Thousands of commercial trucks and tractor-trailers pass through the Las Vegas area every day, and that means thousands of unfortunate opportunities for serious traffic accidents to occur. While the vast majority of truck drivers operate their vehicles safely and without incident, even a single careless moment behind the wheel of such a massive vehicle can result in catastrophic harm to multiple other drivers and their passengers.
Fortunately, you could seek financial compensation for all the harm you suffered in an 18-wheeler wreck with help from our experienced lawyers at LVNV Legal | Injury Law Firm. Once retained, a dedicated Las Vegas truck accident lawyer will work tirelessly to build a strong case and seek fair compensation for both past and future losses caused by your injuries.
Just like other drivers, commercial truck operators have an implicit legal duty to act reasonably while on public roads. If a truck driver does something irresponsible behind the wheel like speeding, running a red light, driving while intoxicated or fatigued, or simply not paying attention to nearby motorists, they could be found at fault for any ensuing accident, and liable for any forms of harm that incident causes.
Notably, financial liability for truck crashes often falls on the private company that employed the driver involved, even if the driver was the one who was directly to blame for the wreck. This is due to a concept called respondeat superior, which allows employers to be held responsible for the negligence of their employees if it leads to someone else getting hurt.
In other cases, a trucking company may even be primarily at fault for a wreck. For instance, an employer who forces a truck driver to violate federal time or weight restrictions in an attempt to save money might truly be the one to blame if that driver’s fatigue or overweight vehicle leads to a wreck. Our Las Vegas attorneys at LVNV Legal | Injury Law Firm could provide irreplaceable assistance identifying the appropriate defendant(s) in your truck wreck case and taking proactive legal action against them.
Whenever a commuter car collides with a fully loaded semi-truck or vice versa, the smaller vehicle and its occupants will almost always suffer more significant damage and injuries. As such, the strategy for recovery in truck accident claims often requires a long-term view, as future harms like loss of consortium and loss of earning capacity can greatly outweigh short-term medical expenses and car replacement costs over time.
However, as with any civil claim, comparative negligence can significantly limit available compensation following a big rig accident. Under Nevada Revised Statutes §41.141, if a plaintiff bears more than 50 percent responsibility for the accident, they are barred from recovery. Representation from a truck crash lawyer in Las Vegas could make a world of difference in how effectively you could argue that you were not to blame for the accident that harmed you.
Due to the debilitating injuries they so often cause, commercial vehicle wrecks make for especially complicated civil litigation. On top of that, liability for this kind of incident is not always clear, and the companies involved in them often devote significant resources to fighting lawsuits and settlement demands.
If you want a fair chance of getting the recovery you need, you should strongly consider retaining a Las Vegas truck accident lawyer to help with your claim. Call LVNV Legal | Injury Law Firm today for an initial meeting.
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