The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reported nearly half a million truck accidents in the United States in 2021, 110,000 of which included injuries.
When fully loaded, a large tractor-trailer can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds—nearly 20 times heavier than the typical passenger vehicle. Due to the sheer size and weight of these large trucks, passenger vehicle occupants are much more likely to suffer catastrophic and even fatal injuries in truck accident collisions.
Your life may be permanently altered after a serious tractor-trailer crash. However, if you’ve been left with medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other lasting damage, a California truck accident lawyer can offer unrivaled legal advocacy to protect your rights. Contact us to schedule a free consultation so that our law firm can begin helping you.
Causes of Trucking Collisions
In our years helping victims navigate the complexities of filing truck accident cases, we have become familiar with the most common causes of truck accidents in our state. While a small number of crashes are caused by passenger vehicles or other drivers, the majority can be traced back to negligence by a trucker or their employer, the trucking company.
Truck Driver Error
Commercial truck drivers must obtain a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and undergo specialized training before they can begin driving. Drivers who haul hazardous materials or who drive trucks with double or triple trailers must also obtain special endorsements on their CDLs.
This is all to say that professional truck drivers are likely more familiar with the hazards of a big rig accident than the average person. Despite this, negligent, reckless, and dangerous behind-the-wheel behavior is a common contributing factor to truck accidents in California, including:
- Drugged or drunk driving
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Driving too fast for the current conditions
- Failing to use turn signals
- Making wide turns
- Running red lights and stop signs
Another significant factor in trucking accident cases is hours of service violations. Federal trucking laws set forth by the FMCSA limit the number of hours a driver can spend behind the wheel and mandate the number and length of breaks a driver must take while on duty. If a driver chooses to violate those Hours of Service (HOS) regulations or is pressured to do so by their employer, they are at a greater risk of causing a trucking accident in California.
Truck Company Negligence
When an attorney investigates a truck accident case, it is not uncommon to uncover:
- Negligent hiring and training practices
- Insufficient maintenance
- Unrealistic delivery or driving schedules
It can be upsetting for a truck accident victim to learn that their serious injuries could have been prevented had a fleet company acted more prudently and within the confines of trucking laws and regulations.
With the backing of an experienced California truck accident lawyer, you can hold negligent trucking companies accountable and seek maximum compensation for your damages. If you’re looking for assistance in deciding whether you have a valid claim, call or email our law firm to speak with a truck accident lawyer now.
Types of Trucking Accidents
There are many different types of truck-involved collisions. Some of the most common types of semi-truck accidents that occur in California that we see in our law firm are:
- Jackknife accidents
- Rollover accidents
- Rear-end and head-on collisions
- Override and underride accidents
- T-bone accidents
- Squeeze play (wide turn) accidents
- Sideswipe accidents
- Tire blowout accidents
Common Tractor-Trailer Collision Injuries
Compared to motor vehicle accidents involving two smaller passenger vehicles, injuries associated with crashes involving a passenger vehicle and a large tractor-trailer tend to be much more severe. In particular, catastrophic personal injuries are much more common in these types of accidents.
Catastrophic Injuries
Catastrophic injuries are classified as those that happen suddenly and without any warning, typically leaving the affected party with severe, life-altering health effects. Most of these injuries occur in the brain, head, skull, spine, spinal cord, neck, or back.
Traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries causing paralysis, and amputations (loss of limb) are all examples of catastrophic injuries that can happen in truck crashes.
Below are additional examples of serious injuries that we frequently help victims seek compensation for in truck accident claims:
- Broken bones and fractures
- Back and neck injuries
- Cuts and lacerations
- Burns
- Internal organ damage
- Disfigurement
- Fatal injuries
A truck crash victim should not be forced to shoulder the financial burden of their injuries on their own. If you’ve suffered a traumatic brain injury or any type of serious physical trauma in an accident involving one or more tractor-trailers, a truck accident lawyer in California can help.
Filing a personal injury claim is essential to your financial health following any kind of wreck.
Psychological Trauma
The psychological trauma associated with a serious truck collision can last a lifetime.
It’s not uncommon for someone who has been injured as a result of trucking industry negligence or misbehavior to fear traveling by vehicle or to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Flashbacks of the accident that force victims to relive their trauma over and over can be disabling.
A truck accident claim that does not consider the psychological trauma a person suffered as the result of being involved in a crash cannot fully address the totality of a victim’s losses and damages.
Wrongful Death
The unexpected and untimely loss of a loved one is a devastating experience. When that wrongful death is the result of a big rig accident, surviving family members are often unable to properly grieve as they deal with things like lost wages, property damage, and even medical expenses incurred during attempts at life-saving care.
If the truck driver involved in your loved one’s fatal accident was behaving in a way that was negligent or reckless at the time of the crash, you may have options to hold both the driver and their employer liable for any resulting economic and noneconomic damages your family has suffered.
Ensuring that negligent drivers and truck companies are held liable for actions that contribute to fatal tractor-trailer crashes is one of the top priorities among our California truck accident attorneys.
Why Hire a California Truck Accident Lawyer
Not every collision necessitates the hiring of a personal injury attorney. A minor collision involving two passenger vehicles for which liability is not in dispute rarely requires the involvement of an attorney.
However, California accidents involving commercial trucks are typically much more complicated. The trucking company will have the backing of a team of attorneys and its own insurer, which can make securing the compensation you are owed exceptionally complicated.
We recommend working with a California truck accident lawyer if any of the following apply to your case:
- Other vehicles were involved in the accident
- Liability is in dispute
- You have catastrophic or severe injuries
- You are unable to work or cannot work in the same capacity as you once did
- You have costly medical bills
- You are filing a wrongful death lawsuit
The truck accident claims process can be particularly complex, especially when trucking companies do everything in their power to limit their own liability by unfairly placing a larger portion of the blame on crash victims.
The insurance company will likely contact you soon after the accident before you’ve even had the chance to schedule a free case evaluation with an attorney. While this is not uncommon, we advise that you stick to the facts when speaking with an insurance adjuster. Do not speculate on what may have happened, comment on the nature of your injuries, or consent to give a recorded statement. Inform the insurer of your intention to hire a truck crash injury attorney in California and that all future questions or comments should go through them.
Aspects of Your Truck Crash Case You Can Expect Your Attorney To Help With
When victims seriously injured in 18-wheeler crashes in California reach out to us at Frost Law Firm, PC to discuss how we can assist them, we like to share that we help with the following:
The Claims Investigation
The trucking company and its insurer will try to create their own narrative about what happened that led to the California tractor-trailer collision that injured you.
Your ability to recover financial compensation should be based on truth, not what a big corporation says you are entitled to. When we take on a truck accident case, we fully investigate the claim by accessing multiple sources of evidence, including:
- Dashcam footage
- Surveillance camera videos
- Police reports
- Eyewitness testimony
- More
At Frost Law Firm, PC, we also draw on our extensive knowledge of both state and federal laws and regulations that apply to serious trucking accident cases.
Collaborating With Experts
Our trucking accident lawyers in California recognize the importance of drawing on the expertise of other professionals. When necessary, we rely on a network of professionals we have created over the years, including accident reconstruction experts and medical professionals who are willing to testify on behalf of clients should their cases proceed to trial.
Dealing With Insurance Companies
The truck company’s insurance company will do everything within its power to lowball your settlement or deny your right to compensation altogether. It’s our job to make sure that doesn’t happen.
We’re familiar with all of the tricks and tactics big insurers use when they are trying to make sure their clients (the fleet companies) are not held liable for their negligence. Your California truck accident attorney will be prepared for this and won’t allow your claim to be compromised by a profit-hungry business.
We Value the Worth of Your Claim
So, how much is your claim actually worth?
Determining the value of a truck accident lawsuit is a complex task, but your truck accident attorney has the requisite skill, knowledge, and experience to correctly determine how much you are owed.
Compensation for most truck accidents in California includes economic damages:
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Medical expenses
- Auto repair bills
And noneconomic damages:
- Mental anguish
- Physical pain and suffering
- Disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment in life
In a rare number of cases, punitive damages might also be called for. Punitive damages may only be awarded in addition to compensatory damages and never on their own, as they are not intended to compensate victims for any specific damages or losses. Instead, they are meant to punish the at-fault party for particularly egregious behavior and to discourage others from engaging in similar behavior.
Our Legal Team at Frost Law Firm, PC Advocates for All Californians Hurt in Truck Accidents
At Frost Law Firm, PC, we’re pleased to provide our legal services to victims of truck accidents all across the state of California.
Anyone who has been involved in a crash with a commercial truck driver in or near the following areas is encouraged to schedule a free case evaluation with one of our California truck accident lawyers.
Commercial trucks have the potential to cause serious, lasting damage to victims. When truck drivers don’t take the responsibility of driving such a potentially dangerous vehicle seriously and act in ways that put others in harm’s way, Frost Law Firm, PC is here to help.
A California truck accident lawyer is standing by to discuss your case with you.
Contact our law office by phone or by filling out our convenient online form, and we’ll schedule you for a free, no-obligation case evaluation in a confidential setting.
