Vallejo residents are familiar with Interstate 80 and I-780. If you travel these highways, you may have seen your fair share of commercial truck accidents, and such crashes can result in traffic jams that often last for hours.

Because it is impossible to live in Vallejo without spending a fair amount of time on I-80, local residents see traffic accidents involving large trucks. Whether the truck is transporting pallets of merchandise or produce destined for a Vallejo Walmart or the Vallejo Plaza Shopping Center, these gigantic motor vehicles present extraordinary risks to occupants of other motor vehicles traveling the highways and streets of Solano County.

As experienced Vallejo truck accident attorneys, we have represented victims seriously injured by negligent truck drivers since 1982. Decades of experience are invaluable against large trucking companies and their powerful insurance carriers in court.

If you or a loved one has suffered severe injuries in a large truck accident, call our law office at (707) 564-1900 or (800) 404-5400 for a free consultation.

A top-rated accident lawyer in Vallejo must also have an extensive understanding of trucking litigation and all the issues that come along with it. Trucking accidents are some of the deadliest of all collisions on the highways and byways of the U.S. because of the gargantuan size and weight of commercial trucks.

There is an extreme difference between a passenger vehicle and a big rig. A tractor-trailer loaded to full capacity can weigh as much as 26 times more than the average economy-sized car.

Commercial truck accident lawsuits are also unique because of the state and federal regulations that the trucking industry is expected to follow. The primary regulatory agency for truckers and trucks crossing state lines is FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration).

The California Department of Transportation is the primary regulatory agency that governs truck drivers and trucking companies operating within the state lines of California.

A skilled injury attorney realizes that most big rig crashes are caused by truck driver errors that include:

• Speeding to ensure a load is delivered as fast as possible
• Exceeding the maximum driving time allowed without sufficient rest to ensure the shipment is delivered on time
• Not checking blind spots
• Maintenance issues
• Failure to screen the driving records of the truck driver
• Use of alcohol and drugs
• Selecting a poor route – i.e., steep grades
• Failure to ensure vehicle inspection is complete
• Insufficient amount of training and supervision of truck drivers

With the extensive experience of decades of representing trucking accident victims that we bring to the table, we have learned how to take proactive steps to gather and preserve trucking litigation evidence. We know truck drivers and the company’s different tactics, such as altering and manipulating their logbooks.

Truckers are supposed to log their hours of service (HOS) in logbooks to ensure that driver fatigue is kept to a minimum. However, it is not abnormal to find that fuel receipts, GPS data, and other information does not match up to the HOS as they should. We look for these things when we represent victims of serious truck accidents. 

Collisions between commercial trucks and passenger vehicles often result in catastrophic injuries and, sometimes, wrongful death. More often than not, the passenger vehicle occupants are seriously incapacitated due to the sheer difference in size between the two vehicles. It is not uncommon for a truck driver to walk away from a truck accident that killed several other motor vehicle passengers.

Devastating truck accident injuries can result in the inability to continue providing for a family like a victim is used to. They can also rip away the enjoyment of simple life experiences. Living in pain daily makes life more challenging.

Some of the common types of injuries seen in big rig crashes include:

• Spinal cord injuries (quadriplegia, paraplegia)
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Internal organ injuries
• Loss of an extremity
• Broken bone injuries
• Extensive Burns
• Wrongful Death

The video below explains why semi-truck accidents are dangerous.

If you were seriously injured or lost a family member in a big rig crash, you might benefit from the assistance of an experienced attorney. To speak with a Vallejo truck accident lawyer today regarding your case, call (707) 564-1900 or (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly advice. See our past verdicts and settlements.

^{Editor’s Note: updated [cha 8.22.23] Photo by Pixabay [cs 1014]}