Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Table of Contents
- Why These Cases Move Differently From Other Car Accidents
- Who Can Be Held Responsible
- What Evidence Typically Gets Reviewed
- What a Claim Typically Covers
- Why These Cases Often Require a Longer, More Prepared Approach
- Steps to Take After the Crash
- A Dedicated Partnership Focused on Your Recovery
Getting hit by a commercial truck sets off a chain of events that looks a lot different from a typical car accident. Within hours, the trucking company's insurer and sometimes a rapid response team are already working to limit what they'll owe. Multiple parties can share responsibility, including the driver, the trucking company, and sometimes a separate business that leased the vehicle or loaded its cargo.
Evidence like electronic logging data and dashcam footage can disappear quickly if it isn't preserved, which is why the steps taken in the first days after the crash often shape how the rest of the case plays out.
Why These Cases Move Differently From Other Car Accidents
A crash involving a personal vehicle usually comes down to two drivers and their insurance companies. A crash involving a commercial truck brings in an entirely different set of players and rules.
Trucking companies carry commercial policies with much higher coverage limits, which also means their insurers have more at stake and more resources devoted to reducing a payout. Many larger carriers have an internal team or an outside firm ready to respond to a serious crash within hours, sending investigators to the scene before an injured person has even left the hospital.
On top of the insurance dynamic, commercial trucking is governed by federal regulations that don't apply to ordinary drivers. Hours-of-service rules limit how long a driver can be on the road without rest, and trucking companies are required to maintain records like driver logs, maintenance schedules, and inspection reports. When those rules get ignored, that pattern can become central evidence in a claim.
Who Can Be Held Responsible
The Truck Driver
If a driver was speeding, distracted, fatigued, or otherwise driving unsafely, they can be held liable for the crash. Driver behavior is often the starting point of an investigation, but it's rarely the whole story.
The Trucking Company
Employers can be responsible for a driver's actions under a legal theory called vicarious liability, especially when the driver was working within the scope of their job at the time of the crash. Beyond that, a trucking company can face direct liability of its own if it pushed a driver to exceed legal hour limits, skipped required vehicle maintenance, or hired someone with a poor safety record.
Third Parties
Depending on the setup, other businesses can share responsibility too. A separate company that owns the truck and leases it to a carrier, a maintenance shop that serviced the brakes, or a shipping company that loaded cargo unevenly can all become part of the liability picture once the full facts come out.
What Evidence Typically Gets Reviewed
Commercial trucks generate a surprising amount of data, and most of it is time-sensitive.
Electronic logging device (ELD) data tracks a truck's speed, location, and the driver's hours behind the wheel. Federal law requires most commercial trucks to have this technology, and it can confirm or contradict a driver's account of events.
Dashcam and surveillance footage from the truck itself, nearby businesses, or traffic cameras can capture the moments leading up to the crash, but footage often gets overwritten or deleted within days or weeks.
Maintenance and inspection records show whether the truck was in safe operating condition, and whether known issues were addressed before the crash.
Driver qualification files include hiring records, training history, and prior violations, which can reveal whether a company knew about a driver's risk before putting them on the road.
Because so much of this evidence can vanish quickly, sending a preservation letter early on matters. This formal notice tells the trucking company and its insurer to hold onto records that might otherwise be routinely deleted or overwritten.
What a Claim Typically Covers
Compensation in these cases generally falls into a few categories: medical expenses, lost income, property damage, and pain and suffering. Because commercial truck crashes tend to involve more serious injuries than typical car accidents, given the size and weight difference between vehicles, claims often need to account for long-term care, ongoing rehabilitation, or a reduced ability to work going forward.
Every case is different, and the value of a claim depends heavily on the specific injuries, treatment history, and impact on someone's life and income.
Why These Cases Often Require a Longer, More Prepared Approach
Trucking companies and their insurers don't typically make fast, generous offers in serious crash cases, and being realistic about that from the start makes a difference in how a case gets handled.
At Meyerkord Law Group, we build these cases with the assumption that they may go to trial, which means gathering evidence thoroughly, working with those who can speak to trucking regulations and crash reconstruction, and testing strategies with focus groups before ever sitting down at the negotiating table. That preparation gives us leverage even in cases that ultimately settle, because the other side knows we're not asking to negotiate from a position of hoping for a quick resolution.
Steps to Take After the Crash
- Get medical attention, even if injuries seem minor at first. Some injuries, particularly with the trauma involved in truck collisions, don't show symptoms right away.
- Document the scene with photos of both vehicles, license plates, road conditions, and any visible injuries, if it's safe to do so.
- Get the trucking company's information, not just the driver's insurance card. The name on the truck's door or trailer often points to the company that employs the driver.
- Avoid giving a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurer before speaking with someone who can advise on what to say.
- Keep records of everything, including medical bills, missed work, and any communication from insurance adjusters.
A Dedicated Partnership Focused on Your Recovery
Meyerkord Law Group is a boutique personal injury firm based in Chesterfield, serving clients throughout the St. Louis region, Missouri, Illinois, and beyond. Led by attorney Geoff Meyerkord alongside his family and a close-knit team, the firm was built on the idea that injured people deserve more than a case number and a rushed settlement offer.
Cases are handled with personal attention from the attorneys themselves, and the firm's trial record gives it the standing to push back when insurers offer less than a case is worth. Consultations are free and available virtually, and the team is reachable 24/7, including nights and weekends, because injuries don't wait for business hours. Cases are handled on contingency, meaning there's no fee unless the firm recovers on a client's behalf, and the firm has recovered more than $10 million for clients to date.
You can review outcomes from past cases on our case results page, and hear directly from people we've represented on our testimonials page.
Talk to Meyerkord Law Group About Your Crash
Being hit by a commercial truck brings a level of complexity that most people haven't dealt with before, from federal trucking regulations to insurers with far more resources than the average driver's policy. Understanding what's ahead, and having someone review the details of your crash early, can affect how the rest of the process unfolds.
If you or someone you love was injured by a commercial truck, contact Meyerkord Law Group online or call (314) 500-6000 today for a free consultation to talk through what happened and what your options look like.