When is a Manufacturing Company Liable for a Truck Accident?

Truck manufacturers have a critical responsibility to ensure their vehicles and products are safe and perform up to a certain standard. If components and parts do not function properly, they can cause serious truck accidents that can lead to injuries or even death. Determining when a manufacturing company is liable for a truck accident requires understanding the complex factors behind the crash, such as design defects, product safety failures, and mechanical malfunctions. If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck accident and suspect that defective parts played a role, contacting an experienced truck accident lawyer can help you pursue justice.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 566,000 accidents involved large trucks in 2021. In a 2006 Large Truck Causation Study by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), brake problems were present in 30% of the trucks studied between 2001-2003 and three-quarters of the crash-involved trucks had vehicle defects identified during a post-crash inspection. While multiple parties can be held liable in a truck accident, manufacturing companies, designers, or other companies in the chain of distribution can be held responsible for an accident.

What Are the Different Types of Product Defects?

The most common defects in large trucks result from design and manufacturing defects within critical components that if not functioning properly, can significantly increase the risk of truck accidents.

• Manufacturing Defects: These defects occur at the factory when an error in the manufacturing process occurs and leads a product to have a very dangerous design flaw that leads to injury or illness. Examples of manufacturing defects include faulty wiring or parts that were not created properly.
• Design Defects: Occurring long before a product undergoes manufacturing, design defects stem from flaws in the way the product is intended to be built that cause it to be dangerous and defective. For example, a tire tread with a pattern that is not suitable for heavy loads and high speeds leads to the risk of blowouts – even when the tire is used as intended.
• Failure to Provide Adequate Warning or Instructions: Sufficient warnings about potential risks and proper usage instructions are required to be provided by manufacturers. A failure to warn in trucking may involve not alerting users about load limits, maintenance intervals for critical parts, and operational quirks that compromise the truck’s safety on the road.

Proving a Defective Product Claim

A series of evidential support is needed to prove that a product liability occurred. Working with a skilled attorney can help you gain access to the resources and legal knowledge you need. To prove a defective product claim, there are four critical elements necessary to establish liability:

1. Duty of Care Owed by the At-Fault Entity – Designers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers have a duty of care to create defect-free products that include clear warnings and instructions to promote safe use.
2. Proof of Defect Prior to Product Use – Evidence such as approval on a defective design blueprint or an auto parts expert witness can help establish that the product had a defect when it left the at-fault entities’ control.
3. Expected Reasonable Use of the Product – It is necessary to demonstrate that you used the product in a manner consistent with how a reasonable consumer would or as the at-fault party could reasonably predict.
4. Establish a Direct Link Between the Defect and Injury – You must prove that you suffered an injury as a direct result of the manufacturing defect, design defect, or lack of adequate warning using medical records and testimony from expert witnesses.

Contact Our Bakersfield Truck Accident Attorneys to Help

Working with highly experienced truck accident and auto defect attorneys who understand how to identify all potentially liable individuals and entities will help you to secure comprehensive compensation that covers all your needs. Daniel Rodriguez, founder and president of Rodriguez & Associates, brings more than thirty years of experience as a personal injury lawyer and trial attorney to every case. His engineering background provides a unique advantage in understanding and analyzing the technical aspects of truck accidents to identify critical issues related to defective products and manufacturing flaws. This technical insight allows our firm to quickly grasp the causes and effects of truck accidents and the consequences of these complex cases.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, it is crucial to seek legal support from a highly experienced personal injury attorney. Contact one of our Bakersfield auto defect lawyers today to help you get the justice you deserve and receive comprehensive compensation that covers all of your needs.