Truck accidents in Fullerton can be devastating, causing serious injuries and even fatalities. Due to the large size and weight of commercial trucks, accidents involving these vehicles often result in catastrophic damage.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck accident, it is important to seek legal representation from an experienced truck accident lawyer. At Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian, our Fullerton truck accident lawyers can help you navigate the complex legal process and fight for the compensation you deserve for your personal injuries and damages. Contact our personal injury attorney in Fullerton today for your free consultation.
Why Choose Us?
- We have secured more than $1 billion in settlements and jury verdicts for our clients. Our attorneys will work tirelessly to achieve the results you deserve for your truck accident case.
- Our Orange County personal injury attorneys have the power, resources and ability to go up against any adversary for our clients, including major trucking companies in California.
- The Fullerton truck accident lawyers at Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian operate on a contingency fee basis, meaning you will pay us $0 unless we win your case.
How a Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help You
Navigating a truck accident claim can be difficult for many reasons. You or your loved one may have suffered a catastrophic injury that requires ongoing medical care and significantly impacts your life. You may not have the time or energy to dedicate to pursuing a legal claim. Unfortunately, this could lead to you being taken advantage of by a trucking company or its insurance provider.
Trucking companies are powerful adversaries. They have their own legal teams to protect them from liability, or legal responsibility, for accidents involving their trucks and drivers. Hiring an attorney can allow you to level the playing field. Your lawyer can take over communications and negotiations with an insurance carrier while you concentrate on healing. Your lawyer will know what tactics to use to achieve a fair settlement on your behalf.
A truck accident attorney in Fullerton will conduct a comprehensive investigation of your crash to determine fault and liability. Then, he or she will gather evidence to support your claim. This may include hiring qualified experts to provide testimony on your behalf. The trial lawyers at Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian are prepared to take your case to court if this is necessary to achieve a fair case result.
What are Fullerton Truck Accidents?
Fullerton truck accidents are collisions involving commercial trucks or big rigs that occur within the city limits of Fullerton. These accidents can involve a variety of commercial vehicles, including semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, tanker trucks, and delivery trucks. Due to the size and weight of these vehicles, truck accidents can result in catastrophic injuries, property damage, and even fatalities. Common causes of truck accidents include driver fatigue, distracted driving, speeding, and improper maintenance of the vehicle.
Examples of Fullerton Truck Accidents
An 18-wheeler can crash in many unique ways due to its height, weight, proportions and features. For example, lost cargo loads may occur, where cargo drops from the truck and crashes into oncoming drivers.
Some examples of truck accidents include:
- A semi-truck colliding with a passenger vehicle on the 57 freeway, causing serious injuries to the driver and passengers of the car.
- A tanker truck overturning on the 91 freeway, spilling hazardous materials onto the roadway and causing a multi-vehicle accident.
- A delivery truck running a red light and colliding with a pedestrian in a crosswalk, causing catastrophic injuries.
- A tractor-trailer jackknifing on a steep hill, blocking traffic and causing a backup for several hours.
- A big rig colliding with a motorcycle on a city street, resulting in the death of the motorcyclist.
No matter what type of truck accident injured you or took a loved one’s life in Fullerton, the attorneys at Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian can help. We have years of experience investigating and litigating truck accident cases of all types.
Injuries Often Suffered in Truck Accidents in Fullerton
One of the many things that make truck accident cases unique compared to typical car crashes in Fullerton is the severity of the injuries. Truck accidents are often catastrophic for the occupants of the smaller vehicle. Smaller cars cannot withstand the forces exerted upon them by large and heavy big rigs. This can lead to the car getting crushed or obliterated.
Injuries that may be suffered in a truck accident include:
- Amputations or losses of limb
- Broken bones, including compound or multiple fractures
- Facial injuries and disfiguring scars
- Internal bleeding or organ failure
- Neck injuries, including whiplash
- Serious head and skull injuries
- Severe cuts and lacerations
- Soft-tissue injuries and nerve damage
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Third-degree burn injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries, such as concussions
- Wrongful death
Truck accident victims may have to live with physical injuries and permanent disabilities from their collisions for the rest of their lives. In addition, many victims experience significant psychological harm from the trauma of the accident, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
Who Is Liable for a Truck Accident in Fullerton?
Truck accidents in Fullerton are almost always preventable. Investigations often identify causes that trace back to human error, such as a careless truck driver or negligent trucking company. In personal injury law, negligence is the failure to act with a reasonable or ordinary level of care.
When negligence results in a motor vehicle accident, injured victims have the right to hold the negligent person or party accountable under California’s fault law. This insurance rule can hold a truck driver responsible for a crash caused by an error, such as drowsy driving. However, another rule known as vicarious liability can make a trucking company responsible for its truck drivers and other employees.
If there is evidence that the trucking company itself is to blame, such as poor truck maintenance or a violated trucking law, the company could be held directly liable for the crash. Other potentially liable parties include motor vehicle drivers, cargo companies, truck manufacturers and government entities, depending on the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Common Causes of Semi-Truck Accidents in California
Determining the liable party in your truck accident claim in Fullerton requires understanding who or what caused your crash. The attorneys at Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian can carefully investigate your crash and return to the scene of the accident, if necessary, to collect evidence. We will interview witnesses and hire experts to help establish fault.
Common causes of commercial trucking accidents in California include:
- Truck driver fatigue
- Driving under the influence
- Broken hours-of-service regulations
- Distracted driving or texting while driving
- Violated federal trucking regulations
- Speeding
- Making improper lane changes
- Following others too closely
- Improper cargo loading or securement
- Poor truck or fleet maintenance
- Truck mechanical failures
- Driver inexperience or inadequate driver training
- Road rage driving
- Failing to obey traffic laws
If a trucking company cuts corners on driver hiring or training practices, truck maintenance and repairs, or violates other federal safety regulations to save money, it can be held liable for a subsequent truck accident. An attorney can help you establish and prove liability to hold one or more parties accountable during your case.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (FMCSRs) are a set of safety regulations that are designed to improve the safety of commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) and their drivers. These regulations are administered by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which is a division of the United States Department of Transportation.
The FMCSRs cover a wide range of safety topics related to commercial trucks, including driver qualifications, hours of service, vehicle maintenance, cargo securement, and drug and alcohol testing. For example, the FMCSRs set limits on the number of hours that a truck driver can be on duty and require that drivers take rest breaks to help prevent driver fatigue. The regulations also require that CMVs be inspected regularly and maintained in safe operating conditions.
The FMCSRs apply to all commercial trucks that are engaged in interstate commerce, meaning they are transporting goods or passengers across state lines. However, many of the regulations also apply to intrastate commerce, which means they also apply to commercial trucks that are operating within the boundaries of a single state.
Frequency of Fullerton Truck Accidents
The frequency of Fullerton truck accidents is unfortunately quite high, as is the case in many other cities across the United States. According to the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), there were a total of 171 truck accidents in Fullerton in 2019. Of those accidents, 24 resulted in injuries, and two were fatal.
Types of Evidence Available in a Truck Accident Case
During a truck accident claim in Fullerton, the injured victim or plaintiff has the burden of proving that the accused party or defendant is responsible for the damages being claimed. This means that if you file a truck accident claim, you or your attorney must be prepared to support the claim with clear and convincing evidence. The burden of proof you must meet is a preponderance of the evidence, meaning “more likely to be true than not true.”
Truck accident cases can involve many unique types of evidence, such as:
- The truck’s black box
- Electronic data recorders
- Truck driver daily logs
- Cell phone records
- Truck inspection, maintenance and repair reports
- Truck driver employment, driving and medical records
- Truck company compliance records
In addition, a truck accident case may be supported with traditional forms of evidence, such as a police report, the victim’s medical records, witness statements, photographs and videos of the crash, physical evidence collected at the scene, and expert testimony. Your truck accident lawyer can help you preserve, gather and present the evidence available in your case.
How Much Is the Average Truck Accident Settlement in Fullerton?
Settlement values can vary significantly depending on the unique factors of each truck accident case, such as the severity of the victim’s injuries and the limits on the applicable insurance policies. Some claimants may receive settlements of $10,000 to $20,000, while others may be awarded seven figures by a jury.
While the “average” settlement award for a truck accident claim in California is currently estimated to be around $70,000 to $75,000, this may not be indicative of the value of your case. It is important to discuss the potential value of your case with a lawyer in detail before accepting a settlement from an insurance company.
What Types of Compensation Can Be Awarded for a Truck Accident in Fullerton?
California law allows a personal injury claimant to seek damages, or financial compensation, for various economic and noneconomic losses.
While each case is different, the types of damages that might be available to you as a truck accident victim include:
- Past and future medical bills
- Lost wages
- Lost capacity to earn in the future
- Disability costs
- Property damage repairs or replacement
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Wrongful death damages
An attorney from Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian can help you create a full list of your damages to submit for your insurance claim.
What Is the Statute of Limitations?
In California, a law known as the statute of limitations gives truck accident victims a limited amount of time to file personal injury claims. In general, if you surpass your statute of limitations, the courts will prohibit you from filing a claim. This is why it is critical to consult with an attorney and start your case as soon as possible after a truck accident in Fullerton.
California’s statute of limitations, Cal. Civ. Code § 335.1, states:
- CHAPTER 3. The Time of Commencing Actions Other Than for the Recovery of Real Property [335 – 349.4]
- 335.1.
Within two years: An action for assault, battery, or injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another.
Under this law, truck accident victims have no more than two years from the date of the crash to take legal action. However, certain situations can shorten or extend this deadline. Delayed injury discovery, for example, can toll (pause) the clock until the date of reasonable injury discovery. It is important to note that this deadline only applies to personal injury lawsuits; insurance claims should be filed much sooner.
Contact Our Fullerton Truck Accident Lawyer Today
If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck accident, don’t hesitate to contact our experienced Fullerton truck accident attorney today. We understand the devastating impact that a truck accident can have on your life, and we are dedicated to helping you recover the compensation you deserve for your injuries and other losses.
At Bridgford, Gleason & Artinian, our Orange County truck accident lawyers have the knowledge and resources necessary to investigate the cause of the accident, identify all responsible parties, and hold them accountable for their actions. Contact or call us today for a free consultation to discuss your case and learn more about how we can help.