Truck Accident
Personal injuries that are the result of a truck accident can be devastating. Spinal injuries, neck injuries, and even death, time off from pain and suffering, and crushing medical bills can add up quickly and have a damaging impact on you and your family.
What’s more, injured parties often make the mistake of hiring an inexperienced law firm or not seeking the information they need to successfully pursue compensation for their injuries and losses.
Truck Accident Attorney
If you have been injured in a truck accident in California, you need an experienced legal team to help you navigate the complexities of a truck accident lawsuit. Our law firm can help you every step of the way.
The experienced California truck accident attorneys at EAccidents can help you determine who is at fault and against whom you should bring a lawsuit. We will evaluate all of the evidence, facts, and situations to help you secure the compensation you deserve.
We have a long track record of winning personal injury cases involving trucks, and we are passionate about seeking justice and optimum compensation for our clients. Call us today and let our law firm handle the hard work and obtain the compensation you deserve.
Common Causes of Truck Accident
Many truck accident have the same types of causes, the most common of these include:
- Driver fatigue
- Distracted driving
- Intoxication
- Driver error
- Speeding
- Driver inexperience
- Poor training
- Poor viability or road conditions
- Cargo shift or poorly loaded cargo
- Vehicle system failure
A truck can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds, while the average car weighs only 4,000 pounds. Simply because of the huge difference in size, when something goes wrong with a truck that is on the road, the resulting damage to persons and property is typically much more severe than when something goes wrong with a car.
Truck Accident Cases vs. Car Accident Cases
If you have been injured in a truck accident in California, you may be unaware that obtaining fair compensation can be much more difficult than if you have been injured in a typical car accident. Here’s why:
- Determining who is liable in a trucking accident can be extremely complicated. The driver of the truck, the trucking company owner, the maintenance company, the manufacturer, and others may all be held liable for your injuries.
- The laws that govern trucking and truck accident are different than those that govern cars and car accident. These laws are, in many ways, more complex than those that govern car accident.
- Truck drivers are subject to higher standards. They need a special driver’s license, to inspect their trucks before every outing, and to adhere to special federal and state transportation rules and regulations.
Why Hire a Truck Accident Attorney?
First of all, determining whether the truck driver had complied with all of the applicable rules and regulations can mean, among other things, determining:
- When the driver last stopped
- When they last slept
- When he or she last inspected their truck
- When maintenance was last performed on the truck
- How fast they drove between two points on their route
- The speed limits on the roads between those two points
A knowledgeable truck accident attorney from EAccidents will send a preservation of evidence letter to the driver, trucking company, insurance carrier, and other involved parties immediately. This letter will prevent the destruction of driving logs and other documents so that they can be examined by your attorney.
Secondly, an experienced trucking accident attorney from EAccidents can help support your case by hiring trucking industry expert witnesses. These witnesses are a necessary aspect of any truck accident lawsuit.
Trucking industry expert witnesses have an in-depth knowledge of the rules and regulations that govern the trucking industry and can alert your attorney to any potential violations. They can also employ scientific methods to determine exactly what caused the accident to occur.
An experienced trucking accident attorney from EAccidents knows that this evidence can prove that your truck accident injuries were caused by negligence. Our law firm believes that hiring expert witnesses is a crucial part of creating a strong truck accident case.
Finally, because a truck will do more damage than an automobile in an accident, federal laws require that trucking companies carry huge insurance policies. Normally, this should be good news for you and your injury claim. However, because of the amount of money at stake, the insurance company will fight even harder to deny or minimize your claim.
The lawyers for the insurance company will go to great lengths to undermine your entitlement to full compensation. This is yet another reason to have an experienced truck accident attorney from EAccidents fighting on your side.
Compensation for Truck Accident Victims
Victims of truck accident can usually recover two basic types of damages: economic damages and non-economic damages. What’s more, in cases that go all the way to trial, the court may also award the victim with a third type of damages, referred to as punitive damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages, also called special damages, include expenses and losses caused by the accident that are easy to calculate, such as:
- Ambulance and hospital expenses
- Future medical treatment
- Lost wages both current and future
- Loss of earning capacity
- Damage to property
Non-economic Damages
Non-economic damages, also called general damages, are those that are intangible and difficult to calculate, like:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of comfort, guidance, and support
- Physical impairment
- Disfigurement and scarring
Punitive Damages
California is one of the states in the nation that allows punitive damages in truck accident cases. Unlike special and general damages that are meant to compensate the victim for his or her injuries and losses, punitive damages are meant to punish the defendant for conduct that was fraudulent, intentional, malicious, or despicable and to deter others from similar conduct in the future.
Contact Our Law Firm
Truck accident cases can be complicated because they often involve multiple parties, more severe injuries, and complex legal regulations that do not apply to passenger vehicles. If you or loved one has been involved in a truck accident in California, call us today to schedule a free consultation with a knowledgeable EAccidents truck accident attorney. We can advise you of your rights when injured and fight to get you the compensation you deserve.