These agents work to handle everything at the scene of the accident so that they can limit or mitigate their company’s liability. By working with the experienced truck accident lawyers of the Gomez Law Firm, victims can have control and participation in ensuring that their rights and interests are protected. The San Diego truck accident attorneys at the Gomez Law Firm are dedicated to helping people across California, including San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Imperial Counties.
Large trucks, such as tractor-trailers or semis, are responsible for one out of every eight deaths in automobile collisions. When a truck driver or trucking company makes a mistake it usually has severe consequences. Frequently, it is the occupants in the car struck by the semi that are killed or crippled while the truck driver walks away unharmed. Due to the shear size and weight of large trucks, they pose great risk to other vehicles on the road. That is why there are federal and state regulations that are designed to help ensure safety. However, truck drivers and their companies continue to violate regulations and endanger lives.
TRUCK ACCIDENT STATISTICS
A person involved in an accident with a tractor-trailer, semi-truck or 18-wheeler, sustains serious injures or is killed every 16 minutes.
429,000 large trucks were involved in traffic collisions (both fatal and minor) in the U.S. in 2001:
In 2013, 4,186 large trucks and buses were involved in fatal crashes – a 3 percent increase over 2012
4,251 people were killed in crashes with large trucks in 2013 – 3,512 of the fatalities were occupants of other vehicles
133,000 people were injured
Tractor-trailer trucks are more likely to be involved in a fatal multi-vehicle crash than are passenger vehicles.
5725 fatal accidents occurred in California in 2003. The highest number of fatal traffic accidents happened U.S.
The number of large trucks involved in property damage only crashes decreased from 363,000 in 2012 to 265,000 in 2013, a drop of 27 percent
Trucking revenues totaled $610 billion last year and revenues are forecasted to nearly double by 2015.
There are over 11,461,905 large trucks and busses registered in the United States.
Most fatal truck accidents occur in rural areas (68%) during the daytime (66%) and on weekdays (78%).
In 2002, the majority of large truck crashes occurred in good weather (71 %), on dry roads (71%), during the daytime (75%), and on weekdays (88%).
About a quarter of all large truck drivers involved in fatal truck accidents in the United States had at least one prior speeding conviction compared to about a fifth of the passenger vehicle drivers involved in fatal crashes.
From 1992 to 2002, the number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes has increased by up to 10% due to driver fatigue, unsafe vehicle operation, large, unstable loads or defective equipment.
Contributing to the number of large truck accidents each year are defects including those to tires or wheels, brakes, engine/transmission and steering wheel defects.
About 700 heavy truck drivers and passengers in truck cabs die each year. In addition, almost 3,700 persons in cars and other passenger vehicles die annually in collisions with heavy trucks.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that in crashes involving large trucks and other vehicles, 98% of the fatalities occur to the people in passenger vehicles.
The FMCSA’s Motor Carrier Management Information System (MCMIS) classifies a truck as large if its gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) exceeds 10,000 pounds.
The majority of fatal crashes involving tractor-trailer trucks include trucks that are pulling one trailer. A recent survey showed that 64% of fatal truck crashes had one trailer. Thirty- two percent of those involved single-unit trucks (no trailer) and fewer than 4% of the those involved multi-trailer vehicles (more than one trailer).
PURSUING A SAN DIEGO TRUCK ACCIDENT CLAIM
It’s important to have lawyer who specializes in truck accidents.. There are different issues and considerations when investigating and pursing a truck accident claim. These considerations include:
Obtaining and evaluating logbooks and global positioning (GPS) data
Analyzing the black box or engine control module to determine the driver’s action immediately preceding the accident.
Detailed site inspection, including measurements of skid marks, impact points and roadway dimensions (often an engineering expert or accident reconstruction expert is utilized).
Pre-trip inspection reports and regulation compliance.
TYPES OF TRUCK ACCIDENTS
The most common type of truck accident is truck rollovers. Rollovers occur when a driver loses control of the vehicle and the truck begins to slide sideways and jackknifes. When this happens, something can trip the vehicle and causing a rollover. It could be a curb, guardrail, or soft or uneven grounds on the side of the roadway are objects that can trip the vehicle. An aggressive turning truck will also cause a truck to rollover, if it is done at high speeds with a tight turning radius. Because of the severity of these types of accidents, the aftermath tends to be devastating.
One type of truck accident is an air brake malfunction. Air brakes are designed to stop a tractor-trailer in around 100 feet with a traveling speed of 35-40 mph. Air brake malfunctions mostly occur when a semi-truck is going downhill. These huge vehicles that weigh up to 80,000 lbs. cannot handle the stress put on the air brakes when going downhill. Even when a driver is continuously applying the brakes when driving on an incline, the air brakes could malfunction. This can be a dangerous scenario for passenger vehicles driving in front of the truck or within its vicinity.
Types of trucking accidents include:
18 wheeler accident
Tractor trailer accident
Big rig crash
Semi truck jackknife
Commercial truck accident
Dump truck accident
Bus accident
Garbage truck accident
Override/Underride accidents
Delivery truck accident
Utility truck accident
Bucket truck/cherry picker accident
Fire truck crash
Tanker truck rear-end accident
SUV rollover
Commercial vehicle accident
15 passenger van accident
At the Gomez Law Firm our experienced California truck accident lawyers are committed to protecting your legal rights. There are many issues involved in making a claim, including knowledge of traffic and trucking laws, vehicle regulations, and liability issues. These issues must be handled with care and expertise. The team at the Gomez Law Firm will work on your behalf in order to maximize the compensation due to you. If you have been involved in an accident with a large truck or have lost a loved one in a collision with a semi, the San Diego truck accident lawyers at Gomez Trial Attorneys can help.
The Gomez Law Firm charges clients of truck accident claims on a contingency basis. What that means is the attorney is only paid if he or she wins money damages for you the client. Contact the Gomez Law Firm today.
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Source: http://docphy.com/business-industry/personal-finance/insurance/truck-accidents-attorneys-san-diego.html
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