Looking at your phone—or anything else other than the road ahead of you—while driving can lead to you being too distracted to avoid getting into a catastrophic traffic collision, even if you only glanced down for a moment or two. That danger increases even more if the vehicle you’re operating is a tractor-trailer weighing tens of thousands of pounds, which is why texting while driving is illegal for commercial drivers under both Pennsylvania and United States law.
Nevertheless, many long-haul truckers still choose to act irresponsibly in this way and end up causing serious harm to other people around them as a result. If you’ve recently been injured in a texting and driving truck accident in Allentown, you have help available from respected truck crash lawyers with demanding—and getting—the compensation you deserve for your losses.
Are Trucking Companies Liable for Texting Truckers?
The main person to blame for a typical texting and driving truck wreck in Allentown is whoever was texting and driving in the moments leading up to that wreck. On top of being illegal, texting behind the wheel also qualifies as a violation of the duty of care all drivers have to act responsibly and safely behind the wheel. If you can prove a truck driver was using their phone right before they crashed into you, you have good odds of getting a court to agree with you that the texting trucker is liable to pay for your losses.
You can also often hold trucking companies liable for damages caused by a negligent truck driver that they employ, which can allow you to get much more money out of your claim than you could if you only sue a single truck driver. This is possible because of a legal principle called respondeat superior, which means you can hold employers vicariously liable for misconduct by employees who are acting on the company’s behalf.
Getting Paid Fairly Within Filing Time Limits
Regardless of who’s specifically liable in legal terms for an Allentown texting while driving truck accident, a comprehensive lawsuit or settlement proposal over this sort of wreck can account for all kinds of losses stemming from the incident, including:
- Medical bills
- Loss of life’s pleasures
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma and distress
- Lost working and earning ability
- Car repair or replacement costs and other expenses related to property damage
You need to formally start the legal process sooner rather than later since the statute of limitations for personal injury cases in Pennsylvania typically gives you just two years to file suit after you initially get hurt through someone else’s misconduct.
Talk to an Allentown Attorney About a Texting and Driving Truck Accident Lawsuit
Everyone who drives any kind of motor vehicle in Pennsylvania is expected to keep their focus entirely on driving from the moment they start their engine to the moment they turn it off again. Texting and driving doesn’t just violate that duty of care a trucker is expected to meet, but also makes it much more likely that they will cause a traffic collision with devastating consequences for everyone involved.
Guidance from seasoned legal counsel can be vital to enforcing your right to civil recovery if you’ve been injured through a commercial trucker engaging in this type of negligence. Call today to get started on your claim over a texting and driving truck accident in Allentown.
