Commercial Vehicle Accident FAQs

What counts as a commercial vehicle in Kentucky?

Any vehicle a business owns, leases, or operates for work, semis and tractor-trailers, box and straight trucks, delivery vans, work and fleet trucks, buses and shuttles, dump trucks, and tankers. What matters for your claim is that the vehicle was being used for business when the crash happened, because that brings the company and its commercial insurance into the case.

Who can be held responsible after a commercial vehicle crash?

Often more than one party. Beyond the driver, that can include the employer or vehicle owner (under respondeat superior), a separate motor carrier or contractor, a maintenance vendor, or a cargo loader. Kentucky uses pure comparative fault under KRS 411.182, so responsibility can be split among several parties, and each one's insurance may be reachable.

How is a commercial vehicle claim different from a regular car accident claim?

Three ways: there are usually multiple defendants, the insurance policies are larger (which means a more aggressive defense), and the key proof, driver logs, black-box data, maintenance and employment files, sits with the company and can be overwritten on a schedule. These cases reward early, aggressive evidence preservation.

What should I do after a commercial vehicle crash?

Get medical care and follow through on it, report the crash, and photograph the scene and the vehicle markings (company name, DOT number) if you safely can. Then talk to a lawyer quickly, a spoliation letter needs to go out before logs, footage, and telematics are recycled.

How long do I have to file a claim in Kentucky?

Kentucky's Motor Vehicle Reparations Act (KRS 304.39-230) generally gives two years from the crash or from the last basic reparation (PIP) payment, whichever is later. Other deadlines can apply depending on the facts and the parties involved, so the safe move is to confirm yours with a lawyer early rather than assume. See our Kentucky statute of limitations guide.

What does it cost to hire Sam Aguiar for a commercial vehicle case?

Nothing up front. We work on contingency, $0 Out-Of-Pocket Forever, and you only pay if we win. On top of that, the Bigger Share Guarantee® means you keep a bigger share of the recovery.