Trucking Company Liability Claims
Standing Up to Dangerously Negligent Trucking Companies
Not all truck accidents are caused solely by the mistakes of the truck driver in the collision. In many situations, some negligence can be traced back to the parent trucking company that sent that trucker onto the road. Bringing a personal injury claim against a trucking company is far different than suing an individual trucker, though. If you are not prepared for the tough opposition put forward by the trucking company, then your claim could be in jeopardy before it even begins.
To give yourself the power and authority to take on the trucking company that caused your crash, come to Murray & Murray. Our Sandusky trucking company liability claims lawyers have decades of collective legal experience, and our firm has been around since 1931. All of our insight becomes your advantage when you let us represent and guide you.
Start your claim with confidence. Call our firm at (419) 664-3711 now.
How a Trucking Company Becomes Liable
Virtually every truck driver on the highways around Ohio is employed by or working for a parent trucking company. Other than paying a trucker to complete transportation runs, trucking companies actually have a great amount of influence over how safely those deliveries are carried out. When a trucking company misuses its influence or otherwise ignores accepted safety standards, it can increase the likelihood of a devastating truck accident, which could make them assume some of the liability.
A few ways trucking companies can be found liable for a truck accident are:
- Overscheduling: Even when a trucker is only an independent contractor working with a trucking company, the company has a lot of say regarding what deliveries are done and when. In other words, a trucking company effectively creates the daily and weekly driving schedule for a trucker. If a truck driver is forced to work long hours due to overscheduling and they become dangerously exhausted behind the wheel, then some of the liability could fall on the trucking company for its unreasonable scheduling.
- Uncareful hiring methods: Truck companies decide directly who works for them or who hauls cargo under their name. Only experienced and responsible truckers should be hired. Failing to run adequate background checks on truck drivers who later cause a crash puts liability on the trucking company. For example, a trucker with a long history of drunk driving convictions should not be employed to drive a commercial truck under most circumstances.
- Inadequate training sessions: When an inexperienced truck driver is hired, the parent trucking company should put in a reasonable effort to train them, as any other employer would with a new hire. Trucking companies often try to shirk this responsibility by saying that independent contractors should train themselves on their own time, or that anyone with a commercial driver’s license (CDL) has already proved their ability to operate a commercial big rig.
- Poor fleet maintenance: Trucking companies that own their fleet of trucks and rent or lease them to truckers have an inherent responsibility to either provide repairs for those vehicles or ensure that truckers are performing routine maintenance on them. If a vehicle defect causes a crash and it is found that the trucking company made no reasonable effort to keep that truck maintained, then they could be the one paying for the resulting damages.
Attorneys Willing to Go the Extra Mile
Taking a truck accident claim against a trucking company is difficult but it does not need to be intimidating. When you allow our Sandusky truck accident liability lawyers to manage your claim, you can be confident that each step is done in your best interests. We represent each client as if we were representing ourselves, just as our law firm has done for close to a century. In fact, it is this personalized and professional approach to casework that has allowed us to stay as a legal staple in Ohio for so long!
To get more information about the legal services provided by our law firm, please contact us at any time.
Bad Injury? Great Lawyers!
Ohio Expertise, National Excellence.
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Charles M. Murray"No different than most kids, I dreamt of being a hero as a child—and there was no bigger hero in my life than my father. He often told us stories about the people who were relying on him to resolve their tragedies; I always knew that was the kind of person I wanted to be."
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Margaret M. Murray"I work to be an advocate for my clients and help them in the best and most meaningful way possible. Presenting a case to the court and having the clients understand just how much we care about their very personal and individual claims is very important to me."
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James L. Murray"The relationships with my clients are built through hours of listening and working together. That is what makes my job worthwhile. It is a great thrill when I get to tell clients that we’ve won a case and that they will be able to rebuild or improve their lives as a result of our hard work together."
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Florence A. Murray"Fairness has always been my driving force—knowing that no one ever deserves or wants to be in a situation where they need an attorney. I believe that one of the greatest joys in life is interacting with and helping other people, and it’s this knowledge that I take with me to my practice every day."