Montana Attorney for Commercial Vehicle Accidents
Montana Statute § 61-1-101(8) defines a commercial motor vehicle as a vehicle used in commerce to transport people or property for profit that:
- weighs 26,001 pounds or more;
- is designed to transport at least 16 passengers, including the driver;
- is a school bus; or
- is used to transport hazardous materials.
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 may sustain 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 Montana helps people harmed in commercial vehicle accidents obtain compensation for the various damages caused.
Types of Commercial Vehicles in Montana
While commercial trucks are perhaps the most common kind of commercial vehicle that most people see in Montana, 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 Montana 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 Montana 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. For this reason, it is critical to contact a Montana personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
Get a Free Consultation
Need an Injury Lawyer Montana 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.