Mike Hancock is the founder of Hancock Injury Attorneys, a former insurance defense attorney, and an AV-Preeminent–rated lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell, with over 35 years of experience practicing personal injury law.
Attorney Mike Hancock of Hancock Injury Attorneys explains that when a commercial vehicle is involved in a crash, it's often more complex than a standard car accident. In other words, when a commercial vehicle is involved in your accident, your claim is rarely as straightforward as a typical fender-bender.
Many people assume these claims work the same way as any other collision, but commercial vehicle accidents involve additional laws, multiple potentially responsible parties, and insurance companies that begin building their defense immediately. Understanding these differences can help protect your rights from the very beginning.
How Is Liability Determined When a Commercial Vehicle is Involved?
A commercial vehicle includes more than just large tractor-trailers. Delivery vans, utility trucks, company cars, construction vehicles, rideshare vehicles, and service trucks may qualify as commercial vehicles if they were being used for business purposes at the time of the crash. When a commercial vehicle is involved, how it was being used at the time of impact can determine who is legally responsible.
Liability can extend beyond the driver. When a commercial vehicle is involved, and the driver was performing work duties when the collision occurred, the employer may also be responsible under the law.
When a commercial vehicle is involved in a crash, businesses often carry larger insurance policies than individual drivers, so there may be more compensation available for injured victims. However, higher insurance limits also mean insurance companies frequently invest significant resources into minimizing or denying claims.
When a commercial vehicle is involved, the case may also depend on important evidence that may not exist in a typical car accident. GPS records, driver logs, maintenance reports, inspection records, and onboard camera footage can provide valuable information about how the crash occurred. Preserving this evidence quickly is essential because some records may be overwritten or lost if they are not requested promptly.
These cases may also raise questions about whether the company followed proper safety procedures. Was the driver adequately trained? Was the vehicle properly maintained? Did the company require the driver to work beyond safe limits? These issues can significantly affect liability and are rarely part of ordinary passenger vehicle accidents.
Do Commercial Vehicle Accidents Cause Greater Injuries?
Because commercial vehicles are often larger and heavier, collisions frequently result in more serious injuries, longer recoveries, and higher medical expenses. Even so, insurance companies may attempt to argue that injuries are less severe than claimed or were caused by preexisting conditions. Thorough medical documentation and experienced legal representation can make a substantial difference when pursuing fair compensation.
How Can an Experienced Attorney Help Me?
Commercial vehicle accident claims require a detailed investigation and a thorough understanding of the laws that govern businesses and commercial insurance policies.
An experienced attorney can identify every potentially liable party, preserve critical evidence before it disappears, communicate with insurance companies on your behalf, and build a strong case designed to maximize the compensation available for your injuries and losses.
Take Action Today: Protect Your Rights After a Commercial Vehicle Accident
If you've been injured in a crash involving a commercial vehicle, acting quickly is important. Seeking medical treatment, preserving evidence, and speaking with an experienced attorney early can help protect your claim. Call Hancock Injury Attorneys at 813-915-1110 to discuss your situation and learn how experienced legal guidance can help you move forward with confidence.
Video Transcript
So, what happens when a driver of a commercial vehicle causes an accident, and you're injured? If you've been hit by a delivery truck, a company vehicle, truck, or any vehicle being used for business purposes, the rules are often very different from a typical car accident.
Commercial vehicle crashes tend to involve more severe injuries, more insurance coverage to pay for your injuries and damages and lost wages, and more aggressive defense from the insurance company. Understanding what makes these cases different is key to protecting yourself after the crash.
Let's talk about what qualifies as a commercial vehicle. A commercial vehicle is any vehicle being used for a business purpose at the time of the act. That can include delivery vans, service trucks, utility vehicles, company cars, ride-share vehicles, and large trucks. It can include an 18-wheeler. The size of the vehicle doesn't always matter. It's how the vehicle is being used.
When a commercial vehicle is involved, one of the first questions is who is responsible. In many cases, responsibility may extend beyond the driver to the company that owns or operates the vehicle and the driver's employer.
If the driver was working at the time of the crash in the course and scope of his or her employment, the employer can be held liable under a concept called vicarious liability. That's important because companies typically carry much higher insurance limits than individual drivers.
While that can mean more coverage is available, it also means the insurance company will fight harder to limit what they pay. Commercial insurance carriers move quickly after a crash. They've got their own investigative team out there already in place. Their goal is to protect the company, not to look out for you.
Another major difference in commercial vehicle cases is the amount of evidence involved. Commercial vehicles often have logs. They have GPS data. They have maintenance records, onboard cameras, and onboard electronic data recorders. These records can provide critical insight into what happened.
Additionally, they can also disappear if they aren't preserved quickly. That's why timing matters in these commercial vehicle cases. Important evidence is often lost, overwritten, or destroyed if not requested in the right way early on. Commercial vehicle crashes also raise questions about safety policies and training.
Was the driver properly trained? Were they driving too long without rest? Was the vehicle properly maintained? These factors don't usually come up in standard car accident cases, but they can play a huge role in commercial claims.
From an injury standpoint, crashes involving commercial vehicles often cause more serious harm just due to the size and weight of the vehicles involved. Even at lower speeds, the force of an impact from an 18-wheeler or a box truck can lead to significant injuries, extended medical treatment, and long-term limitation.
Insurance companies may still try to minimize those injuries or argue that pre-existing conditions are to blame. Having clear medical documentation and legal guidance is especially important in these cases.
Another thing to understand is that commercial vehicle cases often take longer to conclude. With more parties involved, more insurance coverage, and more investigation, resolution can be slower.
If a commercial vehicle was involved in your crash, the steps you take early can make or break your case. Seek medical care, document everything, and don't speak with any of the insurance companies before consulting with an attorney regarding your rights.
Especially in these commercial vehicle cases, the big trucking companies, the big delivery companies, they have teams of insurance adjusters trained to handle these from the very beginning. They have training that they are going to reach out to you to try to get you to give a statement. They're going to ask questions of you in certain ways to elicit the answers they want that they know will help minimize your claim.
So, if you've been involved in a car accident involving a driver who's driving a commercial vehicle, my suggestion is this. Reach out to an attorney. Discuss the claim with an attorney. Make sure that attorney starts protecting your rights from day one.
I'm Mike Hancock with Hancock Injury Attorneys. We're located in Tampa, Florida. We represent people involved in car crashes and commercial vehicle crashes throughout the Tampa Bay region and throughout the state of Florida.
If you've been involved in a car accident involving a commercial vehicle, please reach out to us. I'd be happy to have a free consultation with you to explain all of your legal rights and to hopefully start protecting your rights against the commercial vehicle.
FAQs
What qualifies as a commercial vehicle?
A commercial vehicle is any vehicle being used for business purposes at the time of the accident. This can include delivery vans, company cars, utility trucks, construction vehicles, service vehicles, and rideshare vehicles.
If a commercial vehicle is involved in my crash, can the company be held responsible?
Yes. If the driver was acting within the scope of their employment, the employer may also be legally responsible for the crash. This can affect both liability and the insurance coverage available.
Why do commercial vehicle accident cases take longer?
These claims often involve multiple parties, larger insurance policies, extensive investigations, and additional evidence that must be reviewed. While the process may take longer, a careful investigation is often necessary to protect your interests.
Should I speak with the commercial insurance company after the accident?
You should be cautious when communicating with insurance representatives. Before providing detailed statements, it is often beneficial to understand your rights and consider speaking with an attorney who can help protect your claim.