When a car accident occurs in Louisiana, there is the potential for a horrific and tragic outcome. This is especially true when the sizes of the vehicles involved in the crash vary greatly from one another. A crash that recently occurred in Louisiana involved a commercial motor vehicle that resulted in serious injuries.
The accident occurred in Baton Rouge and, according to witnesses, it involved an 18-wheeler and a passenger vehicle. Not much is known about the accident at this time, but it was so severe that it closed down at least one lane of the highway. It is also know that the 18-wheeler accident led to fatal injuries for at least one of the involved parties. Police are continuing to investigate the collision.
When an accident involves a commercial motor vehicle, there are different rules and regulations that apply that do not apply when an accident involves only passenger vehicles. These laws require semi drivers and the truck company that employs them to exercise a heightened level of care when operating their vehicles. This is required for many reasons, some of which include the size of the vehicles and the often hazardous nature of the loads that they carry.
Therefore, when a semi driver is involved in an accident, it can have a detrimental impact on the driver and their employer if the truck driver’s negligence was the contributing factor to the accident. It can mean that the driver will lose their commercial driver’s license and may also be required to compensate the victims financially. This liability could fall on the driver, the trucking company or both.
It is important that individuals who have been hurt in a collision involving a large semi or other commercial vehicle obtain the compensation to which they are entitled. Usually the best way to do this is to file a personal injury lawsuit and not settle separately with insurance companies or the other parties unless it is advised by the injured party’s legal advocate.
Source: Bayoubuzz.com, “Police investigate serious crash involving 18-wheeler,” May 23, 2014