Stockton drivers already know to beware of motorists in speeding cars and SUVs, but sometimes it’s the largest vehicles on the road that supply the biggest dangers. Local commuters can have tractor-trailers and blue Amazon vans veering over into their lanes on a daily basis on roads like I-5 and Hammer Lane.
When the actions of a negligent truck driver cause accidents and injuries, victims need to focus on recovery and not the cost of surgeries and physical therapy. Truck insurance companies can try to limit the support victims receive, but a Stockton Truck Accident Lawyer fights back and makes sure victims and their families have what they need to fully heal.
Schedule a Free Big Rig Accident Case Consultation with a Skilled Local Attorney
If you or a loved one are hurt in a big rig collision on a San Joaquin County freeway or boulevard, speak with a Stockton Truck Accident Lawyer before saying anything to an insurance company. A commercial truck insurance company isn’t required to inform you of the benefits available to you and your family. In fact, they want you to accept as small a settlement as possible. This can be an easy mistake to make when you don’t know what your injury is actually worth and how much support you should expect. Contact Maison Law for a free and confidential case evaluation. You can quickly get an honest appraisal of what you’ll need to fully recover after a devastating box truck or semi accident. You won’t need any upfront money if you decide we can help you earn more. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement money you earn.Truck Accident Dangers on Stockton Roads
Big Rig drivers and those behind the wheel of delivery vans must pay even more attention to the road to keep their heavy loads from becoming a deadly hazard. Many companies make sure their drivers are as safe as possible. They do background checks, and drug tests, and provide training. But other corporations and independent truck drivers aren’t as careful and can put you and your family in critical danger. Here are just a few of the hazardous decisions truck drivers can make:- Speeding Big Rigs: Semi-trucks pulling tractor-trailers can weigh 80,000 lbs or more. Hitting the brakes on one of these heavy vehicles doesn’t mean they’ll stop quickly. A distracted driver who doesn’t hit the brakes at the first sign of trouble can put motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists at risk.
- Drowsy Truck Drivers: Truck drivers can be working a long day or just suffer from a lack of sleep the night before. There are laws that govern how long a driver can continuously drive, but that doesn’t mean truck drivers are sleeping. This sleepiness affects alertness on the road.
- Impaired Truck Drivers: Truck drivers receive drug tests but they can skirt these tests by knowing when to expect them. Drivers also must keep a lower blood alcohol content to be considered sober than normal drivers. Neglecting these rules can put a driver with impaired judgment behind the wheel of a deadly giant weapon.
- Distracted Drivers: Delivery drivers can receive updates to their routes through phone calls, texts, or even email. They can also rely on computer navigation to find their destinations. Taking their eyes off the road for either of these issues means a large vehicle is basically traveling blind along a freeway.
- Mechanical Failure: Trucks must be constantly inspected for wear and tear and the chance of a mechanical breakdown. Tires and brake maintenance are extremely important. Any neglect of these duties that cause an accident can leave a trucking company fully liable.
Compensation Available to Stockton Truck Accident Victims
All of the frightening reasons for truck accidents listed above could leave a truck driver fully responsible for a crash. But those same reasons can all fall back on the driver’s employer. Victims may be able to file an insurance claim against the truck driver’s commercial truck accident insurer and the employer’s insurance coverage as well. The employer may be a local company or farm that hires its own group of drivers to move goods across Stockton on Highway 99 or Charter Way. The employer could be a national trucking company or a worldwide corporation. These large businesses can have a team of corporate lawyers all paid to try to limit the support your receive. Your skilled Stockton truck accident attorney would determine every party that might need to provide you with injury support. That could include the truck’s manufacturer if a design defect were to blame for a crash. The more insurance policies you can file an injury claim against, the more likely it is that you’ll receive enough support to cover all of your medical bills now and down the road. These factors should all help determine the amount of compensation you receive.- Totals on medical bills.
- Support for a permanent physical disability
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional trauma
- Medical travel costs
- Lost wages
- Vehicle repair
