Trucking may be a dangerous profession, but when it comes to collisions involving tractor-trailers, it is often the passenger vehicle occupants involved who fare the worst. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, trucks typically weigh 20 to 30 times more than cars, and as a result, most fatalities that occur in large truck crashes are car occupants.
People in smaller vehicles who survive devastating collisions may be fortunate, but they often sustain debilitating injuries that may never fully heal. Fortunately, those who have been hurt in truck accidents have the right to hold the liable party accountable, so they may be able to regain their financial security while healing.
Determining who is at fault for a truck crash can be challenging, though, and proving it can be even harder. You might assume that the driver is automatically liable, but depending on the circumstances of the collision, there is a chance that another party played a role in the incident and is thus responsible for the damages.
If you were hurt in an collision with a tractor-trailer but you’re not sure how to determine who may be liable, contact the Law Office of George R. Fusner Jr. After assessing the details of the case, George R. Fusner Jr. can help you determine the most strategic way to proceed. Call615-251-0005 or 800-427-8960 to schedule a free case evaluation with a truck wreck lawyer in Nashville. Do this immediately. The trucking company and their insurance carriers often have rapid response teams with lawyers who immediately go to the scene of a serious wreck. They are representing the trucking company NOT you. Valuable evidence can be lost or destroyed. Black boxes can and will disappear.
Whom Can You Sue Following a Devastating Truck Wreck?
Multiple parties play a role in transporting goods safely from point A to point B via truck. If any of these parties are negligent at any stage of the process from hiring, to training, to supervising and serious injuries result, they might be held liable for the damages.
If you were hurt in a truck collision, the circumstances of the crash and the underlying cause of the collision will determine whom you name in your lawsuit. Potentially liable parties include:
- The trucker and his or her employer;
- The company responsible for maintaining the tractor-trailer;
- The cargo loading company;
- The load broker;
- The owner of the trailer
- Any other motorists involved in the collision;
- The equipment manufacturer; and
- The government agency responsible for maintaining the roads where the accident occurred.
It is important to remember that in some cases, more than one party can be liable; however, to secure compensation from each responsible party, you must be able to prove their degree of fault. If multiple parties are at fault for the incident that caused your injuries, but you only have sufficient evidence against one of them, you may only be able to secure compensation from that single party.
Evidence of fault comes in all kinds of forms. It might include the trucker’s logs, the transportation company’s employee handbook, witness testimony, the cargo company’s loading strategies, the maintenance logs, or photographs of the actual accident scene.
Regardless of the kind of evidence you need to prove your claim, a Nashville truck wreck attorney will help you gather it. If you were hurt in a truck accident, contact the Law Office of George R. Fusner Jr. with 40 years of experience for quality legal representation during every stage of the claims process.
Call 615-251-0005 or 800-427-8960 to schedule a free consultation. To learn more about truck accidents in Tennessee, visit the USAttorneys website.
