Benicia sits right on the Carquinez Strait, offering residents incredible bay views without all the congestion of other area cities. However, Benicia is located right on one of the largest highways in the entire country and sees a considerable amount of vehicle traffic. Because I-80 is a shipping route for many goods delivered to the Oakland port, large commercial vehicles make up a significant portion of area traffic.

Any vehicle traffic risk presents the risk of auto accidents, and when large commercial vehicles are involved, collisions are more likely to cause major injuries. Because these vehicles are massive and can weigh up to 80,000 pounds with a full load, they carry literal tons of force into collisions, which often leaves crash survivors with injuries that dramatically affect their lives.

As Benicia truck accident lawyers, our firm exists to help families and individuals recover the compensation they deserve after major car accidents involving big rigs.

Our firm is known for taking a holistic, personal approach with clients. While many injury attorneys will choose to maintain a strictly business-like relationship with the people they represent, we attempt to show genuine compassion and care to our clientele. Our firm is like a family, and our clients are valuable members.

By taking an interest in our clients’ lives, we can understand how seriously their injuries have affected them. In turn, having this knowledge makes it easier for us to accurately and effectively represent our client’s best interests while going head-to-head with insurance companies in negotiations or even arguing cases in court.

Benicia has been the site of numerous truck accidents over the last decade. According to reports from area traffic agencies, including the Benicia Police Department (BPD) and California Highway Patrol (CHP), there were 847 traumatic auto accidents within city limits between 2009 and 2020. Out of these 847 crashes, 24 involved a large commercial truck. These truck accidents caused 27 injuries and left one person with fatal trauma.

According to this data, the most common causes of Benicia’s truck accidents were improper turning, driving at unsafe speeds, dangerous lane-changing, and DUI. Altogether, these factors accounted for over two-thirds of the crashes in question. Additionally, these truck accidents were most likely to happen on weekdays, with only two occurring on the weekends.

Because big rigs are so dangerous, drivers must do what they can to avoid accidents when sharing the road with large trucks. While nobody can predict exactly where or when a crash will occur, there are many steps drivers can take to reduce the chance of being involved in a severe crash. To learn some excellent safety tips for driving near large trucks, watch this video:

Suffering an injury during a truck accident can dramatically impact your life. Many of the most common types of trauma suffered during truck accidents leave survivors with symptoms that can limit their mobility or impact their cognition, making it difficult or even impossible to participate in activities they care about. In severe cases, crash survivors may even be left unable to perform their jobs, resulting in a severe loss of income and/or earning potential.

Furthermore, recovering from a truck accident injury can be complicated and often takes months or even years. Many common truck accident injuries require medical care, often involving invasive surgeries and long-term physical therapy. Altogether, the necessary medical expenses can add up to a considerable amount, leaving crash survivors unsure of how they’ll be able to pay for the care that they need.

Fortunately, many truck accident survivors can claim compensation for the abovementioned damages. Injured individuals can often obtain payments that cover their medical expenses and provide compensation for lost income, personal suffering, and more. However, taking action as quickly as possible is critical to receive fair compensation.

Commercial big rigs are almost always owned by a trucking company, and these companies usually operate a whole truck fleet. With so many vehicles on the road, these companies treat the chance of an accident as a normal risk of operating their businesses. For this reason, truck companies are usually ready to begin building a legal defense immediately following accidents. Often, the company will dispatch its legal response team to the crash scene. This team will gather evidence and interview witnesses to attempt to control the narrative surrounding the accident.

If your attorney can start working on your case as soon as possible, they’ll be more able to ensure trucking companies are held responsible for the damages they’ve caused. Injured individuals and/or their families can frequently obtain the payments they need to advance their lives by taking quick action after a serious trucking accident.

If you or a loved one was seriously injured during a truck accident, contact our legal team for free, friendly legal advice at (800) 404-5400 or (707) 564-1900. Our law firm has been helping families and individuals in Benicia with significant injury and wrongful death cases since 1982. To learn about our history of successful advocacy, you can read our settlements and verdicts list.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 8.30.23] Image by falco from Pixabay ms cha [cs 892]}