Truck Accidents

Truck Accident Lawyer Serving Los Angeles

Trucking is a major part of the U.S. economy. There are over 11 million trucks registered across the country, traveling over 300,000 million miles across U.S. roads every year. Particularly in heavy traffic areas like Southern California, these trucks can pose a serious danger to other motorists on the road. Southern California sees an average of nearly 3,000 injury crashes involving trucks every year, leading to more than 100 deaths, the majority of which are other drivers and vehicle occupants rather than the truck drivers themselves. Whether due to long work hours without sleep, intoxication, or lack of proper safety equipment, if a truck is being operated negligently and an accident ensues, the responsible parties should be held accountable for the damage and injury they cause.

If you or your loved one has been injured or killed in a truck accident in southern California, it is vital that you reach out to a seasoned and successful truck accident lawyer as soon as possible to ensure that you recover the damages you are owed. The dedicated and compassionate Glendale personal injury attorneys at McReynolds Vardanyan, LLP are experienced in investigating truck accident claims, negotiating substantial settlements, and fighting for the rights of our clients in court.

What causes truck accidents?

Truck accidents can result from a variety of causes including equipment failure, unsafe driving practices like speeding or driving through inclement weather, and fatigued or intoxicated drivers. Truck accidents also result from unsafe or unsecured loads, overweight trailers, the transportation of hazardous materials, improper maintenance, driver mistakes, or the negligence of trucking companies.

One of the most common contributing factors to truck accidents is the long, unforgiving hours of long-haul driving. While there are regulations in place that purport to limit how many hours a trucker may drive in a given week without resting or sleeping for a specified period of time, some truckers either of their own volition or at the behest of their employer drive well beyond the maximum number of hours without the requisite breaks, skirting the rules for recording driving and resting hours.

Moreover, trucking companies are known to drag their feet in ensuring that the latest safety equipment is installed across their fleet. Complying with updated safety equipment can cost trucking companies significant time, effort, and money, but that does not excuse them from being responsible for any accidents resulting from out-of-date brakes, electronic logging devices, in-cab camera systems or other collision mitigation technology.

Truck accidents are more dangerous and more fatal than typical passenger car crashes

Even with the most careful driver, trucks are more dangerous than the average passenger car. Trucks typically weigh as much as 20 times more than a passenger car. Because of their large size, any accident involving a large truck has a much greater potential to involve serious injury or death. Truck cargo also creates an additional risk to motorists, as large cargo can create deadly flying debris, and spilled chemicals can create hazardous waste traps.

Truck accident deaths are on the rise nationally and in California

According to a report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and based on data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, a total of 4,102 people were killed in large truck crashes in 2017. That represents a 30% increase in truck accident fatalities since 2009 and is the highest number of truck accident deaths since 1979. The vast majority of the deceased, 68%, were drivers and passengers of other cars. Only 17% were truck occupants, and another 14% were pedestrians. In California alone, there were 27,982 truck accidents in 2017 leading to 9,694 injuries and 359 deaths. I-5 and I-10 are particularly dangerous, averaging more than 1,000 accidents each per year.

Death is not the only risk of truck crashes. Accidents often come with severe but non-fatal injury. Per the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in 2016, large trucks were involved in 119,000 injury crashes across the country. Trucks pose a danger to everyone else on the road, and negligent truck drivers or freight companies must be held accountable for any damage, injury, or deaths that they cause.

Call Our Glendale Truck Accident Attorneys Today for Help

If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident in Los Angeles or southern California, we want to help you through the serious issues you are facing. Call our Glendale office at 818-855-2115 for a free consultation to evaluate your case and make sure that you are prepared to get the recovery you deserve. Our trustworthy, dedicated and skilled truck accident attorneys are ready to meet you and meet your needs.

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