Increased regulations are among the reasons that truck accidents in Colorado are more complicated than non-commercial vehicle collisions. However, the regulations may also act in your favor when attempting to secure payment for injuries.
These state and federal guidelines impose a more stringent set of rules on commercial drivers then they do on everyday commuters. They could become important to you if you or a loved one was involved in a crash with an 18-wheeler, especially rules set forth by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Here is a brief overview of what this organization does and why it should matter to you if you were involved in commercial vehicle accident negotiations or litigations here in Colorado.
The FMCSA operates a variety of programs meant to make you safer on the road. Therefore, you may be able to find data about the other party to your accidents involvement in previous classes through this federal service. The Safety Measurement System, for example, updates monthly with crash data and investigation reports from the past two years.
another thing to consider is that the owner and operator of the truck involved in your collision would not necessarily have to be the only party liable for your injuries. You could look into the trucking company’s compliance with the FMCSA pre-employment screening program, for example, to determine if the trucking company followed all of the rules needed to do to keep the roads safe.
These types of federal organizations may seem like they complicate matters, but the fact is that their meticulous record-keeping could provide indispensable support for an injury claim you made. However, each situation is different. Please regard this only as background information. It is not meant as legal advice of any kind.