I still remember my accident like it was yesterday. One minute I was driving my daughter to school and the next I was waking up in a hospital bed. It was frustrating to deal with the emotional trauma of forgetting an entire week of my life, in addition to stressing about my small child. Fortunately, we were both able to recover, but it wasn't easy walking dealing with the medical bills that accompanied the accident. I found myself struggling with things as simple as answering the phone, because I was nervous about dealing with another insurance adjuster. Fortunately, by working with a lawyer, I was able to make sense of my situation. I know that you can overcome difficult challenges too, which is why I shared my story on this website.
Working Through Emotional Trauma
3 Main Ways An Accident With A Commercial Truck Is Different Than Other Accidents
Debra Hawkins
Not all auto accidents are the same; there are a few crucial differences between accidents with a commercial truck and accidents with a passenger vehicle. Here are three things you need to know about this crucial difference:
Commercial Trucks Follow Different Laws Than Passenger Vehicles
The first thing you need to know is that commercial trucks follow different laws than passenger vehicles. An easy example is that on the highway, different speed limits are posted for commercial and passenger vehicles. These different speed limits are in place to protect both commercial and passenger vehicles on the road.
Commercial vehicles also have specific load requirements as well as vehicle safety requirements that they have to meet. Disregarding these requirements can result in an unsafe commercial vehicle. These requirements were set in place in order to prevent accidents from occurring. When an accident does occur, both the police and you need to make sure that the commercial vehicle who hit you followed all of these requirements and that they were not contributing factors to your accidents.
Commercial Trucks Have More Partners Who Could Be Liable For An Accident
When you get in an accident with a passenger vehicle, generally the only person or business that you can hold liable for the accident is the person driving the vehicle, the owner of the vehicle if that is different than the driver, and the insurance company of the vehicle owner. If you need to pursue compensation, you just sue the driver, the owner of the vehicle, and/or their insurance company.
When you get in an accident with a commercial vehicle, there are a lot more partners at play who could bear responsibility for the accident beyond the driver of the vehicle. To start with, the company or companies the driver works for could also be held responsible for the accident.
Additionally, depending on the cause of the accident, the manufacturer of the truck as well as anyone who supplied defective parts could also be held responsible and pursued for compensation on your behalf.
Commercial Trucks Can Cause Serious Damage
Although a passenger vehicle can easily total another passenger vehicle, the likelihood of serious harm to your vehicle and your person increase when a commercial truck is involved. A commercial truck is much larger and heavier than a passenger vehicle and can inflict a large amount of harm even at low speeds.
Accidents involving a commercial vehicle are not the same as accidents involving a passenger vehicle. Commercial vehicles can inflict more damage, must follow different laws, and have more parties who are responsible for them. If you are ever involved in an accident with a commercial vehicle, make sure you contact a lawyer right away to represent your interests. A truck accident lawyer will ensure that the commercial vehicle which hit you is held accountable for any federal or state laws that they broke and will know which parties to pursue in order to help you obtain you compensation you deserve.
Share