Maison Law represents the victims of truck accidents involving the grocery trucks that travel in and out of our cities and across our state each day. Our personal injury lawyers aggressively seek compensation for our clients from the truck driver’s insurer and grocery chains. 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 so they are fully aware of the benefits available.
Should I Call a Lawyer After a Supermarket Truck Accident?
If you are struck by a truck driver working hauling for a grocery store and suffer serious injuries, you should speak to a skilled lawyer about your options. Injuries caused by a heavy semi-truck impact are often major, and the cost of recovery can tempt some commercial truck insurance companies to look for ways to avoid liability. Supermarket chains and their insurance providers 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 California 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 businesses like Walmart. We want to make sure your current medical bills and any care you might need in the future are fully covered.
Grocery Truck Accident Dangers on California Highways
Shoppers will see giant trucks parked behind their supermarket of choice. But they’ll also meet those semi-trucks on city streets and while traveling on freeways.
These truck drivers help supply our local stores with vital goods. They keep the food chain moving and usually try to remain as cautious as possible. But just like any motorist, truck drivers make mistakes and even bad choices that can put others at risk.
A loaded-down truck on the road for Walmart, Smart & Final, or Vallarta Supermarkets can suddenly go out of control to cause massive damage to smaller cars and SUVs.
These are just a few of the types of hazards trucks can cause as they go from distribution centers to local stores:
- Driver Exhaustion: Truck drivers are often pressured to work long hours even though there are laws in place that say to take a certain number of breaks. Drivers might illegally exceed their working hours and fall asleep at the wheel, putting multiple vehicles in terrible danger.
- Truck Driver Distractions: Drivers can be using a cell phone to text loved ones or watch videos. They may have to eat behind the wheel. Even taking eyes off the road for a few seconds could cause a devastating accident.
- Driving Under the Influence: Traffic laws hold truck drivers to a higher standard when it comes to the blood-alcohol content allowed. The maximum allowed blood-alcohol content limit for commercial drivers is 0.04%. If truck drivers consume alcohol within four hours of operating their vehicle, they are breaking the law and putting lives at extreme risk.
- Failure to Properly Maintain Truck: Trucking companies and owner/operators are responsible for putting safe trucks on the roads. Tires checks and brake maintenance must be kept up with so runaway trucks can’t cause major pileups.
- Lack of Proper Training: Companies must confirm that truck drivers are safe drivers and have the experience necessary for the job. Trucking companies must also keep up with driver certification and continued training programs.
- Unbalanced Cargo: A load must be properly secured so it doesn’t shift and cause a truck to swing left or right to cause collisions.
Who Is to Blame After a Grocery Store Truck Accident?
Commercial truck drivers are under a legal “duty of care.” They must show this caution around everyone else who uses the road. They must avoid looking at their cell phones while speeding along. They must not focus on radios or eat while behind the wheel when it compromises the safety of others on the boulevard.
But the companies that hire these drivers are also under this duty of care. Grocery chains are liable if they don’t support workers, monitor their well-being, and stress safe practices at each step of the delivery process.
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, but these will usually be small policies with low limits on what you can be awarded.
- Trucking Companies — Some trucking businesses haul produce and other goods to many different stores. When their drivers make mistakes and cause collisions, the trucking company can be held liable.
- Supermarket Chains – Many grocery chains hire their own drivers and maintain their own fleets of trucks. They must see that all drivers are trained and tested regularly. Grocery owners are responsible for maintenance on trucks that keep tires and brakes working properly. They should have large insurance policies to cover victims when their employees make mistakes. Unfortunately, these corporations 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.
Contact us for more information on what to do if you are struck by a semi-truck from any of these California grocery chains and grocery transport companies:
What Can I Receive Compensation for After a Collision With a Grocery Store Big Rig?
Large companies like Vons and Albertsons must be held accountable for every financial and non-financial hardship you encounter as you recover from injury.
Your compensation totals factor in the physical, emotional, and financial hardships you endure. Your California Grocery Truck Accident Lawyer will submit each damage you and your family face in an injury claim. Anything left off this list could end up as a bill you’d have to pay out of your savings.
These are just a few of the factors that can earn compensation after a truck crash:
- Medical expenses and estimates on any care needed in the future
- Costs associated with a permanent physical disability. Estimates on your lost earning potential, your medical care, and home healthcare costs over a lifetime.
- Physical pain and suffering. This includes the emotional trauma many victims suffer with. Victims may suffer anxiety and depression and lose their enjoyment of life. PTSD symptoms might also linger after a frightening big rig collision.
- Medical travel costs. This includes transportation to doctor’s appointments while you are off your feet. It might also factor in trips out of the city or state to see specialists.
- Damage or destruction of property.
- All income you’ve lost from missing valuable time at work.
- Wrongful death benefits. When a family loses a loved one in a semi-truck accident, close relatives can file a wrongful death lawsuit. This lawsuit asks for help with funeral costs and remaining medical bills. This civil claim also seeks to protect the family in the future when they’ll be without the financial support the victim would have provided.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file an injury claim over my truck accident?
Two years. California allows victims up to two years after an accident to file an injury claim. It’s best to act quickly so your lawyer can gather fresh evidence and track down eyewitnesses who say your accident.
What if I can’t afford to pay a truck accident lawyer?
You won’t need any money to hire a Maison Law truck accident lawyer. We don’t accept payment unless we win your case for you. If that happens, our fee comes out of the settlement award your family receives.
Should I talk to the grocery business owner’s insurance company or lawyer?
Only to provide basic information. They’ll ask you to give a recorded statement, but you should politely refuse. You aren’t required to give one. These parties on the side of the supermarket or trucking company are hoping you say something they can twist to hurt your case later. Allow your lawyer to handle communication beyond that point.
Contact a California Grocery Truck Accident Lawyer
Contact Maison Law to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with an actual Grocery truck accident attorney. Your consultation is confidential. It’s a no-risk way to find out what you’ll need to fully recover and what you should be demanding from a business that causes you harm.
We want to hear what happened to you. We’re going to answer your questions and make sure you are fully aware of every benefit available before an insurance company tries to convince you your case is worth nothing. A truck driver and the company the driver works for should be fully responsible for your hardships.
