Distracted Driving Truck Accidents in Harrisonburg
Distracted driving is the leading cause of traffic collisions in the Commonwealth and across the United States, and commercial truck drivers are unfortunately not immune to this type of negligence. Even worse, the immense size and weight of a fully loaded semi-truck mean that collisions with smaller cars tend to have uniquely devastating consequences, and distracted truckers are much more likely to cause crashes at high speeds than other drivers.
Put all that together, and it should come as no surprise to hear that distracted driving truck accidents in Harrisonburg are among the more common causes of action for personal injury lawsuits in this area. If you were hurt recently due to a truck driver being careless in this way, you should make speaking with a truck accident attorney from Price Benowitz one of your top priorities.
Distracted Driving as Grounds for a Personal Injury Lawsuit
Certain forms of distracted driving, most notably texting while driving, are expressly illegal for commercial truck drivers under both Virginia state law and the regulations set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) for long-haul truckers. However, even if a truck driver does not get a traffic citation for distracted driving in relation to a Harrisonburg traffic crash they were involved in, they can still be found liable for ensuing injuries and losses based on their “negligence.
In brief, someone is legally negligent if they violate a “duty of care” they owe to someone else and, by doing so, directly cause that other person to suffer an otherwise preventable injury. Since distracted driving inherently breaches the duty all drivers have to pay attention to their surroundings. At the same time, on public roads, it can serve as justification for a personal injury claim if it is the main and direct cause of a serious physical injury.
Are Trucking Companies Liable for Truck Driver Negligence?
While individual truck drivers can certainly be held at fault for their own misconduct behind the wheel, they are not necessarily the only people who could be held civilly liable for a distracted driving truck wreck in Harrisonburg. For instance, trucking companies hold what is known as “vicarious liability” for negligence by their employees on the job, so it is very often possible to name a distracted truck driver’s employer as a co-defendant in a civil claim.
Furthermore, if a trucking company is at least partially at fault for a distracted driving crash, it can be held directly liable for ensuing damages. This might be the case, for instance, if a trucking company knowingly hired a driver with several texting-and-driving tickets on their record, or if they failed to conduct a background check for such offenses prior to hiring them.
Speak With a Harrisonburg Attorney About Suing Over a Distracted Driving Truck Accident
Distracted drivers put everyone around them in harm’s way every single time they let their focus wander away from the road ahead of them. Commercial truckers who do this can cause life-altering or even life-threatening injuries through negligence, and they can also be held accountable for their actions through proactive civil litigation.
A qualified attorney from Price Benowitz can be an irreplaceable ally on the road to civil recovery following a distracted driving truck accident in Harrisonburg. Call today to learn more.
