How Trucking Companies Try to Avoid Responsibility After a Crash

Truck accidents can be complex to resolve – especially with large corporations who are concerned about their bottom line. Contact Abeyta Nelson trucking attorneys today to discuss your case.

When a collision involves a commercial truck, the consequences can be catastrophic. Victims often suffer life-altering injuries, overwhelming medical expenses, and long-term trauma. Unfortunately, many trucking companies and their insurers are far more interested in protecting their bottom line than doing what’s right. That’s why it’s not uncommon for these companies to employ aggressive tactics to avoid liability, and leave crash victims to pick up the pieces.

Here’s how trucking companies try to dodge responsibility after a crash, and what you can do to protect yourself or a loved one.

1. Delaying the Investigation Clock

Trucking companies often rush to the crash scene, not to help, but to spin the story in their favor. Many deploy “rapid response” teams made up of investigators, attorneys, and insurance adjusters who arrive immediately after a crash. Their goal is to collect evidence that supports the company’s version of events, and sometimes even withhold or destroy evidence that points to the company’s fault.

Meanwhile, victims are often in the hospital or recovering from serious injuries. By the time they consider legal help, the trucking company may have already gathered and filtered the most critical pieces of evidence.

Your Move:

Act fast. Contacting an experienced truck accident attorney as soon as possible ensures an independent investigation is launched on your behalf. At Abeyta Nelson, we’ve secured major settlements by stepping in early to preserve black box data, inspect the truck, and document the scene.

2. Hiding Behind Multiple Corporate Entities

Many trucking companies operate under a web of LLCs, subcontractors, and shell corporations. The driver may work for one company, the truck may be leased from another, and the load may be brokered by a third. This is done intentionally.

By the time a claim is filed, the trucking company might claim:

The driver was an “independent contractor,” not an employee.
They aren’t responsible for the trailer’s maintenance because it’s owned by another company.
The load was arranged by a freight broker who holds the liability.

These layers make it harder for victims to know who to sue and often delay the legal process.

Your Move:

Hire a truck accident attorney familiar with these tactics. We know how to cut through the corporate red tape and hold all responsible parties accountable, from the driver to the trucking company and beyond.

3. Blaming the Victim

One of the most common tactics is to point the finger at the person who was hurt. The trucking company might say:

You stopped too suddenly.
You merged unsafely.
You weren’t wearing a seatbelt.
You were speeding or distracted.

Even when the facts clearly indicate the truck driver was at fault, their legal teams will dig into your driving history, cellphone records, and medical files to try to shift the blame onto you.

Your Move:

Don’t give them ammunition. Let your attorney handle all communications and evidence requests. We’ve successfully represented victims in Yakima and Central Washington who were initially blamed, only to later recover multi-million dollar settlements once the truth came out.

4. Manipulating or Destroying Evidence

Commercial trucks are equipped with electronic logging devices (ELDs) and black boxes that record speed, braking, and hours-of-service data. This data can be key to proving fatigue, distracted driving, or regulatory violations. But here’s the catch: companies can legally destroy or overwrite this data after a short period unless it’s preserved by legal demand.

Some trucking companies have been known to “lose” dash cam footage, erase logs, or conveniently delay data requests until files are no longer recoverable.

Your Move:

Preserve evidence quickly. At Abeyta Nelson, we send spoliation letters right away, legally requiring the trucking company to retain and produce all relevant data or face legal consequences.

5. Lowballing or Denying Claims

Even when the company admits some level of fault, their insurance carrier often makes a lowball offer, or denies the claim entirely. Why? Because they know victims are vulnerable. They may be out of work, facing medical bills, and desperate for any financial help.

We’ve seen it all, from a trucking company offering a few thousand dollars for injuries that required spinal surgery, to an insurer claiming a victim “recovered fully” despite ongoing paralysis.

Your Move:

Never accept a settlement without legal advice. Our firm secured $4.264 million for a young man who became paraplegic after a multi-truck pileup on icy I-90 near Ellensburg, WA. That’s the power of experienced legal representation in the face of denial and delay.

6. Violating Federal Safety Rules

Truck drivers and their employers are bound by strict federal rules:

Hours-of-service limits (to prevent fatigue)
Mandatory drug and alcohol testing
Vehicle maintenance and inspection logs
Proper loading and weight restrictions

Yet, many trucking companies cut corners. Some push drivers to falsify logs. Others skip maintenance to save money. And when disaster strikes, they often try to cover up these violations.

Your Move:

Dig deeper. We’ve handled numerous cases where the key to winning wasn’t what happened at the crash, but what happened in the weeks and months leading up to it.

7. Dragging the Case Out

Finally, trucking companies know that time is on their side. The longer they delay your case, the more desperate you may become. They bank on your frustration and financial pressure wearing you down.

They might:

Refuse to answer discovery
File unnecessary motions
Ask for repeated delays in court
Refuse mediation until the eve of trial

Your Move:

Stay the course. We’ve taken on national trucking companies with deep pockets and no shame. And we’ve won. Like in the case where a Wapato man recovered $2.5 million after a collision with an 18-wheeler left him with serious injuries.

Hire Reliable Truck Accident Attorneys in Yakima

Trucking companies may be well-funded and well-defended, but they’re not above the law. If you or a loved one has been injured in a crash involving a commercial truck, know this: You don’t have to face them alone.

At Abeyta Nelson Injury Law, we have decades of experience holding powerful defendants accountable. With over $367 million recovered for clients across Central Washington, including the largest personal injury settlements in Yakima, Kittitas, Grant and Franklin Counties, we know what it takes to win.

Let us protect your future, while you focus on healing.

Call 509-575-1588 today for a free consultation.