Our Truck Accident Lawyer in Elk Grove Can Help You Now
In a collision involving a large commercial truck, a passenger car occupant or motorcyclist is far more likely to be injured or killed than the truck’s driver. Unfortunately, pursuing compensation for losses suffered in a truck accident is far more complicated than in crashes involving two passenger cars. Trucking companies and their insurers will fight fiercely to keep from paying large personal injury claims, even when the victim clearly deserves that compensation.
The experienced Elk Grove accident attorneys at Demas Law Group have helped thousands of injured victims recover the full and fair compensation they need to move forward with life. We understand what crash victims and their families go through, and we work hard to take as much of the burden off you as possible.
Our highly respected personal injury law firm knows how the trucking industry and trucking corporations operate, as well as what the law requires of them. Our lawyers are not intimidated by their tactics or the resources they can draw on to fight claims, and we stand ready and well-equipped to help you.
Across Northern California, trucking accident victims have chosen Demas Law Group for our:
- 25 years of experience handling complex personal injury claims
- 99 percent success rate, including settlements and jury verdicts
- Commitment to VIP-level treatment for clients
- “No win, no fee” guarantee
Trucking Accident Lawyers in Elk Grove CA
Don’t try to take on a large trucking company and insurers by yourself. Let us stand up for you. Schedule a free consultation with our semi truck accident lawyers in Elk Grove today. We will review the details of your case and go over all your options for pursuing the compensation and lost wages you need to move forward with your life. And you don’t pay us anything unless and until we recover money for you.
Our Elk Grove Truck Accident Attorneys Can Make a Difference in Your Injury Claim
The key to many truck accident claims is moving quickly to obtain evidence from parties connected to the crash before it somehow becomes “lost” or otherwise disappears. This often includes seeking a court order to compel the trucking company and/or others to preserve and make available a variety of records, as well as access to the wrecked truck.
Among the evidence our Elk Grove truck accident lawyers will seek to obtain is:
- The crashed semi truck and its event data recorder (EDR). These “black box” devices record data from the moments before and after collisions, including vehicle and engine speed, brake status, cruise control status, steering angle, forward collision and lane departure warnings, sudden deceleration/acceleration, Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) warnings, and GPS data.
- Hours of Service (HOS) logs, which all truck drivers are required to keep. Fatigued and drowsy driving is a factor in many commercial truck accidents. Drivers violate HOS regulations for their own purposes or because their employer pushes them to.
- Personnel records of the truck driver’s employment, licensing, work time, alcohol testing, performance, etc.
- Dispatch records to identify the truck’s intended route, intended vs. actual departure and arrival times, communications with the office, etc.
- Bills of lading indicating the type, quantity, and destination of the goods transported, as well as the handlers of a truck’s cargo, such as third-party service providers.
- Truck maintenance records, which may indicate neglected work or suggest a mechanical problem that may have contributed to the accident. These records may also point to a liable third-party service provider.
- Surveillance video from public or private sources, such as stoplight cameras or store security cameras. Footage may show when the truck was on the road prior to the accident (potential evidence of HOS violations and fatigued driving) or could even show the crash.
- The truck driver’s cellphone records, which may show activity (i.e., distracted driving) at the time of the crash or at a time he or she should have been asleep according to HOS logs.
- Truck and/or truck component recall databases, which could indicate that a trucking company ignored a defect and negligently put an unsafe vehicle on the road.
In some truck crashes, we consult accident reconstruction engineers who use advanced forensic techniques to determine how collisions occurred. These specialists prepare detailed reports for us that serve as evidence in a claim.
Once we identify which party(s) should be held liable, we will identify and analyze insurance coverage that should provide compensation to you. Our legal team will manage every aspect of your personal injury claim so you can focus on your recovery.
Schedule a free consultation today to get started on your truck accident claim. If you have lost a family member in a truck crash, our attorneys can advise you of your options for pursuing a wrongful death claim.
Truck Accident Attorneys Simplify the Process of Claims
There are three important factors that make accidents involving tractor-trailers, semis, large dump trucks, and other so-called “big rigs” different from car accidents:
- The physical size of commercial trucks compared to passenger cars means car occupants are more likely to be injured and to suffer catastrophic injuries in a truck accident.
- Many truck accident cases involve multiple, well-funded defendants.
- Interstate trucking commerce its regulated by overlapping federal, state, and local laws.
It is important to choose a personal injury lawyer who has experience successfully handling these types of complex cases. At Demas Law Group, we have the know-how and the resources to take on big trucking companies.
Truck Accident Lawyers in Elk Grove Know Liability
Truck accident injuries are often serious. They represent an expense that a semi truck driver and/or trucking company (known as a motor carrier) will work hard to avoid paying. Trucking companies, their insurers, and their lawyers are notorious for circling the wagons after a bad truck accident to protect the driver and the company.
You will need a seasoned truck accident attorney to handle your case. We will identify and prove who was at fault for the crash and should be held responsible. This may include one or more parties, such as:
- The driver of the truck (the “trucker”) and/or drivers of any other vehicles who may have contributed to the accident. In most semi truck accidents, the driver was negligent in one way or another and caused or at least contributed to the crash.
- The trucking and/or shipping company that owns the truck or employs the trucker. Employers in both the private and public sectors can be held liable for the actions of their employees, especially professional drivers. They may also be held liable for their own negligence that contributed to an accident, such as having hired an unqualified or unlicensed driver, failed to drug test an employee, or pushed a driver to violate regulations that limit the hours drivers can be on the road.
- A vendor that provides services to the motor carrier, such as a firm that performs regular truck maintenance and repair work, if inferior work performed by its mechanics contributed to the accident. Similarly, a firm that packs and loads cargo, or that owns cargo on a truck it hired, may be liable if its negligence led to a cargo shift or cargo spill that contributed to a crash.
- Truck and parts manufacturers and their retailers if a defective product – a faulty braking system, defective tire or coupling, or a broken engine component – failed and caused an accident.
- The federal, state, or local governmental agency responsible for building and maintaining roads where a truck accident occurred, if defective road design or lack of maintenance contributed to a truck accident. This includes cases in which a badly designed or erected highway work zone contributed to a truck accident, such as by not providing enough warning and room for a truck to slow from highway speed before entering the work zone.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates
- Interstate Commercial Trucking
- Rules for Drivers, Vehicles, and Cargo
- Motor Carriers Companies
The FMCSA also requires motor carriers to document just about every aspect of their operations.
For example, the FMCSA requires that drivers maintain a valid state commercial driver’s license (CDL). Drivers must also be certified for driving “longer combination vehicles” or LCVs. Drivers are required to maintain duty logs that identify their time behind the wheel, as well as mandated rest times, as required by the FMCSA’s Hours of Service (HOS) regulations.
Drivers must also undergo:
- Background Checks
- Random Drug and Alcohol Testing
- Mandatory Drug and Alcohol Testing After an Accident
Any violation of the FMCSA regulations can lead to a legal finding of fault against the trucking company, its driver, and/or another party. The experienced Elk Grove truck accident lawyers at Demas Law Group know this complex legal territory and can navigate it in pursuit of maximum compensation for you.
Elk Grove Truck Accident Lawyers Get You Compensation for Your Truck Accident Injuries
To determine what you are owed for your injuries, our legal team will obtain copies of your medical records and have independent professionals review them to assess your prognosis. In cases of disabling injuries, we will consult medical specialists and life-care planning experts to document future medical needs, as well as their costs.
We will also talk to you about keeping a journal about your injuries, medical treatment, and recovery to show the pain and suffering you have been put through and how the accident has affected your day-to-day life.
We will file all possible insurance claims and aggressively pursue full payment to you. Compensation we will demand for you may include payment for:
- Current medical expenses, including for emergency medical care, hospitalization, diagnostic tests, surgery, physical therapy, medication, etc.
- Future medical expenses, such as those projected for anticipated medical treatment, or for in-home assistance and/or lifestyle alterations required by disabling injuries, such as assistive devices (wheelchair, hospital bed, etc.) or household modifications (ramps, widened doorways, etc.)
- Lost Wages during recuperation, including time away from work for doctors’ appointments, physical therapy, etc.
- Future income loss due to diminished earning capacity if injuries prevent you from working or limit the work you can do
- Property damage losses equal to the cost of repairing or replacing your motor vehicle damaged in the accident
- Pain and suffering compensation for your physical pain, emotional turmoil, stress, disruption of lifestyle, and loss of enjoyment of life
After an accident, a trucking company’s insurer may try to get you to accept a quick settlement that is completely inadequate. Insurance companies base initial settlement offers on what they have settled similar claims for in the past, not on your specific accident or injuries. Do not give a statement to an insurance claims adjuster or sign anything without talking to one of our knowledgeable attorneys.
Let Our Elk Grove Truck Accident Injury Lawyers Fight for You
When choosing an attorney to represent you in a commercial truck accident claim, you want to be confident your representative has successfully handled similar claims before. Our dedicated Elk Grove truck accident law firm has secured millions of dollars in compensation for our deserving clients, including:
- $2.5 million in a record-breaking verdict for the widow of a driver and her sister who were hit by a truck in Tuolumne County
- $1.875 million for a bicyclist struck by a city garbage truck in downtown Sacramento
- $1 million for a 78-year-old man who was rear-ended by a large security truck near Walnut Creek
Although truck accident cases are complex, our tenacious attorneys fight fiercely for every client we serve. We conduct thorough accident investigations to prevent insurance companies from denying or minimizing the compensation our clients deserve.
Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with our Elk Grove truck accident lawyers today. We do not charge for our services unless and until we recover compensation for you.
Call (916) 764-3059 or contact us online now.
This literature may be considered attorney advertising or an offer of professional services, according to rule 1-400 Rules of Professional Conduct by the State Bar of California. The information does not constitute a guarantee, warranty or prediction regarding the outcome of your potential legal matter.
