Trucking is the heart and soul of our country’s system of interstate commerce, particularly through California and the San Francisco area. Every year, tens of thousands of commercial trucks move millions of tons of cargo over billions of miles of highway from manufacturing plants and distribution centers to retail locations.
Unfortunately, the sheer number of trucks in California means it is only a matter of time before catastrophic trucking accidents may strike innocent victims. The size and speed of commercial vehicles make them especially dangerous to other divers on the highway.
When accidents do happen, victims may be left with debilitating injuries with long term health and financial consequences. Often times, these accidents are preventable and are due to the negligence of drivers and their employers. In these situations, victims and their families may need to retain experienced and dedicated San Francisco truck accident attorneys to get the compensation they need and hold wrongdoers accountable.
What can I recover in a trucking accident?
Trucking accidents can end up being complex litigation cases, and every case is different. Depending on the circumstances of the case, trucking accident victims may be able to recover compensation for:
- Past and present lost wages
- Future lost wages from diminished earning capacity or disability
- Hospital bills
- Medical expenses including surgery costs, medical devices, and prescription drugs
- Physical pain and suffering of the injury or rehabilitation
- Emotional anguish from the event and possible loss of activities once enjoyed before the accident
Who can be held liable in trucking accidents?
For trucking accident lawsuits to be successful, they must prove negligence on the part of either the driver or even the driver’s employer. The law requires we all take reasonable safety measures to keep others from being place in undue harm.
Claims alleging negligence must prove:
- Truck owners and their employers owed a duty to take reasonable safety measures
- They failed to follow through with their duty
- The trucker or their employer’s failure to take safety measures was a proximate cause of the accident
- The victim incurred injuries as a result of the accident
While there are many situations where negligent actions may cause injuries, there are some common types of accidents. Examples of negligent behavior in trucking accidents may include:
- Reckless driving by the driver
- Employers hiring unqualified employees
- Employers forcing drivers to work too many hours
- Failure by truck owners and operators to maintain their vehicles
- Overloading trucks with cargo
- Failure to follow California trucking laws
San Francisco truck accident attorneys
Trucking companies are often powerful entities underwritten by insurance companies unwilling to adequately compensate victims for the injuries they have suffered. In these situations, trucking accident victims should seriously consider speaking to a qualified San Francisco truck accident attorney about their claims.
Retaining an attorney can help collect evidence, investigate the cause of an accident, and negotiate with trucking and insurance companies to secure the compensation victims need. Do not put your truck accident claim at risk; contact an attorney as soon as possible if you were hurt in a truck accident.