When you’re injured in a car accident, you’ll have a lot to deal with. In addition to the pain from your injury, you have to decide how best to proceed. Do you simply take what an insurance company offers you? Or is a deeper look into the accident warranted – along with a personal injury lawsuit?
Fault is not always obvious
Recently, according to reports, a tractor-trailer crashed on I-70, spilling several tons of cargo across the highway near Rostraver. At around 6:40 pm, the driver was speeding westbound and lost control, at which point the trailer disconnected and dislodged its cargo. The driver will receive multiple citations, including for speeding.
Fortunately, in this case, no other vehicles were involved and no one else was injured. And beyond the traffic snarl caused by the accident, it would be easy to assume the driver alone was at fault, just like many other commercial trucking accidents.
Investigations often reveal more
Investigators later determined that multiple brakes on the truck were completely inoperable, contributing to the crash. This is the type of information critical to someone who has been injured by a tractor-trailer. Frequently, the trucks are owned by a transportation company, rather than the drivers themselves. It is the company that is responsible for the care and maintenance of the trucks and, when they fail in their responsibility, they can be held liable for the resulting accident.
The purpose of a thorough investigation is to not only determine exactly what happened to cause your injury, but also to determine exactly who is to blame for you suffering that injury. When you’re considering whether to file a personal injury lawsuit your you motor vehicle accident, this is a critical step. It helps to ensure that you are made whole again and that everyone responsible is held accountable.