When multiple vehicles are involved in a truck accident in Ohio, determining liability becomes significantly more complex. You could have two or three vehicles that were coming at different speeds and different angles, some going through red lights and others not. Understanding Ohio multi-vehicle truck accident liability and how fault is determined can make the difference between recovering fair compensation and being left with devastating financial losses.
How Multi-Vehicle Truck Accidents Happen
Multi-vehicle truck accidents are very common. A typical scenario might involve a truck hitting a car, and that car was speeding and spun out and hit another vehicle. At that point, you have to do the analysis to figure out who’s at fault for what.
If it’s just a car involved, the liability analysis is simple–what’s the policy of the owner, what’s the policy of the driver? But when it’s a car and truck accident in Ohio, you’re looking at the potentially liable parties on the trucking side too.
Multiple Potentially Liable Parties in Truck Accidents
In truck accidents, there can be numerous parties who can be responsible:
- Trucking companies and vehicle owners may be held responsible under vicarious liability theories or for their own negligence, including negligent hiring, training, or supervision of drivers.
- Equipment manufacturers could face liability if mechanical failures or design defects contributed to the multi-vehicle collision.
- Third-party maintenance providers may be responsible when inadequate servicing or repairs create dangerous conditions that lead to accidents.
- Cargo handling companies can be liable when improper loading, securing, or weight distribution causes trucks to behave unpredictably in traffic situations.
The more you dig into these cases, the more you often find that several things went wrong that led to the accident. Each additional liable party represents another potential source of compensation.
Why Multiple Liable Parties Can Be Beneficial for Your Case
Having multiple liable parties can actually improve the success of your case, but it’s really an issue of insurance or assets. You don’t just need liability–you need someone who can pay the bill.
If a large company like FedEx is at fault, you don’t have to worry as much about insurance coverage because they’re self-insured or carry large policies. Multiple bad actors means access to more insurance policies in cases like these.
This matters because if someone sustains a catastrophic injury and the defendant only has $750,000 in coverage, they only get $750,000. That’s clearly inadequate for severe injuries. So you want to be able to go after the trucking company, the owner, the broker, the company that loaded the truck–you want to access everyone’s insurance policies because they stack on top of each other.
How Truck Accident Fault Determination in Ohio Works in Multi-Vehicle Cases
Determining fault in multi-vehicle accidents involving trucks requires careful analysis. Sometimes there can be multiple liable parties in truck accidents in Ohio instead of just one car and one truck. They can both be at fault and both contribute to the accident if the facts show that.
Your attorney can mediate the case and agree on a percentage of fault outside of court, or they can go to a jury and have the jury decide. Who’s at fault is a factual issue for the jury, and they can decide what percentage each party is at fault.
Ohio Comparative Negligence Truck Accidents Laws
Ohio follows comparative negligence rules, which significantly impact your ability to recover compensation. If you’re more than 50% at fault, you can’t collect anything in Ohio. However, if you’re exactly 50% at fault, you’re good to go. As long as your fault is 50% or less, not more than 50%, you can still recover compensation.
For passengers in a vehicle, the fault determination doesn’t matter as much since they typically aren’t considered at fault for the accident. In these cases, you would want the truck to be at fault for insurance purposes since trucks carry much higher insurance coverage.
How Insurance Coverage Shapes Your Case
Interestingly, the fault determination for multiple liable parties in truck accidents in Ohio can become strategic when there are significant differences in insurance coverage. If it’s a $10 million case and you want the truck to be totally at fault, you might argue the facts in favor of the other car because you don’t want them to be at fault since they only have a $50,000 policy compared to the truck’s much larger coverage.
We’ve had cases where two defendants fight against each other, blaming each other for the accident. For instance, when cargo loading companies and cargo removal companies are both involved, one might claim the other’s equipment or procedures caused the accident. They fight back and forth against each other about who was liable, and as the plaintiff’s attorney, you can use their accusations against each other to strengthen your case.
Why Experience Matters in Multi-Vehicle Trucking Accident Cases
Multi-vehicle truck accident cases can be really complicated, requiring an attorney who’s familiar and experienced with federal trucking regulations.
There are a lot more requirements put on truck drivers than the average car driver, and you can use violations of those requirements to create liability. For instance, if a truck driver exceeded their federally mandated driving hours, they may be liable even if the accident appeared to be caused by another vehicle’s actions.
An experienced attorney also knows that the trucking industry has seen an increased number of accidents in the last decade. They don’t have enough qualified drivers, and they’re just hiring people to meet their demand and putting the public at risk, making thorough investigation of driver qualifications and company hiring practices essential to building a strong case.
That’s why it’s crucial to work with an experienced lawyer to assist in your Ohio truck accident lawsuit liability case.
Multiple Parties, Maximum Recovery: Get the Help You Need
Multi-vehicle truck accidents involving questions of liability require experienced legal representation that understands both Ohio law and federal trucking regulations. Don’t let the complexity of these cases prevent you from getting the compensation you deserve to recover–contact Chester Law Group for a risk-free consultation today.