Maison Law represents the victims of Monterey truck accidents. Our personal injury lawyers aggressively seek compensation for our clients from the truck driver’s insurer and the driver’s employer. Please contact us after an accident caused by a truck driver’s recklessness. We provide a free, no-obligation consultation for all local injury victims. It’s a no-risk opportunity to find out what your injury may be worth and how to hold trucking companies fully responsible for recovery costs.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Truck Accident?
If you are struck by a truck and suffer serious injuries, you should speak to a skilled lawyer about your options. Injuries caused by a heavy semi-truck or farm truck impact are often serious. The cost of recovery leaves commercial truck insurance companies looking for ways to avoid liability. Trucking companies and insurance adjusters can try to blame you for an accident that wasn’t your fault. They may also try to downplay the injuries you’ve suffered. Your Monterey truck accident lawyer protects you from these tactics. And if a trucking company is also liable for your injuries, your Maison Law representatives are not afraid to stand up to trucking companies and big corporations like Amazon. We want to make sure your current medical bills and any care you might need in the future are fully covered.How Many Monterey County Accidents Involve Trucks?
California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) reports that in 2023 there were 65 truck accidents involving serious injury on Monterey County roads. Those accidents led to at least 2 tragic deaths. Those shocking numbers were down slightly from 2022 numbers when 78 serious truck accidents occurred along with at least 3 deadly collisions in 2022. It’s no surprise that so many people are hurt in Monterey truck accidents each year. There are plenty of 18-wheelers using Highway 1 to deliver goods to local restaurants and stores. Monterey County is also a fertile area for agriculture. Lots of farms and orchards box up fruits and vegetables and send produce trucks in every direction from Watsonville and Castroville. Semi-trucks and box trucks can take up more than one lane of narrow, curvy routes, leaving little room to get by. Some truck drivers get careless and stare at cell phone screens instead of the road ahead. Drivers can get drowsy when they are allowed to work too long. This recklessness can lead to devastating collisions with smaller cars. When these accidents occur and people are left with major injuries, victims and their families can seek compensation from truck drivers and their employers. That’s also true when delivery drivers make mistakes and ram other vehicles with fully loaded vans. Companies like Amazon and FedEx are liable when their employees cause collisions.Who Is to Blame After Monterey Truck Accident?
Your Maison Law attorney will identify every party that could be liable for your truck accident injuries. This is an important step because the more guilty parties you can file claims against the better chance you’ll have of getting all of your hospital bills covered and your other damages compensated. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon for a truck driver’s personal commercial truck insurance to have low coverage limits. This means that once the insurance money is exhausted whatever bills remain will have to be paid out of your pocket. Holding the driver’s employer liable as well gives you access to a commercial liability policy that may come with much higher limits. These are just a few of the potential defendants that may be forced to support you through recovery:- Independent Driver – Drivers may work for themselves. They’ll have commercial insurance you’ll hope to draw from.
- Local Trucking Company– Drivers may be working for a local delivery or shipping company that provides some insurance. These companies may also face liability if poor maintenance and upkeep of their trucks and tires contribute to an accident.
- Large Corporations – These national companies, like Walmart, may have their own network of trucks and drivers. Delivery companies like Amazon or FedEx usually carry large insurance policies for their drivers. Unfortunately, these businesses also have corporate lawyers who fight to free their employers from blame after an accident.
- Truck Manufacturer – A problem with the way a truck is built could be the cause of a major accident. A parts defect or a design flaw could have led to an impact. The maker of the vehicle may even have to recall a truck over safety issues. The manufacturer could also have to pay into your recovery.
What Kind of Support is Available After a Truck Accident?
A skilled attorney will also be working with you to create a list of every hardship you and your family have faced since the big rig accident occurred. Each bill and damage must be factored into your accident claim because anything left off can be ignored by the truck accident insurance company. 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.
