What You Need to Do after the Wrongful Death of a Loved One in a Truck Wreck
When your loved one dies in a commercial trucking accident because of the carelessness or negligence of the trucking company or the truck driver, is the trucking company required to compensate you for your losses? You may be without financial support or your loved one may have incurred substantial medical expenses before succumbing to their injuries. How does the law protect surviving family members after a fatal truck accident?
Truck Accidents a Common Cause of Traffic Fatalities
According to data collected by the National Safety Council, nearly 5,500 people were killed in 2023 in accidents involving big rigs, 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers or semis. Unfortunately, a significant majority (about 70%) of the fatalities were of individuals in other vehicles.
Is a Trucking Company Required to Compensate Families after a Fatal Truck Accident?
While the law does not require that trucking companies reimburse families after a trucking accident fatality, the American legal system allows surviving family members to seek compensation for their losses. While it’s always possible to file a wrongful death claim based on the intentional acts of another person, as a practical matter, most wrongful death lawsuits are based on allegations of negligence.
To prove negligence, surviving family members must show that the trucking company or the truck driver failed to use reasonable care under the circumstances, thereby causing the accident which led to their loved one’s death. Common examples of a breach of the duty of reasonable care include:
- Failure to maintain a commercial truck
- Failure to use reasonable care in hiring, training or monitoring a truck driver
- Violations of “time-on-the-road” regulations, which commonly lead to driver fatigue
Let Attorney Michael R. De La Paz Protect Your Rights When You Have Lost a Loved One in a Texas Truck Accident
At the Law Office of Michael R. De La Paz, we have more than 26 years of experience protecting the rights of personal injury victims in Harlingen, McAllen, Brownsville and Houston, across Texas and nationwide. We have a comprehensive understanding of the types of injuries commonly suffered in any type of motor vehicle accident and know how to effectively present your case to a judge and jury, if necessary. We will use our considerable experience, skill, knowledge and resources to help you get the outcome you want. Free call, text or chat, 24 hours a day, seven days a week–https://delapazlaw.com/.
Handling Motor Vehicle Accident Lawsuits Nationwide, Including, But Not Limited to Texas, Florida, New Mexico, Illinois and Oklahoma