A Truck Crash Is Not Just a Bigger Car Accident
A collision with an 18-wheeler, tractor-trailer, semi-truck, or other commercial vehicle can leave someone facing serious injuries, extensive medical care, time away from work, and questions that go well beyond what happens after an ordinary car wreck.
Sharpe & Leventis, LLC represents people injured in commercial truck crashes throughout Columbia and surrounding South Carolina communities.
We investigate what happened, identify the parties involved, preserve important evidence, and build the claim around the facts of the collision.
Why Truck Accident Cases Are Different
More Than One Party May Be Responsible
A crash may involve negligence by the truck driver, but the investigation should not stop there. The trucking company, employer, vehicle owner, maintenance contractor, cargo loader, or another business may also have played a role.
Trucking Companies Generate Their Own Records
Commercial trucking operations can produce evidence that does not ordinarily exist in a passenger-car claim, including electronic logging records, driver qualification information, inspection and maintenance records, dispatch information, and vehicle-generated data.
Federal Safety Rules May Apply
Many interstate commercial carriers and drivers are subject to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations governing matters such as driver hours, qualifications, vehicle maintenance, and cargo securement.
The Injuries Can Be Significant
Truck collisions often involve serious medical treatment and long-term losses. That makes it especially important to understand the full effect of the injury before evaluating a claim.
What Should You Do After a Truck Accident?
The trucking company may begin documenting the crash quickly. Injured people should focus first on their health, but several steps can also help preserve useful information.
01
Get Medical Attention
Seek appropriate treatment and follow the recommendations of your healthcare providers.
02
Report the Collision
Make sure law enforcement is contacted and the crash is properly documented.
03
Photograph What You Can
If possible, preserve images or video of:
- The truck and trailer
- Company names and DOT numbers
- Vehicle damage
- Skid marks and debris
- Road and weather conditions
- Cargo or spilled material
- Your injuries
04
Identify Witnesses
Get contact information from anyone who saw the collision or the truck’s driving behavior beforehand.
05
Be Careful With Early Insurance Communications
A trucking insurer or representative may contact you soon after the crash. Avoid guessing about fault, your injuries, or facts you are unsure about.
06
Consider an Early Investigation
Some trucking records are preserved only for defined periods. For example, FMCSA guidance states that motor carriers generally must retain electronic records of duty status and supporting documents for six months.
Who May Be Responsible for a Truck Accident?
One of the biggest differences between truck and ordinary car-accident claims is the number of potentially responsible parties.
The Truck Driver
A driver may be responsible for conduct such as speeding, distraction, impairment, unsafe lane changes, following too closely, or failing to properly respond to traffic conditions.
The Motor Carrier or Trucking Company
A carrier’s role may need to be investigated when the crash involves driver supervision, qualifications, scheduling, company policies, maintenance, or other operational issues.
The Truck or Trailer Owner
The tractor, trailer, and carrier operating the vehicle are not always owned by the same company.
Maintenance Providers
If faulty brakes, tires, steering components, or another mechanical problem contributed to the crash, maintenance history and responsibility for repairs may become important.
Cargo Loaders or Shippers
Improper loading or securement can affect a truck’s stability and create dangerous conditions. FMCSA rules require cargo to be immobilized or secured using systems capable of keeping it from shifting or falling.
Other Drivers or Businesses
Some collisions involve multiple vehicles or other companies whose conduct also contributed to what happened.
Federal Trucking Rules Can Matter After a Crash
A violation does not automatically decide every liability question, but trucking regulations can help identify what should be investigated.
Hours-of-Service Rules
Federal hours-of-service regulations limit how long covered commercial drivers may drive and remain on duty before taking required rest.
Under the standard rules for property-carrying drivers, the framework generally includes an 11-hour driving limit following 10 consecutive hours off duty and a 14-hour driving window, along with required break rules.
Records from electronic logging devices may help determine how long a driver had been operating before the crash.
Inspection and Maintenance Requirements
Motor carriers must systematically inspect, repair, and maintain commercial vehicles under their control and keep safety-related equipment in proper operating condition.
After a crash involving possible brake, tire, steering, lighting, or other mechanical problems, those records may deserve close review.
Cargo Securement Rules
Federal regulations establish requirements intended to prevent cargo from shifting, becoming unstable, or falling from a commercial vehicle.
Cargo issues can become particularly important in rollover, jackknife, lost-load, and trailer-instability cases.
What Compensation May Be Available?
The value of a truck accident case depends on the injuries, losses, liability evidence, available insurance coverage, and other facts. Potential damages may include:
Medical Expenses
Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, therapy, medications, and related treatment.
Future Medical Care
Serious injuries may require future procedures, rehabilitation, assistive devices, or long-term treatment.
Lost Income
Time away from work may be included in the claim.
Reduced Earning Capacity
Permanent injuries can affect a person’s ability to return to the same work or earn the same income.
Pain and Suffering
The physical and non-economic consequences of the injury may also be considered.
Permanent Disability or Disfigurement
Long-term changes to mobility, independence, appearance, or daily life can significantly affect a claim.
Property Damage
The claim may also involve damage to the vehicle and other personal property.
How Sharpe & Leventis Handles a Truck Accident Claim
01
We Identify the Companies and Parties Involved
We determine who owned, operated, employed, maintained, loaded, or otherwise had responsibility connected to the truck.
02
We Preserve Trucking-Specific Evidence
Where appropriate, we seek records such as logs, driver information, maintenance documents, vehicle data, dispatch records, and other evidence before it becomes harder to obtain.
03
We Investigate How the Crash Happened
We examine the scene, reports, witnesses, vehicle evidence, available electronic information, and circumstances surrounding the collision.
04
We Review the Trucking Operation
When the facts warrant it, we look beyond the driver to issues involving company practices, maintenance, driver qualifications, scheduling, and cargo.
05
We Document the Full Impact of the Injuries
Medical treatment is only part of the picture. We also look at missed work, future needs, permanent limitations, and how the injury has changed daily life.
06
We Deal With the Insurance Companies
Commercial claims can involve multiple insurers and businesses. We handle the injury-related communications and evaluate settlement positions against the evidence.
07
We Prepare the Case for Litigation When Necessary
If the matter cannot be appropriately resolved, we prepare based on the evidence and the parties responsible for the crash.
When Multiple Parties Share Fault
South Carolina’s current apportionment statute permits fault to be allocated among defendants and other tortfeasors in covered cases. The law was substantially amended effective January 1, 2026, for claims arising or accruing after that date.
In a commercial truck case, that may matter when responsibility is disputed among a driver, carrier, maintenance company, loader, another motorist, or other parties.
How Long Do You Have to File a Truck Accident Claim in South Carolina?
Many South Carolina personal injury actions are governed by a
three-year statute of limitations. South Carolina
Code §15-3-530 provides a three-year period for many claims involving injury to a person, and §15-3-535 applies a discovery rule to covered injury actions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a truck accident claim different from a car accident claim?
Often, yes. Commercial truck cases may involve multiple companies, federal safety regulations, trucking-specific records, larger insurance issues, and more complicated questions about who is responsible.
Can the trucking company be responsible even if the driver caused the crash?
Potentially. The relationship between the driver and carrier, as well as the company’s own conduct, can matter. The investigation may include employment relationships, driver qualification, maintenance, supervision, scheduling, and other operational issues.
What is a truck’s “black box”?
People often use “black box” as a general term for electronic vehicle data. Depending on the truck and its systems, engine-control modules, telematics, event data, GPS information, or other electronic records may contain useful information. Not every truck stores the same data.
Why are driver logs important?
Hours-of-service and electronic logging records may help show when the driver was working, driving, and taking required rest periods. Federal law regulates hours of service for covered commercial drivers.
What if several companies were involved with the truck?
That is common in commercial transportation. The tractor, trailer, cargo, driver, carrier, maintenance operation, and shipper may involve different companies. An investigation can determine which entities may have legal responsibility.
Contact Our Columbia Law Firm for a Free Consultation Today.
If you or someone in your family was seriously injured in a collision with a commercial truck, tell Sharpe & Leventis, LLC what happened. We can review the circumstances, answer your questions, and determine what needs to be investigated.