How does the type of vehicle involved in a commercial vehicle accident impact your case?
When most people think of commercial vehicles, they usually think of 18-wheelers. However, there are actually a fairly a broad spectrum of commercial vehicles ranging from smaller delivery vans to large 18-wheelers.
Below, we'll discuss some of the ways your case could change based on the type of truck involved.
Questions Answered on This Page:
- In what ways does the type of vehicle impact my case?
- What are the different kinds of commercial vehicles?
- Why does the type of vehicle matter?
The type of vehicle matters when strategizing your case
At Grossman Law Offices, we've been handling truck accident cases for 25 years. Each truck accident case we handle is unique, and the causes of action we are able to assert and litigation strategy we use will depend on a number of factors. The type of commercial vehicle that caused the accident is just one of those factors. The main reason?
Different types of commercial vehicles are subject to different rules and regulations by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Texas Department of Public Safety. For example, the limits on hours of service (the amount of time a commercial driver can travel without a break) are different depending on whether the vehicle is transporting cargo or passengers. There are also different safety requirements and regulations depending on the type of vehicle. For instance, some commercial vehicles are required to have under-ride guards, while others are not.
If this concept is new to you, don't be the least bit embarrassed. Plenty of lawyers haven't spent the hours we have crawling through the regulations to learn what is and isn't legal.
Why do these differences matter to your case?
Your attorney will need to know how each type of truck can impact your claim in various ways.
Litigation Strategy. First of all, the type of insurance policy the owner of the vehicle has will determine the strategy we use. Commercial insurance policies are much larger than regular insurance policies, and as a result, accident victims are able to recover larger awards for their losses. Insurers aren't simply going to roll over and hand you the money you deserve simply because they have it, however. In smaller personal injury cases, we generally budget less of our time because they're usually not as complicated. With these accidents, we know we're in for the long haul.
Further, whom we hire as "expert witnesses" can mean life and death for your case. As we noted above, the rules about each specific type of truck vary greatly. Courts allow victims to employ individuals with background and education in a specific area to explain its ins-and-outs to a jury. With different trucks, you'll need different experts. For example, an engineer who was a safety manager for a hazardous materials trucking company might be a perfect fit in a toxic spill case, but he likely wouldn't be in a dump truck case. Finding the right people with the right background is critical.
Who we sue and for what. The type of commercial vehicle will also determine the different causes of action that we can assert against the person or company responsible. You likely already know that you can take legal action against the trucking company, but there are other potential parties involved. For example, if an accident victim rear-ends an 18-wheeler that is required by law to have an underride guard, and the underride guard is defective, that defect may cause a victim's injuries to be much more severe. That person or their family may have a products liability claim against the manufacturer and distributor of the defective underride guard, in addition to the trucking company. Another example might be a situation where the truck was required to have an underride guard, but the maintenance company removed it and did not replace it. In that case, an accident victim would not have a products liability claim, but he or she would likely have a negligence claim against the maintenance company.
On the other hand, what happens if the truck is a dump truck? Dump trucks are not required to have underride guards, meaning none of the above options would come into play even if they were struck from behind. So you can see that the type of truck involved greatly impacts the legal strategy used in a truck accident case.
Recovery amounts. The type of vehicle and the company that owns it will greatly influence the amount of damages an injured person is able to recover. For example, if the commercial vehicle that injures you is a city-owned garbage truck, the amount of damages you can recover from the government entity that owns it is capped by the Texas Tort Claims Act. On the other hand, if a dump truck owned by a private company causes the exact same damages, the amount you can collect is not limited, and you will likely be able to recover a greater amount of compensation. The larger the insurance policy is, the larger your potential recovery may be. A heavy 18-wheeler likely has a high-value insurance policy, but a smaller delivery van may or may not have a commercial insurance policy.
Why Grossman Law Offices Is The Best Choice for Your Semi-truck Accident Claim
If you have been injured in an accident involving a truck or other type of commercial vehicle, it is important to hire an attorney that has experience handling a variety of commercial truck cases and is knowledgeable about the rules and regulations applicable to all of the different types of commercial vehicles. It would be devastating to your case if you hire an inexperienced attorney who might miss an important cause of action or potentially liable party. These and other seemingly small mistakes could potentially cost an accident victim thousands or even millions of dollars in recovery.
No matter what kind of truck was involved in the collision, call us at (855) 326-0000. We're here for you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
You may also want to read about accidents involving:
- Dump trucks
- USPS mail trucks
- Bucket trucks (aka Cherry Picker)
- Cement trucks
- Garbage trucks
- Recreational vehicles (RV)
- Farm trucks
- Tow trucks
- Utility and service trucks
- Crane trucks
- Company/work trucks
- Street sweepers
- Flatbed trucks
- Panel trucks (also known as cargo or delivery van)
- Moving trucks or vans
- Tanker trucks
