Accidents involving commercial vehicles can be more dangerous than other crashes on the road. They can also involve more complicated legal issues.
One person was killed and two others injured recently when a FedEx delivery truck and an SUV collided on an Ohio road. Police said a 60-year-old man, a front seat passenger in the SUV, was killed. Two other people were hospitalized, and news reports did not state their conditions. The accident was still under investigation, and police did not say whether they had made a determination of who might have been at fault for the crash.
When someone is injured in an accident caused by another driver’s negligence, the injured may hold the negligent driver liable for their damages through a personal injury lawsuit. In cases involving a fatal accident, the victim’s immediate family members may hold a negligent driver liable for their damages through a wrongful death lawsuit.
These principles are the same in accidents involving commercial vehicles, but there may be other parties who can be held liable. Often, an employer can be held liable for negligent acts committed by their employees in the courts of their jobs.
This is important because it can increase the chances for the injured or their family members to recover compensation. Since commercial vehicles such as delivery vans and semitrailers are so much larger and heavier than passenger cars, almost any collision with a car can mean severe injury or death for the occupants of the smaller vehicle. This means the damages sustained by the injured and their families can be very high.
A personal injury lawyer with experience in truck accident cases can help families understand their rights and their options for pursuing the full amount of compensation they need.
