Long Beach Truck Accident Attorneys

Commercial trucks are an everyday sight in and around Long Beach. These vehicles transport furniture and other consumer goods to stores, and smaller trucks deliver packages to individuals and businesses. Without these vehicles, Long Beach would not be connected economically to the rest of the state or nation.

Unfortunately, commercial trucks are dangerous. They are heavy and difficult to maneuver. Many require drivers to have a Commercial Driver’s License. These vehicles will cause serious damage when they crash into lighter vehicles, and occupants can suffer horrifying and sometimes permanent injuries.

Contact El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers at (213) 985-1120 to schedule a free consultation to learn more about how we help accident victims in the weeks following a wreck. Our Long Beach truck accident attorneys are standing by to answer your questions.

Commercial Trucks Involved in Accidents

Our law firm can help anyone injured in a collision with a truck, including:

• Tractor-trailers, semis, and 18-wheelers: These trucks have two pieces, the cab in front which pulls the trailer in the back. These are huge trucks and can weigh up to 40 tons when loaded.
• Delivery trucks: Prominent delivery companies like FedEx and UPS have box trucks running around Long Beach at all hours of the day. These trucks can strike pedestrians and motorists if the driver isn’t careful.
• Moving vans. Moving companies have large vans to move people’s possessions. These vans can smash into other vehicles.
• Garbage or sanitation vehicles. These heavy trucks race around town in the early morning hours, and tired drivers can strike and kill pedestrians or other motorists.
• Fuel trucks. Large tankers deliver fuel to homes and gas stations. In a crash, a tanker could catch on fire and explode.
• Dump trucks. These vehicles transport gravel or other materials to road work and construction sites.

If you were hit by a truck and suffered injuries as a result, work with our firm to learn what your legal options are and how to best go about your case.

Common Truck Accident Examples

Our firm can help if you were hurt in any of the following:

• Head-on collisions. These wrecks should be rare. But a truck might jump into oncoming traffic when a driver falls asleep or becomes distracted.
• Overrides. Some trucks sit so high off the ground they can run over a smaller vehicle in its path. These are often deadly accidents.
• Underrides. A smaller vehicle might also slide under the truck. Tractor-trailers sit high off the ground, so they should have a bar at the back to prevent underrides.
• Rollovers. A truck that rolls onto its side can land on and crush anything around it.
• Jackknifes. Tractor-trailers can fold into themselves, which causes the trailer to swing out and smash into vehicles.
• Blind spot accidents. Large trucks have huge blind spots on all four sides. A trucker can drive straight into someone without knowing it. A backing-up accident is a type of blind spot accident because few trucks have cameras in the back.
• Hit and runs. Some truckers never know they hit someone, so they continue on their way, leaving injured victims in their wake.

What Causes Most Truck Accidents?

Various studies have shown that most accidents are caused by trucker error. These mistakes include:

• Distracted driving, including using a cell phone while driving
• Trucker fatigue
• Intoxication or drug use
• Following too closely or driving too fast
• Illegal turns and lane shifts
• Going the wrong way
• Failing to observe the surroundings

Innocent motorists often don’t know what happened. That’s why you should call an experienced Long Beach truck accident lawyer to investigate.

When trucker error isn’t to blame, then the following is usually a cause:

• Negligent hiring or supervision, including a failure to perform mandatory drug tests
• Unbalanced loads or overloaded trucks
• Truck malfunction, such as blown tires or brake failure
• Road defects, including missing stop signs or potholes

Your Injuries Are Serious & Deserve Compensation

Truck accidents sideline thousands of Californians each year with:

• Concussions and traumatic brain injuries
• Neck injuries like whiplash or pinched nerves
• Back injuries, including spinal cord injuries and paralysis
• Shoulder or other joint injuries
• Chronic pain
• Fractures, including rib or vertebral fractures
• Heart contusions, collapsed lungs, and other organ injuries
• Amputations and crush injuries

Medical care for a serious injury can easily exceed $10,000—and often approaches six figures. No victim should have to pay for this care when someone else is to blame for the crash.

Who We Can Hold Accountable for Your Accident?

Our lawyers usually sue one of the following for an accident:

• Truck drivers. A careless or dangerous trucker is legally liable for any accident they cause. We can sue the trucker for driving while distracted or fatigued, as well as intoxication and overall negligence.
• Trucking companies. Trucking companies are often defendants. They are liable by virtue of employing a negligent trucker. But they can also have freestanding liability for negligent hiring or supervision.
• Loading companies. The company that loaded the cargo into a truck might have done a poor job balancing or securing it.
• Truck manufacturers or mechanics. When a defect on the truck causes an accident, we need to look closely at the cause. A mechanic might have performed careless repairs, or the truck was defective upon delivery.

Why El Dabe Ritter Trial Lawyers?

Many law firms in Long Beach promise to obtain compensation for injured victims. But only our firm offers the right mix of:

• Experience. We’ve negotiated hundreds of truck accident cases and have looked at them from all angles. We know where to find relevant evidence and how to preserve it for use in your case.
• Legal knowledge. Personal injury law in California is complicated and ever-shifting. We stay on top of trends and use new case law when asserting your rights to compensation.
• Advocacy. We believe in advocating for our clients from the moment we are hired. Advocacy doesn’t happen only in a courtroom. It happens in settlement talks and mediation, too.
• Listening. Successful negotiation requires a sensitive ear. We listen to what the other side is saying and adjust our negotiation strategy accordingly.

To learn more about how we can help, give us a call. Our legal team can provide an overview of the claims process, including timelines.

Schedule Your Free Consultation

Truck accidents are enormously complex, and victims deserve a leading law firm to help them. Call our firm today at (213) 985-1120 to schedule your free consultation and to get the legal assistance you deserve.