Commercial trucks like delivery trucks & big rigs pose a huge risk to the small vehicles on the road. When you think of big vehicles such as a tractor-trailer, semi-truck, buses etc you think of them as commercial vehicles but not all big vehicles are commercial vehicles. There are a few factors that make a big vehicle/truck a commercial vehicle.
When there is an accident involving a truck you should get in touch with a truck accident lawyer in new york because if the at-fault automobile is a commercial vehicle then the safety rules that the truck driver would have to follow would be different compared to non-commercial vehicles. Also, the compensation you deserve if a commercial vehicle caused you the injury would be more than what you would get if you got injured by a non-commercial vehicle. The factors that determine whether the at-fault truck that caused you the serious injuries was a commercial vehicle include:-
- Commercial vehicles designed to carry people/passengers
- The weight rating or the truck’s weight
- The weight rating or the weight of the vehicle being towed
- Whether the vehicle is transporting any hazardous materials
When dealing with a truck accident, it is important for the truck accident lawyer to determine if the truck that caused the crash was a commercial automobile or not.
What are the Rules and Regulations made to reduce the Risk of Commercial Vehicle Accidents?
In most cases, it is the commercial vehicles that end up in a crash, hence to reduce this risk there are certain set of regulations made. These regulations limit the number of hours of service of the vehicle and the driver, the driver is required to log their working hours to ensure that this regulation is being followed. The commercial vehicles should get their maintenance done from time to time and the owner of these vehicles is required to document the dates and work done in the maintenance. There are also some regulations about random alcohol and drug screening in certain situations.
Common Causes of Commercial Vehicle Accidents
The accidents that involve a commercial motor vehicle tend to be more deadly and dangerous than the standard passenger vehicle only accidents. This could also be because of the size of the commercial vehicles involved. The other factors that could be the cause of the vehicle crashes include driver error, overloading of the vehicle, improper maintenance of the vehicle, long hours for the driver, inexperience and driver fatigue.
If you have suffered injuries in a crash with a commercial vehicle then you need to get in touch with Siler & Ingber’s truck accident lawyers.
If the crash you were in was caused by a vehicle that was determined as a commercial automobile then you might have some legal rights to the pain and suffering compensation, no-fault insurance benefits and other economic damages. Call the truck accident lawyer today to get a free evaluation of your case. The team of Siler & Ingber shall definitely ensure that you get all the compensation that you rightfully deserve.