Maison Law represents truck accident victims near Plumas National Forest. If you or a loved one suffered injuries in a truck accident, Maison Law can connect you to medical resources and get you the compensation you need to get your life back on track. The unfortunate fact about truck accidents is that the majority of them result in permanent injury and death due to their size and weight, according to the National Injury Safety Council. For that reason, Maison Law advocates on behalf of injured truck accident victims and their families in the Plumas National Forest, offering legal services for the citizens of Quincy, Portola, and all other communities within the national forest area.
Whether your case requires an in-depth investigation or you need to recover compensation fast, we can help. Contact Maison Law today for a no-cost, no-obligation consultation and get the legal help you need.
Do I Need a Lawyer for a Truck Accident?
Truck accidents are far more devastating than your typical car accident. An example of this would be the one that occurred recently, where a semi-truck crashed through a senior building, injuring many. Victims injured in trucking accidents often suffer severe injuries, which require extensive medical treatment and time off work to recover.
In certain cases, truck accident victims can be left with permanent disabilities, leaving them and their families with astronomically high medical bills and an uncertain financial future. The financial and physical toll these accidents can have on a person’s life is why it is advisable to speak to one of the Truck Accident Attorneys at Maison Law. Our firm has helped numerous truck drivers recover their lives after an accident, and we’d love to do the same for you. At Maison Law, we provide the following services for truck accident victims:
- Investigating and determining wrongdoing or recklessness: Trucking accidents are complicated due to the number of victims and liable parties involved. There will be several people to get statements from, and some parties may only be discussing their involvement through their attorneys.
- Collecting and preserving key evidence: Trucking logs, street cameras, dash cams, and witness statements are all key points of evidence for your case. Our lawyers will take the proper legal steps to obtain this information and strengthen your claim.
- Communicating with insurance companies and other attorneys: With trucking companies and drivers having insurance, it is recommended to have an attorney speak to the insurance adjusters on your behalf. Oftentimes, insurance companies will attempt to trick you into taking part of the blame or get you to say something that hurts your claim. Our attorneys will protect you from liability and your right to fair compensation.
- Proving liability: with several parties being involved, any number of them could have caused or contributed to the incident. This makes determining and proving liability challenging. Our attorneys will assign a team of investigators to determine the cause of the accident, identify all liable parties, and hold those responsible for compensating you for your damages.
Steps You Should Take After a Truck Accident in the Plumas National Forest Area
A truck accident can be life-altering, which is why it is important to make sure you take the necessary steps to get your life back on track. At Maison Law, we recommend taking the following steps to ensure you have a strong case:
- Collect Medical Records: Even if your injuries seem minor, they can manifest into something much worse weeks later. So, it is recommended to check in with a doctor and get a record of your injury. An MRI or an X-ray can reveal substantial damage that you might not be aware of. These documents will be essential to building a strong case.
- Get a Police Report: Failing to alert the police does not help your case, especially if the case comes down to your word over the person responsible for your injuries. A police officer will file an accident report and may even assign blame based on their assessment. A police report is critical evidence in any claim and will play a key role in ensuring you are fully compensated.
- Gather Evidence: You should document the accident as thoroughly as possible. Take pictures of the property where the accident occurred. Take a video of yourself recounting the accident while it is still fresh in your mind.
- Collect Eye Witness Statements: if there are any eyewitnesses, try and get a statement from them. Or, at least, get their names and numbers, as they can testify on your behalf or provide a statement to corroborate your story later.
- Collect General Information: Exchange insurance information with the party responsible for your injuries, and be sure to get their name, phone number, and contact information.
- Contact Maison Law: Our firm is standing by to help slip-and-fall accident victims in Bakersfield physically and financially recover. Call, text, or email. Our door is always open to the community, and we’d love to help you through this difficult time.
What Info is Needed During a Law Firm’s Intake Process?
The intake process usually starts off with a questionnaire to assess the merits of the case. This questionnaire will provide the law firm with key information to help determine if a case is worth pursuing or not. However, if you’d like to speak directly to an attorney, you can usually setup a brief meeting to discuss the details of your situation prior to answering a questionnaire. The following data is what potential clients will need to begin the intake process with a law firm:
- Employment details: current or former employer, job title, dates of employment, and compensation information.
- Nature of the complaint: type of carelessness that led to your injury (premise liability, car accident, defective equipment)
- Timeline of events: dates of key incidents, formal complaints filed, relevant communications with employer
- Witnesses: names and contact information of potential witnesses to the alleged misconduct
- Documentation: list of relevant documents (x-rays, MRIs, doctor’s diagnosis, physical therapy appointments, workers’ compensation forms)
- Prior legal action: if you’ve filed previous personal injury claims, then the details of your previous case may be relevant to your new case
- Medical information: details about your medical diagnosis and treatment plan
- Social media presence: your injury may be documented online, as well as you discussing the details of your personal injury
Truck Accident Liability Law
In the case of a commercial truck being involved in an accident, the corporation that owns the truck will most likely be liable for the actions of their truck drivers through vicarious liability. Examples of truck owners could be:
Truck company liability is covered in California’s Respondeat Superior Law, which states:
“The employer or a principal could be held vicariously liable for an unlawful or unjust act of an employee or an agent. For the employer or the principal to be vicariously liable under the respondeat superior, the employer or the agent must commit the wrongful act while working in the scope of the employment agency.”
However, trucking accidents are more complex because several parties can be liable for causing your accident. It may seem simple, but there are a lot of different factors that go into truck transportation. Other liable parties include:
- The manufacturer of the truck and its parts
- Vendors providing services to the carrier
- The owner of the cargo
- A local government or contract responsible for road or highway maintenance
- Other third-party drivers on the road
Proving Liability in a Truck Accident
When dealing with truck accidents, it is not always easy to prove fault. In some instances, there are multiple parties involved, as well as comparative negligence. Comparative negligence is when blame is divided amongst multiple “at-fault” parties, as stated within California’s Comparative Negligence Law:
“Under the pure comparative negligence rule, the state allows the plaintiff to claim damages for the 1% they are not at fault even when they are 99% at fault.”
Regardless of how many parties are involved, if you can prove that someone else’s negligence caused your injuries, you will most likely have a case. The following are four elements of evidence necessary to prove fault in a wrongful death case:
- Had an obligation to act with reasonable care: If a person is driving a car or a truck they are expected to follow traffic laws, as well as be aware of other drivers on the road.
- Breached their “duty of care:” The injured party (plaintiff) must demonstrate they were owed a duty of care by the person at fault (defendant). For example, in a truck accident, the duty of care would have been ignored if a truck driver broke a traffic law and was driving dangerously before the collision.
- Acted careless or reckless: If the driver failed to follow the law or safety protocols and caused another’s death, the plaintiff must prove the other’s careless or reckless actions resulted in the loss of their loved one.
- Damages: The plaintiff must be able to prove they suffered damages due to the loss of their loved one.
FAQs
Q: Do I have a time limit to sue for a truck accident injury?
A: Two years from the date of the accident is the statute of limitations for a personal injury in California.
Q: Do different laws apply to truck accidents in California?
A: Yes, specific laws are applied only to trucks due to the size and weight of the vehicle. There are for more rules and regulations to operating a commercial truck, or 18-wheeler.
Q: What if I was partly to blame for the truck accident?
A: California is an “at-fault” state, and a percentage of the blame will be assigned to you by a police officer, insurance adjuster, or a jury. If you reach a settlement, that percentage will be deducted from your compensation.
Contact Maison Law | Plumas National Forest Truck Accident Lawyers
If you or a loved one has been in a truck accident in the Plumas National Forest area, then Maison Law can help you get the compensation you need. We understand that injured victims only have one chance at securing financial relief after being injured in a serious trucking accident. That’s why we focus on getting your case resolved and getting you paid as quickly as possible.
Our firm has proudly managed numerous truck accident cases, successfully protecting citizens of Plumas County from liability and reaching fair settlements quickly and efficiently on their behalf. So, don’t wait until it’s too late to take legal action for your truck accident injuries. Contact Maison Law today for a free, no-risk consultation and case evaluation. There are no upfront fees, and you don’t pay a cent until your case is won.
