Even without any cargo on board, the average tractor-trailer outweighs the average commuter car by several thousand pounds, and fully loaded trucks traveling on interstate highways can top out at 80,000 pounds under federal law. Needless to say, people who drive vehicles this massive for a living have an especially important duty to act responsibly and lawfully behind the wheel. Unfortunately, not all drivers uphold this duty as they should.
Taking legal action against a negligent truck driver or trucking company is far from a simple process, and your odds of case success may be extremely low if you try to proceed through the legal system without a skilled personal injury attorney by your side. Fortunately, you have access to assistance from a tenacious Chandler truck accident lawyer with more than three decades of experience helping local people just like you with cases just like yours across the Phoenix metro area.
Who Could Be Legally Liable for a Truck Crash?
Part of what makes traffic accidents involving commercial trucks especially challenging to file suit over is the number of different people who may hold legal liability for the wreck. Of course, a truck driver who recklessly breaks a traffic law or is otherwise careless behind the wheel can be held liable for any collision and subsequent injury they cause as a direct result of their misconduct, but individual truckers rarely have the personal assets necessary to cover the immense physical, financial, and personal losses these wrecks typically cause.
With that in mind, it is often prudent to name the trucking company that a trucker works for as a defendant in a truck accident lawsuit or settlement demand. Depending on the circumstances, this may entail holding the trucking company “vicariously liable” for the misconduct of their employee or building a claim establishing direct negligence by the trucking company at the organizational level. For example, a practice of forcing their drivers to violate federal law by staying on the road longer than regulations allow could result in direct negligence.
Certain types of wrecks may also impose liability against third parties like mechanics, manufacturers of faulty truck components, suppliers who failed to secure a truck’s cargo properly, and even other drivers whose own negligence forced an otherwise responsible trucker to get into a crash. A seasoned Chandler truck accident attorney could provide crucial assistance with identifying all parties who share the blame for a specific wreck and taking appropriate legal action against them.
Recovering for Short-Term and Long-Term Losses
Regardless of how many people hold liability for a truck wreck, anyone found negligent in relation to one may be financially accountable for every form of harm that crash will directly cause for someone injured in it, including both economic and non-economic damage, like:
- Lost overall quality of life
- Physical pain and discomfort
- Psychological trauma and suffering
- Lost work income, including expected loss of future earning capacity
- Medical bills, including expected costs of future rehabilitative and maintenance care
- Personal property damage, including vehicle replacement costs and disability-related expenses for things like home modifications
Each case is unique, though, so it is always worth discussing what losses may be recoverable in a specific claim with a knowledgeable truck injury lawyer in Chandler.
Rely on a Chandler Truck Accident Attorney
Truck accidents almost always cause more serious injuries than other types of auto collisions. This means it is often even more important to proactively demand civil restitution for injuries and losses caused by a commercial vehicle wreck.
Representation from a dependable Chandler truck accident lawyer could make a world of difference in whether your unique claim has a favorable outcome for you. Learn more by calling the Phillips Law Group today.
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