If you live in Pittsburgh, driving near commercial vehicles is part of your everyday life. At roughly 4,000 pounds, your vehicle is no match for an up to 80,000-pound tractor-trailer, however. Consequently, if you collide with a truck, you may suffer catastrophic and life-altering injuries.
Even though treatment may help you recover, medical care is not often cheap. If your injuries make it impossible for you to work, you may wonder who pays the bills related to your truck accident injuries.
Is the driver responsible?
Truck drivers may cause or contribute to collisions in a variety of ways. Here are some common reasons a trucker may be responsible for an accident:
- Speeding
- Failing to maintain the truck
- Driving drunk or drowsy
- Having certain medical conditions
- Violating traffic laws
Is the trucking company responsible?
Nowadays, most truck drivers work for trucking companies. This is good news for you, as trucking companies often have much deeper pockets than the average driver. Because the trucker may be an agent of the company, you may be able to pursue financial compensation from the trucking company. This may be especially true if the trucking company acts negligently or breaches some obligation it owes to the public.
Is a third party responsible?
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, truckers have a duty to keep their vehicles in safe operating conditions. If the truck accident occurs because of a mechanical issue, you may want to seek financial compensation from a third-party mechanic. Other third parties, such as the cargo company that loads the truck, may also share some blame for the collision.
While you cannot pass off your pain to someone else, you should not have to pay for the negligent, reckless, intentional or bad actions of another. Ultimately, you probably have many options for securing financial compensation for your truck accident injuries.