Once hit with any truck’s enormous size and weight, your life can change in a heartbeat. Truck accident injuries can range from minimal cuts and bruises to severe ones like traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s data, truck accidents are the third most common cause of TBI.
A traumatic brain injury results from a sudden and forceful blow to the head. Unlike an open TBI that involves objects like a knife or a bullet piercing through the skull, a truck accident causes a closed TBI that acutely moves the brain within the skull.
A TBI may temporarily cause you minor headaches and impaired memory. But severe cases can put you in a vegetative state, coma or even brain death. When your life’s on the line, who’s liable?
Multiple liabilities
Illinois recorded 167 fatal semi-truck crashes in 2022, an increase from the 128 reported fatalities in 2021. There are various parties potentially liable for such catastrophic crashes causing devastating traumatic brain injuries:
- The truck driver: A negligent driver may be under alcohol or drug influence, or distracted by texting, lack of sleep, great stress or fatigue.
- The trucking company: As the driver’s employer, they must ensure they run comprehensive background checks on their drivers and constantly conduct truck inspections and maintenance.
- The truck manufacturer: The crash may be due to defective parts or other mechanical failures.
- The cargo loading company: Without appropriate checking after loading and before transporting goods, the truck may lose control and balance, resulting in fatal incidents.
Determining all the liable parties out of multiple individuals and insurance companies may cost you much time, effort and financial resources. Although it may take a lot from you, there’s also much to gain from recovering compensation that can address your medical bills, lost wages and other noneconomic damages like emotional distress.
Living through irreversible harm
The full extent of your tragic circumstances may not be evident immediately. So, insurers might swiftly offer you a settlement. Depending on the extent of your traumatic brain injuries, you must anticipate long-term rehabilitative care. Carefully assessing your situation and consulting legal counsel before accepting a settlement offer will eventually work in your favor.
