Can I Sue the Trucking Company?

For many people involved in an accident with a commercial truck or big-rig, the damage can be catastrophic. Given how large and heavy these truck are, when they hit another car on the road, they cause severe damage and injury to the occupants of the smaller vehicle.

Often, the expense associated with such accidents can be large, and trying to find a way to get money to cover it is difficult. The insurance adjuster working for the truck drivers insurance carrier will likely offer up a weak settlement or low-ball offer hoping the other party will sign it and release them of further liability because they know that truck accident claims are often worth hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. What anyone involved in a truck accident should know, is that the trucking company can often be held liable, and be forced to pay a large sum of money to cover the damage their driver caused.

When Can the Trucking Company be Held Liable?

If an employment relationship between the truck driver involved in the accident and a large commercial trucking company, then the company can be held liable for any damage that it’s driver causes.

Sometimes, establishing an employment relationship between the truck driver and the trucking company can be difficult when the driver is an independent contractor. In these cases, some background information must be investigated to determine the legal relationship of the contractor to the trucking company.

Why Go After the Trucking Company?

The laws in the US are such that, a commercial trucking company has a greater responsibility for compensation than other drivers on the road. After a truck accident, the compensation necessary to recover all the damage can equal a lot of money. Trucking companies have the “deep pockets” necessary to payout and cover all the medical expenses, lost income from work, pain and suffering, lost future income, future medical expenses, property damage, cost of new car recovery and other related expenses. Once the full amount owed is realized, the amount of money required can be many hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars.