Personal Injury — Trucking Accidents
Colorado Trucking Accident Attorney
When a semi-truck or tractor-trailer crashes into a passenger vehicle, the results are catastrophic. Trucking companies investigate immediately to protect themselves — you need an experienced attorney in your corner just as fast. Call Jason Savela for a free consultation.
5,190+
people killed in U.S. trucking accidents in a single year
116,000+
people injured in trucking crashes annually
91%
of fatalities in truck-car collisions are the car occupants
6 months
is all trucking companies are required to keep many records — act immediately
Why Trucking Accidents Are Different
Every day on Colorado's roads and highways, semi-truck accidents claim lives and cause irreparable injuries. Due to size disparities and basic laws of physics, any collision between a commercial truck and a passenger vehicle is likely to result in serious injuries and significant property damage. Semi-truck accidents are likely to cause especially serious injuries and resulting disabilities, including severe broken bones, loss of limbs, spinal cord injuries, paraplegia, quadriplegia, loss of cognitive functioning, and severe brain injury. Truck accidents often result in wrongful death. Unlike a standard car accident, trucking cases involve federal regulations, multiple potentially liable parties, and an industry that moves fast to protect itself after a crash.
Common Causes of Trucking Accidents
Driver Fatigue
Federal law limits how many hours a trucker can drive without rest — but drivers and carriers routinely falsify logs. A tired driver is one of the most dangerous forces on the highway.
Inadequate Training
Drivers must be trained in safe operations, braking, skid control, hazard perception, emergency maneuvers, and cargo management. Failure to properly train creates direct liability for both the driver and the carrier.
Improper Loading / Overloading
Overloaded or improperly secured cargo shifts during transit, alters the truck's center of gravity, and can cause rollovers or jackknifes. Drivers must inspect cargo every 150 miles.
Poor Vehicle Maintenance
Drivers must perform pre-trip and post-trip inspections covering brakes, tires, steering, suspension, exhaust, and fluid systems. Carriers must repair any reported defect before the truck returns to the road.
Drugs and Alcohol
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations impose a zero-tolerance alcohol policy — the legal limit is zero, and no alcohol within 4 hours of going on duty. Drug prohibitions extend to any substance that impairs driving, including prescription medications.
Distracted Driving
Cell phone use, inattention, and other distractions are among the leading causes of truck crashes. A distracted driver at highway speed in a 40-ton rig has almost no ability to stop in time.
Speeding and Aggressive Driving
Heavy trucks have significantly reduced braking efficiency compared to passenger vehicles. A speeding truck driver has far less ability to avoid a collision, and the resulting impact is exponentially more destructive.
Blind Spot Failures
Large trucks have significant blind spots — the left rear quarter, right front quarter, and directly behind. Drivers who fail to account for these no-zones create deadly hazards for surrounding traffic.
Federal Regulations That Create Liability
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) governs commercial trucks and the companies that operate them. These regulations create specific, enforceable duties — and violations of those duties are powerful evidence of negligence.
Hours of Service Rules
Federal law strictly limits how many hours a driver can operate without mandatory rest. Drivers must keep detailed logs of all hours driven. Falsified logs — a common practice — are a major source of liability and can be exposed through careful audit of the log against toll records, fuel receipts, GPS data, and delivery timestamps.
Pre-Trip and Post-Trip Inspections
Drivers must inspect their vehicle before and after every trip, checking brakes, tires, steering, suspension, exhaust, and cargo. Any defect must be reported to dispatch and corrected before the truck returns to service. A carrier that permits a driver to operate a defective vehicle is independently liable.
Cargo Securement
Drivers must inspect cargo and securing devices at the start of every trip and every 150 miles thereafter. Improperly secured loads that shift, fall, or cause a rollover create liability for both the driver and the carrier.
Driver Qualification and Background Checks
Carriers must obtain background information on every driver before hiring. A carrier that fails to investigate a driver's history — prior accidents, license suspensions, drug violations — can be held independently negligent for putting an unqualified driver on the road.
Drug and Alcohol Testing
Carriers must implement drug and alcohol testing programs. A carrier that fails to test, fails to act on a positive test, or allows a driver with a known substance problem to continue operating faces significant independent liability.
Record Keeping
Carriers that fail to prepare or maintain required records — or that maintain false, incomplete, or inaccurate records — are subject to civil proceedings by the FMCSA and face fines. These records are critical evidence in any trucking accident case.
Who Can Be Held Responsible
Trucking accident cases often involve multiple defendants. An experienced attorney will identify every potentially liable party and pursue all available theories of recovery.
The Truck Driver
The driver is directly liable for negligent operation — speeding, fatigue, distraction, impairment, failure to inspect, and violations of federal safety regulations.
The Trucking Company (Carrier)
As the driver's employer, the carrier is liable under respondeat superior for the driver's negligence. The carrier also has independent duties to hire qualified drivers, maintain vehicles, enforce hours-of-service rules, and ensure regulatory compliance.
The Trailer Owner
If the trailer is owned separately from the tractor, the trailer owner may be independently liable for defects in the trailer, improper maintenance, or cargo securement failures.
The Shipper or Cargo Owner
A shipper who improperly loaded, overloaded, or failed to secure cargo may share liability for a crash caused by shifting or falling freight.
The Truck or Parts Manufacturer
If a defective component — brakes, tires, steering, or other systems — contributed to the crash, the manufacturer may be liable under product liability theories.
Independent Contractors
When the driver was an independent contractor rather than a direct employee, additional legal theories may establish carrier liability. The FMCSA regulations create obligations on carriers regardless of the driver's employment classification.
Critical Evidence — and Why You Must Act Fast
Trucking companies are only required to maintain many records for six months. Their investigators arrive at the scene immediately. Every day you wait is a day evidence disappears.
- Driver's log for the day of the accident and six months prior
- Truck inspection reports and maintenance records
- Driver personnel and employment records, including background check
- Drug and alcohol test results
- Dispatch tickets and routing instructions
- Toll records, fuel receipts, and GPS data (used to audit driver logs)
- Weight bills, scale receipts, and cargo securement records
- Electronic Control Module (black box) data recording speed, braking, and hours
- Dashcam and surveillance footage from the crash scene
- The carrier's accident investigation report
What to Do After a Trucking Accident
Report the accident immediately
Call 911. Do not leave the scene. Wait for law enforcement and ensure an official police report is filed. Get the report number.
Do not admit fault or apologize
Do not say anything about fault to the truck driver, the carrier's representatives, or insurance adjusters. Even an apology can be used against you.
Seek medical attention immediately
Get evaluated even if you feel fine. Many serious injuries — spinal, neurological, internal — are not immediately apparent. Delayed treatment gives insurers ammunition to dispute your injuries.
Document everything you can
Photograph the scene, all vehicles, road conditions, skid marks, cargo, and your injuries. Get names and contact information for all witnesses.
Do not give statements to the carrier's insurer
The trucking company's insurance adjuster represents the carrier, not you. Do not give a recorded statement, sign any releases, or accept any settlement offer without consulting an attorney.
Call an attorney immediately
Trucking companies deploy investigators within hours of a crash. You need an attorney who can issue preservation letters, secure the truck's black box data, and begin building your case before evidence disappears.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Practice Areas
Trucking companies investigate immediately. Records disappear after 6 months. Call now.
Injured in a Trucking Accident in Colorado?
Trucking companies send investigators to the scene within hours. Every day you wait is a day critical evidence disappears. Call Jason Savela today for a free consultation. No fee unless we recover for you.
Call (720) 821-1001