Hundreds of thousands of large commercial truck accidents take place every year in the United States. Like any type of motor vehicle accident, there is usually one specific cause for why the accident occurred. Causes may include driver error, weather conditions, improper truck maintenance, or defective truck parts, among others. If you have been a victim of a truck accident, you likely will want to try to get compensated for any damage, injuries, or other losses that resulted from the accident. In order to do so, you must prove to the court that another party, e.g. truck driver or trucking company, was negligent in some way. Negligence means they had a duty to use reasonable care and failed to do so, which caused your injury and damages. Proving negligence in cases involving defective truck parts may be complicated, however an experienced Coweta County truck accident lawyer will work to make sure you sufficiently recover for your losses.
Some examples of truck parts that commonly malfunction and cause accidents include:
- Tires
- Brakes
- Steering columns
- Trailer hinges
- Couplings
- Stability controls
- Axles
- Cargo tie-downs
When an accident happens because of a defect on the truck, the responsible party will not be the truck driver or trucking company. Instead, you must look to the company that manufactured the truck part or that assembled the part on the truck. You must prove that the company was negligent in either the design, manufacture, or assembly of that truck part and that the negligence caused the defect, which in turn caused the accident.
These lawsuits can get very technical and complex and may involve several truck and manufacturing experts. This is why you always want an experienced trucking attorney on your side and helping with your case. If you have been in a truck accident, do not hesitate to call Shane Smith Law at (980) 246-2656 to schedule a free consultation as soon as possible.