British Columbia Truck Accident Lawyers

Truck drivers play essential roles within the supply chain. Delivering products, supplies, materials, and other commercial goods to cities and towns throughout the country, truck drivers work long, hard hours to help keep communities active and connected. 

Unfortunately, this necessary and vital service often comes at a cost. Truck drivers are generally required to travel for long stretches of time in difficult conditions. In order to meet tight delivery deadlines, they might choose to forego sleep, proper nutrition, and safe driving habits. Doing so, however, can lead to tragedies on the road.

Within a five year period, heavy commercial vehicles weighing over 10,900 kilograms were involved in approximately 13,000 crashes throughout British Columbia. Owing to their comparatively outsize weight, when trucks collide with smaller passenger vehicles, the consequences are often fatal.

When a truck collides with a passenger vehicle, the car’s occupants are four times more likely to be killed than the driver of the large commercial truck. And even though large vehicles like trucks are only involved in less than 10% of the nation’s average collisions, they are responsible for 21% of roadside fatalities. Each year, approximately sixty British Columbia truck accident victims lose their lives as a result of their collisions. 

Even those who are fortunate enough to survive a near-fatal collision with a truck often feel the repercussions of their accidents for the rest of their lives. Truck accidents frequently result in severe, catastrophic injuries from which survivors of the collision never fully recover. 

In the aftermath of a traumatic, injury-causing collision, truck accident survivors could face numerous challenges. Their overall quality of life could be significantly diminished for years or even decades, and all because of the negligent actions of a licensed operator of a large commercial truck.

If you have been recently injured in a collision, navigating the ICBC claims process can feel like a hassle– especially if you are struggling to keep up with medical appointments, stay on top of your finances, and endure the overwhelming psychological trauma of living through a chaotic and violent event like a truck accident. That is why consulting with our British Columbia truck accident lawyers might be beneficial to you.

Our truck accident lawyers serving British Columbia are passionate about helping injured residents of the province. We appreciate how challenging, confusing, and anxiety-inducing these situations can be, and work hard to communicate with our prospective clients clearly and effectively during their free initial consultation. 

By taking advantage of this no-obligation first meeting with our British Columbia truck accident lawyers, you will have the opportunity to receive the benefit of personalized advice based on the circumstances of your collision. Consider speaking with our truck accident lawyers serving British Columbia before you begin filling out your ICBC claim in order to learn more about the process and damages to which you might be entitled based on the severity of your injuries and the impact they have on your life. To schedule your free initial consultation, contact Preszler Injury Lawyers online or call 1-800-JUSTICE.

Who Is Liable for British Columbia Truck Accidents?

People who operate commercial vehicles for a living spend more time on the road than the average driver. Although this considerable amount of experience behind the wheel should translate to safe driving habits, truck drivers often cut corners or fall back on bad behaviours while operating their vehicles for multiple hours on end. 

In order to stay awake for long stretches of time, truck drivers might rely on stimulants and other illicit substances which could impede their abilities to safely operate their vehicles. Truck drivers sometimes push themselves beyond the limits of physical exhaustion to reach their delivery destinations in time. Furthermore, truck drivers might exceed posted speed limits, ignore traffic signals, and change lanes without signaling while hurrying to their destination. To make better time, they might also sacrifice meal breaks and, instead of stopping to eat, consume full meals while their vehicle is in motion. Doing so is a form of driver distraction, a form of negligence that is responsible for nearly a quarter of all fatalities on British Columbia’s roads.

Operating a vehicle distractedly, recklessly, or under the influence of mind-altering substances are all examples of driver negligence that could lead to severe or fatal collisions with other vehicles. But determining liability for truck accident claims is not always a straightforward matter. That is because multiple parties might ultimately be considered responsible for the damages incurred by injured victims of British Columbia truck accidents. 

If the at-fault truck driver’s employer was aware that they had a history of negligent driving but decided to keep them on as an employee regardless of their past wrongdoings, the trucking company that hired them might be considered contributorily negligent. As such, they might be responsible for financially compensating the injured victims of serious truck accidents. 

While all injured survivors of motor vehicle collisions in British Columbia should be able to access ICBC’s Part 7 accident benefits to help offset the costs of injury-related expenses, depending on the severity of the truck accident and its impact on the victim’s life– and livelihood– the benefits granted to them by ICBC might not cover their total losses. In these situations, injured truck accident victims might be entitled to pursue damages from other parties or entities whose negligence might have been a factor that contributed to the cause of their collision. 

To learn whether you might be able to take action against the employer of the at-fault truck driver whose negligence caused your collision to occur, call Preszler Injury Lawyers today. 

Contact Our British Columbia Truck Accident Lawyers

Even the most responsible, safety-minded motorists can have their lives turned upside down because of the wrongful actions (or inactions) of a negligent truck driver. If you sustained compensable injuries in a collision caused by a large commercial vehicle, consider taking advantage of your free initial consultation with our truck accident lawyers serving British Columbia.

To speak with our British Columbia truck accident lawyers about your case and your potential options for financial recovery, call 1-800-JUSTICE.