A collision with a commercial vehicle may add a lot of confusion to an already stressful situation. When a driver is not the vehicle’s owner, you may have difficulty separating liability.
In general, the owner of a commercial vehicle remains culpable when there is a crash. Find out more about how you can recover in this tricky situation.
How does liability work?
As a car owner, you assume responsibility for what happens with your vehicle, regardless of whether you are driving it or not. Giving someone else access to your vehicle does not let you off the hook. Under the law, you maintain ownership and, therefore, liability if someone else’s misuses your car. This is how the law operates in terms of commercial vehicles as well.
Is the driver responsible?
If the crash falls on the shoulders of the driver operating the commercial vehicle, you have the right to pursue action against the company and the driver. You move against the company for allowing a reckless driver to operate the car. You can also file a separate and simultaneous action against the driver directly for his or her negligence in causing the crash.
Under this approach, you ensure that you cover your bases and hold the right parties accountable for your financial hardships. If you endure any kind of injury, your physical, emotional and mental condition may make it hard to pursue the same type of work. As such, you have the right to bring an action to receive damages from those responsible for your injuries.