Why Hiring Legal Representation Is Crucial After a Truck Accident

According to a recent report from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, more than 400,000 18-wheelers and other large commercial vehicles were involved in accidents on America’s roads during the last year for which information is available. That number has been on the rise for decades. Though some of those incidents resulted in little more than property damage, many caused serious injuries, and more than 5,000 ultimately resulted in fatalities. 

For victims of truck accidents, seeking justice on their own is difficult if not impossible. They’re often up against trucking companies, their insurance providers, and their extensive legal teams. In many cases, they’re intimidated into settling for less than they deserve or even dropping their cases altogether. If you’re involved this type of crash, hiring truck accident legal representation is crucial. 

Trucking Accidents Can Be Complicated

One of the main reasons to consider hiring an attorney is the potential complexity of truck accidents. They’re not always as cut-and-dried as other types of crashes. In accidents involving passenger vehicles alone, it’s often a matter of one person being at fault and another being the victim. That’s not necessarily true of truck accidents. Though driver error is often to blame in these situations, the truck driver may not be the only one at fault for the accident. In fact, he or she may not be liable at all. 

Responsibility can fall on numerous sources in truck accidents. The trucking company may be to blame for pushing its drivers to exceed their allotted hours of service. Failure to address maintenance and repair needs on the truck can cause accidents. Mechanics may be held partially responsible for providing substandard maintenance or repair work. Parts manufacturers may be accountable due to faulty parts.

A business the trucking company was hauling for at the time of the accident may be partially to blame for failing to balance its cargo properly when loading the truck. Another driver on the road may even be at fault. Perhaps someone in a passenger vehicle merged into the truck, essentially pushing the truck driver into your lane and causing them to hit you. Those are only a few of the possibilities. In certain situations, even victims themselves are deemed responsible to some degree. 

Proving Who Was at Fault Can Be Difficult

Determining who was responsible for a trucking accident and to what extent may not be easy, but proving fault can be even more difficult. It involves in-depth investigation and solid evidence to back up a victim’s claims. That may require resources the average person just doesn’t have.

Attorneys do have those resources, though. From rounding up witnesses and gathering their testimonies to bringing in expert witnesses and having specialists reconstruct the accident, they have numerous ways of sorting out the details of a case and transforming them into irrefutable proof. They also have the knowledge and experience to use all of that information to their clients’ fullest advantage. 

Ensuring Justice Is Served After a Truck Accident

Truck accidents can be particularly serious. They often result in more severe injuries than other types of accidents, and they’re more likely to be fatal. They also tend to be more complicated with so many potential factors involved. Furthermore, examining all of the possible factors and proving who was at fault can be especially difficult. For those reasons and many others, having legal representation on your side is essential. It greatly improves your chances of ensuring justice is served and getting the compensation you’re entitled to.