Truck Wreck Cases
Reviewed by Larry Forman, Attorney.
Commercial truck drivers are held to stricter alcohol and drug rules than anyone else on the road. When a trucker drives impaired anyway, the crash can be catastrophic, and the trucking company’s own testing and hiring records often show whether the warning signs were there. Related reading: Why You Should 100% Always Refuse the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests and Breath and Blood Tests.
An impaired-driver case often becomes a case against the company too. We look at whether the carrier:
A company can be liable for its driver’s negligence on the job and for its own negligent hiring, retention and supervision. See trucking company liability and the carrier’s FMCSA safety record.
Kentucky allows punitive damages when a defendant acted with gross negligence (KRS 411.184). Driving a heavy truck impaired is the kind of conduct that can support them, and a company that knowingly kept an impaired driver on the road can face them too. See Kentucky punitive damages.
Get medical care, open your PIP claim, and don’t give the trucking company’s insurer a recorded statement. Test results, logs and video can disappear, so the trucking company should get a preservation letter quickly. See what to do after a truck accident. Kentucky uses pure comparative fault (KRS 411.182), and most motor vehicle injury lawsuits must be filed within two years after the injury or the last PIP payment, whichever is later (KRS 304.39-230(6)).
We represent injured people and families, not drivers facing charges. A criminal case against the trucker is separate from your civil claim, and your claim doesn’t depend on a conviction. Larry Forman has tried 50+ jury trials and won 95% of them. See our drunk driver accident lawyer and truck accident lawyer pages.
A commercial driver can’t perform safety-sensitive work at an alcohol concentration of 0.04 or higher under federal rules (49 CFR 382.201), half the limit for other drivers.
After qualifying crashes, including any fatal crash, yes. The alcohol test must be done within 8 hours and the drug test within 32 hours (49 CFR 382.303).
Often, yes. The company is generally responsible for its driver’s negligence on the job and can be liable for its own negligent hiring, testing or supervision.
No. Your civil claim is separate from any criminal case and uses a different standard of proof.
Tell us what happened. We’ll explain your options and what to do next. The consultation is free.
Get a free case evaluation or call 502-931-6788. Our office is at 1139 S. 4th St., Louisville, KY 40203.
This page is general information about Kentucky law as of October 2026, not legal advice. Every case is different.
