Yesterday, our Baytown truck wreck lawyers wrote about a dump truck driver who crashed into a building just 9 days after having a different accident. It’s important to know that when you’ve been in an accident cause by a truck driver and that driver has prior traffic or safety violations on his record, these violations could affect your claim against him.
The U.S. FMCSA regulates commercial drivers’ licenses and those who hold them. The agency’s regulations seek to reduce the number and severity of commercial truck wrecks and to disqualify commercial truck drivers that have shown a dangerous lack of safety consciousness. Some of the violations that can disqualify a trucker include:
An experienced Baytown truck wreck lawyer could discover whether the truck driver who injured you had previous safety violations and whether he was subject to disqualification from truck driving at the time of your accident. The truck driver can be expected to challenge your use of his prior violations in your case. But so long as your lawyer can show that these violations are relevant to your case, they should be admissible as evidence.
The prior violations could also help you build a case against the truck driver’s employer. If a trucking company was negligent in hiring the driver, or in training him and overseeing his work, or if the company failed to take him off the road when he was disqualified from driving by his violations, you could hold the employer liable for its share of the fault. Proving the negligence of the trucking company could help you obtain the full financial compensation to which you’re entitled by your injuries.
The prior violations also provide evidence for the jury to consider in making its verdict. Particularly egregious violations by the truck driver could lead to additional punitive damages to help you meet the enormous medical expenses you face following a severe truck accident injury.
When you have a valid accident injury claim against a negligent truck driver, you want to hire an experienced Baytown truck wreck lawyer to help you investigate your case, find crucial evidence you need, and build the legal strategies and arguments that could win your claim. Don’t try to go it alone; the truck driver will be glad you did.
Call in the experienced Baytown truck wreck lawyers at Denena & Points when you have a case to win. We’ve been building successful cases against negligent truck drivers and trucking companies for more than 12 years. Our personal injury expertise and knowledge of the inner workings of the trucking industry give us the edge you need to win your case against the fierce opposition of truckers, their employers, and their insurers. Contact us today at 877-307-9500 or use our web contact form to schedule your free and confidential legal consultation.