In the aftermath of a terrible truck accident, you may wonder how you will deal with the financial repercussions.
In North Carolina, the party liable for the accident is responsible for the damages incurred.
Who could be liable in a truck accident?
Liability in a truck accident is sometimes more complex than the average auto accident. Some potentially liable parties include:
- The driver could be at fault if they violated road laws or company policy at the time of the accident. If they are an independent truck driver, they would be responsible regardless.
- The trucking company would be at fault if they failed to do regular maintenance or inspections on the truck that may have prevented the cause of the accident. Additionally, they are responsible for properly training drivers.
- A third-party maintenance company could be at fault if the trucking company hired them to carry out routine maintenance, and they failed to fulfill their duties.
- A part manufacturer could be at fault if a defective part caused the collision.
Sometimes more than one of these parties could be at fault for the same accident.
What if more than one party is liable?
When more than one party is liable, you may have more than one defendant in your case, or you may have more than one case. For example, if the trucking company and a part manufacturer are responsible, you could have an auto accident case and a product liability case.
If you suffered an injury in an auto accident involving a commercial truck, you have the chance to recover more compensation than you expect.