Los Angeles Truck Accident Lawyer

Why Hire A Los Angeles Truck Accident Lawyer?

Immediately after a trucking accident, the truck company in question wants to avoid liability.

However, despite ample insurance, many trucking companies are quick to deflect fault for any collisions.

Many businesses in the trucking industry draw upon their vast legal resources to fight a truck accident claim to help save money.

As an individual that was harmed by the trucking accident, you will need to hire an attorney or law firm like John W. Stenson to represent you.

We have years of experience helping victims of a truck accident in Los Angeles successfully claim and receive compensation. Our team works hard to ensure that you, i.e., our client, do not settle for less than what the case is worth when negotiating with the insurer. We fight hard for maximum compensation from all the at-fault parties, regardless of whether it is an individual trucker or the company itself.

A Synopsis of Commercial Truck Accident Data

Commercial truck accidents are a terrible reality, as revealed by data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. 4,564 of the 37,461 motor vehicle crash deaths in 2016 involved a heavy truck or bus, making up 12 percent of the country’s total motor vehicle operator and traffic fatalities.

California is one of the top 10 states with the highest number of fatalities from commercial truck and bus crashes. In many cases, skilled truck accident attorneys handled the case, filing a lawsuit to obtain just compensation and assisting in getting the victims back to where they were before the collision. The courts usually grant compensation to an accident victim.

More information about truck accidents

• Seventeen percent of truck accidents that killed people were caused by speed.
• Notably, 39% of people who died in big trucks were not wearing seatbelts.
• Sixty-one percent of large truck deaths happened in rural places.
• 27% of deaths involving big trucks happened in work zones.
• Six percent of fatalities in big truck accidents were caused by drivers being distracted, mostly by cell phone use.

How many injuries and deaths happen when a smaller car hits a bigger one?

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety points out that people in passenger cars are more likely to be hurt than people in big trucks in two-vehicle accidents. In 2016, 2,112 people died in car accidents, and 97 percent of them were passengers. A lot of these deaths happened on important roads, not motorways and interstates.

Interestingly, most deaths in big truck accidents happen between 6 a.m. and 3 p.m., which suggests that tired truck drivers may cause many truck accidents. On the other hand, the fewest deaths happen on the weekends. This trend is different from other kinds of car accidents that don’t involve big trucks.

Reasons why truck accidents happen a lot in Los Angeles

Many things can lead to truck crashes in Los Angeles. Accidents in the trucking business often happen because drivers are speeding, tired, distracted, impaired, don’t follow traffic laws, have bad judgment, or make wrong turns.

Poor maintenance or a defect

In cases where a truck accident injury claim or catastrophic injuries are caused by poor upkeep or a clear defect in the vehicle, claims may include more parties. Companies that make tires, trucks, service shops, and other things could be to blame for the accident. The truck accident lawyers at El Dabe Ritter will research who is responsible for the lawsuit because of poor upkeep or defects that led to the accident.

Going fast

Truck drivers must meet many requirements, and we all know how strict they can be about delivery times. People in a hurry may drive very fast to get where they need to go on time. Semi-trucks going too fast are very dangerous and can crash into other cars.

Driving While Distracted

People who drive are often caught talking, eating, reading, and doing many other things that distract their attention from the road. Things that don’t seem important can cause big truck accidents.

Drinking and Driving

Terrible accidents can happen when people are drunk or high and behind the wheel. Truck drivers have to work long hours, and many of them do bad things, like use illegal drugs to help them drive through the night or stay on the road longer.

Not Following the Rules of the Road

Truck drivers often don’t follow simple rules like stopping at stop signs and traffic lights, yielding at streets and intersections, and using their blinkers when they change directions.

Poor Judgement

If you turn too fast or slow down too late, you could hurt someone seriously or cause an accident.

Fault of the Trucking Company

People other than the truck driver are often responsible for crashes involving trucks. Trucking companies can be held responsible for the injuries of truck accident victims if their employees are careless or do things that make truck accidents more likely to happen, like not properly training drivers, letting drivers get too tired, not doing background checks, or not inspecting and maintaining trucks properly.

Fault of the Loading Company

If a third-party billing company doesn’t do its job right, it could lead to a truck accident claim, making them responsible. A Los Angeles truck accident payout lawyer can help you determine what caused the accident and who is responsible. This will ensure you get the money you deserve for your truck accident.

Fault of the Truck Manufacturer

Truck crashes always happen in Los Angeles, which is a shame. In many of these situations, the truck makers are directly to blame because of flaws in how they make the trucks. Truck crashes can be very bad, and truck accident lawyers are quick to look into what went wrong.

Common Injuries Caused By Truck Accidents

Large trucks can weigh several hundred tons when fully loaded; thus, colliding with a smaller vehicle can be devastating. A passenger vehicle that may get into an accident with another vehicle will probably have a very different outcome than when it comes into contact with a truck.

Sure, some truck crash victims may be able to walk away from the semi after the accident with minor injuries, bruises and scrapes, but most large truck accidents are catastrophic. In many cases, this can lead to wrongful death.

Some of the most common truck cash-related injuries include:

• Neck injuries
• Burn injuries
• Brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Fractures
• Wrongful death

If you or a loved one has been in a truck accident, now would be an excellent time to consult with a seasoned truck accident litigation expert. We can help protect your rights and successfully seek rightful compensation.

Who is at fault in a truck accident in Los Angeles?

Truck crashes can hurt many people, and figuring out who is responsible can be hard. To help you understand your choices, here is a list:

Trucking companies are often to blame

In most truck crashes in Los Angeles, the company that owns the truck, not just the driver, is to blame. This is because trucking companies are required by law to steer clear of crashes by:

• Performing regular checks on cars.
• Give drivers the right training and follow strict hiring rules.
• Making sure that government safety rules are followed.

If these things go wrong with the company and an accident happens because of their carelessness, they can be held responsible for your losses.

Beyond the Driver: Liability for the Whole Company

When workers, even independent contractors, do something wrong, the company is responsible. The company may have to pay for the damage because the truck driver, package loader, or another worker may have been at fault. It’s important to know this because trucking companies usually have better protection than individual drivers.

No One You Think Is Liable for a Third Party

A “third-party” wasn’t directly involved in the accident, but it may have worsened it. This company might make truck parts whose bad brakes or tires caused the crash. A skilled lawyer can investigate it and decide if a third party is responsible.

John W. Stenson Can Help

If you were hurt in a truck crash, don’t handle the legal system alone. John W. Stenson has held trucking companies and other people responsible in Los Angeles for years. For a free evaluation, call us right now.

At John W. Stenson, we have years of experience handling truck accident claims in LA for third-party defendants. Third-party is defined as one that was not directly involved in the accident but may have still contributed to the accident and thus the victim’s injuries. An excellent example is a truck parts manufacturing company that produced a defective part that led to an accident. Accidents caused by a tire blowout and brakes that don’t work could indicate the manufacturer’s liability. However, this is something that experienced truck accident attorneys need to establish before moving forward.