A motor vehicle accident can result in catastrophic injuries that come with expensive medical bills, debilitating pain, and lost wages. Two of the most common types of motor vehicle accidents are car accidents and truck accidents, which differ in a few important ways.
If you or a loved one was injured in a car accident or truck accident, contact an experienced local accident attorney for legal guidance. Personal injury lawyers understand how the differences between a truck vs car accident can affect your claim and can walk you through each step of the claims process to help you recover both physically and financially after a devastating accident.
Truck Vs Car Accident Injury Claim Differences
There are several key differences between car accidents and truck accidents, with truck accident claims typically involving more severe injuries, higher insurance policies, multiple liable parties, and far more complex federal and state regulations:
- Higher Chance of Serious Injuries
Because trucks are generally bigger than cars, people injured in truck accidents are more likely to be severely injured, which can lead to expensive medical treatment, lost wages, and in some cases, disability and lost income over a lifetime.
In addition, truck accidents are about three to five times more likely to result in death than a car accident, which means a wrongful death claim is more likely for a truck accident.
2. More Defendants
In truck vs car accidents, it is more likely that there will be multiple parties liable for any resulting injuries in a truck accident. Here is a list of common defendants in truck accident cases:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company (motor carrier)
- The truck owner
- The trailer owner
- The cargo shipper
- The cargo loading company
- The maintenance or repair company
- The truck or parts manufacturer
- A third-party logistics company (3PL)
- A government entity responsible for road design or maintenance
3. More Complex Insurance Policies
Commercial trucks are required to carry significantly higher insurance coverage than passenger vehicles. Under regulations from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), interstate trucking companies must maintain minimum liability coverage that often ranges from $750,000 to several million dollars, depending on the type of cargo being transported.
In addition, there may be multiple insurance policies involved in a truck accident claim, including:
- The truck driver’s individual policy
- The trucking company’s commercial liability policy
- A trailer owner’s separate policy
- Cargo insurance coverage
- Umbrella or excess liability policies
While higher policy limits can mean greater potential compensation, they can also mean aggressive defense tactics from insurance carriers looking to prevent a big insurance payout. People injured by truck drivers should act quickly to secure a truck accident attorney who can help to gather evidence and protect their legal rights.
4. More Rules and Regulations
There are federal and state trucking regulations governing the operation and maintenance of commercial trucks and other vehicles in interstate commerce. If a truck driver violates any of these regulations and causes a truck accident, that violation can serve as powerful evidence of negligence and may significantly strengthen an injured victim’s claim for compensation. Some examples include:
- Under the FMCSR, truck drivers can only drive for a limited amount of time per day to protect against fatigue.
- Truck drivers must satisfy certain requirements to maintain their commercial driver’s license, such as background checks and medical exams.
- Freight loads must be properly secured, balanced, and within federal weight limits because improperly loaded or overloaded cargo can cause rollovers, jackknife accidents, lost loads, or brake failure.
Overall, truck accidents tend to involve more serious injuries and truck accident cases tend to be more complex. Although a thorough investigation needs to be performed after any motor vehicle accident, given the higher likelihood of fatalities, the work involved in determining liability, and the complex laws that may impact a truck accident claim, an experienced truck accident attorney can act as an important ally in securing full and fair compensation.
Choose an Experienced Accident Attorney
An accident lawyer can help you recover a full and fair settlement for the injuries you sustained in a car or truck accident with no up-front costs to you. We know the sneaky strategies used by insurance companies to get injured people to agree to settlements far below what they are worth. Our clients typically end up with a settlement or jury award that is five to ten times larger than they could have negotiated on their own. We have been representing residents of Whatcom County, Skagit County, Island County and Snohomish County who were injured in Washington State since 1979. Contact the experienced and hard-working personal injury lawyers at Tario & Associates, P.S. in Mount Vernon, WA today for a FREE consultation!
