Home » News Articles » Serious Injury After A Truck Crash: Who’s Liable?

Serious Injury After A Truck Crash: Who’s Liable?

Sustaining serious injury from being involved in a truck accident is quite a traumatic and horrible experience. It doesn’t just leave you shaken up, but also saddles you with tons of debt from medical treatments and having to miss work while recovering. This makes the question of who needs to be held liable for what you went through that much more important.

After you are injured in a truck accident, one of the first things you need to do is to contact a personal injury lawyer to help you through the process of identifying the liable party and getting compensation from them to cover all the expenses you are racking up because of your injury. Several studies show that truck accident rates, especially in urban areas, are quite high; not to mention the fact that they cause even more damage and injuries than car accidents do. There is also the fact that truck owners have insurance companies that do their best to protect their interests, which makes it more imperative to get a lawyer on your side, as dealing with insurance companies can be very difficult. 

A lawyer can start investigating the accident and find out who is liable by taking into consideration the below factors.

The Nature and Point of Collision

The first thing done in an investigation to find out who is liable for a truck accident is looking at the point of collision and judging which vehicle hit the other. For example, if one vehicle rear-ended the other one, then, more likely, the person driving the first vehicle is at fault. Different factors, such as the force of the collision and how much damage the other vehicle sustained, can also determine whether the truck was going over the speed limit or not.

Were Any of the Drivers Intoxicated?

Intoxicated people should not be driving under any circumstances. Even if the truck driver is the one who caused the collision, if the person in the other car is intoxicated, they can be held liable for the accident. Of course, if the truck driver had been drinking or was on an illegal substance while driving, they can be held liable for the accident, as well.

Weather Conditions

This is one of the factors that truck insurance companies try to use to avoid being held accountable for the accident and, thus, having to pay up. If it is quite rainy or there is ice on the road, then it can be difficult to pin the liability on someone, since the weather could be the cause of the accident.

Traffic Conditions

Traffic rules and regulations help in determining who should be held responsible for any accident. If the person in one vehicle is not obeying traffic laws, then chances are they are the one liable for the truck accident. For example, if the truck driver ran a red light and hit another vehicle or bystander, then they are responsible for the accident.

Witness Accounts

After being involved in an accident, you may not be able to recall different details. Having witnesses give their accounts on what they saw can be quite helpful in determining who is liable for the truck accident. First-hand witnesses can often offer more insight and details about the accident, which can help in the investigation being conducted to find out who is at fault and, in turn, who should pay for the victim’s sustained injuries.

Was There a Defect in the Truck

Sometimes, drivers are not liable for the truck accident. It could be because of a defect in the manufacturing of the truck that causes an accident. In such cases, the person liable for the accident is not the truck driver or the company using the truck, but rather the truck manufacturer themselves.

Crashed semi truck

As a person who was hurt, you will want to know who needs to be held responsible so that you can go through the necessary procedures to get the compensation you deserve. There are different factors that go into deciding who is liable for a truck accident. Taking into consideration these six different factors, your lawyer will be able to find out how they should proceed with the case and whom exactly they should be bringing the claims against to get you full compensation. Remember, the most important thing to do if you are ever injured in a truck accident, or in any accident for that matter, is to focus on recovering and get reliable representation to help you through the legal procedures.


Sponsored Articles


Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or send an email to newstip@hometownstation.com. Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox. Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 - Santa Clarita News - Santa Clarita Radio

Serious Injury After A Truck Crash: Who’s Liable?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About KHTS Articles