Truck Accident Liability in Colorado

A truck accident in Colorado can result in serious injuries, expensive costs and significant emotional damage. Determining liability, or legal and financial responsibility, for a truck accident in Colorado can help you move forward with the answers and financial compensation that you need.

You may need assistance from a Fort Collins truck accident attorney to determine liability in your case.

Possible Liable Parties

The Driver of the Truck 

Truck accidents in Colorado are often the result of a truck driver’s careless or reckless actions. A truck driver may be guilty of mistakes such as distracted driving, texting while driving, drowsy driving, drunk driving or traffic law violations that can result in a serious crash. If a truck driver is responsible for causing a collision, his or her car insurance provider may be liable for the damage caused.

The Trucking Company 

It is common for trucking companies to bear liability for accidents that involve their drivers and big rigs. Trucking companies have their own responsibilities or duties of care, such as properly training new drivers, obeying federal safety laws and keeping up with truck maintenance needs. Violating any of these duties can be proof of fault in a trucking accident claim.

If a truck company pressures its drivers into exceeding the legal number of driving hours, knowingly allows an unqualified driver to operate a truck or otherwise contributes to a crash, it can be held liable. In addition, a trucking company can be vicariously liable for negligent truck drivers. Even if a truck driver is classified as an independent contractor rather than a traditional employee, vicarious liability can apply under federal law. 

The Owner of the Truck 

If an individual or entity other than the truck driver or trucking company owns the truck, such as a truck that is leased by the driver, the owner could be held liable for an accident that is connected to poor vehicle maintenance. Truck owners are required to obey numerous federal laws in terms of truck maintenance and equipment inspections to avoid dangerous and defective trucks.

A Manufacturer 

If an investigation of the trucking accident finds that a piece of truck equipment malfunctioned and caused the crash, such as brake failure or a tire blowout, the manufacturer or distributor of the faulty component could be held responsible through a product liability claim in Colorado. Product manufacturers, suppliers, retailers and others involved in the supply chain can be held responsible for releasing dangerous or defective truck parts.

A Cargo Company

Some truck accidents are caused by cargo failures, such as a load shifting in transit and causing a truck imbalance or cargo dropping from a truck and falling onto the road. In this situation, the person or party responsible for loading the truck could be held liable, such as a cargo loader, cargo company or shipper.

Other Parties

Answering the question of liability during a truck accident case can be difficult. These motor vehicle accidents can involve numerous liable parties that share fault for the crash. Several other issues and parties may have played a role in causing the truck accident, including other drivers on the road, road hazards, dangerous construction zones and truck maintenance providers.

A Truck Accident Lawyer in Fort Collins Can Help You Get Justice

If you need assistance determining and proving liability for your recent truck accident in Colorado, contact an experienced attorney at Cannon Law. We can conduct a comprehensive investigation of your truck accident to search for signs of fault and collect evidence to prove your case, such as police reports, witness statements, black box information and expert testimony.

Our Fort Collins truck accident attorneys will work hard to ensure that the right parties are held responsible for your crash.