Maison Law represents families who lose loved ones in heartbreaking Hanford truck accidents. When a reckless truck driver causes a fatal collision, the victim’s family can seek full financial support to deal with immediate difficulties and hardships in the future. Our wrongful death lawyers offer all family members a free, confidential case consultation. Schedule a case review to determine how much support an insurance company should provide to your family after a tragedy.
Do I Need a Lawyer After Losing Someone in a Fatal Truck Accident?
Your family may require the help of a skilled lawyer to force insurance companies and trucking companies to accept full responsibility for a truck accident. A lawyer would also be an important safeguard if attorneys for a trucking company were trying to falsely blame an innocent victim for an accident.
Company lawyers and insurance adjusters will try everything possible to escape financial accountability. They’ll do whatever they can to limit the support a family left in crisis receives.
A Hanford Wrongful Death Attorney safeguards the family’s rights and fights back against these unfair tactics. A skilled lawyer makes sure families are awarded all benefits available. A personal injury lawyer can help in filing a wrongful death claim and protecting the family’s interests. A lawyer also handles the frustrating negotiations with insurance companies while allowing as little disruption to a grieving family as possible.
The Deadly Hazards Created by Trucks on Hanford Roads
Frequent travelers on Hanford’s busiest routes have likely had moments where they’ve had to steer clear of a big rig taking up more than one lane. They may have had to worry about a van coming up fast behind them, wondering if the delivery driver would be able to stop in time to avoid a collision.
These dangerous situations and others occur along busy routes like Highway 198 and Lacey Street every day. Giant vehicles on the road for local farms, orchards, and manufacturers put local drivers in danger. It’s hard enough to keep semi-trucks and produce vehicles under control. But then you must also factor in the carelessness of some truck drivers who don’t take safety as seriously as they should.
These are just some of the factors and reckless decisions that can easily lead to a deadly collision:
- Weight – Semi-truck can weigh up to 80,000 lbs. Some Amazon vans may carry thousands of pounds of packages. A normal mid-sized SUV may only weigh 5,000lbs. The weight makes them harder to slow down and carry deadly force into impacts. When smaller cars and SUVs suffer truck collisions, the results can be devastating.
- Shape and Size – The shape of the trucks also makes them more likely to extend into your lanes and take wider turns creating additional accident risk. Large trucks are difficult to control and have a lot more blind spots too. Higher-sitting cabs and tractor-trailers also create the risk for drivers to end up underneath them after a collision. Victims might lose their lives while waiting for rescue.
- Careless Truck Drivers – There’s also the truck driver behind the wheel, who may be looking at a phone or tablet to find the next stop. The driver could also be texting or looking for music. The driver could simply be drowsy after a long, hot day and not paying attention to your car stopping ahead.
- Maintenance – You may have noticed that some semi-trucks and vans look like they are kept in better shape than others. A lapse in tire or brake maintenance could lead to a crash and leave a trucking company liable. These built-in dangers and more can make travel alongside a big truck that much more risky.
The risks are all around Kings County, and local families can get the worst news of all after a truck driver’s mistake. Families will deal with the emotional pain and financial toll after a tragedy. A Hanford truck accident lawyer gathers the evidence to make sure truck drivers and their employers can’t abandon a family at such a terrible time.
Seeking Support for the Families After a Fatal Truck Accident
A skilled truck accident attorney would file a claim that included a complete list of hardships the family had been through and would go through in the years ahead.
These are just a few of the factors that determine the amount on a wrongful death settlement check for the family:
- Expenses of a funeral service and burial.
- The ambulance fees and any hospital bills accumulated before the victim passed away.
- The paychecks and work benefits the victim will no longer provide in the years to come.
- Emotional trauma suffered by family members. This can include the loss of the love and guidance victims won’t be able to provide in the years to come.
- Loss of consortium. (The loss of intimacy now that a partner is gone)
- Cost of grief counseling and other mental health services.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can file a California wrongful death claim?
A spouse or children of the victim would usually have the first right to file a wrongful death claim on behalf of the family. In some cases, the parents or siblings of the victim could file. A wrongful death attorney can also file this claim on behalf of the family and make sure those at fault can’t escape responsibility.
Who can be held financially responsible after a Kings County truck accident?
The truck driver will have commercial truck insurance that is in place to help the victims of accidents. The driver’s employer, like a trucking company or packing plant, may also carry insurance for its truck drivers. In some cases, a truck manufacturer could be held liable if a defect in the truck contributed to the accident.
What if I can’t afford to pay a fatal truck accident lawyer?
Your family can still afford the protection of a Maison Law attorney. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then, our fee comes out of the insurance settlement check a trucking company must pay your family.
Contact a Hanford Fatal Truck Accident Attorney
Contact Maison Law to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation. It’s a confidential opportunity for families to talk with an actual lawyer and work out their best options after a tragedy. We’re going to answer your questions and make sure you are made fully aware of every benefit a trucking company should be providing to your family. A truck driver and the company the driver works for could be fully responsible for supporting loved ones now and in the years ahead.
