Hit by a truck Up North?

Often more than one party. The driver is the obvious one. The motor carrier can be liable for the driver's conduct and separately for its own negligence in hiring, training, supervising, or dispatching. Beyond that, a broker or shipper that pushed an impossible schedule, the company that loaded or secured the cargo, a maintenance or repair contractor, and the manufacturer of a defective brake, tire, or coupling can all bear responsibility. Finding every responsible party is often what separates a small recovery from a full one.

Faster than most people expect. Many carriers dispatch an adjuster or rapid-response investigator to the scene within hours, while the truck, the skid marks, and the debris field are still there. Meanwhile the federal rules only require records of duty status and supporting documents to be kept for six months (49 CFR 395.8(k)) and driver vehicle inspection reports for three months (49 CFR 396.11). A lawyer can send a preservation letter putting the carrier on notice not to destroy that evidence — but only if one is sent in time.

Under 49 CFR 387.9, an interstate for-hire carrier hauling general freight must carry at least $750,000 in public liability coverage. Carriers hauling certain hazardous materials must carry $1 million or $5 million. Those are floors, not ceilings — many carriers carry excess and umbrella layers above the primary policy, and a broker, shipper, or trailer owner may bring additional coverage. Mapping every available layer is one of the most valuable things a lawyer does in a serious truck case.

Yes. If you were in a car, your own no-fault policy generally pays your medical care and wage loss regardless of who caused the crash, subject to the PIP medical level you chose. Separately, you can bring a third-party negligence claim against the truck driver and the motor carrier. If your injury meets the threshold in MCL 500.3135 — serious impairment of body function, permanent serious disfigurement, or death — you can recover for pain and suffering, plus excess economic damages such as wage loss beyond the three-year PIP period and medical costs above your PIP limit.

Often, yes. A citation is one piece of evidence, not the measure of a civil case. Many truck cases are proven with the material police never review: electronic logging data showing the driver was past the eleven-hour limit, a maintenance file showing a brake defect that was reported and never repaired, a driver qualification file showing the carrier hired someone it shouldn't have, or engine control module data showing speed and braking in the seconds before impact.