Antioch has a great network of land-based transportation routes. State Route 4 connects with the Bay area road network via Interstate 80 West and Stockton when eastbound on 80. State Route 160 connects the city of Antioch to Sacramento. Trucks routinely travel these corridors, and unfortunately, truck accidents do happen. As a community, we work together to keep our roads safe. We help you get the compensation you need and should receive when accidents happen.

An analysis of truck accidents in California, including Antioch, follows nationwide trends. Nationwide, fatalities in an accident involving a big rig occur most often in passenger vehicles, and this is due to the size and dynamics of large trucks.

Statistics from the Department of Transportation show that the number of fatalities involving trucks for the year 2015 in the United States was:

• The number of deaths for 2015, including car and truck occupants, was 3,852
• The number of car occupants who died in these crashes in 2015 was 2,657
• The number of truck occupants who died in 2015 was 616

Of these, the total number of fatalities in California due to truck accidents was 222, which places the state in the number two position for 2015, right behind Texas.

Interpreting these results is not difficult. If there is a collision between a vehicle weighing a maximum of 80,000 pounds and weighing approximately 4,000 pounds, it is easy to understand how the occupants of the lower-weight vehicles are killed more often.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, truck accidents happen most frequently on weekdays between 12 noon and 3:00 p.m., with the lowest number of crashes between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Sixteen percent of deaths occurred in single-vehicle accidents. Semi-trucks accounted for 75 percent of collisions between a truck and a passenger vehicle, while the remainder occurred when a single-unit truck was involved. Interstates were the site of 30 percent of the truck accidents in California, while major roadways accounted for 53 percent. Minor roads accounted for only 14 percent of truck accidents.

The reasons truck accidents occur are varied. Only 8 percent of all truck accidents are caused by drunk driving, while 3 percent result from illegal drugs. Prescription drugs account for 23 percent of truck crashes, with over-the-counter drugs causing 17 percent. Truck driver fatigue is a causative agent in 17 percent.

Some types of truck accidents include:

• Underride accidents
• Rollover accidents
• Rear-end accidents
• T-bone
• Jackknife accidents

Let’s discuss negligence in a truck accident. As with any other type of accident, negligence exists when a driver fails to take the proper precautions to ensure roadway safety. This means driving at a safe speed, maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles, maneuvering a car carefully, and making sure the car is maintained.

Truck drivers either work as independent contract workers or are employed by trucking companies. Either way, trucking companies must ensure that drivers have adequate training and clean driving records, maintain their vehicles, and follow federal and state regulations.

One frequent question I hear is who is responsible for my injuries. It depends. If a trucker fails to obey the rules of the road and acts negligently, they are liable. However, there’s more to this answer. Let’s say the trucker worked for a company. In this case, the trucking company may share the trucker’s liability. The reasoning here goes to a doctrine of law called Respondeat superior or vicarious liability. Under this tenet, an employer holds responsibility for the acts of their employees. When a lawsuit is filed, the employer and the employee may be named responsible.

Liability goes hand in hand with evidence that negligence occurred. That is why my law office uses accident reconstruction reports to substantiate negligence. We interview witnesses before time mitigates memory. We also reviewed police records and interviews with law enforcement personnel involved in police investigations of the accident.

We examine trucking company records to see if the company hired an unfit driver or failed to provide adequate training. In addition, we review driver and maintenance logs the company is required to maintain.

Our investigators look to the “black box” or electronic onboard recorder. This device provides information such as how fast the truck went when the accident happened and other pertinent details. It also shows how far the truck was driven, detailing whether the trucker took mandated rest periods.

The accident scene is critical to any investigation and provides physical evidence, such as tire tread marks. These marks are essential in measuring the distance for the truck to stop and show other details about the accident. We also examine the truck itself to determine equipment failure or other examples of fault.

Once our investigation is complete, we will obtain maximum compensation for your case. Truckers and trucking companies usually have adequate insurance. Due to the extent of medical expenses often needed after a truck accident, we look to both parties’ complex issue of insurance coverage. If both the trucking company and the driver are named in a lawsuit, insurers may shoulder the cost of the damage.

Truck accidents can be devastating physically, financially, and emotionally. Accident victims need time to heal without worrying about how they can afford medical bills or make up for lost wages. Our law firm helps by obtaining the maximum compensation and taking the burden of what needs to be done off the victim’s shoulders. We let you concentrate on getting well while we deal with everything from insurance company inquiries to taking depositions.

Watch the video below to learn more about the types of damages that can be claimed in a trucking accident lawsuit.

If you or a family member has been severely injured in a truck accident, call our experienced Antioch truck accident lawyers anytime at (925) 428-5220 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly advice. See our past cases on our Verdicts and Settlements page.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 9.15.23] [cs 1047] Image Attribution: Pixabay}