Maison Law provides strong and aggressive legal representation to the victims of Tulare truck accidents.
We demand full compensation from truck drivers and trucking companies for our clients.
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 insurance companies fully responsible for every recovery cost.
Do I Need a Lawyer to File a Truck Accident Claim?
No. You can file a claim yourself. However, if your injuries are serious, it’s a good idea to talk over your case with a skilled Tulare truck accident lawyer. If you suffer a broken bone or a neck or back injury, your hospital bills will be higher, and that will trigger insurers for the truck driver and the driver’s employer to look for ways to avoid blame.
They may try to blame you for what happened or try to dismiss your injuries. Your Maison Law representative protects you from these tactics. A large trucking corporation can also lean on a team of lawyers to shift the case in its favor. We aren’t afraid to take on large companies and their attorneys. We want to make sure your every current medical bill is covered and any care you could need in the years ahead is already paid for.
Who Is Responsible for a Truck Accident in the Central Valley
Your attorney’s job will be to identify who should be held accountable for your accident and injuries. That could be a careless truck driver. The liable parties may include a trucking company and the corporation that has a contract with the transportation business.
These are just a few of the individuals and groups that might share blame in your accident:
- Truck Driver – Victims may have been struck by local drivers who work for themselves. They may be contract drivers, hauling for different employers each day. They will generally only be covered by their personal truck insurance policy. These policies can also have low caps on compensation.
- Local Transport Company – Drivers may be working for a smaller, local delivery or shipping company that provides some insurance. Truck drivers may be driving for a local farm or manufacturing plant. Companies must run full background checks on their potential hires. When they are negligent in this duty, business owners and farm owners may be held liable for accidents. These companies will hopefully cover their employees with a bigger insurance policy.
- Large Corporations and National Distributors – These national and international companies, like large agricultural businesses, may hire and maintain their own fleet of trucks and drivers. They can also rely on national distribution companies that transport goods for many local companies. These businesses are liable for the drivers they hire. They must make sure they are safe drivers and offer safety training to ensure they use safe practices.
- Truck Maker – If there’s a defect with the truck that causes an accident, perhaps there’s been a recall, the manufacturer of the vehicle can also be called upon to provide compensation for their errors in production.
Will a Truck Insurance Company Pay for All of My Medical Bills?
When a truck driver causes a major accident, the driver’s commercial truck insurance or the trucking company’s insurer can be held responsible for the victims’ recovery costs.
This should include all emergency response fees, ambulance fees, and every medical bill the victim receives.
Unfortunately, insurance companies can try to save money by downplaying the victim’s injuries or by rejecting a claim, saying the victim had a pre-existing injury.
An experienced attorney knows how to shut these tactics down. An attorney would be listing every medical bill and working with doctors to document how badly they are hurt and the level of support the victim needs. A claim for damages must also include estimates on the care a patient may need in the years ahead. All of these expenses should be covered in a truck accident settlement check.
These are just a few of the other hardships that should be covered in a settlement:
- Current hospital bills and estimates on care needed in the future.
- Cost for physical therapy, rehabilitation, and medical equipment.
- Lifelong permanent disability/disfigurement support.
- Support for the physical pain victims endure.
- Support for the emotional trauma left behind after a frightening truck accident.
- Travel costs for medical treatment.
- Lost wages and benefits from work while victims are missing work hours.
- Cost of repairs or replacement of a vehicle.
Types of Trucks Involved in Serious Accidents
Tulare is in the heart of one of the biggest farming regions in the U.S. The roads can see their share of trucks from orchards and packing plants. Tractors and farming equipment can be rumbling down the road and veering across centerlines.
Trucks are also starting long hauls from local factories and bringing in goods to stores each day. These trucks can take up more than one lane and slide into your lane unintentionally.
Accidents aren’t uncommon. They can be caused by a truck driver’s inattention and by a driver’s recklessness.
These are some of the big rigs seen on local roads in Tulare and surrounding communities:
- Semi-trucks
- Tractor Trailers
- Big Box Trucks
- Produce Trucks
- Livestock Trucks
- Flatbed Trucks
- Heavy Haul Rigs
- Tankers
- Dump Trucks
- Cement Mixer Trucks
- Amazon Delivery Vans
- UPS Delivery Vans
Delivery companies like Amazon, FedEx, and UPS race through our Tulare neighborhoods daily. Their drivers can also cause powerful collisions if they get careless. If you are injured in an accident, Maison Law is ready to help you take on a national corporation or company to make sure you get the care and support you need.
Injuries Common to Big Rig Accidents
The relative lack of protection that a car provides against a truck that outweighs it by 20 to 40 times means that those in smaller vehicles are going to get the worst of a scary impact.
A collision can carry the weight of a massive tanker truck into the impact point to crumple smaller cars. Vehicles can wind up underneath a high-sitting truck, leaving victims in cars in need of rescue before they can get the medical care they need.
Injuries range from mild to severe and completely change a victim’s way of life. A major injury can also cause someone significant financial losses. Victims can end up at Adventist Health Tulare for a hospital stay that costs thousands a night. And even upon release, victims may have to return when they endure a surprise injury relapse or perhaps require surgery for full recovery.
These are some of the common injuries suffered by vehicle occupants are:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries
- Severe Concussions
- Blunt Force Trauma
- Fractured Ribs
- Broken Legs/Arms
- Chest Compressions
- Organ Damage
- Internal Injuries/Bleeding
- Severe Burns
- Air bag injuries
At Maison Law, we are passionate about helping those injured in big rig accidents get the compensation they deserve to help them become whole again, both physically and financially. Victims deserve the best chance at restoring their well-being and their bank accounts.
Semi-Truck Accident Dangers on Tulare Highways
Big rig trucks, also called tractor-trailers or semi-trucks, are essential to our nation’s economy. They transport goods from factories and make sure vital supplies reach our homes.
Truck drivers are just as important to our local economy. In Tulare, we have big rigs on arterial roads, hauling shipments from local orchards and manufacturing plants, and supplying local stores. You might see them on major routes like Highway 99 or 137.
Unfortunately, heavy produce trucks and long and wide semi-trucks can do much more damage in accidents and threaten more lives. According to figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 5,900 people died in large truck crashes across the nation in 2022.
Only a small percentage of those killed were the truck drivers involved. The NHTSA found that 70% of the victims were the occupants of other vehicles.
Locally, truck accidents have been at high levels for a while now. Over the most recent five-year span (2020-2024), Tulare County recorded an average of 122 serious truck accidents a year, along with a tragic 11 fatalities.
In 2024, California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) data revealed that Tulare County was the scene of 100 truck accidents involving injury and at least 7 deaths.
Highway 99 Through Tulare County Truck Accident Stats: The NHTSA reported that the stretch of Highway 99 through the county saw 34 serious truck accidents with at least one death recorded in 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
Families who lose a loved one to a tragic truck accident are empowered to file a wrongful death claim. They can seek assistance with funeral and burial costs and in paying leftover medical bills. Families must also demand help for the future when the income the deceased had contributed to family finances is no longer available. A Tulare Wrongful Death Attorney can represent the entire family and make sure they get the full benefits they’ll need to rebuild their lives and protect their futures.
Two years. You usually can’t file a claim once two years have passed since your truck accident. You should speak with an attorney as soon as possible, though. This will give your lawyer time to collect evidence before it disappears.
You can still afford the protection of a Maison Law attorney. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the insurance settlement check you receive from a commercial truck insurance company.
Contact a Tulare Truck Accident Lawyer
After a frightening accident with a big rig, delivery van, or piece of farm machinery, please contact a local truck accident attorney serving Tulare County victims. Insurance providers for companies and corporations aren’t required to tell victims about everything available to them. Your personal injury attorney will make sure you know exactly what should be provided to you as you heal.
Contact Maison Law for a free consultation and case evaluation. We take a hands-on approach to every case. We believe that every client should be allowed to heal physically, emotionally, and financially without worry over hospital bills and lost paychecks. Allow us to handle the frustrating aspects of the claims process while giving you the time to focus on healing.
