The 3 Ways Truck Wreck Cases Are More Complex Than Other Crashes

When hiring an attorney for your case, you need to be sure they have the expertise necessary to lead you to a positive outcome. For semi-truck wreck cases, you may feel inclined to reach out to any personal injury attorney. However, not all personal injury attorneys have experience handling truck accident cases.

Semi-truck and other heavy truck wrecks, such as dump trucks or flatbed trucks, are more complex than other crashes involving passenger vehicles. In order to see these cases through, you need an attorney that has expertise in the area of truck accident law. There are many factors to keep in mind, including laws and regulations around commercial motor vehicles and determining who all is liable for the wreck.

Here are the 3 ways truck wreck cases are more complex than other kinds of vehicle crashes.

1. There are multiple parties involved that may be liable for the wreck.

When a crash occurs that only involves passenger vehicles, it tends to be a simpler personal injury case. The only person that usually is liable is the driver that hit you. But for commercial motor vehicles, you may be dealing with several companies that could be liable, in addition to the driver.

For semi-truck and other heavy truck accidents, the driver and the company they drive for may be liable for the wreck. But your attorney also needs to consider if the shipper, the broker, the truck manufacturer, or others can also be held accountable. And when more parties may be liable, the more complicated your case is. You want an attorney who understands all the parties that may be responsible.

2. The trucking company will do what they must to keep business moving.

As soon as a wreck happens, the trucking company will do everything they can to get the truck and driver ready to drive again. Oftentimes, this means bringing their own rapid response team to the scene of an accident before the victim has had a chance to be taken to the hospital, let alone call their own attorney. The company’s representatives and the driver may begin talking to witnesses and police to tell their side of the story while the victim is unable to share their side.

Additionally, these companies will make an effort to get the truck back on the road as soon as possible. This can include repairing the truck and deleting the data on the engine control module, or “black box”, that records vehicle and driver actions before, during, and after an accident. As a result, the evidence needed to build your case is destroyed before you even hire a lawyer.

Not only do you need to hire an attorney immediately after an accident, but you also need to hire someone with the resources necessary to fight against the trucking company. An experienced and board-certified truck accident attorney will have access to their own rapid response team, mechanics, private investigators, and more that can get the evidence they need to help you.

3. Federal trucking regulations can determine if negligence was a factor.

There are Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) that both drivers and truck companies must follow. The FMCSRs are in place as the minimum standards for the operations of commercial motor vehicles and are meant to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities caused by heavy trucks.

If the truck driver or company that caused the wreck was not following the FMCSRs, then the accident may be a result of negligence. These regulations cover things like driver qualifications, the number of hours drivers are allowed to be on the roads, safety practices, standards for vehicle maintenance, and more. An attorney that specializes in and is board-certified in truck accident law will be familiar with FMCSRs and prepared to look through all the evidence available to determine if negligence was a factor in your accident.

Injured in a Truck Accident? Craig, Kelley & Faultless Can Help

Attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless are prepared and have the experience to help victims and their loved ones involved in commercial vehicle wrecks through every aspect of their case. Both attorneys David W. Craig and Scott A. Faultless are board-certified in truck accident law by the NBTA, accredited by the American Bar Association. The firm also has a rapid response team. They work with investigators, reconstructionists and mechanics to collect evidence as soon as the firm is hired.

Their team-centered approach puts client needs at the forefront, and several attorneys will work on your case to achieve the best possible outcome.

Reach out for a free case consultation today at (888) 253-5198 or online.

David W. Craig is board-certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, accredited by the American Bar Association in Truck Accident Law. He sits on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys. He is the managing partner and one of the founding partners of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 50 Indiana lawyer by Super Lawyers. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families and It’s Never Been Easier to Hire the Wrong Attorney, both written to help people navigate what comes next after a tragic wreck. He also hosts the podcast After the Crash, where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.