Maine Revised Statute Title 29-A Section 101.17 defines a commercial motor vehicle as a motor vehicle or combination of motor vehicles used in commerce to transport passengers or property if the motor vehicle:
- Has a gross combination weight rating of 26,001 or more pounds inclusive of a towed unit or units with a gross weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds;
- Is a bus;
- Is of any size and is used in the transportation of any materials that have been designated as hazardous under Title 49 United States Code, Section 5103 and require placarding under the federal Hazardous Materials Transportation Act and related regulations in Title 49 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 172, Subpart F or any quantity of a material listed as a select agent or toxin in Title 42 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 73; or
- Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross vehicle weight of 26,001 or more pounds.
Commercial vehicles are, quite simply, much larger than standard passenger vehicles. When a commercial driver causes a crash in Maine, everybody involved is much more likely to suffer very serious injuries.
Types of commercial vehicles in Maine
Commercial trucks, or 18-wheelers, are perhaps the most common and recognizable type of commercial motor vehicles on roads in Maine. Several other kinds of commercial vehicles can also be responsible for deadly crashes, including:
- Agricultural trucks
- Catering trucks
- Cement mixers
- Commercial buses
- Construction or excavation vehicles
- Courier vehicles
- Delivery vans
- Flatbed trucks
- Garbage trucks
- Hospitality vans or shuttle vehicles
- Limousines
- Pump trucks
- Refrigerated trucks
- Tank trucks
- Tow trucks
In many cases, commercial vehicles have insurance policies with much higher limits than passenger vehicles. The companies that own these vehicles understand the potential liability they can have when one of their drivers is responsible for a crash, which is why they frequently have agents at the scenes of accidents as soon as possible to minimize the amount of any possible injury claim.
What should you do if you’ve been in an accident involving a commercial vehicle?
If you are involved in any kind of crash caused by a commercial motor vehicle, the first thing you should do is seek medical attention—even if you do not think that you were hurt. Avoiding or delaying medical care is certain to be used against you by the commercial vehicle’s insurance company.
If the agents for the owner of a commercial motor vehicle or its insurance company contact you, it is in your best interest to avoid making any kind of recorded statement. Do not sign any kind of paperwork without having an experienced personal injury lawyer review it first.
Finally, you should attempt to preserve any evidence from the crash that you can. Try to take pictures or have someone else take photographs of the accident scene for you. No attorney will ever tell you that you took too many pictures.
Contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
You should not delay in contacting Need an Injury Attorney Maine. Our personal injury lawyers have years of experience investigating commercial vehicle crashes, and our firm understands how to prove that a driver or company’s negligence directly resulted in your injuries.
Need an Injury Attorney Maine offers free, no-obligation consultations to review your case. You can call our office 24 hours a day, seven days a week.