From courier vans and food drop off services to interstate big rigs carting products for major retail chains, delivery vehicles are a necessary but dangerous part of everyday life. Crashes involving large, heavy delivery trucks often lead to serious wounds including broken bones, disfigurement, and traumatic brain injury. If you’ve been injured by a negligent delivery truck driver, you have a right to compensation for your medical bills and loss of ability to work.
Determining Who Is Responsible for Your Injury
Protecting that right to compensation is where a personal injury attorney comes in, and not just to file the claim or negotiate with insurance companies. A skilled personal injury lawyer is responsible for ensuring the right people or businesses are held responsible for your accident. Parties liable for your injury may include:
- The actual truck driver
- A third driver who initiated the crash by hitting the truck first
- The delivery truck company
- The manufacturer of the delivery truck or a replacement truck part
- Automotive technicians who serviced the truck
- A parent company that owns the delivery truck service
Regardless of who is ultimately responsible, it’s important to see a doctor immediately after the accident and then consult with an attorney to make sure your rights are protected.
Uncovering the Cause of the Delivery Truck Accident
Discovering what factors came together to cause the accident is critical to seeking a settlement or bringing a successful case against the negligent party. Your attorney can sift through witness testimony, police reports, medical documents, and accident photos, as well as consult accident reconstruction experts.
With that information in hand, a personal injury lawyer can demonstrate negligence on the part of the driver or another party due to:
- Drowsy or distracted driving
- Driving under the influence
- Illegal parking to save time and offload deliveries more quickly
- Traffic violations like failing to yield while merging or running red lights
- Logbook violations when drivers work longer than allowed
- Improper hiring of inexperienced or unqualified drivers
- Failing to properly train delivery truck drivers
- Lax maintenance schedules or ignoring faulty parts in need of repair
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