Kelly Links Liability to 125,000 Injuries in Truck Crashes — Car Accident Attorneys
Lawrence M. Kelly says car accident attorneys handling commercial vehicle cases look past the driver first and ask who else can be held liable when a truck crash causes injuries or death. By mid-2025, preliminary data put commercial truck crashes at 125,000 injuries and 1,600 fatal truck crashes.
The scale is paired with a legal shift in who can be sued. The article says liability in commercial vehicle collisions does not automatically fall on the at-fault driver, and that it more often extends to the employer depending on the circumstances.
Lawrence M. Kelly on liability
Kelly’s framing centers on negligence, not just fault. The article says negligence is what is looked at more than fault in these cases, and that companies are almost always named as defendants along with the driver to help secure compensation for injuries.
That approach reflects the resources attached to commercial vehicles. The article says commercial vehicles are covered by higher insurance limits and corporate assets, which changes the way victims or their families in fatal cases pursue personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits.
Commercial truck crash numbers
The injury and fatal-crash figures place commercial vehicle cases in a larger safety picture. The article says commercial vehicle accidents remain a growing portion of all collisions in the U.S., while the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that fatalities dropped 8% from 2024 to 27,365 in 2025.
FMCSA data in the article attributes about 87% of truck collisions to driver error. That leaves investigators looking for violations of federal and state safety standards, especially when a crash involves a commercial carrier rather than a private driver.
Los Angeles crash cases
The article says Los Angeles has some of the most dangerous roads in the country for commercial vehicle crashes. In that setting, crash investigations can shape both civil claims and criminal exposure when the facts involve DUI or reckless driving.
When a commercial crash includes DUI or reckless driving, and especially when it causes a fatality, the article says the driver and the company are likely to face criminal charges. For readers, that means the case can move on two tracks at once: compensation claims against the company and legal exposure for the people involved.
