Alabama Truck Accidents Can Be Deadly

In 2021, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reported approximately 5,900 accidents involving large trucks and buses, with a 17 percent rise in fatal crashes. Because of their size, it is more common for accidents involving large trucks to cause serious injury or even death even when no negligence is involved in the crash itself, and the long-term fallout for Alabama families can be severe.

If you have been injured in an Alabama truck accident due to someone else’s negligence, know that you have options in terms of seeking money damages from the person or people responsible. Of course, no amount of money can bring back a lost loved one – but our Birmingham truck accident attorneys at Goldasich, Vick & Fulk can help get your family back on its financial footing while you put your life back together.

Multiple Defendants Possible

There are several different scenarios that can lead to a potentially deadly truck crash. As one might imagine, the truck driver is the most likely person against whom negligence can be alleged in this type of case, and there are many ways a driver can be negligent, from speeding to using drugs or alcohol behind the wheel to failing to abide by the FMCSA’s Hours of Service and driving while fatigued.

That said, it is very possible for other people’s negligence to have had a role in the accident that injured you or lost your loved one. The most commonly added defendant in a negligence case is the truck driver’s employer, and if it is a different entity, the company that owns the truck itself. Florida law allows a plaintiff to file a claim against the driver’s employer under a theory called negligent hiring – in other words, alleging that the company should not have hired the driver in the first place. Alternatively, improper maintenance (or lack of maintenance in general) can increase the odds of the truck malfunctioning.

Four Criteria

Regardless of the number of defendants, an injured plaintiff must establish four criteria as true in order to have a chance to prevail at trial. They must show that a duty to exercise reasonable care existed on the part of the defendant, and that the duty was breached by the actions (or inactions) of the defendant. In addition, no other intervening cause can have existed that had any role in causing tangible damages to the defendant. Tangible damages are usually self-evident, but the other three criteria must be established in court.

Be advised that Alabama has a statute of limitations of only two years – in other words, your case must be brought within two years from the date of the accident (or the date of your loved one’s passing, if applicable). This can seem like quite a lot of time, but in truth, it is very brief in terms of how slow the legal system can move – if you decide to seek compensation from the person or people who allegedly caused your crash, you have very little time to act.

You Are Not Alone – We Can Help

If you have been injured in a truck crash, or you have lost a loved one in this type of accident, it is perfectly natural to feel devastated. Filing suit can feel like too much. Our Birmingham truck accident attorneys at Goldasich, Vick & Fulk can handle that load, and give you the space and time you need to adjust to a new reality. You have the right to seek damages if someone else has been negligent – call our office today at (205) 731-2566 to schedule a consultation.

Source:

fmcsa.dot.gov/safety/data-and-statistics/large-truck-and-bus-crash-facts-2021