California Truck Accident Lawyer

For more information, visit our Truck Accident Info Center.

Truck Accidents

Every day, innocent drivers and passengers are injured or killed in truck and tractor-trailer accidents. Semi-trucks and tractor-trailer rigs can weigh more than 40 times as much as an automobile. Collisions between these commercial vehicles and automobiles are therefore much more likely to cause serious and catastrophic injuries to automobile occupants than other traffic accidents. Trucks are also far more likely to be involved in multiple vehicle accidents than passenger vehicles and therefore can subject more victims to injury.

If you or someone close to you has suffered injuries as the result of a truck or tractor-trailer accident, it is important to retain a well-recognized personal injury law firm with an established record of successes in these cases as soon as possible. Investigating these cases promptly is essential. Critical evidence such as driver logs, computer records and on-board "black box" data must be secured before it is destroyed or disappears. Federal regulations permit trucking companies to destroy driver logs and other essential data after six months. These items are often vital to lawyers and accident reconstruction experts to determine the causes of the accident. They should be retrieved and safely stored while still available.

Truck accident cases can be complex. Occasionally there are multiple defendants. Additional potential actions may arise, for example, against the government for highway design defects, or against a manufacturer for designing a defective part, or against a party involved in the maintenance or loading of the truck (See "Truck Accident Causes" below). Sometimes sorting out the negligent defendants is a complicated process and therefore prompt investigation and liability analysis are crucial.

Ensuring that the law firm retained has ample financial resources is vital. These cases frequently require the employment of multiple expensive technical experts in order to analyze liability and identify the appropriate defendants. In serious or catastrophic injury cases costly medical experts will also be required. In addition, the entities defending these cases usually have deep pockets that they will use to defend themselves. Trucks and tractor-trailers are often owned by large commercial companies and corporations with extensive financial resources. Government entities have substantial resources as well, and usually spend these resources fighting a large percentage of claims through trial. It is critical that the law firm you select has not only the expertise but the financial resources to fight these large and well-financed defendants.

Truck Accident Causes

Truck accidents can be caused by driver fatigue, speeding, negligent driving, overloaded trailers, shifting loads, mechanical failures, defective parts, negligent maintenance and many other causes. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has established regulations to address the problem of driver fatigue and accidents. These regulations limit the number of hours a truck driver may drive per day or per week. These regulations were recently amended, increasing the number of hours truckers may drive. Consumer and safety groups have joined union and trucking groups in challenging these regulations, claiming that the new rules have led to an increase in accidents.

Speeding is also frequently a cause of truck accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than one-quarter of all drivers of large trucks involved in fatal crashes in 2004 had at least one prior speeding conviction. Speeding in a truck or tractor-trailer can have devastating consequences. A truck traveling at 70 miles per hour has twice as much energy as a truck traveling at 50 miles per hour. A truck also has a much greater braking distance. Thus, the impact of a speeding truck can cause significant damage to other vehicles.

Improperly loaded trucks and trailers can also cause truck accidents. When cargo is improperly loaded, the load's center of gravity may be too high, making the truck or trailer more likely to tip over. The weight of the load must also be properly balanced. If there is too much weight toward the front or back of the load, the handling characteristics of the truck may be adversely affected, making driving unsafe. When a load is improperly secured, it can shift during transit, increasing the risk of a rollover. It is critical that trucking companies assure that loads are properly secured and cargo weight is properly distributed to prevent accidents.

Brakes, lights and other safety equipment must be properly inspected and maintained. The inspection and maintenance of truck brakes are critical to truck safety. According to the Partnership for Safe Driving, approximately 30 percent of trucks routinely fail inspection and more than half of these failures are due to defective brakes and tires. Failures of defective brake parts and improper maintenance can lead to accidents, subjecting manufacturers and trucking companies to liability.

Truck Accident Statistics

A large truck is defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as a truck weighing more than 10,000 pounds. Many tractor-trailer trucks weigh more than 80,000 pounds. According to the NHTSA, large trucks were involved in approximately 416,000 traffic accidents in the United States in 2004. Over 5,000 people died and 116,000 people were injured in 2004 as the result of accidents involving large trucks. Most of the victims of these accidents were the occupants of vehicles other than the truck. In 2004, 77 percent of those killed and 73 percent of those injured in truck accidents were occupants of other vehicles.

Truck and Tractor-Trailer Accident Attorneys

Anyone injured in an accident involving a truck or tractor-trailer should contact an experienced accident law firm with exceptional expertise and a substantial record of successes in these cases. Time is of the essence in hiring legal representation. Trucking companies have procedures to protect their interests in the event of an accident. In most accidents, trucking companies will immediately commence their own investigations and secure evidence and the statements of witnesses right away, giving them an advantage. The most effective way to counter the trucking companies' diligence is to obtain effective legal representation without delay.

Our firm has extensive experience and expertise in truck accident and tractor-trailer accident cases. We have obtained numerous significant results for our clients in these cases. If you desire an immediate consultation on a truck or tractor-trailer accident, please contact us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

For more information, visit our Truck Accident Info Center.