Company Vehicle Accidents | Who is Responsible?

September 28, 2023 | By Hancock Injury Attorney
Company Vehicle Accidents | Who is Responsible?

If you get into an accident with a company or commercial vehicle, you want to know who will compensate you for your accident-related losses. Depending on the circumstances of the crash, the driver’s company, employer, or a third-party individual or entity may be liable for your damages.

Company vehicles are those used for business or commercial purposes, such as:

  • Trucks
  • Delivery vans
  • Rideshare vehicles, such as those under Uber and Lyft
  • Commercial buses
  • Taxis
  • Other vehicles used for company or business purposes

There May Be More Than One Liable Party In A Company Vehicle Accident

After a company vehicle accident, there are many potentially liable parties that you can hold legally responsible for the losses you suffered, such as:

The Driver

The driver may be held liable for the crash if they were running a personal errand when the crash occurred. They may also be held liable if they were committing a criminal offense when the accident happened.

The Company or Employer

The company or employer that owns the company vehicle can likewise be held responsible if it placed an untrained or inexperienced driver on the road or if it did not perform a proper background check on the at-fault driver.

Car Defects or Mechanical Failures

If a defect on the company vehicle caused or contributed to the accident, the vehicle manufacturer may be held liable. Or, if a mechanical failure contributed to or caused the crash, the company that owns the vehicle can be held accountable for failing to conduct the necessary maintenance repairs.

Other Potential Liable Parties

Loose cargo is sometimes the culprit for causing crashes involving commercial trucks. In these cases, the company that improperly loaded the cargo may be held liable for your damages.

Proving Your Case After A Company Vehicle Accident

In many car accident cases involving a company vehicle, the owners will try to blame the other driver for the accident. They do this to avoid liability and avoid paying the injured party fair compensation for their losses. The primary legal theory used for determining liability in motor vehicle crashes is negligence.

To establish negligence, you must prove that the company vehicle driver failed to exercise reasonable care given the circumstances surrounding the accident. In addition, you must prove that the company driver violated their legal duty of care to you and that their violation directly caused the crash and your injuries.

Some companies may pressure drivers into working without proper rest to increase profits. Also, they may hire drivers that do not have proper training in operating commercial vehicles.

If you’re hurt in a company vehicle crash, you must work with a Tampa car accident attorney with the necessary experience to successfully handle these types of cases. The injuries and associated losses you suffered from a company vehicle crash are likely to be serious. You must get the medical treatment you need to recover from the accident.

Contact Hancock Injury Attorneys and set up your complimentary case review with our Tampa car accident attorney. You can reach us by dialing 813-915-1110 or filling out our online contact form.