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Truck accident lawsuits are often complex and challenging

On Behalf of | Apr 12, 2023 | Truck Accident

When Ohio residents suffer catastrophic injuries in a truck accident that was caused partly or wholly by negligence, they can pursue legal remedies by filing personal injury lawsuits. However, suing after a truck accident is a little more complicated than taking legal action after a passenger vehicle collision. Car, SUV and pickup truck drivers must follow traffic laws and carry at least minimum levels of insurance, but truck drivers work in an industry that is heavily regulated by agencies like the U.S. department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Truck accident lawsuit defendants

Assigning blame in the aftermath of a passenger vehicle collision is usually fairly straightforward, but it sometimes takes accident investigators weeks to identify the causes of a truck crash. Once the cause of a commercial vehicle accident has been established, injured parties may still not know who to sue. Accidents caused by shifting cargo could be blamed on a truck driver, trucking company, loading company or safety inspector, and fatigue-related crashes are sometimes caused by trucking companies that encourage reckless behavior by threatening to suspend or fire drivers who miss their deadlines.

Insurance companies

An insurance company usually writes the check when damages are awarded in motor vehicle accident lawsuits, and those checks are usually large when a semi-tractor trailer was involved. This means that truck accident victims must deal with experienced lawyers and claims adjusters that will do all they can to shift blame and reduce the size of a settlement or award, which can make the whole process a lot more grueling.

A worthwhile effort

While suing a trucking company may be more challenging than taking legal action against a passenger vehicle driver, the effort is usually worthwhile. Truck accident victims often suffer debilitating injuries that leave them unable to work, and the parties responsible should be held accountable if negligence played a role. Suing negligent trucking companies could also deter others from engaging in behavior that places road users in danger.

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