Compensation Options in Commercial Vehicle Accidents

Being involved in any accident can be a traumatic experience for anyone, however, this is even more so when you are involved in a motor vehicle accident with a large commercial vehicle. There are three ways to seek compensation after being involved in a motor vehicle accident with a commercial vehicle; this article will discuss these three forms of seeking compensation.

Being involved in a vehicle accident with a large commercial vehicle results in a traumatizing and stressful situation. The sheer size of the commercial truck often means that they cause catastrophic damage on other vehicles. In addition to vehicle damage, accidents with commercial trucks may result in severe injuries to people in the smaller passenger vehicles involved in the accident.

As a result, there are many worrying situations one has to deal with after such a type of an accident. For example, the:

• covering of medical care costs
• loss of wages
• expense of replacing or repairing your motor vehicle
• loss and damage to other property within the vehicle

In order to receive compensation so as to cover the above associated costs relating to the accident, the victim has three options available to be ‘made whole’. These three options are:

1. Receiving a payout from the commercial vehicle driver’s insurance – this is the simplest and most straight-forward way in order to get compensation after an accident caused by another driver. Basically, the injury victim makes a claim against the insurance policy of the at-fault driver. It must be noted that the average commercial driver will have significant liability coverage on their vehicle whether this is directly linked the driver or the transport company. Such a claim is only possible if the victim is able to provide adequate documentation as well as negotiate with the insurance company. If this happens the victim may be able to secure a settlement offer that accurately reflects the impact the accident had on them and their family. That being said, it is important to note that policies have their limits. As such, where more severe injuries occur more compensation is required and sometimes insurance on its own is not adequate.
2. Holding the commercial driver personally responsible – if the commercial driver did something particularly negligent or illegal resulting in the accident, you as the victim have grounds to bring a lawsuit against them. By doing this the victim is able to pursue compensation beyond what the insurance is able to offer. However, it is necessary for the plaintiff to demonstrate to the courts that the driver was either negligent or broke the law at the time of the accident.
3. Holding the company accountable for systematic issues – while the driver may have been the cause of the accident, it is possible that the employer put the driver in a situation whereby he or she had no choice but to make a bad decision. There are many instances where commercial companies expect drivers to work incredibly long shifts, meet tight schedules or use their phones while on duty.

To get compensation for injuries suffered in an accident with a commercial vehicle seek out good personal injury attorneys .