If you or a loved one is involved in a crash with a truck, you may need to hold multiple parties responsible. The reason for this is that the injuries sustained in truck crashes are often much worse than those in a collision with a vehicle of a similar size to yours. It’s like being punched by a heavyweight boxer, rather than the average guy in the street.
The increased severity of injury typically requires a greater level of medical intervention and rehabilitation and can also have a greater effect on your ability to earn.
The driver’s insurance might not be enough
In most crashes, you just claim against the other driver. They usually have a high enough level of insurance coverage for this. This might not be the case for someone driving a truck, because they have the potential to do so much damage. Thus holding others to account as well as the driver can increase the chance you get the full amount of compensation you need.
It might not be just the driver’s fault
Operating a truck is a team effort. While the driver does the driving, several others are involved in the operation, and any of them might have made a mistake that played a role in the crash.
The truck owner (often not the same person as the driver) may have tried to cut corners. They may have failed to take the truck in for scheduled maintenance or pushed the driver to take an extra shift, despite knowing they needed to rest.
The people who load the truck may have left the load imbalanced or failed to secure it properly, leading to the load shifting and causing the driver to lose control
The mechanic who worked on the truck may have failed to tighten a piece properly, or forgotten to put something back.
Tracing what and who contributed to a truck crash can be challenging. Getting help to do so can increase the chance you get the compensation you need.