Who Can Be Sued in a Truck Accident Case?

Truck Accident Cases are Different

Multiple parties can be held liable and sued in a commercial truck accident case.

Liability exposure can include the truck driver, trucking company, cargo loaders, maintenance contractors, parts manufacturers, and vehicle manufacturers.

More responsible parties means more insurance coverage providing more options to recover full damages.

When something goes wrong blame can spread across multiple parties and businesses.

Our client-trusted truck accident attorneys can help you identify and sue to hold all parties accountable that may have played a role in the crash.

We'll identify every liable party in your truck injury case and fight to make them pay.

Multi-Party Liability in Commercial Trucking Accidents

The trucking industry often has a chain of parties involved in keeping trucks running road safe. You can sue every party whose negligence contributed to your collision.

Driver Negligence

The truck driver is the first party to be scrutinized for blame in any commercial vehicle accident case. Driver negligence accounts for a substantial percentage of trucking industry crashes, typically negligence related to hours-of-service violations, distracted driving, impaired operation, or failure to maintain proper following distance. While not every crash is the truck driver's fault, drivers who fail to operate the vehicle safely when behind the wheel can lead to their being held liable.

The Trucking Company

Trucking carriers face vicarious liability for crashes caused by drivers operating under their authority. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration holds carriers responsible for hiring qualified drivers, maintaining vehicles, enforcing safety policies, and ensuring Hours of Service compliance. The trucking carrier can be sued when negligent hiring, inadequate training, pressure to violate regulations, and failure to conduct proper driver qualification or other failures lead to direct liability exposure for trucking companies.

Truck Owners and Leasing Companies

When the truck owner differs from the operating carrier, both entities may share liability. Truck owners are responsible to make sure the truck is safe to drive. Improper maintenance, skipped inspections or mechanical failures can trigger legal blame to fall on the owners as well as other parties.

Cargo Loaders and Shippers

If a shipping company or cargo loader failed to safely secure the cargo and it causes a crash they can be held liable. When freight shifts, overloaded cargo exceeds legal limits, or tie-downs fail, the party responsible for loading bears liability. Shifting loads are a dangerous cause of numerous rollovers and jacknife accidents each year. Unsecured cargo spills onto roadways and causes secondary crashes. Overweight loads stress braking systems, and destabilize handling, causing tire blowout accidents and cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle. An 18-wheeler that loses control at speed, nearby vehicles don't stand a chance.

Truck and Parts Manufacturers

Part failures and defective vehicle components can lead to strict liability claims against manufacturers. Brake system failures, tire defects, steering malfunctions, coupling failures, and trailer defects can all cause wrecks and result in parts manufacturers getting sued. The can potentially face claims for design defects, manufacturing defects, and failure to warn about known dangers.

Maintenance Contractors

Third-party maintenance and repair companies who service commercial fleets can be another liable party when they fail to take care of a truck properly. Bad repairs, skipped repairs, or low-quality parts that cause truck crashes can lead to the repair shop being held liable along with the other parties.

Other Liable Parties

A variety of situations can result in trucking accidents leading to injury. Commercial truck crashes rarely involve just one defendant. Multiple parties share responsibility when negligence contributes to the collision. Our attorneys identify every liable entity and hold them all accountable.

In a truck accident case you can't just focus on one person. Trucking cases are different. When the parties at fault fail to follow the rules and it contributes to a serious wreck, you have the right to take legal action and hold them accountable. Our award-winning attorneys have deep experience handling these cases and will help make sure nobody avoids blame.