TRUCK ACCIDENTs

Commercial truck accidents can leave victims with life-altering injuries and devastating financial burdens. If you have been injured in a truck accident in Los Angeles, you need to learn about your legal rights as soon as possible. You may be able to recover payment for your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and anticipated future losses.

For over 50 years, the Los Angeles truck accident attorneys of Custodio & Dubey LLP have been helping victims like you demand justice after crashes that could have been prevented. We have extensive experience in complex truck accident claims. We also have the resources needed to take on deep-pocketed trucking companies and insurers.

Truck accident cases usually prove more complicated than your average car accident claim for several reasons, including:

• More potentially liable parties. The trucking industry has many kinds of companies responsible for getting trucks on the road. Any one of these parties may bear some or all the fault for your truck accident.
• More evidence involved. The highly regulated nature of the trucking industry means much more documentation and other evidence that must be reviewed to determine the true cause of your accident and the party or parties who may be at fault.
• More severe injuries. The size of massive commercial trucks means more forceful impacts on the occupants of other vehicles in a collision. Even at low speeds, those forces can lead to more serious injuries. As a result, truck accident victims often incur overwhelming financial damages. In many cases, the full extent of the damages is not known when the legal claim reaches settlement negotiations or trial. This makes it necessary to ensure that any compensation award includes an estimate of an accident victim’s future damages. Once the claim is resolved, the accident victim cannot demand additional compensation.

The process starts with an investigation into the accident itself. Fault needs to be determined and proven. Next, you must assemble your case by including evidence of fault and of the serious nature of your injuries. Then you must calculate your losses and make a demand to the at-fault party’s insurance company. Insurance negotiations will follow your demand. If a settlement cannot be reached, you case could go to trial.

You need a seasoned truck accident attorney who has extensive experience handling these complex claims. You can trust Custodio & Dubey LLP to be an aggressive advocate and demand the full compensation you deserve.

The complex nature of the trucking industry means multiple parties may share liability for a semi-truck accident in Los Angeles. These parties include:

• The truck driver can be held liable if his or her negligent or reckless operation of the truck causes the accident.
• The trucking company can be held liable for the truck driver’s negligence if it employs the driver. The company can be held directly liable for its own negligence in retaining an unsafe driver or in ordering the driver to drive unsafely by speeding or driving past the hours-of-service limits.
• The truck’s owner , if different from the truck driver or trucking company, can be held liable if deferred maintenance causes the accident.
• The truck’s mechanic can be held liable if negligent maintenance leads to a mechanical failure that causes the accident.
• The truck’s manufacturer or a part manufacturer can be held responsible if a design defect or manufacturing defect causes a crash.
• The freight company can be held responsible if an unsafe or unsecured load causes the truck driver to lose control.

Truck accident cases involve the inspection and review of extensive evidence. Examples of evidence unique to commercial truck accident claims include:

• The truck driver’s logs, which can show if the driver exceeded hours-of-service limits and may have been drowsy or fatigued at the time of the accident.
• The truck driver’s toxicology report, if the driver is required to take an alcohol or drug screen following an accident.
• The truck driver’s employment records, which can reveal the driver’s training, experience, and history of prior accidents.
• The truck’s electronic data recorder, or “black box,” which records data about the truck, including its position, speed, and possibly steering and acceleration/braking inputs.
• The load manifest, which can show if the truck was improperly loaded.
• The truck’s maintenance logs, which can show whether the truck had been properly maintained or if maintenance work had been improperly performed.

As we investigate a truck accident, we also use other pieces of evidence common to motor vehicle accidents. This includes police accident reports, accident scene photos, dashcam or surveillance camera footage, eyewitness statements, vehicle damage reports, and medical records from the treatment of injuries you suffered in the collision.

If you have suffered injuries in a truck accident due to someone else’s careless conduct, you may be entitled to compensation for these past and future losses:

• ER and hospital bills
• Surgeries and medical procedures
• Rehabilitation and therapy
• Assistance with personal care
• Lost wages and income
• Lost earning capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Lost quality of life

You may also be entitled to compensation for damage to your vehicle and other property inside your vehicle.