multiple parties are responsible for causing an accident, the injured claimant may be able to collect damages from more than one party. Federal regulations have been put into place to limit the amount of “finger-pointing” that trucking companies can do after an accident.
Nevertheless, proving liability can be a complicated matter. Obtaining reasonable monetary damages may also be difficult even after liability has been determined. As any seasoned truck accident lawyer District Heights MD can provide will attest, the property damage and personal injuries resulting from a truck accident can be very expensive for the victims. The lifelong costs of a disabling truck accident injury may exceed the policyholder’s insurance plan limit.
It is possible that injured victims may wish to seek damages from the trucking company or truck manufacturer if the truck driver’s insurance policy is not high enough to cover all damages. It is also possible that insurance companies will dispute liability in an accident. An insurance company may even argue that the injured victim was partly to blame for the crash. In this case, it may be beneficial for the client to work with a trusted District Heights MD truck accident lawyer. Collecting witness statements, reviewing evidence, and recording testimonies from law enforcement officials may be able to help a claimant’s case. If a reasonable settlement cannot be reached amicably, the victim may wish to go to court to seek compensatory damages.
Cohen & Cohen: Providing a Truck Accident Lawyer District Heights MD Drivers Can Depend On
When you’re the victim of a truck accident injury, it helps to know that a dependable and knowledgeable legal team has your back. At Cohen & Cohen, our lawyers are dedicated to serving the residents of District Heights. Even in complex accident cases, our team has worked tirelessly to make sure that clients receive the compensation they rightly deserve.
For more information, call our Maryland office at (301) 250-1957 or fill out a short form on our website so we can get in touch with you. We are happy to provide potential clients with a free case evaluation, and if filing an injury claim is likely to benefit your case, we’ll help you through the legal processes. At Cohen & Cohen, you can be sure that you’re working with a competent truck accident lawyer District Heights MD drivers truly deserve.
