Posted in Truck Accidents on February 18, 2025
If you’ve been involved in a truck accident, determining who is responsible for the damages can be complex, as multiple parties may share liability. Consulting a Long Beach truck accident attorney can help you assess your case and identify the party with the most fault.
Potential Parties at Fault For a Truck Accident in Long Beach
Determining fault after a truck collision can be incredibly challenging. Several parties could be held liable when a truck accident occurs. Careful analysis by your Long Beach injury lawyer is required to determine who is at fault, as there are multiple possibilities.
- The driver could be held responsible for a number of reasons, including distraction, fatigue, driving under the influence, or other negligent behaviors.
- The trucking company may also hold fault if they did not provide adequate training, had the driver work over his amount of maximum hours, or did not properly maintain the truck.
- Another party that could be at fault is the manufacturer of the truck. For example, if the brakes or some other part of the truck were faulty, it could all go back to the company that built the truck.
Could Both Drivers Be At Fault for a Truck Accident?
California is a comparative liability state. This means that multiple parties can share some fault of the accident. For example, if a truck driver improperly merges into another lane without checking their blind spot and collides with your vehicle, they clearly have some fault. However, if you were speeding, and made it harder for the truck driver to react in time, you could also share some of that fault.
Each person will get a percentage of fault assigned to them. There will be various factors that go into this. Let’s say 70 percent fault is placed on the truck driver while 30 percent is on you and the award for damages is $100,000. You would end up with $70,000 after taking your percentage of fault off that amount.
What Type of Evidence Can Help Prove Liability?
Trying to clear yourself from as much fault as possible or all of it requires some strategy. You must show the following to get the best outcome possible:
- Police report
- Dashcam footage if possible
- Photos or videos of the scene
- Witness statements
- Black box data
- Driver logs
- Accident reconstruction analysis if necessary
Your Long Beach accident lawyer can guide you through the forms of evidence that you should focus on that would benefit your case the most. Each case is going to look different; you may not need all of the above if you do not hold any fault. However, someone who does share some degree of fault may need different evidence.
Work With Harting Simkins & Ryan, LLP to Establish Truck Accident Liability
Trying to prove fault for a truck accident case can be frustrating, but you do not have to do this alone. Our Long Beach delivery truck accident attorney has a strong track record of success in recovering compensation for people just like you. You can feel confident that we have your best interests in mind. Contact us to start with a free case evaluation.