North Carolina Attorney for Commercial Vehicle Accidents
North Carolina Statute § 20-4.01(3d) defines a commercial motor vehicle as any of the following vehicles used or designed to transport property or passengers:
- A Class A motor vehicle weighing a minimum of 26,001 pounds and including a towed unit weighing at least 10,001 pounds.
- A Class B motor vehicle, defined under North Carolina Statute § 20-4.01(2b) as being a single motor vehicle weighing at least 26,001 pounds or a combination of vehicles of the same weight with a towed unit weighing at least 10,001 pounds.
- A Class C motor vehicle (defined under North Carolina Statute § 20-4.01(2c) as a single motor vehicle not included in Class B or a combination of motor vehicles not included in Class A or Class B) that is designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver, or transports hazardous materials requiring to be placarded.
In general, a commercial vehicle is usually much larger than a traditional passenger vehicle. As a result, crashes involving commercial vehicles have the potential to cause injuries which are much more serious than most common collisions.
In several cases, victims suffer fatal injuries. The families of people who have suffered catastrophic or fatal injuries can have their entire lives turned upside down. Need an Injury Lawyer North Carolina helps people harmed in commercial vehicle accidents obtain compensation for the various damages caused.
Types of Commercial Vehicles in North Carolina
While commercial trucks are perhaps the most common kind of commercial vehicle that most people see in North Carolina, several other types of automobiles can be considered commercial vehicles. In such cases, the owners are required to maintain insurance policies that usually have significantly larger limits than standard automobile insurance policies.
A few of the different kinds of commercial vehicles in North Carolina include, but are not limited to:
- Commercial buses
- Construction or excavation vehicles
- Hospitality vans or shuttle vehicles
- Cement mixers
- Limousines
- Delivery vans
- Tow trucks
- Garbage trucks
- Refrigerated trucks
- Courier vehicles
- Tank trucks
- Agricultural trucks
- Flatbed trucks
- Pump trucks
- Catering trucks
Steps to Take After a North Carolina Commercial Vehicle Accident
In many cases, the drivers of commercial vehicles may be responsible for causing crashes, but rarely have enough personal insurance or financial resources to fully compensate victims. Fortunately, the drivers are rarely the owners of such vehicles.
The persons or entities who are the owners of commercial vehicles, hired the drivers of such vehicles, or maintained them, can also bear liability in these accidents. An experienced personal injury lawyer will be able to identify all possible parties that bear responsibility for your injuries.
The first thing any person should do after a crash involving a commercial vehicle is seek medical attention. Even when an individual does not think he or she sustained any injuries or that the injuries are not particularly severe, it is still important to go to a hospital to create a medical record.
Not only do some serious injuries involve symptoms that do not appear until much later, but insurers for the commercial vehicles will use any victim’s failure to seek immediate medical care against him or her. Delays will be interpreted as injuries not being as serious as victims claim.
Victims should also avoid speaking to anybody about their experiences until they have legal representation. As a pure contributory negligence state, any admission of fault by a victim could possibly prohibit him or her from recovering compensation. For this reason, it is critical to contact a North Carolina personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
Get a Free Consultation
Need an Injury Lawyer North Carolina is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer your legal questions. We will provide a free, no obligation consultation that will allow our personal injury lawyers to review your case and discuss all of your legal options.
Our firm handles commercial vehicle accident cases on a contingency fee basis. This means that you do not pay us anything unless you get a financial award.