Different parties may be responsible for a commercial truck accident, including the driver, maintenance crew, cargo loading crew, truck manufacturer, or the parent trucking company. Often, these parties fight amongst themselves to point fingers and assign blame in an accident to other parties. Truck companies make an especially ardent effort to avoid liability, as their legal teams and insurance companies will try to claim the company had no part in the accident. For this reason, you never should attempt to take on a truck accident case without the help of a Fayette County truck accident lawyer who is experienced in handling this type of case.
There are numerous tactics that trucking companies use to avoid liability, including the following:
- Hire drivers as independent contractors and not as full employees, so they are not vicariously liable for driver negligence or errors.
- Lease trucks instead of buying them, so they are not responsible for the maintenance work on the trucks.
Federal regulations set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are making it increasingly difficult for trucking companies to avoid liability as they place some responsibility on any entity permitted to operate a commercial truck. However, companies will continue to try to avoid as much liability as they possibly can. An experienced attorney who is familiar with truck accident cases will know how to keep trucking companies from avoiding responsibility for accidents caused by their trucks and truck drivers.
Contact a Fayette County truck accident lawyer for a free consultation
In order to receive the full amount of compensation you deserve from all responsible parties, you should always have an experienced truck accident attorney on your side, fighting for your rights. If you have suffered an injury in a truck accident, call Shane Smith Law today for help at (980) 246-2656.