Potential Defendants

As the seventh largest city in the country and soon to be the sixth, San Antonio is most definitely a city on the rise. The evidence of the city’s growth is all around us in the form of construction projects and road work. This work is accompanied by an increased presence of large, commercial 18-wheelers sharing the road with regular passenger vehicles, motorcycles, and pedestrians.

When there are more 18-wheelers on our streets and highways, you can be sure of a greater risk of accidents with these commercial vehicles. Many of these accidents result not only in damage to property, but also in serious personal injuries to drivers and passengers.

When you or a loved one has been injured in an accident with an 18-wheeler in San Antonio, it’s important you understand your full rights and identify all potential defendants. The best way to recover the compensation to which you’re entitled is to employ the services of an experienced attorney.

One aspect of San Antonio accidents and 18-wheeler accidents is to properly identify all of those responsible. The potential defendants could be individuals or companies in addition to the driver of the vehicle. Unlike an accident with a privately owned passenger vehicle, the truck driver may be only one of several people legally responsible for the accident and any injuries you may have suffered. The company employing the driver, contractors using the services of the driver, any insurance companies covering all the parties – in short, anyone with any legal or financial interest in the operation of the vehicle – may be held liable for the accident. This means any one or some combination of these parties could owe you for your damages.

When you’ve been in an accident with an 18-wheeler and it’s clear there is a working relationship connecting the driver to a trucking company, the company hiring the driver might be legally responsible for any actions the driver takes, including any negligence that contributed to the accident. A skilled attorney can help establish that the company held some level of control over the operator of the 18-wheeler and that the accident took place while the driver was acting as a function of his employment.

The matter could be more complicated if the driver is an independent contractor either individually or under the umbrella of a larger company. Then there are questions about the nature of the working relationship between the driver and the company he works for that must be addressed.

All of these employment scenarios, identifying potential defendants, and their ensuing questions must be addressed in order to identify the best channels of recovering compensation for your injuries. An attorney is your best option to get the help you need.

There are some less common situations when the delivery of hazardous materials is involved. In this instance, it’s possible the manufacturer or company shipping these materials is legally responsible for any accident that takes place involving the commercial vehicle. For example, if the shipment of the materials results in a fire that contributes to injuries suffered by the involved parties, they may be responsible for compensation to the injured parties.

With all of the legal issues that must be addressed following an accident with an 18-wheeler, you should strongly consider hiring an attorney who has the knowledge, experience, and skill to leave no issue unaddressed. There’s no need for you to experience this alone.

In the event that you or a loved one is involved in an accident in San Antonio with an 18-wheeler truck, you may be entitled to recover compensation for your injuries by bringing a legal claim against the responsible parties.

If you need advice or counsel on a trucking accident, or just have questions as to your options, call us day or night, the San Antonio truck accident attorneys of Carabin Shaw are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For your convenience, our attorneys offer free initial consultations, without obligation. Call us in San Antonio at 210-222-2288, or toll-free at 800-862-1260.