In many truck accidents, it is the truck driver who is primarily responsible for the crash. Perhaps they were distracted or maybe they didn’t leave a long enough following distance. In some cases, drivers are even under the influence. There are a multitude of reasons why semi-truck accidents can occur.
However, there are also situations in which the truck driver does not do anything wrong, but the trucking company is primarily responsible for the crash. On top of that, there are cases where fault could be split between both the company and the driver. Why would this happen?
Lack of maintenance
One example is if the truck simply wasn’t maintained properly by the company that owns it. Maybe the driver was just an employee who was driving on their behalf. They tried to stop the vehicle before causing a rear-end accident, but the brakes gave out. If the company was responsible for the condition of the truck, that company may be liable for medical bills, lost wages and other costs.
Lack of training
Another potential reason is when drivers haven’t been trained properly. Maybe the company is just rushing to move products around, so they allow someone to drive who isn’t properly qualified or doesn’t have the right license, and this leads to an accident.
Encouraging risk-taking behavior
Some companies will allow dangerous behavior by their drivers. Maybe they pressure the drivers to reach tight deadlines, leading to aggressive driving. Or perhaps they encourage drivers to falsify their logs and drive too many hours without a break.
If you have been injured in an accident with a semi-truck, it’s important to know all potential sources of compensation and what legal steps to take.
