Ventura Boulevard enjoys a legendary reputation as a free-wheeling road for cruising. This famous street is the route to some great food and terrific local shops. But for many locals, the focus is on the extreme levels of daily traffic and the constant risk of frightening collisions.
Adding to those dangers are the many large trucks you may encounter while trying to enjoy a drive on Ventura Boulevard. Many of these big rigs supply stores along the famous strip, but when truck drivers get careless, they can spark some devastating crashes.
If you or a family member are the victim of a truck driver’s mistake, you should know what you can immediately do to make sure the driver and the driver’s employer are held accountable.
Big Rig Accident Dangers on Ventura Boulevard
From Studio City to Woodland Hills, Ventura Boulevard is known for its long, interrupted stretches of roadway. It’s a popular route, but the lanes can be narrow, and big rigs, box trucks, and delivery vans are often seen squeezing cars, SUVs, and motorcycles off the road.
Truck drivers are also known to look away from the road at texts, emails, and videos and forget about the many stoplights that line Ventura Boulevard. Unfocused truckers can nearly drive through and over a smaller vehicle after failing to notice a light turn from green to red. The size and weight of these trucks often make the medical consequences of an impact that much worse.
Ventura Boulevard intersects with several major freeways to create even more dangerous zones of merging truck and car traffic. Interchanges with the 405 and Highway 101 are particularly difficult places to avoid trucks and vans veering into your lane.
Big rigs off-course or out-of-control lead to devastating truck accidents each year in Los Angeles. It’s crucial that injured victims and their families earn the insurance settlements they need to avoid going into debt to pay for healthcare.
What To Do After an Accident on Ventura Boulevard
One of the surest ways to hold a commercial truck insurance company accountable for injuries is to bring a lot of evidence to the negotiating table. Insurance adjusters will look for ways to question a police accident report and your account of what happened.
They want a reason to reject your claim and pay you nothing for your hardships. Presenting proof of their truck driver’s fault is the best way to put a stop to their tactics.
Often the best way to secure powerful evidence in your defense is to gather everything you can on the scene. If you are able, try to secure these details after your California big rig accident.
- Call for officer assistance and paramedics. Dial 911. Let paramedics check out every injury and allow them to take you to the emergency room if they recommend you should go. Tell investigators everything you can remember about the crash. They’ll be creating a collision report you can use as evidence later.
- Take pictures and video. Fill your phone with photos of traffic signs, lane markings, and skid marks along Ventura Boulevard. Show the damage to cars and any visible injuries. Take photos of any logos and signs that demonstrate who the truck driver works for.
- Get driver’s license and insurance information from all drivers involved. If the truck driver works for someone or a business, get employee numbers.
- Talk to witnesses. Get their contact information so that your Los Angeles Truck Accident Lawyer can locate them for testimony later.
- Make note of the addresses of any homes or businesses with security cameras nearby.
- Get checked out by your physician. Get all injuries documented. Follow all of your doctor’s recommendations including seeing specialists. Save all medical receipts and invoices.
What Kind of Compensation Is Available After a Ventura Boulevard Big Rig Collision?
A Los Angeles Truck Accident Lawyer helps you determine where to target your injury claim. A qualified lawyer will use experience and investigative skills to determine if it’s a truck driver’s insurance or the insurance provided by a trucking company that should be called upon.
A skilled attorney will also be working with you on creating a list of every hardship you and your family have faced since the big rig accident occurred.
These are just a few of the factors that decide the amount written on a truck accident settlement check:
- Hospital and rehabilitation expenses.
- Estimated costs associated with a long-term injury or permanent physical disability that are common with serious truck accidents.
- Emotional anguish suffered. The loss of enjoyment of life due to an injury. The loss of consortium (loss of intimacy with a spouse).
- The hardship of dealing with chronic, physical pain.
- Past and future lost wages at work during recovery.
- Property damage.
- Wrongful death benefits. A family who has lost a loved one to a truck driver’s mistake is encouraged to file a wrongful death claim. This claim asks an insurance company for help with funeral costs. It also seeks to replace the income the deceased would have provided the family in the future.
Contact a Los Angeles Ventura Boulevard Truck Accident Lawyer
After a serious traffic accident involving a big rig in Southern California make sure you know every benefit available to you and your family.
Take advantage of a free case consultation from Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law. It’s a no-risk way to find out how to avoid the pitfalls of dealing with commercial truck insurance companies after a Los Angeles big rig accident. You must stay informed so they can’t rob you of the financial support you need to make a full physical and financial recovery.
