The prevalence of trucks on the roadway can produce various risks to the motorists around them. Unlike other motorists, truck drivers can be required to spend long hours operating unwieldy vehicles. Because of this, accidents associated with truck drivers can often prove disastrous.
Truck accident cases can leave you with enormous medical bills and no idea how to pursue compensation. Many parties could be liable in a tractor-trailer collision case, which can further frustrate and confuse your efforts. A Palatine truck accident lawyer at The Kryder Law Group could help you navigate your questions and represent your right to compensation in court. Reach out today to speak with one of our knowledgeable personal injury attorneys.
Common Causes of Semi-Truck Crashes in Palatine
Truck accidents can be particularly dangerous, given the size of the vehicle. A variety of circumstances can contribute to a heavy commercial vehicle collision, often rendering the lawsuit a complex matter of sorting through who is at fault. 18-wheeler crashes can result from numerous actions, including:
- Reckless speeding or lane changes
- Distracted or intoxicated driving
- Inadequate vehicle maintenance
- Violations of legal limits regarding working hours
- Inadequate training
- Defective equipment
If you are involved in a truck accident, the cause of your injuries might be attributable to more than one individual. A dedicated Palatine truck accident attorney could help you hold all at-fault parties accountable for their actions that caused you harm.
Possible Parties and Theories of Liability
Because truck driving is often a commercial business rather than simply a personal pursuit, it is common for several parties to be involved in the supply, training, and maintenance of the enterprise. Although the driver could be the ultimate cause of the wreck, this is not always the case. With so many parties at play, the legal theory for pursuing compensation can also depend on who you are suing.
Truck Driver Liability
A case against the truck driver is likely to be pursued under a theory of negligence, which is also common to other forms of car accidents associated with the failure of the driver to maintain certain legal standards. All motorists—including truck drivers—are required to follow traffic laws and act reasonably. So, if a trucker was intoxicated or sped through a stop sign, they could be responsible for compensating your injuries.
Trucking Company Liability
In cases involving truck drivers, a proactive attorney might also choose to pursue a claim against the truck company under certain circumstances. For instance, the truck company might be liable if they failed to adequately train the truck driver. The company could also be held liable under a theory of law known as vicarious liability, which generally holds employers responsible for the actions of their employees so long as the employee was acting within the scope of their employment.
Truck Manufacturer Liability
Sometimes 18-wheeler accidents are not the result of the actions of the trucker or the failure of the truck company. For instance, if the brakes on the truck go out, despite proper maintenance by the truck company, there may be a defect in the equipment itself. If this is the case, a diligent lawyer could pursue the vehicle manufacturer for a semi-truck collision in Palatine under an area of the law called product liability.
Products liability imposes certain safety standards on retailers, distributors, and manufacturers of goods. Thus, a vehicle manufacturer could ultimately be responsible for your injuries if they failed to meet these standards and produced a defective product. A capable truck accident lawyer in Palatine could help you determine whether product liability might apply to your specific case.
Get in Touch with a Palatine Truck Accident Attorney at Our Firm
The potential for numerous responsible parties can complicate truck accident lawsuits and result in difficult determinations regarding fault and the appropriate theories of liability. It can be demanding to try to discover all potentially-liable parties on your own. However, the failure to include required parties could ultimately affect your success in a truck accident case.
By calling a Palatine truck accident lawyer now, you could gain clarity on what to expect from your case and what you might need to prove to prevail. Schedule an initial consultation with one of the qualified attorneys at The Kryder Law Group to start your journey toward financial recovery today.
(312) 223-1700