Many motorists have been led to believe that if they are hurt in a crash involving a large commercial truck that the truck driver – or, the driver’s employer – is automatically to blame for the harm that has resulted from the collision.
After all, trucks are massive, can’t stop as quickly as cars can and can’t turn with the precision that smaller vehicles are designed to employ. Therefore, if something goes wrong and a truck is involved in a crash, its operator or the trucking company that employs the operator is at fault. Right?
In reality, many truck drivers are involved in accidents that aren’t their fault and that aren’t the fault of their employers. Sometimes, challenging weather and road conditions cause collisions even when everyone involved in the crash was doing an admirable job of traveling safely.
At other times, defective auto parts, poorly designed roads and other factors indicate that a party other than the motorists involved is to blame. Even more often, distracted, drowsy, drunk and aggressive motorists cause truck crashes.
Building a strong defense
If you own a truck company and one of your drivers has been accused of negligence, recklessness or intentionally dangerous behavior resulting in harm to another, it is critically important to avoid jumping to conclusions.
It is statistically probable that your operator was either not at fault or only partially to blame for what happened. As a result, your company may be in a strong position to present a solid defense on behalf of your employee. You may even be in a position to file a counterclaim against those who filed a lawsuit in the first place.
Understanding that truck drivers are certainly not always to blame for crash-related harm is the first step you’ll need to take when considering your options in the wake of a collision.