Trucking accidents have the potential to cause significant amounts of damage and severe injuries to everyone that is involved. Unfortunately, these wrecks often become fatal due to a truck’s massive weight and size. If your loved one died in one of these devastating accidents, you may be eligible to file a wrongful death claim. An experienced attorney could guide you through the claims process for fatal Glastonbury truck accidents and hold the negligent party accountable for your loved one’s death.
Causes of Deadly Truck Accidents
In Glastonbury, there are two situations that may lead to wrongful death cases involving truck accidents. One occurs when a truck turns in front of another vehicle and causes a collision. The other may happen on the highway when a trucker does not see another vehicle when it is trying to change lanes. In these situations, the trucker may not have given the other motorist enough space or they failed to see the other person’s vehicle because they were in the trucker’s blind spot.
Depending on the size of the truck, whoever gets hit usually endures the worst part of the collision. Anyone involved in these accidents could sustain severe or deadly injuries, including the truck driver, other motorists, or passengers in either vehicle.
How are Fatal Truck Wrecks Handled Differently Than Other Wrongful Death Claims?
Due to the corporate association of most trucks on the road, these cases are handled differently than other wrongful death cases. With any trucking accident case, different parties may be responsible, including the driver, owner, employer, or manufacturer. In this situation, an attorney may have to review different insurance policies, that it may not look at in other circumstances. For example, a lawyer may determine which party insured the specific load that the truck was carrying at the time of the accident.
When someone who has no affiliation with a company dies in a trucking accident, their family may have rights against the owner of the truck, the driver, and the company that runs it. When a truck driver dies in an accident, there may be some third-party rights or claims, especially in a product’s liability case in which a part of the vehicle was defective.
In this situation, there could be a workers’ compensation element as well. The family members of the trucker who died while on duty may have a workers’ compensation claim, regardless of whether or not they were at fault for the deadly accident.
The Role of an Insurance Company
In Glastonbury, the role of an insurance company may change in deadly trucking accidents. This is because they try to avoid paying, or they attempt to lower a claim’s value. With trucking cases, corporations can be skilled at avoiding paying insurance money. This is because the company may have a holding in one state while the truck is registered in another, and the driver is licensed in a third state. Due to these multi-jurisdictional issues, the company ends up with these policies and policyholders that may fight amongst each other as to who is covered. It could greatly complicate a case.
Contact a Glastonbury Attorney to Learn More About Claims for Fatal Truck Wrecks
If your loved one died in a fatal Glastonbury truck accident, you may be entitled to compensation. A compassionate attorney could provide legal and emotional support during this time. To learn more, call today.
