Accidents involving large commercial trucks are more dangerous than other accidents on Iowa roads for the simple reason that semitrailers and other trucks are so much bigger and heavier than other vehicles on the road. It’s just a matter of physics: n 18-wheeler carrying 80,000 pounds of goods carries a lot of force. If it collides with a passenger car, the result can be devastating for the occupants of the smaller vehicle.
While statistics show that commercial truck drivers are more careful than the average driver, when truck drivers do cause an accident through negligence, the accident is highly likely to cause catastrophic injury or death for other people.
Commercial truck accidents can also lead to more complicated legal issues than other types of motor vehicle accidents. For one thing, a negligent truck driver may not be the only party who can be held liable for the injured party’s damages.
Under a very old legal principle, an employer can be held liable for damages after their employees negligently cause an accident. When an employee driving a company vehicle negligently causes a traffic accident, injuring another party, the injured party can hold both the driver and the driver’s employer liable for their damages. In some cases, the plaintiff may also seek to recover compensation from a company that owned or leased the truck, a company that maintained the truck, and other parties.
The principle helps plaintiffs in trucking accident cases in a number of ways. Perhaps most importantly, it widens the pool of possible defendants, making it more likely that the plaintiff will be able to recover all the damages they need and deserve, so that they can be compensated for medical expenses, lost wages and other losses they suffered as a result of the accident. Since these accidents are so destructive, the damages in truck accident cases are often very high.
However, the liability issues involved can also make these cases much more complicated than typical motor vehicle accident lawsuits. It is important to seek out help from an experienced attorney.