When a commercial vehicle crashes and causes injuries to another driver, passengers, or pedestrians, the victims may be able to file a lawsuit.
Commercial vehicle accident lawsuits are different from personal injury lawsuits in other circumstances because of various regulations and safety measures related to these vehicles. However, the details of these lawsuits are similar to any personal injury claim.
If you've been harmed in a commercial vehicle accident, a lawyer can help you figure out your alternatives.
Read on for more information about commercial vehicle accident lawsuits and what you can do if this incident hurts you.
A commercial vehicle is any vehicle used to transport goods or people for profit. Commercial vehicles include semi-trucks, delivery vans, passenger buses, and other vehicles.
These vehicles have to conform to specific safety regulations that differ from the safety regulations for non-commercial vehicles. Many commercial vehicles have additional safety features, such as air brakes, blind spot monitoring systems, and other technologies to improve safety.
These vehicles also have a higher degree of responsibility for protecting their passengers and other cars on the road. You can identify a commercial vehicle by its markings and/or license plate.
Commercial vehicles often have unique markings or have "commercial" printed on the license plate. You can also identify commercial vehicles by the types of passengers or goods they're hauling. For example, passenger buses usually carry passengers.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) enforces commercial vehicle safety regulations. These regulations cover a range of areas related to commercial vehicle operation, including hours of service and vehicle maintenance.
To help ensure that commercial vehicles are as safe as possible, each state enforces its own commercial vehicle safety regulations. When a commercial vehicle driver violates these regulations, or the state fails to implement its rules, the driver might cause an accident.
In this case, the victims might be able to file a lawsuit against the driver or the state if negligence contributed to the crash.
The chain of responsibility applies when a commercial vehicle injures another driver, passengers, or pedestrians. This is a group of laws that determine who is responsible for the costs of a commercial vehicle accident.
The chain of responsibility often depends on the negligence of one or more parties involved in the crash. Each state has its chain of responsibility laws, so make sure you know the regulations in your state.
Commercial vehicle accident lawsuits often rely on negligence. Negligence is failing to act as a reasonable person would in a similar situation.
If the state or commercial vehicle driver causes the accident and is negligent, they're responsible for the costs of the crash. If the victim can prove negligence contributed to the crash, the victim may be able to file a lawsuit.
You could file a lawsuit against the commercial vehicle driver or the state after a commercial vehicle accident if negligence contributed to the crash. Failure can occur in a variety of ways.
For example, a driver might drive too fast for the conditions or fail to obey traffic laws. Commercial vehicle drivers might also violate commercial vehicle safety regulations.
You can also sue the state if it fails to enforce its commercial vehicle safety requirements appropriately.
This could happen if the state failed to inspect the commercial vehicle at the proper times or sufficiently regulate hours of service for commercial drivers.
The damages you can claim in a commercial vehicle accident lawsuit depend on the details of your injury.
You may be able to claim the following types of damages:
Commercial vehicle accident lawsuits usually involve some negligence on the part of the commercial vehicle driver or the state. If the driver or the state was careless and caused your injuries, you can bring a lawsuit against them.
When a commercial vehicle causes an accident that injures others, the victims can file a lawsuit against the driver or the state if negligence caused the crash.
Commercial vehicle accident lawsuits differ somewhat from personal injury lawsuits because of the state and commercial vehicle safety regulations.
If you've been injured in a commercial vehicle accident, you can speak to a commercial vehicle accident lawyer about your options for filing a lawsuit. Call Ryan T. Hughes Law Firm to evaluate your case and your options.
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