Many people involved in trucking accident presume that any personal injury attorney is qualified to handle a trucking accident claim. The reality is that trucking accident litigation is far more sophisticated than a typical motor vehicle collision. The trucking industry is heavily regulated because of the inherent danger posed by these massive vehicles, which are far longer and heavier than other vehicles while being less responsive. The trucking industry is used to having to litigate trucking accident cases, and many commercial carriers have mobile response teams of investigators that can be on an accident scene within a matter of minutes. The best way to protect a San Francisco trucking accident claim is to retain an experienced truck accident lawyer in San Francisco. We receive many inquiries about Bay Area trucking accident claims so we have provided some answers to these questions below.
What makes commercial trucking accidents more dangerous than other motor vehicle collisions?
A full loaded tractor-trailer absolutely dwarfs a typical passenger vehicle. When a tractor-trailer is loaded to maximum capacity, the vehicle may weigh 80,000 pounds. One way to put this into perspective is to imagine stacking 26 passenger vehicles on top of each other and slamming them into a single passenger vehicle. The massive difference in weight and ability to withstand the force of impact in a collision makes occupants of passenger vehicles extremely vulnerable during a collision with a tractor-trailer.
How does California compare to other states in terms of the risk of being involved in a commercial trucking accident?
California leads the nation in terms of the numbers of injuries and fatalities suffered in trucking accidents.
How common are trucking accidents?
There are approximately a half a million trucking accidents in the United States annually resulting in approximately 5,000 fatalities.
Are there factors involved in trucking accidents that make it more likely that damages will be awarded?
While trucking accidents are more difficult to litigate and commercial carriers have enormous resources to fight trucking accident claims, truck driver and commercial carriers are held to a higher standard of care than an ordinary motorist. When regulations promulgated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration are violated, these violations may constitute the basis for finding that the driver and/or commercial carrier engaged in negligent conduct.
What special challenges do plaintiffs face in litigating a trucking accident claim?
When a trucking accident occurs, it is important that the law firm you work with have extensive knowledge of trucking regulations, industry practices and the propensity of commercial carriers to make critical evidence conveniently disappear. If a prompt investigation is not conducted and aggressive steps taken to preserve evidence, the tractor-trailer may be quickly repaired and put back in service. This may result in the loss of evidence in the form of physical damage to the tractor-trailer that might help an accident reconstruction expert analyze the cause of the collision. When the vehicle is placed back in service, there is also a risk that important evidence stored in the trucks onboard data recorder will be eliminated. The experienced trucking accident attorneys at our law firm take swift action to prevent such evidence from being destroyed in our cases.
Why are driver logbooks so important in trucking accidents?
Driver logbooks provide critical evidence in tractor-trailer accident cases because they provide a record of the driver’s compliance with hours of service (HOS) rules. These rules are designed to keep fatigued drivers off the road. The logbooks track the hours when a driver is behind the wheel, on duty but not driving and the length of break periods. Logbooks can also provide critical information about pre-trip and post-trip inspection which may explain maintenance issues and mechanical failure.
These are just a handful of the many questions we routinely receive about San Francisco trucking accidents. If you are involved in a San Francisco trucking accident and have questions, we welcome you to contact us.
Contact Us For Your Free Consultation
We invite you to read the second installment of this FAQ concerning San Francisco tractor-trailer accidents. While we have tried to address common questions, the best way to obtain detailed information is to call and speak to one of our experienced San Francisco trucking accident attorneys. If you or someone you love has been injured or a loved one has died in a San Francisco tractor-trailer accident, you should contact us as soon as possible because critical deadlines apply. We invite you to contact The Law Office of Ian Zimmerman for your free initial consultation. We are open 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., speak Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese, and are available for weekend, evening, home and hospital meetings and visits. We also offer free initial consultations and work exclusively on a contingency fee basis so that you pay nothing if we don’t win your case.