Whether you travel west on Venice Boulevard heading towards the beach or east on your way into downtown L.A., you’re likely to share the lane with some big and sometimes frightening trucks.
These big rigs can sway across the narrow lanes on Venice Boulevard. They can also be hard to stop once they get going and that can be bad news for SUVs stopped at red lights or slowed for a traffic jam ahead.
Semi-trucks involved in collisions can cause devastating consequences. Victims can easily suffer major injuries and be in jeopardy of losing their lives. In the aftermath, victims and their families may have to act to make sure truck drivers and their employers aren’t allowed to escape liability.
Seek a Free Consultation with a Los Angeles Truck Accident Lawyer
After a big rig crash that leaves you with a serious injury, you may not know where to turn for help. You likely won’t know what your injuries are worth and what support you’ll need in the future in order to rebuild your life.
That’s why it’s so important to schedule a free case consultation with a skilled Los Angeles Truck Accident Lawyer. It’s a no-risk opportunity to learn about the support that’s possible through a truck accident injury claim. It’s also important to discover if a trucking company should also be supporting you.
Big Rig Accident Dangers on Venice Boulevard
Venice Boulevard can be six, eight, and ten lanes across in places. That’s a lot of trust that safe drivers must put in the motorists beside them and behind them. There’s an even bigger trust needed to travel alongside the delivery box trucks and tractor-trailers that can squeeze drivers out of the lanes.
These big rigs can make turns that can place pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists facing a wall of metal for an extended amount of time. It’s no wonder so many collisions involving big rigs occur along Venice Boulevard. Smaller vehicles can be crumpled by a full-speed impact. Victims can also end up underneath higher-seated trucks and get trapped while in need of urgent medical care.
California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) tracks big rig accidents in Los Angeles every year. In 2021 the data showed that over 600 people were injured in accidents involving large trucks. Tragically, TIMS figures also revealed that 17 people were killed in those accidents.
What to Do After a Truck Accident on Venice Boulevard
Once a truck has struck you or your car, see to your injuries and the injuries of others first. Then, if you are able to stand, you should collect some important details on the scene.
This evidence will be used to construct the strongest case possible against a commercial truck accident insurance company. But this evidence has an expiration date. A lot of it disappears once a scene has been cleared and other drivers have left.
If possible, try to complete these tasks on the scene to give you the best chance to secure a settlement check from an insurance provider:
- Call 911. Alert authorities no matter how minor you think your accident is. Allow EMTs to check out every pain you have. Give the LAPD every detail you remember leading up to the accident. Include if you saw the truck driver staring at a cellphone or traveling recklessly. Officers will create a collision report later that your Los Angeles Truck Accident Lawyer will use as evidence.
- Take photos. Show the damage to all vehicles involved and take pictures of traffic signs involved in what happened. Show skid marks created by the big rig. Take photos of any visible injuries. Document any business logos that illustrate who the truck driver works for.
- Get driver’s license and insurance information from the truck driver. Get the employee number if you can. Don’t talk about the accident with the driver. Insurance companies will use your statements about who was at fault or how badly your injuries are to hurt your case later.
- Get contact information from witnesses.
- Contact a Los Angeles Big Rig Accident lawyer after a serious injury. When an accident involves something other than a minor injury, insurance companies will exhaust every option to try to limit the compensation you receive. A skilled personal injury lawyer builds a strong case to send to insurance companies to make sure they can’t wiggle out of accountability. Your lawyer negotiates to maximize the injury settlement you receive to make sure you have everything you need in recovery.
Who Can I Sue After a Truck Accident on Venice Boulevard?
While dealing with a major injury, it’s the worst time to be jumping through insurance hoops set in place to keep you from earning what’s fair in support. As medical bills pile up in the mailbox, you shouldn’t have to worry about your finances more than recovery from injury.
Truck drivers who work for themselves will have commercial truck accident insurance. Truck drivers who work for a farm, a company, or a corporation will also have insurance backing from their employers. Some drivers will have both insurance plans and that means you may be able to secure compensation from multiple parties.
The manufacturers of trucks might also face serious blame in an accident caused by a defective part or a structural problem. This might provide another source of injury compensation for you and your family.
The families of victims who are tragically killed in big rig accidents can also seek financial support from truck drivers and their employers. A wrongful death claim seeks to earn assistance with funeral expenses and also helps the family cope with the loss of income the deceased can no longer provide.
Contact a Venice Boulevard Truck Accident Lawyer
Major trucking businesses might provide good coverage for accident victims, but they’ll also have more resources to contest any claim you make. Their lawyers might try to shift the blame to you in an accident or question what a doctor says about how severe your injury is. You’ll want to have a legal representative on your side to even the field.
Take advantage of a free case consultation from Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law. This evaluation comes with no obligation to you or your family. Make sure you are treated fairly and receive the support you need to fully recover from a big rig collision and get back to your normal life.
