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Commercial trucks make up a large portion of the vehicles which travel Indiana’s roads and highways. In order to even have the right to drive these immense trucks, their operators need to obtain special licenses. Furthermore, they must follow the same rules on the road as everyone else and are just as liable for any damage caused by negligent driving.
The results of negligence by truck drivers can be severe. Serious accidents can have a profound and permanent effect on a person’s life, and many are unfortunately fatal.
If you suffer an injury in a collision with a commercial truck, a Porter County truck accident lawyer could fight back against insurance companies to hold the truck driver and their parent company responsible for their negligence. Call an experienced attorney today to get started on your case.
The rules that govern how people responsibly drive their personal cars also control how commercial vehicles must be operated. All drivers, whether they are driving for leisure, commuting to work, or performing a job, have a legal duty to protect all other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. This is the core of the legal cause of action known as negligence.
Negligence applies when a driver operates their vehicle in a way that places others in danger. Examples can include:
Commercial truck drivers who drive in this way are responsible for any damage that may result.
In addition to the truck driver, their parent company may also be at-fault in a truck accident case. If the truck driver is an employee, they and their parent company share joint liability. This means that both the driver and the company are responsible to pay for any damage caused.
In some cases, the negligence can occur before the truck even gets on the road. All trailers are required to be loaded within certain weight limits depending upon their size and classification. If a trailer is found to be overweight at the time of the accident, the truck company can be found negligent per se. This simply means that by violating a law and causing an accident, the defendant is assumed to be negligent in a civil suit.
Truck accidents are among the most severe that can occur on the road. While any car crash can be deadly, the possible dangers of colliding with a large commercial vehicle cannot be overstated. Commonly seen injuries include broken bones, sprained or strained tendons, spinal cord injuries, amputations, concussions, and severe burns.
As with any severe physical injury, the extent of the damages is unlikely to end with medical bills. In fact, mental anguish and pain and suffering often comprise a large portion of the compensation plaintiffs in truck accident cases pursue.
A truck accident claim in Porter County will also account for economic losses from the accident. If a plaintiff is forced to miss work, either while recovering from their injury or due to lingering side effects or permanent conditions, they can claim these losses in their suit.
Some people may believe that filing a claim against a commercial truck is a waste of their time. They may think that large companies will employ high-priced lawyers to drag the matter out or intimidate them into dropping a claim.
Indeed, this can happen to unrepresented plaintiffs. Insurance companies often prefer to deal with injured people without attorneys to pressure them into token settlements for a fraction of the case’s value.
A Porter County truck accident lawyer could advocate on your behalf to prevent this from happening, working with you from day one to evaluate your claim and ensure the settlement offers you receive are fair. However, if the settlements are not fair, a lawyer is prepared to go to court to fight for what is rightfully yours.