After getting hurt in a truck accident caused by a drunk or drugged truck accident, you may be afraid that the trucking company will be able to shirk responsibility for your injuries due to the driver’s intoxication, but there are many ways in which the trucker’s employer may be liable.
Truckers are subject to state and federal trucking regulations and so are the trucking companies. An experienced trucking accident attorney will thoroughly investigate your accident and the underlying causes, including the areas in which the trucking company may have been to blame.
Trucking Company Liability in Drunk Driving Accidents
Every trucking accident is unique, but there are some common threads that we find in cases involving truck driver intoxication. Trucking companies are not innocent bystanders subject to the whims of their drivers. They have legal responsibilities meant to help keep the public safe. Among them are proper screening before hiring, training and monitoring of drivers, and so much more. Trucking companies that fall down on those duties can be held liable for injuries caused by their drivers as a result.
And, trucking companies often have a more active role in causing accidents. Trucking companies are notorious for pushing their drivers to meet unrealistic schedules, because moving good faster increases their bottom line. In the process, they may call in drivers who have been drinking during their off-time, or push drivers to drive beyond the point of fatigue causing some to turn to stimulants that affect their judgement and reaction times leading to errors and crashes.
If you have been hurt by a drunk or drugged truck driver, the experienced truck accident attorneys of McPhillips Fitzgerald & Cullum, LLP, can help you recover the full compensation you deserve. Call us today or email us to schedule your free initial consultation.