Who do I sue if I am injured in a truck accident?

Who do I sue if I am injured in a truck accident?
On Behalf of Bradley, Drendel & Jeanney • Dec 01, 2017
Large trucks and cargo vehicles travel through Reno each day, carrying goods to the stores where residents shop and purchase their wants and needs. While most trucks get to their destinations without any accidents or issues, others are involved in collisions that put Nevada residents’ lives at risk. When a person is hurt from an accident with a semi or other large commercial vehicle they may not know how to pursue the damages they need to get their life back on track.

Initiating a truck accident lawsuit can begin with knowing who to include as a defendant in a personal injury case. It may be obvious that the driver of the truck should be included in the suit if it was their negligence or recklessness that caused the crash to occur, but beyond the driver a victim may not know who to add to their civil litigation.

One possible defendant is the company responsible for putting the truck on the road. Some businesses own their own delivery trucks and the individuals who drive them are employees of the businesses. If the truck involved in the accident was one from such a business then the victim may be able to include the company as a defendant in their suit.

If the truck was owned by the truck driver and the driver worked as an independent contractor rather than an employee of the company whose products were being delivered then it may not be as easy to include the company in the suit. It is important to determine the status of the driver before filing a lawsuit for damages based on a truck accident.

Insurers, product manufacturers and others may be included in personal injury litigation but a victim must first understand what role each played in creating the harm that led to their truck accident losses. Discussing one’s case with a personal injury attorney can help a victim determine who to sue when seeking financial compensation for their harm.