Truck drivers perform a difficult role. It stands to reason that any job where you’re driving for many hours every day – drivers can legally be on the road for up to 11 hours – increases the possibility of getting into an accident. This compares to someone who may only commute 30 minutes to work and back, and so is less vulnerable to a potential accident caused by themselves or another driver.
Here are 4 reasons why truck drivers might need a lawyer.
1. Getting Into an Accident
A truck driver that is running their route and gets into a vehicle collision is in for a world of hurt. Maybe they’ve been injured in the accident, but they could also now have legal troubles too.
If another driver has been injured or their vehicle damaged, then they may well seek compensation for their medical bills and/or vehicle damage. It’s sensible when getting into an accident to hire one of the lawyers that represent truck drivers. That way, the situation can be managed from the get-go and a worse situation is avoided.
2. Dispute with Another Driver Got Physical
Sometimes road rage happens to you and other times, you’re the one who allowed themselves to become irate over a situation.
Being overly tired due to poor sleep or driving for too long between breaks may result in having a short fuse. This is admittedly more likely to affect truckers who pull a 10-hour shift on the road. But someone else can be having a bad day too.
The road rage could have gotten physical, either in retaliation to provocation or caused the trucker to need to defend themselves from a physical attack. Then the police get called and the trucker needs a lawyer badly.
3. Someone is Claiming Their Truck Hit Them When It Did Not
There are people in life who like to play the victim rather than put the work in. Unfortunately, people can become prey to these kinds of bad actors. Given that truckers usually work for major transportation companies perceived to have deep pockets, it can give some people the wrong ideas.
As a result, a trucker can have a false claim made against them. Another driver could have old vehicle damage and try to suggest that the truck impacted their vehicle today. This means the driver needs to defend against the false accusation.
A lawyer and their experts can point out that no paint transfer occurred during the supposed collision or that there’s no damage to the truck either. This can make a potential legal case go away quickly.
4. Driver Was Stopped for a Potential DUI
When stopped and being given a field sobriety test, a trucker can be detained for a suspected DUI.
Given that losing their license will end their driving career, it’s a profoundly serious matter. To get it handled better in pursuit of the best possible outcome, a lawyer should be hired with experience in trucking and/or DUI cases.
While getting into an accident is still the most common reason for a trucker needing to hire a lawyer, it’s certainly not the only one. So, it’s always smart to have the details of a lawyer handy in case they’re suddenly needed.