Personal injury attorneys are looking to help victims of potential semi truck accidents. Commercial trucking accidents have devastating effects on the victims and their loved ones because of the high rate of injury and death to those in passenger vehicles.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration Analysis Division, reports from 2009 show that of the over 33,000 individuals who were killed in motor vehicle accidents, at least 10 percent of the victims were involved in large truck accidents. Additionally, over 74,000 victims suffered injuries from these semi-truck accidents. In 2011 and 2012, semi-truck crashes caused 7,702 deaths and injured over 192,000 individuals.

According to legal professionals, truck accident lawsuits involving large 18 wheeler trucks are much more complicated that a common car wreck or motor vehicle accident. Semi truck accidents generally involve higher insurance limits, extensive damage, complex causes, and multiple avenues of financial responsibility.

Potential Financial Liability in an Semi-Truck Lawsuit

Depending on the circumstances of a commercial truck accident, there may be several persons or companies who are financially liable for the victims’ injuries. Potential financially responsible parties include the truck driver, the tucking company, and insurance companies.

Truckers involved in commercial crashes may have been speeding, driving too many consecutive hours, or have failed to properly inspect their vehicles. Driver fatigue is a major cause of road accidents, and drivers who are behind the wheel for more than eight hours at a time are twice as likely to cause a semi truck accident. When truck drivers were interviewed by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, almost a third admitted to omitting hours from their driving logbooks.

Trucking companies who are negligent in their corporate polices may contribute to commercial trucking accidents. Trucking companies can be responsible for negligent hiring, poor truck maintenance, inadequate training, or the negligent driving of truckers. Improper truck maintenance greatly increases the likelihood that a vehicle will crash in a semi truck accident. The most common defects include brake defects, steering equipment defects, and lighting defects.

Insurance companies that maintain policies for commercial truckers and trucking companies can be sued directly after a serious or fatal semi truck accident. Trucking companies are required by law to have insurance policies in place with minimum payouts that are much higher than average passenger vehicles.

Many individuals affected by these semi truck accidents do not have the time or resources to gather the evidence they need in order to bring a successful lawsuit. Personal injury attorneys are often better equipped to handle the intricacies of a commercial trucking accident lawsuit.

Auto accidents can cause life-changing injuries and in many cases result in death. Truck accident lawsuits are often brought by the victims or their family members who have lost loved ones in hopes of receiving compensation from the people responsible for their injuries and loss.

Awards and settlements help these victims pay past and future medical bills, cover lost income during times of recovery, and are a small step in compensating for the pain and suffering victims endured. In some cases, spouses of victims may join the lawsuit as a co-plaintiff bringing loss of consortium claims or loss of spousal injury claims. These claims are often brought in hopes of increasing the amount of the settlement or award in a semi truck accident lawsuit.