After a car crash, motor vehicle insurance is often the only protection that affected victims have to safeguard them from financial devastation. Lost wages, massive medical bills and the cost of a replacement vehicle can all render the aftermath of a crash prohibitively expensive.
Unfortunately, insurance claims are notoriously difficult to navigate and often result in people receiving less than they deserve based on the total cost of the crash. Some kinds of collisions cause far worse property damage and injury than others. Collisions that occur between passenger vehicles and 18-wheelers or semi-trucks can be some of the worst wrecks that travelers can possibly experience.
The people in the smaller vehicle will frequently need to pursue insurance claims after the crash, but the process will likely be a bit different than it would be after a collision involving two passenger vehicles. Why are claims that are filed after commercial collisions often different than “standard” crash claim scenarios?
There is more insurance coverage in play
Many drivers only carry the insurance required by law, which means that after severe crashes, the available insurance may be far too low. The good news for those affected by a semi-truck crash is that the mandatory coverage for such Vehicles is often more than 10 times higher than the coverage required for passenger vehicles. The bad news is that the higher amount of coverage often means more aggressive pushback from the insurance company.
There are more parties with potential faults
In a crash involving two passenger vehicles, the driver of the vehicle to blame for the crash is almost always the one responsible for the collision. However, in a significant portion of commercial vehicle collisions, there may be an alternate party with some degree of responsibility for the wreck.
Obviously, the driver could be at fault for the crash. However, their employer or the client that hired them could also be to blame. There could also be a fleet service company that performed inadequate maintenance or a vehicle component manufacturer ultimately at fault for the commercial crash.
Those who are entitled to compensation after a collision with a semi-truck will likely need to prepare for a complicated insurance claims process and possibly a lawsuit in civil court. Learning more about 18-wheeler collisions can help those affected by such crashes pursue financial justice with the assistance of an experienced legal professional.