A truck accident is a type of car accident where a commercial truck and passenger car collide. In Georgia, an injured person may receive damages if they can prove someone else caused the truck accident such as the driver. One important reason to hire a Georgia truck accident lawyer is to determine who is responsible for a truck accident.
The Truck Driver isn’t Always the One Party Responsible
A truck driver is usually the first party considered to be the responsible party in a truck accident. A driver may run a red light, become distracted while driving or fall asleep. To determine if the truck driver is at fault for the truck accident, their action must raise to negligence.
Negligence is the failure for a truck driver to act as a reasonable truck driver in the same and/or similar circumstances. For example, a truck driver may be negligent if they hit a driver in a passenger vehicle they were speeding at the time of the truck accent.
However, a truck driver isn’t always the only responsible party in a truck accident. There could be other defendants involved in the truck accident. Sometimes the truck driver isn’t included in a truck accident.
Trucking Company May be Included in a Truck Accident
A trucking business is responsible for the action of their employees. When a trucking company is responsible for what their employees do on the job, it’s called vicarious liability. In addition to being responsible for their employees, the trucking company may be a defendant in a lawsuit because they violated federal rules.
Truck Manufacturers Is Another Potential Defendant
A truck driver may obey all traffic rules, and a truck accident occurs. This could happen because of a failure of a truck and/or any of its components in the commercial truck. For example, the truck’s couplings, brakes, tires and lighting can fail because the manufacturer didn’t properly maintain the truck.
Cargo Handlers is a Potential Defendant in a Georgia Truck Accident
A truck driver isn’t responsible for loading the truck. Instead, a cargo company loads the truck for transport. Cargo in a truck must be properly loaded. This means that the truck must be able to handle all the products put inside the truck for transport.
If the truck is improperly loaded, then it falls over while the truck driver is operating the vehicle. This can cause products to spill onto the road and cause an accident. Also, the overturned truck can land on another vehicle and cause a driver and/or passenger injuries.
The Purpose of Hiring an Accident Lawyer is to Strengthen an Injured Person’s Case
An accident lawyer will conduct an investigation into a client’s truck accident. The investigation is to determine if there is one or more parties who contributed to the crash that injured their client. Depending on the facts of the truck accident, the lawsuit may require multiple claims against one or more individuals and/or insurance companies.