Louisiana sees its fair share of accidents involving semitrailers and other commercial vehicles every year. Those who have been injured or lost loved ones in such incidents are likely to have a number of questions. Here are a few of the most commonly asked questions following truck accidents.
Question number one is: What does the law define as a commercial truck? A commercial truck is technically any vehicle hauling goods for a business or being used for business purposes. A few examples of commercial vehicles are tractor trailers, delivery vans, tankers and large freight trucks. These automobiles are larger than standard passenger cars and require the drivers to hold commercial driver’s licenses.
Question number two is: Can a victim or surviving family member of a victim sue for compensation following a truck accident? Possibly. There are a lot of factors involved in automobile accidents. In order to be able to sue a truck driver, his or her employer, a manufacturer or anyone one else thought responsible for one’s losses, negligence needs to be established against the responsible parties.
Question number three is: What is comparative negligence? Those who are thought partially responsible for accidents with commercial vehicles may hear the words comparative negligence. These individuals, even though they are partially at fault for the accident, may still be entitled to seek some level of compensation for their losses. It all depends on the degree of fault.
It is impossible to answer every possible question victims of truck accidents or — in the event of fatality — their surviving family members may have in this type of forum. Those individuals in Louisiana who believe they may have cases worth pursuing can turn to an experienced attorney for help. Legal counsel will be able to answer any and all questions one has and help one through the legal process in order to seek compensation for any damages sustained, if doing so is ultimately deemed appropriate.
Source: FindLaw, “Truck Accident FAQ“, March 20, 2018