Most commonly, a Truck Accident Law Firm Minneapolis MN represents people who have been injured in an accident with a semi or other heavy truck. Heavy trucks that collide with passenger vehicles are likely to cause severe injuries to the people in those vehicles as well as serious damage to the car or pick-up truck. Sometimes, however, it’s the truck driver who needs legal representation. Truckers also can suffer terrible injuries in these accidents, and sometimes, the fault rests squarely on the shoulders of the employer.
Lawyers at a Truck Accident Law Firm Minneapolis MN is known for understanding that truck drivers may make questionable decisions regarding how long to drive, how little time to sleep and how far to travel without a break. They may feel pressured by the employer to work beyond the legal time allowed. In these cases, their own judgment must be taken into account when an insurer determines what type of settlement the drivers might qualify for. A more clear-cut situation involves a truck that malfunctions on the highway because the employer delayed maintenance or repair work. Attorneys with a firm such as Rutzick Law Offices represent people who have been injured in heavy truck accidents, and sometimes those clients are truck drivers.
Drivers can lose control of a heavy truck when a tire blows out, or when the steering or brakes malfunction. Having to stop a truck on a busy highway for any reason can be hazardous, with the risk of other vehicles hitting the truck or the driver who is outside the cab. If an injured driver is directly employed by the company, this may constitute a workers comp situation. Sometimes, however, these drivers work on an independent contractor basis. This opens up another legal problem for the trucking company. Under Minnesota law, they cannot hire drivers under these circumstances unless the individuals lease a truck from them and take responsibility for maintenance and repair of that vehicle. Some small trucking companies try to cut costs any way they possibly can, however. An injured commercial truck driver needs an experienced attorney to sort through the relevant issues.
