Nadrich & Cohen handle serious trucking accident claims for negligent hiring and retention of bad drivers. If you or a loved one is a truck accident victim, you deserve to have the most aggressive and experienced truck accident lawyers who will leave no stone unturned. You deserve the highest monetary recovery possible. For a free consultation call us, text us from this page or complete the contact form on this page.
Why You Should Hire A California Truck Accident Attorney
Our truck accident law firm has worked with the U.S. Agency responsible for supervision and enforcement of unfit drivers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. We have successfully litigated and proven that trucking companies sometimes fail to determine a potential driver’s suitability for the job, including investigating that driver’s experience, previous training, and past driving record. Companies are hiring the cheapest drivers in the quickest manner possible. As a result, unsafe and unprofessional drivers are getting behind the wheel of an eighty thousand pound big rig. This is a danger to us all.
Experience Helping California Trucking Accident Victims
Unfortunately, it is our experience that those in the trucking industry expend a great deal of effort in maintaining profit margins because of all the increases in fuel, insurance, and expenses. As a result, we have found that trucking companies have lowered their standards in hiring and retaining drivers.
When we represent truck accident victims, we carefully investigate the driver’s performance to determine if his or her actions caused the accident. We are very experienced in handling truck accidents. In every serious injury truck accident case, we will determine if the driver should have been on the road in the first place.
We will analyze whether the driver has a history of accidents, if he failed any prior drug tests, if he has a history of chemical dependency, if he has a criminal record history, if he falsified his records, or if he has any any medical conditions which would affect or impair his ability to drive a big rig. We know of cases where truckers have doctor shopped to find a doctor who will overlook a serious health condition.
If any of these answers are yes, we will bring a separate claim against the trucking company for negligent hiring and retention of the truck driver. This will include a separate claim for additional damages for our clients.
The Department of Transportation released statistics showing that 5,300 people died in crashes involving trucks or buses in 2006, and about 126,000 were injured. The leading causes of serious trucking accidents are drivers falling asleep, suffering heart attacks, seizures or otherwise being physically impaired.
We also work with a network of the finest experts in California. These accident scene reconstruction experts help us prove that your accident wasn’t your fault. They help us prove that someone else is liable for your injuries.
We have tremendous experience in litigating semi truck, big rig and tractor trailer accidents throughout California and nationwide.
Do I Need A California Truck Accident Lawyer?
Some people who are in commercial truck accidents think they can handle claims regarding truck crashes themselves. However, injured truck accident victims won’t be able to recover the financial compensation they’re entitled to under California law without a lawyer. In addition, it’s dangerous for those injured in semi truck accidents to speak with insurance companies. It’s vital that you have an experienced truck accident attorney to talk with insurance companies for you.
Insurance Companies Won’t Respect You If You Don’t Have A Lawyer
Those responsible for truck accident injuries are legally obligated to pay for those injuries in California. This typically means their insurance company is obligated to pay for the injuries.
However, insurance companies know that the only way they can really be forced to pay you every penny you’re entitled to under the law is under the threat of a personal injury lawsuit. In other words, insurance companies won’t pay clients what they deserve if they don’t respect the clients’ abilities to file truck accident lawsuits and win them.
If you aren’t represented by a personal injury attorney like the truck accident lawyers at Nadrich & Cohen, insurance companies won’t respect your ability to sue them and win. Insurance companies have a lot of money to hire expensive, skilled lawyers with. They know you can’t beat their lawyers in court if you don’t have a lawyer of your own. So, if you don’t have a lawyer, they simply will not offer you what you’re entitled to under the law for your injuries. They will offer you a tiny percentage of what you deserve, daring you to sue them over the offer.
However, once clients are represented by lawyers with a strong reputation, insurance companies know the clients mean business and are much more likely to offer a fair settlement amount for the clients’ injuries. We have been successfully handling commercial truck accident cases for over 30 years. Insurance companies know that when we take on a commercial motor vehicle crash case, we win. Because of our reputation for success, almost all of our cases settle out of court for a fair amount. Insurance companies have files on us that tell them it’s a waste of their time and money to take us on in court.
Having strong, experienced personal injury lawyers with a reputation for success like Nadrich & Cohen on your side can make all the difference in the world between receiving a lowball offer and receiving a fair settlement offer for your injuries.
It’s Dangerous For You To Speak With Insurance Companies
You shouldn’t speak with insurance companies after being injured in an accident. You should leave this job up to your lawyer instead.
Insurance adjusters are trained to trick truck accident victims into saying certain things. They may trick you into saying something which implies your own fault for your accident. They may trick you into saying something which implies your injuries aren’t as severe as you claim. Their goal is to get you to say something which allows them to pay you less or nothing at all. The insurance company is not your friend. Your well-being is not their priority. Their priority is preserving their profit margin.
Insurance adjusters are very good at tricking people into saying the things they want them to say. An example could be they may ask you how you’re doing. If you reflexively say “fine,” they could later use this to claim you must not be seriously injured if you said you were doing fine. As you can see, they can use the tiniest little slip-up to take advantage of you and preserve their own profit margin.
It’s vital that you have an experienced personal injury lawyer like the truck accident attorneys at Nadrich & Cohen to speak with insurance companies for you. We can handle all negotiations and communications with insurance companies for you so all you have to do is sit back, recover from your injuries and let us handle every aspect of your case for you.
Truck Accident Compensation
If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, you may be wondering what types of compensation you may be able to obtain from the truck company or another party. The types of compensation you’re eligible for will depend on the individual circumstances of your semi truck accident. The compensation you may qualify for may include compensation for:
- Medical bills: You may qualify for compensation for past and future medical expenses related to your truck accident. This means that not only may you qualify for any medical bills you’ve already racked up due to your truck accident injuries, but you may also be eligible for compensation for any future medical bills you can be reasonably expected to incur due to injuries which require long-term care.
- Lost wages: Many people who are injured in a truck wreck end up missing time from work. Sometimes they simply can’t work for a while because they’re hurt too badly. Sometimes they need to take time off from work to attend medical appointments, treatments or procedures. Whatever the case, if you’ve missed time from work because you were hurt in a truck accident, you might be compensated for any wages you were unable to earn.
- Loss of earning capacity: Truck accidents can lead to especially serious injuries due to the tremendous amount of force involved in them, since trucks weigh so much. Truck accident victims are, unfortunately, sometimes left unable to ever work again, or unable to ever do the job they used to again. If you have lost earning capacity due to your injuries, you might qualify for financial compensation for this loss.
- Pain and suffering: Because truck accident injuries are often more severe than the injuries seen in an average car accident, they can cause a tremendous amount of physical pain and mental suffering. You might qualify for compensation for your pain and suffering. While pain and suffering are not objectively measurable, a good truck accident lawyer like the lawyers at Nadrich & Cohen can nonetheless place an accurate, appropriate value on your pain and suffering and make sure you’re compensated for it.
- Wrongful death: If you lost a loved one to a truck accident, unfortunately, no amount of financial compensation can bring back your loved one. However, financial compensation can ensure that the loss of your loved one doesn’t cause you financial distress. You may qualify for compensation for your loved one’s funeral and burial expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages, medical bills, the loss of their love and companionship, and more.
What Should I Do After A Truck Accident In California?
If you’ve been involved in a truck accident in California, first off, you should call 911 to get anyone gravely hurt help. Those at the scene of accidents are required under California law to give injured people “reasonable assistance.” This includes taking the injured to a doctor or hospital if an ambulance isn’t available and they can’t go by themselves.
What Is My Legal Duty?
You must stop at the scene of any collision you’re involved in in California. Leaving without providing the required information is considered hit and run and illegal.
You have to give any drivers involved:
- Your name, or the name of your vehicle’s owner if you don’t own the vehicle
- The registration number of your vehicle
- The number to your driver’s license, if asked
If anyone is hurt, you must notify the police or CHP within 24 hours. You are also required to notify the DMV if anyone was hurt or killed, or if over $1,000 in property damage occurred.
Preserve Evidence
Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to obtain a police report. You should ask for a copy of the police report because, while police reports aren’t admissible as evidence in court, they can be vital evidence in terms of convincing insurance companies to pay you what you deserve.
Taking pictures of the accident scene is another important thing you can do. If you can safely take photos, photograph any vehicle damage, any roadway or weather conditions, any injuries, and anything that could have affected the accident, such as traffic signs and signals.
It’s also important to get the contact information of any witnesses to the accident. Their accounts could be key evidence when it comes time to recovering compensation for your injuries.
Gather Information
Those who are involved in a typical car accident usually only need the driver’s license number, insurance, license plate number and name of the other driver to move forward with a claim.
However, truck accidents are more complex. You need to identify every party involved. You need the address, name and contact information of the truck driver, but you also need the license plate number of the truck, the number of the truck’s insurance policy, and any identifying information you can find regarding the trucking company.
See A Doctor
You absolutely need to see a doctor immediately even if you don’t think you’re hurt.
A lot of people don’t realize they’re hurt until days, weeks or months after an accident. Pain at the scene of an accident can be masked by endorphins and adrenaline.
The problem is, if you wait too long to have a medical professional document any injuries, it becomes very difficult to prove that your injuries were caused by your accident. Insurance companies can then claim something else may have caused your injuries and refuse to compensate you for your injuries.
You also need to dutifully attend any follow-up appointments or treatments. Failure to do this is a signal to insurance companies that your injuries aren’t as severe as you claim, so they don’t need to pay you what you’re asking for.
Be Careful What You Say
Be careful what you say at the scene of the accident while sharing and gathering information. Say only the bare minimum necessary to exchange contact information, insurance information, etc. Don’t apologize. Don’t admit fault.
Don’t talk with insurance companies after an accident. Leave that to your lawyers.
Be careful what you say on social media as well. Insurance companies will monitor your social media and take advantage of any little slip up you make so they can pay you less or nothing at all. Do not talk about your accident or symptoms at all on social media. It may actually be best to not post on social media at all until your case is over. It is very easy to accidentally post something seemingly innocuous which an insurance company can use to pay you less for your injuries.
Call Nadrich & Cohen
Obtaining financial compensation for your injuries after a truck accident is a long, complex, difficult, stressful process. It’s the last thing you need to deal with while you recover from your injuries.
We can handle every step of the legal process for you. We can ensure insurance companies don’t rip you off with lowball offers by threatening them with lawsuits and, if necessary, filing those lawsuits and representing you in court. We can handle all communications with insurance companies for you so you don’t have to worry about incriminating yourself.
We can do everything for you while you simply focus on recovering from your injuries.
Call our experienced truck accident law firm today for a free consultation.
California Truck Accidents
Large trucks are essential for transporting materials all over the country. Drivers of big rigs often drive long hours across great distances and do not always get adequate sleep. The combination of drowsiness and long hours alone on the road is the cause of many trucking accidents.
Statistics For Truck Accidents
Because of the size and weight of 18-wheelers, injuries are likely to be quite serious when a truck accident occurs. 4,951 Americans were killed in crashes involving large trucks in 2018, according to the NHTSA. As many as 126,000 more are injured every year, some of whom require extensive medical care.
If you or a loved one were injured in a trucking accident, contact a truck accident lawyer now for a free consultation by calling us today or by completing the contact form on this page.
Causes Of Truck Accidents
- Truck driver fatigue and sleep deprivation
- Improper maintenance of truck
- Heavy truck loads
- Equipment failure
- Texting truck drivers
- Distracted driving
- Speeding truck drivers
- Unsafe driving practices
- Improper training
Driver Sleep Deprivation
Many truck drivers do not get sufficient sleep while on the road. Truck drivers must adhere to tight schedules and are often compelled to drive farther distances for longer durations than they should.
Improper Maintenance of Truck
Commercial trucks are required to be maintained in accordance with stringent federal rules. However, due to tight delivery deadlines or lack of funds to service and maintain the vehicle, maintenance can be delayed or overlooked. Improper maintenance can result in a dangerous mechanical failure, causing an accident. For example, the brakes may fail if not properly serviced, and can cause big rigs to lose control, leading to car accidents.
Heavy Truck Loads
Some truckers haul loads that are too heavy for their vehicle rating. This causes significant and undue wear on tires, suspension, the transmission and the engine, which were not built to withstand such weight.
Who’s Liable For An Accident?
When an experienced truck accident lawyer at Nadrich & Cohen handles your truck accident claim, he or she will need to determine who is liable for the accident. The owner of the truck may be found liable if the driver was compelled to drive under conditions that are dangerous. An insurance company may be held liable. If a truck has not been properly maintained, the owner or the operator may be liable. If a product defect exists, such as tire tread separation, then the manufacturer of a defective product may be liable.
Free Consultation
If you or a loved one were injured in a truck crash, contact our truck accident attorneys now for a free consultation by calling us, texting us from this page or by completing the form on this page. We have been handling truck accident cases since 1990, and have recovered over $350,000,000 on behalf of our clients. Call us today.
