One of the area’s most important highways, Highway 29, sits in the middle of American Canyon. Many large trucks often use this highway because it connects the central agricultural area of Napa Valley to the eastern part of the Bay Area. Furthermore, many people commute from American Canyon to other cities for work, and big rigs are standard on local roads. While these gigantic vehicles are an essential part of California’s economy, they also present a serious risk to drivers. Because of their size, accidents involving large trucks involve much more force than normal vehicle accidents.

If you or a family member has suffered severe injuries in an accident involving a large commercial truck in American Canyon, call our experienced injury lawyers today at (707) 564-1900 for a free consultation.

Crashes involving big rigs can easily cause severe or even fatal injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has conducted research that shows how serious these injuries can be. Their data shows nearly 300 people die in California trucking accidents every year.

Commercial trucks are usually owned by companies that own and operate many vehicles. These companies are well aware of the risks posed by such massive cars and are almost always ready to begin protecting themselves from liability when an accident occurs. Companies will typically send quick response teams to accident sites to conduct their investigations. These teams interview witnesses and build a case to protect the company from paying for damages.

Because of this, it is essential to have a lawyer who has plenty of experience dealing with trucking accident cases. An extensive understanding of all aspects of trucking litigation is critical when claiming payments for hospital bills, lost income, and other losses related to a crash.

One of the reasons that trucking accident cases are unique is because of state and federal regulations. There are specific regulations that the trucking industry and drivers need to follow. The primary agency that deals with trucks crossing over state lines is the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The state’s agency that oversees trucks is the California Department of Transportation. These agencies enforce regulations for truckers, such as minimum rest periods and vehicle maintenance, to keep our highways safe.

Knowing what specific regulations exist for truckers and their companies on both state and federal levels is vital to successfully negotiating a trucking accident case. A deep understanding of these statutes is vital if the case goes to trial.

The vast majority of truck drivers are careful and attentive on the road. However, truck drivers who don’t follow the necessary regulations are the ones who cause the catastrophic accidents we hear about on the news. Truckers may disregard regulations when they are trying to reach unrealistic shipping schedules. Companies sometimes pressure truckers to do this to cut corners and keep their expenses down. There are also a few more issues of negligence that commonly cause accidents. These include:

• Speeding to make sure that loads are quickly delivered
• Failing to check blind spots
• Failure to properly screen truckers’ driving records
• Use of drugs and/or alcohol
• Failure to properly maintain the vehicle
• Insufficient supervision and/or training of truckers

Through our decades of representing people injured in trucking accidents, our legal team at AutoAccident.com has learned how to best take steps to gather and preserve evidence for litigation. We’re also familiar with companies and drivers’ tactics to obscure evidence, such as manipulating or altering logbooks.

Truckers are meant to log their time spent driving, or hours of service, in a logbook to ensure that they do not drive while fatigued. However, it isn’t abnormal to discover that GPS data, fuel receipts, or other information are not matched up to the data in the logbook. Knowing how and where to look for this vital evidence is essential to recover damages.

Because of the sheer size difference between semi-trucks and other cars on the road, the occupants of passenger vehicles are the ones who are most often injured in trucking accidents. These injuries are typically severe and can leave people with injuries drastically affecting their lives. Devastating trucking collision injuries can leave people unable to work and continue providing income for their families. Others can no longer participate in activities they are passionate about, such as sports or playing an instrument. In the most severe cases, these injuries can be fatal, changing the lives of their families forever.

Some of the most severe injuries that people we have worked with have suffered during a trucking crash include:

• Amputation injuries
• Severe burns
• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Internal trauma
• Bone fractures

Many of these injuries require expensive medical procedures for survivors to fully recover. Those who’ve suffered injuries may need to undergo multiple surgeries and a period of physical therapy to regain their health. Others may need to take medications to continue living their lives. All of these can be incredibly costly, and people may not know how to afford their recovery, especially if their injury leaves them unable to work.

Those injured in trucking collisions can often recover payments for their damages through filing injury claims. These funds can cover a wide range of damages, including both financial and emotional losses. To learn a bit more about the compensation available to accident survivors and their families, watch the following video:

If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident involving a truck, call our experienced American Canyon truck accident lawyers today for free, friendly advice at (707) 564-1900 or (800) 404-5400. See our past cases on our Verdicts and Settlements page.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 9.11.23] Photo: monikawl999 on Pixabay.com ms cha [cs 980]}