Why Are Truck Accidents More Complicated Than Car Accidents?

Large truck or bus crashes can be devastating. In 2019, the FMCSA had released data on fleet vehicle crash rate was at an all-time high – 20 percent. It shows that one out of every five accidents involves a fleet vehicle in the United States. If you’ve suffered a truck accident and are looking for a truck accident lawyer in Calgary, look no further. Visit the link for the most experienced lawyers to defend your case.

All vehicle accidents are complicated as they involve dealing with multiple parties – drivers, police officers, insurance representatives, courtroom, vehicle maintenance, and whatnot. But, a car accident wanes out whenever there is a much bigger truck in content. But why is that?

Why Are Truck Accidents So Complicated?

Truck accident complications are harder to get by, and here are the reasons why:

Damage and Associated Injuries

More mass requires more delicate effort to deal with, especially with comes to vehicles. Trucks are heavier vehicles owing to their heavy build. So, they carry more mass. The load it carries with the combination of the slightest mistakes from any of the two passing by vehicles can become a lethal killer anytime.

The extra carried mass often makes a truck almost impossible to stop at any crisis moment. And this is exactly what accidentally leads the drivers into making an unintended collision with other vehicles. In that case, either driver of the colliding vehicles has nothing to do but to stay helpless and witness injuries.

Creating Congestion

A truck occupies a large amount of space. So, in case of an accident on the highway, there is a high chance that it will block the highway and also leave open ends for more on-road accidents. The more damage and injuries there are, the more complex it becomes to handle the case.

Ownership of the Vehicle and Liability

When it comes to running large vehicles on the road like trucks, ownership and liability become complicated issues because of an accident. And that is because of two reasons. Some truckers are owners and also operators at the same time. Meanwhile, there are also companies who buy trucks and rent them to other delivery companies or hire their own drivers to do their shipping. If you are the sole owner, then you would have to pay for the damages, which is easy.

On the other hand, if you are the driver and moving the load for someone else, then things get really complicated. It gets hard to identify who is at fault here and truly liable for the accidental damages.

Company Efforts

Fleet vehicle insurance is complex because of its policies and the sizeable amount of money. Most trucks need to have at least an insurance coverage of $750,000 for accidental coverage. That is a huge sum of money. And so, companies will try to steer clear from paying big amounts and try to negotiate into giving you less. And especially, the involvement of the driver at fault, the company owning the vehicle, the vehicle’s insurance company, and the police will eventually make things more complicated.

Laws and Regulations

Due to the fatality of the accidents caused by larger vehicles, truckers are subject to strict rules and regulations on the road. However, the rules may vary a little in each state. But the general rule is equal for everyone. Most truckers are limited to driving for a specific hour per day. These rules are put in place so that accidents do not happen from the trucker’s end due to fatigue or carelessness. Since more rules are put in place, it is more likely that the trucker will be found responsible for the accident.

Black Box Data from the Truck

Modern trucks are equipped with a black box. It helps to keep a record of all the events of the journeys. In case of an accident, the black box is potential support to investigate. The device helps to recover the scene technically and provides clues to find out who is exactly at fault for the accident.

In a truck accident investigation, having a black box helps, but it may as well create a contradiction. The reason is- there are other following pieces of evidence from the scene of the accident. So, using the black box data is not the ultimate solution.

In Conclusion

With all the conclusive evidence presented to you about truck accidents, it goes without any saying that truck accidents are way more dangerous and complex than car accidents. There are several factors such as the probability of a severe injury, large insurance policies, determining the fault of the driver with credible proof. Along with them, other factors make it highly intense to win a case.
And so, if you are injured, the best option is to look for the best lawyer with experience who can help defend your case.

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