Third Party Truck Accident Liability

Is a Third Party Responsible for Your Alabama Truck Accident?

If you or a loved one were involved in an accident with an 18-wheeler or other large commercial vehicle in Alabama, our Tuscaloosa truck accident attorneys can help you determine who is responsible for paying your damages. Figuring out who is liable for what is complicated business because there could be several parties who share in the blame. 

A commercial truck driver who owns and operates his or her own rig, could be liable for negligence if they operated the truck under unsafe conditions or if they failed to maintain the vehicle properly. But others could also be liable. While the Tuscaloosa truck accident attorneys at Cross & Smith will be able to tell you more after investigating the facts of your specific case, you should be aware there are additional parties who could become defendants in a lawsuit you file for damages in a personal injury or wrongful death case. 

Potential At-Fault Third Parties in a Truck Wreck Case

The Truck Owner 

The owner of the large truck — whether it was the truck driver involved in the accident, another independent owner, or a commercial trucking company — is responsible for keeping up with the maintenance and repair of the vehicle. 

Truck owners, especially in situations where the truck is in demand, sometimes cut corners to keep the rig out on the road earning money. If the accident was even partly caused by a vehicle malfunction, the owner could be held responsible if they knew or should have known that the truck was in need of repair and did not take reasonable steps to fix the problem. 

The Trucking Company

Trucking companies can be held responsible for 18-wheeler accidents for a number of reasons, including:

• Failing to ensure that trucks under their control met required inspections
• Hiring unqualified truck drivers who were improperly trained, did not possess the required truck driving license, or who had health issues that should have prohibited their operating a heavy commercial vehicle 
• Requiring drivers to meet delivery deadlines that are impossible to meet without the driver engaging in illegal or risky behaviors, such as driving too many hours in a single day or week or taking drugs to stay awake 

Cargo Loading Companies 

The companies in charge of loading goods onto an 18-wheeler can be held liable if they engaged in any of these practices:

• Improperly loading goods onto the tractor-trailer so that the balance of the load impacted the truck driver’s ability to operate the rig
• Overloading the cargo causing the tires to burst, the brakes to give out, or some other significant mechanical malfunction 
• Failing to secure the cargo properly resulting in pallets or pieces of cargo falling off onto another vehicle or onto the roadway creating a hazard 

Truck and Truck Parts Manufacturers and Distributors

Sometimes truck and truck parts manufacturers cause a truck accident because of faulty design, manufacturing or assembly practices. Depending on the nature of the defect, the company that distributed the part or vehicle can also be held liable for contributing to the accident. 

Contact the Tuscaloosa Truck Accident Attorneys at Cross & Smith

It is the job of experienced Tuscaloosa truck accident attorneys to gather all the evidence and get to the bottom of who is responsible for your injuries. To learn more, contact us online or call our office at (877) 791-0618 for a free confidential consultation.