Were you involved in a commercial truck accident in Lomita, CA or Los Angeles County? A Lomita truck accident attorney may be able to help you seek financial compensation through a truck accident claim.
Frost Law Firm, PC is a top-rated personal injury law firm with decades of experience fighting for victims’ rights in California.
To speak with a Lomita truck accident lawyer from Frost Law Firm, PC, please call or complete a no-obligation online contact form. An expert attorney from our legal team will be in touch soon to schedule your free case evaluation.
What Can I Expect When Filing a Truck Accident Claim in Lomita, CA?
A truck accident claim is the legal way to recover compensation for the losses you suffered in a commercial vehicle crash. The state of California allows those injured through negligence to take civil action against the at-fault party.
This ensures that the negligent party takes financial responsibility for their wrongful actions. It also reimburses the injured victim for the economic and noneconomic damages they incurred. A Lomita truck accident claim can further bring consciousness to the dangers of trucking negligence, prevent dangerous behaviors from spreading unchecked, and stop future truck accidents before they happen.
If you and your Lomita truck accident attorney decide to work together to file a California truck accident claim, you can expect that:
The trucking company and their insurer will…
- Try to evade responsibility for the accident
- Work to diminish your right to compensation
- Offer you a lower settlement amount than you deserve
- Attempt to shift blame for the accident onto you
Your Lomita truck accident lawyer will…
- Gather the evidence necessary to prove liability and your right to compensation
- Fully calculate your damages so you can recover maximum compensation
- Hold the at-fault truck driver, trucking company, or other party accountable for their negligence
- Support and advise you through every step of your truck accident claim
- Negotiate and communicate with the insurance company on your behalf
Financial Compensation for Eligible Truck Accident Victims
If you were injured in an accident caused by a negligent truck driver or trucking company, you may be entitled to compensation. But truck accident claims are highly complex. Your team of Lomita truck accident attorneys from our law office will devote significant time and effort to your case.
A complicated legal matter like a truck accident lawsuit demands the skill, expertise, and know-how of a legal representative who has successfully litigated many cases involving commercial vehicles. If your lawyer doesn’t have the right experience, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to achieve a fair settlement for your losses.
At Frost Law Firm, PC, we use our experience to help you secure the compensation you need to recover fully from your injuries—whether those injuries are physical, financial, emotional, or psychological.
What Can My Truck Accident Settlement Go Toward?
Your truck accident settlement award can go to cover economic and noneconomic damages resulting from the tractor-trailer crash. If you were the injured victim, your economic damages are your financial bills. Your noneconomic damages are your non-financial losses. If you lost a close family member in a Lomita truck collision, you may be able to recover wrongful death damages.
Let’s look more closely at what your truck accident settlement may go toward.
Economic Damages
- Medical bills
- Property damage
- Lost wages
- Loss of future income
- Reduced earning capacity
Noneconomic Damages
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Permanent disability
- Disfigurement
- Emotional anguish
- Psychological injuries like PTSD
Damages in a Wrongful Death Case
- Funeral and burial costs
- Medical expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of financial support or loss of inheritance
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of love, guidance, care, and companionship
What Causes Commercial Truck Accidents in California?
The seasoned Lomita truck accident lawyers on our team know there are a handful of factors seen again and again in California trucking accidents. These include certain driver errors, trucking company failures, and violations of federal safety standards.
Trucking accident victims in Lomita and the rest of California often find one or more of the following causes to be a factor in their crash.
Truck Driver Error
Safely driving an 18-wheeler is not something you can pick up in a day or two. That’s why government agencies like the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) establish strict regulations for truck driver licensing and education. And yet, thousands of truck accidents happen every year. Driver error continues to be a cause of far too many wrecks resulting in a fatality or catastrophic injury.
Common truck driver errors include:
- Speeding
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol (including marijuana and prescription drugs)
- Texting and driving
- Distracted driving
- Driving fatigued
- Violating traffic regulations
- Failing to take adverse weather into consideration
- Oversteering
- Improper braking
- Mishandling hills
- Misjudging clearance
- Reckless driving
- Failing to check blind spots
- Not yielding to the right of way
- Tailgating
- Unsafely changing lanes, merging, or turning
Trucking Industry Negligence
When a motor carrier company creates a dangerous environment for drivers, people get hurt. Like any industry, there are many good companies that give precedence to the safety and wellbeing of their employees. But there are also trucking companies that push for profits and create a company culture that fosters hazardous, negligent, and abusive practices.
Trucking company negligence can take the form of:
- Hiring drivers without the proper training or commercial driver’s license (CDL)
- Failing to conduct background checks
- Violating hours of service (HOS) regulations, forcing drivers to stay on the road for illegal lengths of time without a break
- Neglecting to conduct proper inspections of vehicles
- Not performing regular vehicle maintenance
- Undertraining drivers
- Overloading or improperly loading vehicles
- Sending drivers out on the road in unsafe vehicles
Other Parties That May Be Liable
While truck drivers and trucking companies may be the most obvious potentially-liable parties, they are not the only ones whose actions can contribute to a commercial vehicle accident.
Truck collisions in Los Angles County may also be the result of negligence committed by:
- The driver of a vehicle involved in the accident
- Another motorist not involved in the accident, but whose actions caused a driver to lose control of a vehicle
- Employees of a freight loading company who didn’t properly load a truck
- A manufacturing company who produced or designed defective truck parts
- Third-party maintenance technicians
Because there are so many hands involved in the commercial trucking industry, there are many parties who may be at fault for your accident and injuries. Your Lomita truck accident lawyer from Frost Law Firm, PC will not rest until the appropriate party is identified and held accountable.
What Are the Most Common Types of Tractor-Trailer Crashes?
In both Lomita, CA and the rest of the nation, there are certain types of truck accidents known to be the most common. All large trucks like semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, and 18-wheelers have a particular size, weight, and configuration. This makes this type of vehicle very different from a passenger car, pickup truck, or SUV.
If you own a vehicle, you are familiar with the types of crashes often seen between passenger vehicles:
- Sideswipes
- Head-on collisions
- T-bone (broadside) collisions
- Rear-end crashes
While commercial motor vehicles can also become involved in these collision types, there are other kinds of accidents that are typically only seen in truck crashes.
Jackknife Accidents
When the tractor (cab) and trailer move in opposite directions—forming an L or V shape—it is known as a jackknife accident.
Causes of Jackknife Accidents
- Improper braking
- Skidding on slippery road surfaces
- Taking turns too quickly
- Brake malfunction
- Speeding
- Overloaded or improperly loaded cargo
Rollovers
As the name indicates, a rollover is when a truck loses balance and tips over. A truck may roll over onto the side or top surface of the vehicle. This particularly dangerous type of truck accident is made even worse if the truck is carrying hazardous materials.
Causes of Rollovers
- Cargo that is overloaded, not secured, or loaded incorrectly
- Speeding around curves and corners
- Overcorrecting with the steering wheel
- Tire blowout
- Misjudging curves and turns
- Swerving
Underride and Override Accidents
Both underride and override accidents involve a small vehicle becoming trapped underneath a tractor-trailer. In an override, a truck driver drives over a vehicle in front of the truck’s cab. In an underride, the passenger vehicle slides beneath the back of the trailer. Both sets of circumstances are equally dangerous and often fatal to car occupants.
Causes of Underride and Override Accidents
- Abrupt braking
- Tailgating
- Conditions of low visibility
- Failing to use vehicle lights correctly
- Speeding
- Recklessness and road rage
- Failure to yield right of way
- Merging or turning without warning
- Failure to check blind spots
California Large Commercial Vehicle Crash Facts
As practiced Lomita truck accident lawyers, we know how common commercial motor vehicle crashes are in and around Los Angeles County. Sadly, the high rates of accidents, injuries, and fatalities we see in our area have only continued to increase over the past several years.
The following California truck accident statistics were obtained from the California Highway Patrol’s most recent Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System report:
- In just five years, California’s truck accident injury and fatality rates increased by over one-third—from 278 deaths and 7,511 injuries in 2013 to 367 deaths and 9,710 injuries in 2017.
- Los Angeles County saw 2,656 truck accident injuries in 2017, more than any other county in California and far above the second-highest county (San Bernardino) with 878 injuries.
According to data gathered by the state government, California truck crashes caused by the truck driver most commonly involved the following types of driver error (in order of frequency):
- Driving at an unsafe speed
- Improper turning
- Unsafe lane change
- Failure to give another vehicle the right of way
- Violating or disregarding traffic signs and signals
A Law Firm Defending Lomita’s Residents From Trucking Industry Negligence
The truck accident attorneys at Frost Law Firm, PC are committed to advocating for people of Lomita harmed in truck accidents. If you or a loved one suffered an injury or fatality in a preventable semi-truck crash, contact us today.
A Lomita truck accident lawyer with the compassion, skill, and expertise you need is available for a free consultation.
