Need an Injury Attorney for Your North Carolina Commercial Vehicle Accident?
North Carolina is rife with businesses – and you know this if you live here because you can find many on one street! With businesses come commercial vehicles or those that are used for a variety of business purposes as they transport goods from one place to another. Companies that own commercial vehicles know the laws regarding insurance and how they must insure them under their own personal commercial policy that will protect those in times of injury. Though having special vehicles for business purposes is a wonderful thing, accidents involving these vehicles happen every year in the U.S. Common types of commercial vehicles used in North Carolina include:
- Passenger vans, cars, and buses
- Box trucks and flatbed trucks
- Delivery vans
- Hearses
- Ice cream trucks
- Tow trucks
- Garbage trucks
… and the list goes on and on!
What Should You Do After Your Accident?
Have you been injured in a serious commercial vehicle accident? If so, you know that there might be many steps to take so that you can compensate for your injuries. To do this, you must collect as much information as possible to help you work toward proving every aspect of your case and gaining the compensation you deserve. Some of the steps you should take include seeking medical attention immediately after your accident, calling the police so that a police report can be made detailing all of the events, and taking as many photographs as you can of the accident scene, your injuries, weather conditions that day, and more. Here are some things you should remember in commercial vehicle accidents:
- It is always a good idea to speak with an accident attorney, because they understand how to preserve as much information as possible in your case. This means that an immediate investigation will be launched in many cases.
- Some of the aspects that need observed in these cases are the driver’s employment history, driving record, tickets they might have received, criminal history, experience, and more. They could be vital in your claim.
- You want to ensure that you have received all information stored on the vehicle’s “black box” to show many elements on the driver’s end, any information that you may be able to find concerning the vehicle’s maintenance, and more. These are records that should always be kept by the company.
Who is Liable?
In commercial vehicle accidents, a variety of parties could be liable. One of your questions might be: Is the driver liable or the company that owns the vehicle or employs the driver? Under a theory known as “respondeat superior,” an employer could be liable for the actions of its employees. However, this only applies if the worker was in their scope of employment when the accident took place. You must also determine if the driver is an actual employee or an independent contractor.
If you are attempting to prove liability in your case, it helps to speak to an accident attorney with experience in these cases. After you have been injured, one of the first steps you should take is speaking to an accident attorney immediately.