Just like car accidents, truck accidents can leave victims and their families facing substantial and long-term losses. However, truck accidents also differ from car accidents in several key respects. As a result, if you have a truck accident claim, it is critical to have an experienced Birmingham truck accident lawyer on your side.

While car accidents and truck accidents may seem similar in many ways, there are several unique aspects to truck accidents that impact the process of seeking just compensation. If you have a truck accident claim in Alabama, here are some key facts you need to know:

1. Commercial Trucks Are Extremely Complex

While all modern vehicles are complex, commercial trucks are even more complex than modern cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs. This means that there are more components that can fail—in addition to more other things that can go wrong.

The complexity of 18-wheelers and other large commercial trucks plays a major role in determining liability for a serious or fatal truck accident under Alabama law. While truck driver negligence is an extremely common factor in these accidents (more on this below), accident victims’ and families’ lawyers must also consider the possibility that a truck-related issue could be to blame.

2. Safely Driving a Commercial Truck Requires Training and Experience

Due to their complexity, safely driving 18-wheelers and other large commercial trucks requires extensive training and experience. Truck drivers who are not well-equipped to manage their rigs run the risk of causing serious and fatal accidents that could—and should—have been avoided. Unfortunately, lack of training and experience is far too common. We regularly see truck accident cases involving truck drivers who had no business being behind the wheel.

When truck drivers lack the training and experience needed to safely operate their rigs, they can unknowingly make numerous types of mistakes that put other motorists in harm’s way. From failing to check blind spots to braking too harshly, mistakes that can often be corrected in smaller vehicles can leave unqualified truck drivers helpless to avoid dangerous and deadly collisions.

3. Trucking Companies (and Other Businesses) Can Be Held Liable for Their Drivers’ Negligence

While some truck drivers are owner-operators, most truck drivers are employees. They work for trucking companies, grocery store chains, major retailers, delivery companies, and other businesses. Under Alabama law, when an employee’s negligence on the job leads to serious or fatal injuries, the employer can be held legally accountable.

As a result, in most cases, seeking just compensation for a serious or fatal truck accident involves filing a claim with the truck driver’s employer’s insurance company. This is a very different process from filing an auto insurance claim after a collision between two passenger vehicles. This factor alone makes it important for accident victims and their families to have an experienced Birmingham truck accident lawyer on their side.

4. Multiple Companies Can Be Responsible for Truck-Related Issues

From lack of experience to driving while fatigued, driver negligence plays a major role in the vast majority of serious and fatal truck accidents in Alabama. But, truck-related issues can play a major role as well. This includes, but is not limited to, issues such as:

  • Brake failures
  • Inadequate maintenance
  • Mechanical and electrical failures
  • Tire blowouts
  • Unsecured cargo

These issues, among others, can also provide clear grounds for truck accident victims and their families to seek just compensation. When truck-related issues contribute to accident victims’ injuries, various companies may be held liable. Depending on the specific issue (or issues) involved, the truck’s manufacturer, a tire or brake manufacturer, a repair shop or dealership, the shipping company, and various other businesses could all be fully or partially responsible for victims’ and families’ losses.

5. Different Types of Insurance Coverage Apply

We touched on insurance coverage already, but it is worth emphasizing that the process of filing an insurance claim after a commercial truck accident is very different from that after a “normal” car accident in Alabama. There are usually multiple insurance companies involved, and the steps for seeking coverage vary as well.

Trucking companies and other businesses may also play an active role in the insurance claims process, as they will want to avoid facing higher premiums or setting an unfavorable precedent for the future. Given these concerns and the critical importance of seeking full compensation, truck accident victims and their families should not attempt to handle the claims process on their own.

6. Investigating a Truck Accident Can Be a Complex Process

With the complexity of large commercial trucks and the wide variety of issues that can go wrong, investigating a truck accident can be a complex process as well. Conducting a thorough investigation is critical, as accident victims and families must be able to identify the specific issue (or issues) that caused the crash. This, too, requires experienced legal representation.

7. Truck Accidents Are More Likely to Have Life-Changing Consequences

Finally, while all types of serious and fatal accidents can leave victims and families facing substantial losses, commercial truck accidents are more likely to have life-changing consequences. Due to the sheer size of large commercial trucks and the forces involved when they crash, victims’ injuries are almost always severe.

This makes it especially important for victims and families to make sure they are seeking the full compensation they deserve. An experienced Birmingham truck accident lawyer will be familiar with the types of injuries and losses involved in these cases, and will be able to rely on his or her experience to pursue a claim for just compensation.

Discuss Your Case with an Experienced Birmingham Truck Accident Lawyer for Free

Are you facing the life-changing consequences of a serious or fatal truck accident in Alabama? If so, we strongly encourage you to contact us for more information. To discuss your case with an experienced Birmingham truck accident lawyer for free, call 205-855-2745 or request a consultation online today.