Did you or a loved one sustain serious injuries in an accident involving a large commercial truck in Poway, CA? An experienced Poway truck accident lawyer at Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers can help you fight to recover the maximum compensation you deserve. Call (619) 344-0360 today for a consultation.
Our lawyers have over 20 years of experience between us. Since our law firm was founded back in 2012, we’ve recovered over $40 million in compensation for our injured clients.
You don’t have to fight the insurance company alone. If you were injured, contact our law offices in Poway, California, to schedule a free consultation today.
How Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Truck Accident in Poway
You probably have a lot of questions if you were injured in an accident. An experienced Poway personal injury lawyer can provide answers and guidance.
It’s important to hire a personal injury lawyer for many different reasons. Insurance companies don’t always play fair. They may delay your claim or deny your claim outright. On the other hand, they may quickly offer a settlement that doesn’t account for all of your losses.
An experienced lawyer can help you fight back.
Hiring Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers means that you’ll have an experienced advocate to:
- Deal with the paperwork and administrative issues in your case
- Handle a thorough investigation into your accident
- Calculate the true value of your personal injury case
- Defend you if the insurance company blames you for the accident
- Hire experts and gather evidence to strengthen your claim and prove your case
- Handle all negotiations with the insurance company
- Fiercely advocate on your behalf at trial if necessary to get a fair deal
Our Poway personal injury attorneys are committed to fighting for every dollar you deserve. To learn more about how we can help, call our lawyers to schedule a no-obligation, 100% free case review today.
How Common Are Truck Accidents in Poway, CA?
The trucking industry is vital to the U.S. economy. Truck driving is the most common occupation in the state of California, according to a study published by National Public Radio. Unfortunately, semi-trucks, big rigs, and other large trucks can also create dangerous road conditions.
According to the National Safety Council, 4,842 large trucks were involved in fatal motor vehicle accidents across the United States in 2020.
California is consistently ranked as one of the most dangerous states in the nation when it comes to trucking accidents.
According to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) research, between 2016 and 2019, 1,541 people were killed in truck wrecks across the state of California. Another 398 truck accident fatalities were reported in California during 2020. Texas is the only state that is more deadly when it comes to truck accidents.
What is My Poway Truck Accident Case Worth?
It’s impossible to estimate the value of your personal injury case before we understand the facts. Every personal injury claim is unique because your injuries will impact your life in unique ways.
As a starting point, our lawyers will evaluate your financial expenses, considering:
- The cost of your current medical treatment
- Your need for future medical care, rehabilitation and specialized treatments
- The amount of your lost wages
- Whether your future earning potential will be limited because of the injuries
We’ll also evaluate the less concrete aspects of your case, including:
- Whether the injury changes your lifestyle
- Damage to your quality of life
- Damage to your emotional well-being and mental health
- Damages for pain and suffering
- Whether you contributed to the accident or failed to mitigate damages
- The strength of your negligence claim
As a practical matter, many cases involving serious injuries are limited by the amount of available insurance coverage. That makes it particularly important to identify every party that played a role in your accident.
What Types of Damages Are Available to Truck Accident Victims?
After a serious accident, you may be left facing sky-high medical expenses and lost income. Many victims also struggle with ongoing pain and mental health issues. Under California personal injury laws, you’re entitled to seek compensation for all of these economic and non-economic losses.
The types of damages that may be available in your truck accident case include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning potential
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Nursing care
- In-home assistance
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Physical disfigurement and scarring
- Anxiety, depression, and PTSD
- Loss of consortium
If you were injured on the job, you may also be entitled to claim workers’ compensation benefits to cover lost wages and your reasonable medical bills.
Can I Recover Damages If I’m Being Blamed for a Truck Accident in California?
Under California’s pure comparative negligence law, you can still recover partial compensation even if you share some of the blame. Liability is assigned to each party after an accident. If you share part of the blame, your compensation will be reduced in proportion to your share of fault.
Truck accident cases are often more complicated than typical car accident cases. That’s because many different parties may share blame for an accident. Allocating fault is never an exact science. It’s important to have an experienced lawyer in your corner to help minimize the impact of any allegations that you share blame for the accident.
We’ll Fight to Recover Compensation for All of Your Truck Accident Injuries
Occupants in smaller passenger cars are the most likely to suffer severe injuries in an accident involving a large and heavy truck.
At Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers, our Poway truck accident attorneys often represent clients who have sustained multiple types of injuries, including:
- Multiple broken bones
- Nerve injuries
- Whiplash
- Soft tissue damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Chest injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and neck injuries
- Concussion injuries
- Back injuries
- Organ damage and internal bleeding
- Burns
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Catastrophic injuries
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Our personal injury lawyers in Poway know that these injuries can change your life in dramatic ways. We’re prepared to stand by your side through the insurance claims process and represent you in court if necessary. To learn more about how we’ll fight for you, call for a free case review today.
What Causes Most Truck Accidents in Poway, California?
Many of the same factors that are relevant in any motor vehicle accident case are also relevant in accidents involving large trucks. However, it’s important to realize that truck drivers are under extreme pressure to meet tight deadlines. That means they’re much more likely to be fatigued and distracted behind the wheel.
Some of the most common causes of truck accidents in Poway include:
- Distracted driving
- Fatigued driving and violations of FMCSA hours of service rules
- Failure to maintain the truck in safe condition
- Dangerous turns
- Passing too closely to other vehicles
- Failure to yield the right-of-way
- Tailgating
- Speeding
- Aggressive driving
- Dangerous lane changes
- Running a red light or stop sign
- Drunk driving
- Driving under the influence of drugs
- Steep curves and dangerous road conditions
Trucks have larger blind spots and longer stopping distances than other vehicles. Failure to account for these differences can also contribute to the cause of trucking accidents.
Many different parties can be involved in commercial truck accidents. Examples of the parties that may share at least some of the blame for your accident include:
- Trucking companies
- The truck driver
- Maintenance companies
- Companies responsible for inspecting a fleet of trucks
- Cargo handling and loading companies
- Manufacturers of defective truck parts
- Government agencies
- Third-party motorists
Contact us today for help identifying the causes and liable parties in your truck accident case.
How Do I Prove Negligence After a Truck Accident in California?
Trucking accident victims can recover damages if someone else’s negligence played a role in their accident.
Negligence means that:
- The at-fault party owed you a duty of care
- They breached the duty of care
- The breach caused your accident
- You suffered damages
Proving liability isn’t always easy. You’ll need strong evidence to support your case. Depending on the fact, that evidence may include:
- The truck’s black box recording device, which records information about the truck’s speed and function at the time of the crash
- Video surveillance footage
- The driver’s hours of service log
- Toxicology reports
- Records detailing the truck company’s inspection procedures
- The truck’s maintenance records
- Police reports
- Medical records
- Eyewitness statements
Depending on the complexity of your case, our personal injury attorneys in Poway may even bring in accident reconstruction specialists to testify about what caused the crash.
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Truck Accident in California?
A two-year statute of limitations applies in most California personal injury cases. If you don’t file your lawsuit within two years of the accident, you lose your right to seek compensation.
Contact a Poway Truck Accident Lawyer for a Free Consultation
The days and weeks after a truck accident can be critical to your case. Our lawyers in San Diego County are ready to start working immediately. To learn more about how a Poway truck accident lawyer can help with your case, call Petrov Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free initial consultation today.
