A collision with a box truck can leave you facing serious injuries, vehicle damage, and questions about who is responsible.

Unlike many collisions involving only passenger vehicles, determining liability after a box truck wreck may require investigating the commercial driver, the employer, the rental company, multiple insurance policies, and several potentially liable parties.

Whether the truck was a moving truck, rental truck, or delivery vehicle, understanding what to do after the wreck can help protect both your health and your legal rights.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to filing a box truck wreck claim in Louisiana and how a personal injury lawyer can help.

What Is a Box Truck?

A box truck is a medium-duty truck with an enclosed, box-shaped cargo area mounted separately from the cab. These vehicles are used to transport furniture, packages, equipment, and other goods.

Although smaller than tractor-trailers, box trucks are much larger and heavier than passenger vehicles. Their size, longer stopping distances, and larger blind spots make them more difficult to operate safely.

Many also spend much of their time traveling through neighborhoods, business districts, and other congested areas while making deliveries, increasing the risk of serious wrecks.

Common examples include:

  • U-Haul rental trucks
  • Penske moving trucks
  • Budget truck rental vehicles
  • Amazon delivery trucks
  • FedEx delivery trucks
  • UPS delivery trucks
  • Box trucks operated by contractors and local businesses

Many rental trucks are driven by people with little or no experience operating large commercial-style vehicles, increasing the likelihood of collisions.

Common Causes of Box Truck Wrecks

Understanding why these crashes happen can also help identify who may be legally responsible.

Some of the most common causes include:

  • Driver inexperience operating a large vehicle
  • Distracted driving
  • Driver fatigue
  • Speeding
  • Unsafe lane changes
  • Failure to check large blind spots
  • Improperly loaded or overloaded cargo
  • Poor vehicle maintenance, including worn tires or defective brakes

Delivery drivers may also face pressure to meet tight schedules, while rental truck drivers may underestimate the extra stopping distance and turning space these vehicles require.

What to Do After a Box Truck Accident

If you’ve been involved in a box truck wreck, taking the right steps immediately afterward can help protect your safety and preserve important evidence.

Step 1: Get to Safety and Call 911

If possible, move to a safe location away from traffic and call 911 immediately.

Police officers can:

  • Secure the scene of the wreck
  • Assist anyone who is injured
  • Investigate the crash
  • Prepare an official police report

That report often becomes an important piece of evidence during an insurance claim.

Step 2: Seek Medical Attention

Even if you feel okay after the collision, it’s important to be evaluated by a medical professional. Some injuries, including concussions, soft tissue injuries, and internal injuries, may not cause symptoms immediately.

Prompt medical treatment also creates records that connect your injuries to the wreck.

Step 3: Gather Evidence at the Scene

If you can safely do so, collect as much information as possible before leaving the scene.

Helpful evidence includes:

  • Photographs of all vehicles involved
  • Damage to each vehicle
  • Skid marks and roadway conditions
  • Traffic signs or signals
  • Weather conditions
  • Cargo that spilled or shifted
  • Nearby surveillance or dashcam footage
  • The truck’s company name, logo, or USDOT number if displayed
  • Whether the vehicle is a rental truck (look for U-Haul, Penske, Budget, or similar branding)

Identifying whether the truck is a rental vehicle may affect who can be held responsible for the crash.

Step 4: Exchange Information

Collect contact and insurance information from everyone involved.

Try to obtain:

  • The driver’s name and contact information
  • Driver’s license information
  • Insurance information
  • Employer information if the driver was working
  • Contact information for any witnesses

Avoid discussing who caused the wreck or apologizing, as these statements may later be used against you.

Step 5: Notify Your Insurance Company

Report the wreck to your insurance company as soon as reasonably possible.

Depending on the circumstances, multiple insurance policies may be available after a box truck wreck. Coverage could include the driver’s personal policy, a commercial liability policy, an employer’s insurance, a rental truck company’s coverage, or your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage.

When speaking with any insurance company:

  • Stick to the basic facts.
  • Avoid speculating about what happened.
  • Do not admit fault.
  • Be cautious before giving a recorded statement, especially to the other driver’s insurer.

Step 6: Save Important Documents

Keeping organized records can strengthen your claim.

Important documents include:

  • The police report
  • Medical records
  • Medical bills
  • Prescription receipts
  • Photographs and videos
  • Vehicle repair estimates
  • Insurance correspondence
  • Documentation of lost wages
  • Receipts for out-of-pocket expenses related to the wreck

These records help demonstrate both your financial losses and the impact the crash has had on your life.

Who May Be Liable for a Box Truck Wreck?

Unlike many passenger vehicle collisions, multiple parties may share responsibility for a box truck wreck.

Depending on the circumstances, potentially liable parties may include:

Potentially Responsible Party Possible Basis for Liability
Box Truck Driver Negligent driving, speeding, distraction, or fatigue
Driver’s Employer Driver was working at the time of the crash
Rental Truck Company Negligent maintenance or other legal responsibility under the circumstances
Vehicle Manufacturer Defective vehicle or defective parts
Maintenance Company or Mechanic Improper inspection or negligent repairs

Determining liability often requires reviewing maintenance records, rental agreements, driver qualifications, company policies, and other evidence.

Because businesses involved in commercial vehicle wrecks may possess important evidence, acting promptly can be critical. Vehicle inspection and maintenance records, electronic data, surveillance footage, and other evidence may be lost or overwritten if not promptly preserved.

How Louisiana’s Fault Law Can Affect Your Claim

Louisiana follows an at-fault (tort) system, meaning the party responsible for causing the wreck is generally responsible for the damages.

Louisiana follows a modified comparative negligence rule. Under Louisiana Civil Code article 2323, injured plaintiffs who are 51% or more at fault cannot recover damages, while those who are 50% or less at fault may recover damages reduced by their percentage of fault.

Because insurance companies often try to shift blame onto injured victims, carefully preserving evidence and thoroughly investigating the crash can be critical to protecting your claim.

An Experienced Louisiana Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help

An experienced personal injury attorney can investigate the wreck, identify all potentially liable parties, secure critical evidence, negotiate with insurance companies, and pursue the full compensation available under Louisiana law.

At Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers, we’ve been helping injured Louisianans since 2009. If you’ve been hurt in a box truck, rental truck, or delivery truck wreck, contact our team today for a free, no-obligation consultation.

Disclaimer: This content has been reviewed by Chad Lederman, Director of Legal Operations at our New Orleans office.