Commercial Truck Accidents and Personal Injuries
If you are injured in a trucking accident, what can you do? The fact of the matter is that those who drive commercial trucks have to uphold a certain standard of care and, if that standard of care is not met, they can be held liable for damages stemming from an accident. Those who wish to drive commercial trucks have to go through a vigorous process of obtaining a CDL license. This stands for a commercial driver’s license, which the U.S. Department of Transportation gives drivers when they pass a series of tests designed for truck drivers. The larger the truck being operated, the more stringent the testing. Drivers are tested for things like maneuvering, parking, maintenance of engines, pre-trip inspection routines, and procedures for hazardous materials. With that being said, accidents are still going to occur, sure.
There are many requirements that a truck driver must meet based on state and federal regulations, like how much weight a rig is permitted to hail, how long a driver is allowed to go without rest, and quality control in manufacturing of parts. Along with this, there are higher insurance requirements imposed on owners and operators of semi-trucks. Defendants in these accident cases will only be able to settle for an amount that they can afford, or what is allowed by the insurance company.
What Happens if There are Multiple Defendants Involved in an Accident?
If there are multiple defendants involved in a trucking accident case, they may all be responsible in equal equivalents to pay the plaintiff’s damages. They may also only be responsible for the damages that they caused. There is a drawback to there being multiple defendants, however. A settlement, in this case, may be more difficult to obtain. It may become clear that the plaintiff was not at fault for the accident. Maybe the plaintiff will decide to settle with one defendant but sue the other defendants for what they owed in damages.
Settlements That Have Happened in the Past
- A plaintiff was struck head-on by a semi-truck and suffered two broken legs and multiple fractures. She spent months in the hospital and required surgeries. She received a settlement of $1,850,000.
- A plaintiff was rear-ended by a semi-truck and required fusion of neck vertebrae, and ended up receiving a settlement of $350,000.
- A collision occurred with a tractor-trailer, and the plaintiff required surgery for an occurring shoulder injury. The settlement in the end was $275,000.
Negligence
The best thing that you can do to prove your case when you have been involved in a trucking accident is to show that negligence occurred and was the proximate cause of your injuries. The most effective way to prove that negligence happened in a trucking accident is to prove that the truck driver violated regulations that they should have been following since they agreed to drive truck. A violation of state or federal regulations, to the courts, is almost always an automatic thing. Take those CDL driving regulations from earlier into consideration and you have yourself a case.
If you have been injured in a trucking accident, your best bet is to speak to an attorney that you can trust. It is a good idea to call MDL for a consultation, because we have the experience you need for any trucking accident case. We have settled many trucking cases in the past and will work with you. Call now!
