Who Is Liable for Your Truck Accident?

According to statistics, there are more than 500,000 truck-related vehicle accidents in the US every year, resulting in about 5,000 fatalities and thousands of serious injuries. Trucking accidents are usually far more dangerous than passenger vehicle accidents, and they often cause more severe injuries and damages for victims. 

Anyone who suffered injuries in this type of crash needs the right legal representation, as these cases can be complex. Consult with a truck accident attorney from the Law Office of Richard F. Matthews, Jr. today. 

To recover for your truck accident losses, you must identify the liable parties, which can be more complicated than you might think. The following is some information about potentially liable parties in truck crashes.

What Are Considered Some Of The Common Causes Of Truck Accidents?

The first step in identifying liability is to determine the cause of your crash. Some common causes include:

• Falling asleep behind the wheel.
• Inexperienced truck drivers tasked with duties above their skill level.
• Drivers who text or call while driving.
• Truck driver carelessness. 
• Poor trucking company policies.
• Unsecured cargo and overloaded trucks.
• Truck drivers driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Driving too fast through poor weather or road conditions.
• Speeding, reckless, or aggressive driving.

While many truck accidents result from driver error, other factors can lead a driver to lose control and crash. 

Who Can Be Liable For Your Alabama Truck Accident?

In Alabama, different parties can be liable for truck accidents, including:

• The truck driver
• The truck company
• Truck maintenance crews
• Third-party cargo-loaders
• Other drivers on the road

Often, multiple parties will share liability, such as a negligent truck driver and the employing trucking company. Your attorney will identify everyone who should be liable to increase your chances of a full financial recovery for your losses. 

Proving Liability In a Truck Accident Case

Ultimately, you need to prove negligence or another basis for legal liability if you want to obtain compensation for your injuries and damages. This means that you must show that the at-fault party was responsible for the accident and, thus, your injuries. When proving fault, there are main elements that you need to establish, and they include:

• Duty: You need to prove that the truck driver involved in your accident owed you a duty of care. Truck drivers must exercise reasonable care so as not to cause an accident. 
• Breach of duty: You need to prove that the truck driver in the accident failed to meet the standard of care they owed you and are thus guilty of breaching their duty to keep you safe. 
• Causation: You must prove that your injuries were caused by their breach of duty.
• Damages: You suffered losses due to your injuries.

Our firm’s experienced Montgomery truck accident attorney can help you prove these elements to secure a fair settlement for your injuries and damages. 

Get In Contact With An Alabama Truck Accident Attorney Today To Discuss Your Case

At the Law Office of Richard F. Matthews, Jr., we understand the challenges of trucking accident victims, which is why we work alongside our clients to achieve justice and compensation. If you’re ready to speak with an attorney about your case, contact us here so that we can focus on the dealing with the insurance companies for the at fault parties while you recover physically from your injuries.