Truck accidents are among the most frightening types of accidents that can occur on Los Angeles roads. This hub commonly experiences many large trucks on the roads daily. When truck accidents happen, the size and weight of these vehicles often cause catastrophic injuries that can change people’s lives forever.
If you are the victim of a truck accident, you will likely have major medical expenses and other financial ramifications. It doesn’t seem fair that you should be stuck bearing the burden caused by a negligent truck driver. Truck accident cases are also much more complex than a crash with a passenger vehicle. You’ll want to speak with a truck accident lawyer to help you navigate this process.
At Crown & Stone Law, P.C., we provide legal representation to truck accident victims in Los Angeles. We are compassionate and understanding of the physical, emotional, and financial toll a truck accident causes and will fight aggressively for your fair compensation. Our truck accident lawyers are highly rated and have a Google 5-Star Rating and will stop at nothing to pursue justice on your behalf.
If you or a loved one were hurt in a Los Angeles truck accident or a car accident, contact us today to schedule a free consultation with a personal injury lawyer from our legal team.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Los Angeles, CA
In Los Angeles and throughout Southern California, truck accidents are primarily caused by errors made by truck drivers or other drivers in passenger vehicles. Due to their massive size and weight, you are more likely to sustain a catastrophic injury when you’re involved in a truck accident.
You might wonder what commonly causes trucking accidents. At Crown & Stone Law, P.C., we’ve identified the main causes of commercial truck accidents:
Distracted Driving
It is easy for a truck driver to become distracted while behind the wheel. A distraction is anything that takes a driver’s attention away from driving and can involve many different actions.
Visual distractions cause a driver to take their eyes off the road and it only takes seconds for a trucking accident to happen when a truck driver looks away. They may look at their phones, check the GPS, or just stare at something along the side of the road for too long.
Manual distractions involve removing hands from the wheel, even if it’s just one hand. Some truck drivers may eat while they drive, smoke, or reach for an object that is just out of their grasp. Cognitive distractions are actions that take someone’s mind away from driving. A truck driver may be talking on the phone or daydreaming about finishing their shift. Some distractions involve all three of these types of distractions.
When a truck driver causes a truck accident because they are distracted, a truck accident lawyer from our law firm can help you.
Truck Driver Fatigue
Another common reason that truck accidents occur is due to driver fatigue. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has rules and regulations regarding the hours of service for truck drivers. They are mandated by the federal government and require that all truck drivers and trucking companies abide by the terms.
Truckers can drive for up to 10 hours after they have taken 8 consecutive hours off duty. No truck driver can drive after 14 consecutive hours on duty following 10 hours of off-duty time in a consecutive block. These are some of the rules regarding hours of service that must be followed to help keep the trucking industry safe. While many drivers obey, some disregard these requirements, which can lead to a truck crash.
Poor Truck Maintenance
All trucking companies are required to maintain the commercial trucks in their fleet. When truck companies do not conduct inspections and maintain the integral systems of every semi-truck, issues with brakes, tires, and other vital systems may arise. If a big rig experiences brake failure, it can result in large truck accidents. It is imperative that if you are in a serious truck accident, you contact a Los Angeles truck accident attorney to discuss your truck accident claim.
Lack of Training
In recent years, the trucking industry has experienced massive growth, meaning there is more potential for truck accidents to occur with more commercial vehicles on the roads of Los Angeles and Southern California.
Every trucking company is responsible for hiring truckers with the right credentials and training. If a trucking company gets desperate for someone to drive their vehicles, they might hire any person willing to drive a big rig, semi-truck, or tractor-trailer. Your truck accident case deserves the full attention of a Los Angeles truck accident lawyer. Make sure you contact Crown & Stone Law, P.C. to let our truck accident attorneys help you using their experienced truck accident litigation.
Improper Cargo Loading
In some truck accident cases, the way the cargo was loaded is the reason for the semi-truck accident. Truck crashes can easily happen when cargo loaders do not properly tie down large items for transport or do not take proper care when loading the tractor-trailer.
Truckers are responsible to stop and check on the cargo periodically to ensure it is still secure. However, the people loading the cargo must do their jobs properly to keep the truck from jackknifing or the load from coming loose and falling into traffic.
Failure to Obey Traffic Laws
When someone doesn’t follow traffic laws, it can lead to a traffic accident. Commercial truck accidents can happen in the same way. When truckers speed, run red lights, fail to stop at stop signs, or break other rules of the road, they can cause a semi-truck accident.
Foul Weather
Every trucker wishes they could control the weather but their training helps teach them how to navigate highways and other roads in the worst weather conditions. When it comes to the weather, most truck accidents can be avoided when drivers take care to adjust their driving to the conditions on the road. Rain, fog, and other weather elements are no excuse for a Los Angeles truck accident. Let our truck accident attorneys help you with your truck accident lawsuit.
When you work with a truck accident attorney from Crown & Stone Law, P.C., you will have someone advocating for your legal rights and working to get you a fair truck accident settlement. You should be given the financial compensation you deserve for your serious injuries. Our personal injury attorneys are available to discuss your personal injury lawsuit involving a truck accident with compassion for your plight and diligence when fighting for what is fair.
Common Truck Accident Injuries Suffered by Truck Accident Victims in Los Angeles
Truck accident victims are more likely to sustain serious injuries or a catastrophic injury from the impact of the crash. Here is a look at the most common truck accident injuries that occur in a collision with a big rig:
Traumatic Brain Injuries
A traumatic brain injury can be caused by the brain hitting the skull during a truck accident. In a serious accident, you will be more likely to suffer brain damage that could alter your personality and your capabilities. Truck accidents can also cause serious traumatic brain injuries that cause the victim to become comatose or die from the impacts on their brain.
Spinal Cord Injuries
A spinal cord injury can vary in severity, depending on where it impacts the spinal cord. Some people may be partially paralyzed while others will suffer complete paralysis.
Neck and Back Injuries
A trucking accident can leave a victim with whiplash, soft tissue damage in the neck, or herniated discs. These painful conditions may heal over time but even after a long recovery period, you may never be the same as you were before the accident.
Burn Injuries
Hot engine fluids or the leaking of hazardous materials from a truck may lead to serious burns. These burns may leave you with a permanent reminder of this traumatic event.
Broken Bones
Passenger vehicles can have the front or side of the passenger car crushed. This can result in broken or crushed bones to the occupants that may require multiple surgeries to repair.
Wrongful Death
Unfortunately, truck accidents can result in the need to file wrongful death claims. If a loved one did not survive the injuries they sustained or they died at the scene, you can file a wrongful death case. While there is no amount of money that could possibly make the pain of the loss go away, a truck accident attorney can help you fight for compensation after the wrongful death of your family member.
When you or a loved one suffer painful injuries that lead to major medical expenses, you should not go into debt after a truck accident. If negligence is a factor, contact our law firm to get our truck accident lawyers on the case.
What to Do After a Los Angeles Truck Accident
When you get into an accident with a commercial truck, it is important to know the steps you need to take. While you are still inside your passenger vehicle, assess your injuries if possible. Call the police to report the crash and let them know you have injuries, which will alert them to the need for emergency medical services.
If you are able to do so, take photos and videos of all vehicles involved and exchange insurance company information with them. You should also make sure you receive prompt medical treatment, even if you do not see any visible injuries. It is possible you have internal bleeding or a traumatic brain injury, which may not show symptoms for hours or days after the truck accident.
One of the most important steps to take before you file a truck accident claim is to discuss your situation with a truck accident attorney. The trucker and the trucking company they work for will likely have legal representation and you should too to protect your rights.
Who Is Liable After a Los Angeles Truck Accident?
Before starting personal injury cases involving truck accidents, it must be determined who is liable. This will depend on whose negligence led to the crash, and in a truck accident, there may be more than one at-fault party. Our truck accident lawyers will investigate to determine which parties should be held liable for your injuries and damages, and they may include one or more of the following:
The Trucker
Since the driver of the truck will be involved, their actions or inactions may have caused the accident. Our law firm will investigate by examining the electronic logging device (ELD), traffic cameras, and other relevant evidence to make that determination.
We will also look at their hours of service to see if any of the rules set by the FMCSA were violated. If the trucker was intoxicated behind the wheel, we will find out through blood and breath tests and use those when building a solid case for you.
The Trucking Company
Trucking companies are responsible for the drivers they employ. It doesn’t matter if it’s a large trucking company or a small one – they are all bound by federal laws and those operating in California are subject to the state’s laws as well.
The Cargo Loader
Cargo loaders need to follow proper procedures for loading every truck. If an investigation reveals that they did not secure the load, distribute the weight evenly, or overload the truck, they may be held liable in your lawsuit.
The Truck Manufacturer
There are also incidents involving the manufacturer of the truck or any of its parts. If any of those components were defective, the manufacturing company may also be named as a liable party.
Government Entities
When the truck was operated by a government entity, such as a utility truck, or state or local government authorities did not uphold their duty of care to maintain the roads, you may be able to hold them accountable. Every truck accident is very complex but when it involves government entities, you should always contact an attorney experienced in truck accidents to represent you and your best interests.
Why You Need an Experienced Truck Accident Attorney
There are many reasons you will need an experienced attorney on your side throughout this ordeal. One of the biggest reasons is to get help dealing with the insurance company. California is an at-fault state when it comes to accidents and it is typical to file a claim with the insurance coverage of the driver who caused the crash.
Truckers and the companies that hire them have large insurance policies that are far more complicated than the ones that ordinary drivers have. When you get into a truck accident caused by a trucker, you may think you can handle calling their insurer and filing a claim.
What you may not realize is that their insurers will most likely offer you a much lower settlement amount that is not sufficient to cover your damages. When you think about your medical bills, the amount of income you’ve lost because your injuries keep you from working, your property damage, and the physical pain and suffering you’ve endured, the amount they will ask you to accept will not account for those factors.
Victims are often delighted to be offered money quickly so they can move forward. Once you sign a release, you can’t go back and ask for more money. One of the most common questions we are asked is, “What is my truck accident claim worth?” In order to answer that, we must examine all the factors of your truck accident case to make that determination.
It takes time to calculate all of your losses incurred from the truck accident. If you rush things along, you will likely find that you do not have enough money to cover your future medical costs. If you need ongoing medical care, you are going to regret that you did not let someone with a deep knowledge of insurance policies and trucking regulations negotiate for you.
Additionally, you are bound to be in pain and emotionally devastated by these events. Tackling the case yourself means you will run yourself ragged rather than fully focus on your recovery according to your doctors’ recommendations. Part of being able to recover the full amount of compensation you deserve lies in making sure you completely participate in everything required to get you to maximum medical recovery (MMR). When you are spending all day calling the insurer instead of going to your medical appointments, it will be harder to heal.
Often, victims in truck accidents wake up in the hospital with a hazy memory of what happened to them. When you are taken by ambulance to the hospital, you will be unable to gather evidence at the scene. Contacting an attorney is one of the best ways you can protect your rights and fight for the full and fair compensation that you deserve. Your lawyers will immediately investigate, gather evidence, and use their resources to get expert testimony to strengthen your case.
How Our Personal Injury Lawyers Stand Out in Los Angeles
At Crown & Stone Law, P.C., we have the experience you need backed by years of success in personal injury. Our law firm has worked tirelessly on behalf of our clients to secure large settlements to help right the wrongs that have occurred.
While we’re aggressive in our advocacy of your rights, we treat you with compassion and provide personalized solutions to your legal matter. You won’t have to worry about paying us while you’re worried about your bills. Since our attorneys use a contingency fee model for payment, you don’t have to pay unless we are successful in obtaining your compensation through a settlement or verdict.
We prepare for trial from the start and are ready to take action. While these cases can drag on, we are always accessible and keep you informed of any developments in your case, big or small. For these reasons and many more, Crown & Stone Law, P.C. stands out from other personal injury law attorneys in the area.
In addition to our truck accident lawyers, you can call us if you need a car accident lawyer or an Uber accident lawyer from our legal team. You can rest assured that whatever personal injury matter has you feeling stuck and hopeless, our attorneys can lead you to better days ahead.
At Crown & Stone Law, P.C., we invite you to call our Los Angeles office and schedule a free consultation with our attorneys. We will review your legal options and help you determine what steps you should take to move forward.