Motorists in Santa Barbara have easy access to scenic drives along the Pacific Coast Highway and Highway 154. But those busy routes are also used by produce trucks, semis from local manufacturers, and delivery companies like Amazon. These large, heavy vehicles can take up more than just one lane and can have trouble slowing down to avoid a collision.
Victims struck by these big rigs and vans can suffer traumatic injuries and even life-threatening harm. It’s critical to hold truck drivers and their employers fully responsible for their dangerous mistakes. A skilled Santa Barbara Truck Accident Lawyer helps you secure the support you need to make a full recovery.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a Santa Barbara Truck Accident Lawyer
After a scary accident involving a truck on a local road, speak with a Santa Barbara Truck Accident Lawyer before answering a phone call from an insurance adjuster. Insurance companies for truck drivers and trucking companies can try to convince you that your injury costs are your responsibility. Don’t fall for this tactic.
Contact Maison Law first to set up a free and confidential consultation. It’s a no-risk way for you to learn what your injury is really worth before insurance companies try to offer you a “lowball” settlement offer or nothing at all.
If you feel Maison Law can help you earn the maximum truck accident settlement for your family, you won’t need any upfront money. We don’t get paid until after we’ve won your case and then our fee comes out of the settlement money you are awarded.
Santa Barbara Big Rig Accident Hazards
Residents across Santa Barbara County can be heading up to the mountains, along the coast, or just off to work when they encounter a careless truck driver on the clock. Truck drivers can become distracted or reckless on curves and steep grades and put drivers in SUVs and cars, and pedestrians, motorcyclists, and cyclists in extreme danger.
These mistakes on busy routes like Highway 1 can cause a semi and tractor-trailer to rear-end a car in front of it. Trucks can ram SUVs head-on, or side-swipe them in a careless lane change on State Street. Smaller vehicles end up under these giant vehicles, leaving victims in need of extraction before they can receive the medical care they need.
These are just a few of the acts of negligence by a truck driver and their employers that can cause devastating collisions:
- Speeding Trucks: Loaded-down trucks weigh a lot more than cars, and truck drivers will need time and space to slow to a stop if there’s a traffic slowdown or an obstacle in the road. Delivery drivers with FedEx and Amazon might also be in a rush to make deliveries and lose control.
- Drowsy Truck Drivers: Truck drivers are not allowed to drive long hours without breaks. They can break these traffic laws and even use illegal substances to try to stay alert.
- DUI Truck Drivers: Drivers can use alcohol or drugs before getting up into a truck cab. This can be a deadly mistake when piloting such large vehicles while impaired.
- Distracted Drivers: Truck drivers can turn to a cell phone or a laptop for entertainment while on long trips. Answering a text or watching a movie takes their eyes off the road and gives them less time to react to changes in conditions ahead.
- Mechanical Problems: Tires and brakes can fail and make it impossible to control an 80,000lb big rig. A lack of proper maintenance or a dangerous design flaw can leave a manufacturing company or a truck maker liable for any injuries caused by an accident.
A truck accident can leave you facing off against corporate lawyers and insurance adjusters in an effort to get support for your injuries. They’ll be trying every tactic they can to limit the support you and your family receive. It’s a smart idea to discuss your case with a Santa Barbara Truck Accident Lawyer so that you don’t get taken advantage of at such a vulnerable time.
What to Do After a Santa Barbara Accident Caused by a Truck Driver
Unhelpful truck insurance companies and corporate lawyers can try to shift blame in an accident involving a truck driver. They can also question how serious your injuries are, despite what your medical charts say. They do this to reduce what they’ll have to offer you in support.
You’ll need strong evidence on your side to help block a truck insurance adjuster from wiggling out of taking responsibility. Your lawyer will be building a strong case for you, but you can help by securing vital evidence on the scene of your accident.
If you are physically able, you should collect these key details that prove what happened:
- Call 911. Tell Santa Barbara Police or the California Highway Patrol about everything you saw before the accident. Include if you saw the truck driver behaving carelessly or recklessly. Allow EMTs to check out every pain you feel. Go to the hospital if necessary.
- Take pictures of the scene. If you must go to the emergency room, ask someone with you or a helpful witness to take pictures. Show the damage to all vehicles and traffic signs and lane markings. Take photos of the business logos that identify who the truck belongs to. Take photos of any visible injuries.
- Talk to witnesses. Find out what they saw. Get their addresses and phone numbers so your personal injury lawyer can secure testimony from them later.
- Exchange information with the truck driver. Jot down an employee number if the driver has one. Don’t make any statements about accident fault or your injuries to the driver.
- See your doctor. Do everything your physician recommends. Keep records of your treatment and your bills.
Compensation Available to Santa Barbara Truck Accident Victims
After suffering through a difficult and expensive recovery, you’ll wonder how much support you can count on from a truck driver’s insurance.
A driver’s commercial accident insurance may have very low limits that leave you with half or more of your recovery bills unpaid. Fortunately, a skilled truck accident attorney comes to your defense and determines all the parties who may be called upon.
The employer of the unsafe truck driver could also be fully responsible for your injury and recovery. A local farm owner, a local trucking company, or a national corporation could be forced to support you as you heal.
These are just a few of the factors that can earn compensation after a Santa Barbara 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.
Contact a Santa Barbara Big Rig Accident Lawyer
In California, truck accident victims have up to two years from the date of the accident to file an injury claim. Victims should not wait months or years to file. Waiting can make it harder to secure fresh evidence and track down witnesses for testimony.
If you or a loved one suffers a serious injury due to the careless actions of a truck driver, don’t allow an insurance company to determine what you’ll receive in compensation. A crash along a local highway might leave you off your feet, unable to work, and with no way to pay your growing medical bills.
Take advantage of a free case consultation from Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law. This evaluation from a real Santa Barbara Truck Accident Lawyer comes with no obligation to you or your family. Make sure you are treated fairly and receive the support you need to fully recover and rebuild your life.
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