Commercial Vehicle Accidents in Vermont
Vermont defines a commercial motor vehicle as any vehicle used to transport persons or property that weighs 10,001 pounds or more when involved in intrastate commerce or 26,001 pounds or more when involved in interstate commerce. A vehicle that is used to transport 16 or more passengers or hazardous material requiring placarding is also considered a commercial vehicle in Vermont.
Commercial vehicles are, quite simply, much larger than standard passenger vehicles. When a commercial driver causes a crash in Vermont, everybody involved is much more likely to suffer very serious injuries.
Types of commercial vehicles in Vermont
Commercial trucks, or 18-wheelers, are perhaps the most common and recognizable type of commercial motor vehicles on roads in Vermont. Several other kinds of commercial vehicles can also be responsible for deadly crashes, including:
- Agricultural trucks
- Catering trucks
- Cement mixers
- Commercial buses
- Construction or excavation vehicles
- Courier vehicles
- Delivery vans
- Flatbed trucks
- Garbage trucks
- Hospitality vans or shuttle vehicles
- Limousines
- Pump trucks
- Refrigerated trucks
- Tank trucks
- Tow trucks
In many cases, commercial vehicles have insurance policies with much higher limits than passenger vehicles. The companies that own these vehicles understand the potential liability they can have when one of their drivers is responsible for a crash, which is why they frequently have agents at the scenes of accidents as soon as possible to minimize the amount of any possible injury claim.
What should you do if you’ve been in an accident involving a commercial vehicle?
If you are involved in any kind of crash caused by a commercial motor vehicle, the first thing you should do is seek medical attention—even if you do not think that you were hurt. Avoiding or delaying medical care is certain to be used against you by the commercial vehicle’s insurance company.
If the agents for owner of a commercial motor vehicle or its insurance company contact you, it is in your best interest to avoid making any kind of recorded statement. Do not sign any kind of paperwork without having an experienced personal injury lawyer review it first.
Finally, you should attempt to preserve any evidence from the crash that you can. Try to take pictures or have someone else take photographs of the accident scene for you. No attorney will ever tell you that you took too many pictures.
Contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
You should not delay in contacting Need an Injury Lawyer Vermont. Our personal injury lawyers have years of experience investigating commercial vehicle crashes, and our firm understands how to prove that a driver or company’s negligence directly resulted in your injuries.
Need an Injury Lawyer Vermont offers free, no obligation consultations to review your case. You can call our office 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our firm represents clients in Barre, South Burlington, St. Johnsbury, Burlington, Shelburne, Colchester, Swanton, Winooski, Bennington, Northfield, Barre, Brattleboro, St. Albans, Montpelier, Milton, Lyndon, Rutland, Hartford, St. Albans, Rockingham, Newport, Williston, Morristown, Vergennes, Middlebury, Waterbury, Essex, Jericho, and many other surrounding areas.