When a vehicle collision occurs, an immediate response involves determining which driver was at fault. Once the Illinois investigation concludes, victims might discover that the other driver either wasn’t at fault or another party shares the blame. Commercial truck accidents could involve several liable parties because persons other than the driver may be responsible for ensuring safety.
Truck accidents and multiple liable parties
A truck driver may take to the road assuming nothing out of the ordinary will cause problems. However, the driver might not know that the employer did not fix a known problem and allowed the semi-truck to leave the company’s parking lot. The employer could be solely liable if the truck becomes involved in a crash.
Sometimes, the driver and employer might not know about a defect. A repair service or the truck’s manufacturer might be liable for the problem.
Ultimately, all truck collisions have unique circumstances, and liability might differ from one incident to another. Maybe the driver and the employer are liable, as could be when both ignore mandatory break laws. The same might be accurate when drivers, employers, and other employees ignore improper loading issues that lead to a crash.
Legal consequences for all negligent parties
Lawsuits following truck accidents may seek damages from all responsible parties. If a driver, a repair facility and the trucking company contributed some negligence, all these parties could face civil consequences. All three may also rely on insurance policies to cover their losses.
Truck collisions might involve several vehicles colliding with one another. Assuming only the truck driver’s negligence caused a multicar crash may be inaccurate. One or more of the other cars could be the liable party, as might be the case when cars race on public roads. Again, a thorough investigation may be necessary to determine who is at fault.