Because truck accidents can be particularly devastating, there are many options available to help victims and their families.
The daughter of a police officer in a neighboring Massachusetts town recently died when her car and a diesel fuel truck collided. Police reported that the truck accident occurred when the two vehicles, the car driven by the female victim and the tanker truck, were driving in opposite directions. The police also reported, however, that the accident remains under investigation. The victim was transported to two hospitals, including a women’s hospital, where she later died.
Truck accidents can sometimes be more devastating than car accidents. Commonly, it is a commercial truck that will be involved in a truck accident. Commercial trucks are those that are used for a business purpose and to haul commercial goods. This can include tanker trucks, 18-wheeler tractor trailer trucks, delivery trucks and other types of freight trucks. This can be important because if a party is injured or killed in a trucking accident, the victim, or the victim’s family, may be able to pursue the negligent truck driver as well as the truck company.
The truck company’s liability will depend on the employment relationship between the truck driver and the trucking company. If there is such a relationship, then the truck company can be liable for the negligence of a driver in its employ and the any harm caused by it. To determine if an employment relationship exists, it will be important to examine the nature of the relationship and the amount of control the truck company had over the truck driver. Also, for the truck company to be liable, the truck driver must have been acting within the scope the driver’s employment at the time of the truck accident that caused the harm.
Because truck accidents can result in many types of serious injuries and even death, it is important that victims and their families thoroughly evaluate the options available to them. Understanding them will better help those affected by a truck accident decide the right course of action for them.
Source: Boston.com, “Daughter of Easton police officer dies in car crash,” Zachary T. Sampson, March 22, 2013
