Why hire a truck accident attorney after a box truck accident in Pennsylvania results in damage?
Pennsylvania – March 31, 2021
An Ellwood City man driving a box truck died in a two-vehicle crash in West Deer according to the West Deer Police Chief. The driver veered off the road for about 50 feet, crossed back across the highway and crashed into a northbound car, hit the guardrail, and eventually came to a stop. Emergency medical personnel came to assist the driver, but he was already dead. A preliminary investigation points to a possible medical issue, but a determination on cause of death will be relayed from the medical examiner. The other driver was hit from behind and had apparent property damage to her vehicle, and no visible physical injury at the scene. After an injury accident, it is important for victims to seek medical treatment and screening to ascertain any invisible injuries caused. It is also important to determine the cause of a truck driver’s action leading to a truck accident in Pennsylvania, as it is significant to the determination of fault and physical/financial recovery for accident victims. Victims of harmful physical, emotional or property losses should speak to a truck accident attorney who can guide their actions toward damage compensation.
Trucking company responsibility.
Trucking companies are liable for their actions, despite work relationships with independent contractors. If an accident occurs during the course of employment, meaning that if a driver was on a route determined by the hiring company and acting within the scope of their employment when an accident occurred, the company may share liability. Every case is specific and lawyers will need to prove negligence based on the evidence provided. When a company is not found to be liable, then a driver may have to turn to their own policy for insurance compensation to cover any related injury, or property damages. A truck accident attorney can be instrumental in claims processing with the insurer.
Driver restrictions.
When commercial trucking accidents occur, truck accident attorneys can navigate any necessary action toward compensation for damages. Federal and Pennsylvania State impose mandatory regulations for truck drivers, and if a trucking company is pushing driver actions to violate those regulations including driver health screenings, they may be found at fault
Insurance recovery.
An accident attorney will utilize Pennsylvania’s “modified comparative negligence” rule in the recovery of compensation in a truck accident claim, but the amount of compensation will be reduced by an amount that is equal to each driver’s percentage of fault. The state also has a “no-fault” component where victims can access payment from their own insurance companies to cover certain immediate expenses related to the accident for medical treatment and funeral expenses in the case of wrongful death. An experienced accident attorney can answer most victim’s questions on the necessity of legal action toward financial recovery.
Hire an attorney.
Accident attorneys can build strong cases with supporting evidence, and objectively speak on a victim’s behalf in court, or with an insurance company’s legal team to yield a positive result. An experienced truck accident lawyer at Scanlon & Wojton will fight for accident victim’s rights in accordance with the trucking industry rules, in concert with state and federal accident laws.
Scanlon & Wojton, Attorneys at Law
The Mitchell Building
304 Ross Street, Suite 510
Pittsburgh, Pa 15219
Phone: (412) 918-1241
Fax: (412) 235-7275
Sources.
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/42/00.085.053.000..HTM
https://www.dot.state.pa.us/Public/DVSPubsForms/BMV/BMV%20Forms/AA-600.pdf
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/42/00.071.002.000..HTM
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/42/00.055.024.000..HTM
https://www.truckinfo.net/trucking/stats.htm
https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/title49/b/5/3/list
https://www.dot.state.pa.us/public/PubsForms/Publications/PUB%20194.pdf