There Can Be Multiple Defendants in Drunk Driving Truck Accident Cases
When a truck driver chooses to use alcohol while on the job, the results can be devastating. Loss of life is a common occurrence in truck accident scenes that have involved a drunk truck driver. When inebriated truck drivers choose to endanger the public safety, they are engaging in some of the riskiest behavior that commercial truck drivers can do. When you or a loved one has been involved in such an accident, you’re likely in need of compensation for either your injury or loss. San Antonio truck accident attorney Michael Grossman explains the common occurrence of multiple liable parties in a drunk driving accident case and why it’s important to identify all liable parties so that you can stand to receive full and fair compensation for your loss or injury.
Drunk driving truck accidents have one obvious defendant: the drunk truck driver. However, are you aware that there is likely more than one liable party that should also be held at fault for the results of a drunk driving truck accident? In addition to the drunk truck driver, the driver’s employer can likely also be held liable for their employer’s negligent behavior. In Texas, the legal notion of “respondeat superior” holds that the employer is responsible for their employees’ actions. As such, they can be an additional defendant in such a case.
Furthermore, since the truck driver was drunk, a case can likely be staked against the bar, restaurant, or other alcohol-serving establishment for being a proximate cause of the drunk driving accident. Under Texas dram shop law, these establishments can be held responsible for their negligence in allowing a patron to leave their premises while intoxicated, or for even serving these patrons to the point where their blood alcohol content level exceeds the legal limit of .08%. If an alcohol-serving establishment can be proven to have been negligent in their duties towards a patron and towards the general public, they can be yet another defendant in a drunk driving truck accident.
Identifying all liable parties in a drunk driving accident is important because each liable party will be held responsible for their fair share of awarding you compensation should their negligence have led to, or been a part of, the truck accident. The laws in your particular jurisdiction may differ from those in Texas, so it’s important that, if you or a loved one have been in a truck accident caused by a drunk driver, you contact experienced legal help that can guide you towards your proper legal options depending upon the specifics of your case and your particular jurisdiction. An experienced attorney will be able to find all liable parties so that they can be held accountable for their negligence, and so that you can stand to receive full compensation for your injury.