You may be wondering what to do if you’ve been injured in Bakersfield, CA. If you’ve been injured in a trucking accident, you need to speak to an experienced truck accident attorney as soon as possible.
The weight and size of semi-trucks mean that an accident usually results in fatal or devastating injuries. Motor vehicle accidents that involve a commercial vehicle often require a law firm that specializes in 18-wheeler accident litigation since the laws surrounding the trucking industry are complex and the stakes are very high. At Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers, our experienced Bakersfield personal injury lawyers can help you receive maximum compensation for your injuries, pain and suffering, lost wages, and more.
Bakersfield Trucking Accident Attorneys
At Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers, a compassionate and skilled trucking accident attorney will gather vital evidence to build a strong compensation claim. We will work hard to ensure you receive every penny of compensation you deserve for your injuries, pain and suffering, and other damages. We will deal with the insurance companies directly and handle settlement negotiations so the harassing phone calls will stop.
Do I Need to Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer?
The truck accident attorneys at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers specialize in semi-truck accident cases. When we investigate your case we will work with many types of field experts, including medical experts, accident reconstruction experts and top private investigators to preserve vital evidence and prove that the at-fault party was negligent and that their negligence led to your accident and resulting injuries.
If you lost a loved one due to a negligent truck driver, our law firm also handles wrongful death lawsuits. Cases involving wrongful deaths can be very complex and can take several months or years to resolve. However, you must file a truck accident lawsuit to seek justice and hold the commercial driver responsible for compensation for damages. This compensation can cover the cost of medical care, funeral expenses, loss of companionship, and other financial losses. While filing a lawsuit during this difficult time may be the last thing on your mind, holding the negligent party responsible for your immeasurable loss can help you recoup economic losses and allow you to move on with your life.Â
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Mistakes on the roadways are very common, but commercial truck accidents are often caused by the reckless, negligent and careless actions of truck drivers.
For truck drivers, equipment failures, blind spots, improper turns, fatigue and poor training are all common reasons for accidents. Serious injuries are usually caused by blown-out tires and other parts flying or falling off the semi while traveling at a high speed. In other cases, a truck wreck can be the result of overloading or improper loading.
Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers
Bakersfield, CA 93301
661-371-3588
If a tractor-trailer or semi isn’t loaded correctly, the extra weight can cause it to lose balance. The weight can also affect the trucker’s ability to control the truck or stop, especially during turns or braking. Improper loading of cargo can significantly increase the risk of rollover accidents.
Other common causes of truck accidents include:
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Aggressive driving
- Human error/careless driversÂ
- Bad road conditionsÂ
- Heavy loadsÂ
- Defective truck part
- Inclement weather conditionsÂ
- Driver fatigue
- Distracted driving, often caused by cell phone usageÂ
- Unsecured cargo
Regardless of the cause of the truck accident, it often results in catastrophic injuries for the accident victim, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, broken bones, or neck and back injuries. These severe injuries can require ongoing medical care for life.Â
When Should I Speak to a Personal Injury Lawyer?
You should speak with personal injury attorneys immediately after a truck accident. A trucking company will often have its team of investigators, their insurance company, and attorneys at the accident scene to gather evidence within a matter of hours. An attorney can visit the accident scene to gather evidence that will strengthen your truck accident case. This includes taking photos of the damage done to all vehicles involved, any skid marks in the road, bad weather, broken or faulty traffic lights or signs, and other important evidence that will prove your truck accident claim.
A Bakersfield truck accident lawyer will also request to download the truck’s black box data recorder. This data will show the driver’s actions, such as braking and driving speed, before and at the time of the truck accident.
Truck Accident Injuries
Injuries sustained in a passenger vehicle accident can be severe. However, accidents involving semi-trucks tend to lead to catastrophic and fatal injuries. While some injuries can be minor, such as scrapes, bruises, and sprains, others can be life-changing, devastating injuries that require months or years of ongoing medical treatment.
These common injuries can include:
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Broken bones
- Internal injuriesÂ
- Concussions
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Shoulder and knee injuries
- Burns
- Nerve damage
- Scarring and disfigurement
Along with the physical pain that’s caused by the injuries sustained in an accident with a semi-truck, the accident victim will also likely have significant emotional and psychological trauma. These emotional injuries can also affect the accident victim’s spouse, children, partners and other family members.
Truck Accident Claims and Truck Accident Lawsuits
When building a case against the at-fault driver, the evidence must prove that the trucker drove negligently, violated the rules of the road and caused the accident. Your attorney must show that the truck driver was at fault. Accident victims can also sue the trucking company for the accident.
A trucking company can be sued on grounds that the driver had poor training, the truck had mechanical defects or the company falsified logbooks. An investigation can also prove that the trucking company allowed the driver to drive too much without taking a break. In some cases, you can also file a lawsuit against the owner of the trailer in addition to the trucking company that employed the driver.
A Bakersfield truck accident attorney at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers will identify all potential parties to include in your lawsuit. This will be the best way to maximize your settlement.
Holding the Trucking Company Responsible
The trucking company is supposed to ensure that its drivers can safely handle their rigs on the road and are properly trained. Unfortunately, many trucking companies often fail to provide proper supervision and training.
In some cases, the trucker is forced to be behind the wheel for too many hours without sleep or a break and they may have trouble focusing on the road due to exhaustion. Other times, truckers drive over the speed limit to deliver a load on time. When any of these actions result in a collision, both the trucking company and the negligent truck driver should be held liable.
Commercial Truck Insurance Policies
Semi-trucks require higher liability insurance coverage compared to passenger vehicles since accidents involving a semi-truck usually result in catastrophic injuries and significant property damage.
Trucks that travel across state lines are required to obtain public liability insurance that covers bodily injury and property damage depending on the type of freight that is being hauled.
For example, vehicles weighing under 10,000 pounds must have a policy of $300,000 for non-hazardous freight. Motor vehicles hauling non-hazardous for-hire property that weighs over 10,000 pounds are required to have a minimum of $750,000 liability insurance coverage.
Keep in mind, this is only a minimum requirement at the federal level. Because these insurance policies are so high, an insurance company will fight the accident victim every step of the way to avoid paying the large insurance settlement the accident victim deserves for the catastrophic accident.Â
Settlement Value
Several factors can impact the value of a case. There are no guidelines for determining the amount of compensation an accident victim is entitled to. Instead, the experience and skills of your truck accident attorney are what can get you the best settlement possible. The negligent party should be held responsible for paying for the cost of medical expenses, property damage, pain and suffering, lost wages, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of companionship, emotional distress and other damages.Â
Factors that can impact the value of your truck accident claims can include:
- Insurance policy limits for the trucker and the trucking company
- Loss of wages, and loss of earning capacity
- Type of medical treatments, including rehabilitative therapy and surgeries needed due to the collision
- The permanence of disfigurements and any scars
- The psychological trauma resulting from the accident
- The impact the injuries have had on the accident victim’s life
- The level of pain and suffering caused by the accident
- The severity of the personal injury, such as bone fractures, spinal cord injury, or brain injury
- The degree of negligence of every party involved in the accident
Contact Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers Truck Accident Attorneys Today
If you were involved in a truck accident in Bakersfield, CA, or the surrounding area, contact a truck accident lawyer at Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers as soon as possible. We offer no-obligation case reviews at no cost to you. Our big rig attorneys will meet with you to discuss the facts of your case and help you determine what your best legal options are moving forward.
Contact Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers today at 800-718-4658 or text or email to schedule a no-obligation consultation to learn how our truck accident lawyers can help you hold the negligent trucker responsible for their careless and reckless actions.
