If you have been in an accident with a commercial vehicle or 18-wheeler truck, then you have been through one of the scariest, most stressful, and dangerous situations in your life. If that is the case, then you need someone experienced to guide you through the intricacies of the legal process and show you who is liable for the accident.
This is not always a clear cut process, so if you want to get through it without any significant financial damage, then you should consult a professional.
Accidents often leave participants wondering who is at fault, even if the answer is obvious from the outside. If you find yourself in this situation, then this short guide will show you a bit about how to determine who is at fault in one of these scary accidents and how to go about assigning liability in this situation.
Risk of Commercial Vehicles
There’s no doubt about it – commercial trucks are one of the assets that drive our economy forward. That is why when you drive on the roads, you’ll see that there are dozens of trucks either en route or returning from their destination. These trucks are usually carrying valuable products and other assets that make them so essential to the consumer process.
However, the amount of trucks on the road is not always a good thing. Since there are so many trucks on the road, it also presents more of an opportunity for others driving on the road to be injured in an accident with one of these large trucks. Nobody wants to be involved in an accident with a truck like this, but sometimes it is unavoidable because of the sheer amount of trucks on the road and how they operate.
In addition to the number of trucks on the road, commercial vehicles and 18-wheelers also pose a safety risk on the roads because of the nature of the vehicle and how large they tend to be. Trucks are always the largest vehicles on the roads, and that makes a collision with them extremely dangerous to anyone who is in a normal vehicle.
If you have been in one of these accidents, you know how scary it can be. When people survive them, they often don’t do so without sustaining some injuries that can cause the medical bills to pile up or cause you to miss out on wages that you might have earned otherwise. When that happens, you might have a case for compensation. The experienced truck accident lawyers at Reyes Law have provided a complete guide if you ever find yourself involved in a serious commercial truck accident and you require legal representation.
It is clear that commercial vehicles pose a much larger risk on the road than almost any other vehicle out there.
Take Action Quickly
Accidents involving trucks are a bit different than any other type of accident. If you have been involved in a trucking accident, then there are some things that you need to do right away.
The most important aspect of a trucking accident is that you take action quickly. The way that your claim will be treated will depend on your ability to prove the guilt of the other party involved.
The best way to do that is to quickly provide the insurance company and authorities with all of the information that they will need. If you are able to provide all of this information quickly, your chances of being successful in your claim are increased by a lot.
Conducting an Investigation
Taking action quickly to report the accident and file a claim is an important step, but it’s far from the last step in the process. The next step to ensuring you receive what you are entitled to be to conduct a thorough and professional investigation that is used to determine who is at fault when it comes to an accident of this nature. Any attorney that regularly deals with truck accidents knows that there are several ways that this can be done.
Many commercial vehicles and 18-wheeler trucks contain things called “black boxes”, which are used to record the data of the truck while it is traveling. These devices can help to determine if the truck was following all of the correct laws and protocols when it comes to driving on the road and occupying the road along with other cars.
This evidence and other evidence such as testimonials and physical evidence are all important in determining who is at fault for the accident. The investigation that occurs after an accident is a time in which it is crucial to provide experts and authorities with all of the possible details surrounding the case. If you are able to do this, you’ll put yourself in a good position to win your case and gain any compensation that is due to you.
Who Is At Fault?
Following the investigation of the accident, it will be determined who is at fault. If the driver is at fault, there can be a variety of reasons that have occurred. When it comes to the legal side of things, your options are not just limited to the driver.
The driving company, parts manufacturer, or a variety of other people or organizations could have a hand in the accident. Theoretically, these are all individuals and companies that you could seek compensation from if you feel that they have had a hand in the accident that caused you to miss wages or incur medical expenses. Speak with an experienced attorney to know how to pursue these options.
