When Injured in a Semi Truck Accident, Who is at Fault?
A truck accident is often a violent and frightening event, even if it occurred at slow speeds. Because of the complexity of a truck accident, it can be very difficult to determine who is at fault. There are often many parties involved in a truck accident such as the truck driver, the trucking company, the truck manufacturer, the truck inspector, and anyone else associated with the truck.
Since there are so many parties involved with a trucking accident, things can happen fast. If you are involved in a trucking accident, it is important to contact an experienced lawyer and get your claim started as soon as possible.
Finding The At-Fault Party Is Not Cut And Dry
The immediate assumption in a truck accident is that the driver is at fault. Many truck accidents involve only the truck and can often happen in remote areas. But even a trucker out on the road by himself is not automatically at fault. If the brakes failed on the driver, then the focus would shift to the brake manufacturer and possibly the truck manufacturer for choosing those brakes.
There are a lot of moving parts in even a simple truck accident. It takes time to determine who is at fault, and even then it can be a complicated mess to untangle.
The Black Box
When a truck gets into an accident, teams of investigators and insurance company representatives descend upon the accident area. In order to gather the information your attorney needs to present your side of the story, they will need to act quickly. Official government investigation agencies and insurance company representatives tend to sift through the accident and remove important pieces for their own reports.
The most important piece everyone is looking for in the first moments of a truck accident investigation is the black box. Just like a plane, a truck has a black box that records the truck’s speed, steering actions, and braking activity. A lot can be gathered from the black box, but the distribution of that information is usually determined by who gets to the black box first.
External Conditions
It can be easy to blame slick roads for a truck accident, but that is not always the case. If a tire blew out unexpectedly, then the tire manufacturer could be at fault. If the driver was going too fast, then the driver would be at fault. While the weather and road conditions do play a role in these types of accidents, they are not always to blame.
If you are injured in a trucking accident, it is important to hire an experienced attorney immediately. There is a long list of potential at-fault parties to choose from, and an experienced attorney will understand how to handle this complex situation. A truck accident is almost always more complex than a car accident, and you need a good attorney to make sure that your side of the story is heard.