CAR-TRUCK COLLISIONSA Guide to Accidents Involving Cars and

Trucks

Car-truck Collisions Are Different In Many Ways

Car-truck collisions differ from standard car accidents

involving two passenger-vehicles

These collisions are different because:

There may be more potential defendants

to blame

1

Special rules apply to truck drivers that don’t apply to most drivers

2

Truck accidents often cause more serious injuries

2

These collisions are different because:

Multiple Defendants in Truck Accidents

In a traditional car accident, a driver who breaks the rules of

the road or who drives negligently is held legally

liable for the accident

In car-truck collisions, the truck driver can be liable but

the trucking company can also be

held legally responsible and made to pay damages

The trucking company can be held liable because the driver of the truck is its employees and acts as the company’s

agent

The driver’s actions are the company’s actions,

so a negligent driver means the company was negligent

The trucking company can also be

held legally liable for its own negligence if it failed to have proper safety policies in place

Special Rules in Truck Accident Cases

When a driver breaks a safety rule, this creates a presumption of negligence,

making it easier for a plaintiff to prove liability in an accident case (proving

negligence is necessary for victims to be compensated for a crash)

There are many more safety rules that apply to truckers

that don’t apply to drivers of passenger cars

If a truck driver violated any rules set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) including rules related to maximum hours-of-

service or rules related to truck maintenance, then

this can be used to show that the trucker and trucking company were to blame

for the resulting crash

Truck Accidents Can Cause More Serious

Injury

Truck accidents can cause more serious injury because trucks are much bigger than

passenger cars

Their larger size means there is more kinetic energy produced in

a crash

Trucks can have a maximum weight

of as much as 80,000 pounds

Car usually weigh between 3,000 and 5,000 pounds

A car-truck collision can also result in a car sliding

underneath the truck (an underride collision), which can

cause brain trauma and other serious injuries to those in the passenger car

Having an Attorney Is Important

Having an attorney is important in car-truck collisions because it can be complicated to

know who should be named as a defendant in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit

The more serious the injuries, the more potential compensation

you should receive and the higher

the stakes of your case

Your attorney can help you to prove negligence by showing a violation of trucking laws, or by showing that the

driver was unreasonably careless

CONTACTA TRUCK ACCIDENT

ATTORNEY

Carey, Danis & Lowe Attorneys at Law

Personal Injury LawyerPracticing Nationwide

Content provided by Best Legal Practices

Carey, Danis & Lowe Attorneys at Law

Personal Injury Lawyers