In St. Mary’s County, Maryland, if a person is injured in an auto accident, they have a legal right to bring a claim for compensation. Almost all claims begin as insurance claims, and the vast majority of Maryland car accident cases settle before a lawsuit is filed in Maryland State Courts.

If the accident involves a big rig or 18-wheeler truck, there are several parties that might be held legally liable to pay compensation to the victim (or victims). This means there might be more than one insurance claim made since claims against each guilty party will trigger separate insurance policies. The driver of the semi-tractor trailer truck is a likely party, as is the trucking company that owns the truck.

In Maryland, injured victims must prove that each potential party is guilty and legally liable to pay. In this article, the dedicated and experienced Auto Accident Lawyers here at the Law Office of Robert Castro discuss how trucking companies can be held legally liable for an accident. If you have been injured, call us. Our number is (301) 870-1200, or use our contact page. We represent all types of clients in St. Mary’s County, Maryland. We have offices in Waldorf, Maryland.

How trucking companies can be held negligent for a St. Mary’s County car accident

Generally, for a party to be held guilty and required to pay compensation, it must be proven that a party was negligent. The truck driver might be proven negligent because the driver was speeding or otherwise violating traffic laws. For a trucking company, there are other methods of proving negligence. Essentially, a trucking company can be held negligent if the company has violated various safety rules and regulations that ensure commercial big rig trucks operate safely on Maryland roads and highways. For example, trucking companies must ensure that all trucks are in good repair and in proper maintenance. Further, under federal and Maryland State trucking regulations, there is a heightened level of maintenance. Violation of these maintenance standards can make the trucking company legally liable to pay compensation even in the absence of other facts.

As a related example, trucking companies can be independently liable for an auto accident if they violate other safety rules and regulations. Specific examples include violation of rules with respect to:

• Inspections
• Cargo weight and towing limits
• Restrictions on routing
• Proper loading and tie-downs
• Extra required safety equipment
• Carrying hazardous materials
• And more

A final example involves various rules and regulations about drivers. Trucking companies have obligations to ensure that their drivers obey regulations involving such matters as sleep and rest schedules, alcohol and/or drug use, etc. If trucking companies fail to monitor and enforce such regulations, they can be held legally liable for accidents involving their trucks. Other ways that trucking companies can be deemed independently negligent include:

• Wrongful hiring – the driver was not qualified
• Wrongful retention – the driver should have been fired
• Failure to properly train drivers
• Failure to discipline (or terminate) drivers who breach safety regulations
• Ignoring driver health issues
• Falsification of driver logs
• And more

Contact Waldorf, MD Personal Injury Attorney Robert Castro Today

This article has been provided by the Law Office of Robert Castro. For more information or questions, contact our office to speak to an experienced Maryland personal injury lawyer at (301) 870-1200. We are Waldorf, MD, Personal Injury lawyers. Our address is 2670 Crain Highway, Waldorf, MD 20601.