San Bernardino Truck Accident Lawyer
Request Free ConsultationWhen a large truck or 18-wheeler is involved in a traffic accident in San Bernardino, the outcome can be deadly. Commercial truck accidents are responsible for causing thousands of life-changing injuries and deaths each year.
If you are a victim of a recent truck accident in San Bernardino County, California, the attorneys at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP can help. We have over 100 years of combined experience representing victims’ clients and families in automobile accident cases. We understand the nuances of truck accident claims and how to navigate them to our clients’ advantage.
Discuss your legal rights, options, and how we can help in more detail during a free case evaluation with one of our local truck accident attorneys. Call (310) 928-6200 to schedule your consultation.
Why Choose Our Team of Truck Accident Lawyers in San Bernardino?
- Results. Our law firm has obtained some of the most significant jury verdicts in United States history, including a $4.9 billion verdict against General Motors. We have achieved over 100 verdicts and settlements in excess of $10 million.
- Reputation. We have been recognized across the nation for excellence by publications, legal organizations, and other attorneys. Our personal injury lawyers in San Bernardino are known for focusing on the client experience, providing the same level of exceptional care to each case.
- Experience. We have decades of experience handling commercial truck accident cases in California. We have the resources and trial capabilities to go up against powerful adversaries – including trucking companies – on your behalf and win.
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How Can a San Bernardino Truck Accident Attorney Help?
A trucking accident in San Bernardino can lead to catastrophic injuries, extensive property damage and medical bills, and a high-value insurance claim. Unfortunately, truck accident victims often struggle to recover fair financial compensation. They have to fight against powerful trucking companies and tactics insurance providers use to diminish, delay, and deny payouts.
You can fight back with help from an attorney. While you focus on healing from your significant injuries, your lawyer can investigate the truck accident for you, preserve and gather critical evidence, identify the liable party or parties, and file a claim on your behalf. An attorney will work tirelessly to achieve maximum financial compensation for you in the form of a settlement or judgment award.
While an attorney can be helpful after any type of car accident in San Bernardino, they are especially valuable during truck accident cases. These claims involve unique legal issues and nuances, as well as catastrophic injuries, in many cases. These elements can make it harder for an individual to navigate. Having an attorney advocate for you can help you achieve a fair case result without the stress or struggle.
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How Much Does a San Bernardino Truck Accident Lawyer Cost?
At Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP, we operate on a contingency fee basis when handling truck accident cases. This fee arrangement means there are no fees or retainer costs to take your case. You will pay us $0 upfront and $0 if we do not win.
Our law firm only charges attorney’s fees if we are successful in achieving a settlement or jury verdict for the client. If an insurance provider rejects coverage, you won’t pay us a dime. If we do win your truck accident case in San Bernardino, we will take our fee directly from the amount won as a pre-agreed-upon percentage.
When you hire us, you won’t have to deal with any hidden or unexpected fees. We are honest, transparent, and direct about how we charge. Our goal is to earn your trust and make the legal experience during your truck accident case as rewarding and risk-free as possible.
California Truck Accident Statistics
Truck accidents are consistently a top reason for traffic accident emergency department visits. According to statistics from the National Safety Council, in 2023, 5,375 large trucks were involved in deadly traffic accidents. This represents a 43 percent increase in the last 10 years. Large trucks accounted for 9 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes in 2023.
In California specifically, large trucks were responsible for inflicting 8,350 documented injuries and 372 deaths in 2020 (the most recent year data is available). Large trucks accounted for 9.1 percent of California’s deadly accidents in 2020, despite only representing 2.5 percent of the state’s vehicle population.
Most Common Causes of San Bernardino Truck Accidents
Collisions involving semi-trucks in San Bernardino are often traced back to human error. The safe operation of a big rig requires many parties working together and obeying federal trucking laws. If anyone involved is negligent or acts below the standard of care, this increases the odds of a disastrous truck accident.
Common causes include:
- Speeding or driving too fast for conditions
- Distracted driving
- Cell phone use while operating a truck
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Exceeding hours-of-service limitations and drowsy driving
- Following too closely
- Making unsafe lane changes
- Failing to check blind spots
- Making unsafe wide turns
- Failing to properly load, balance, or secure the truck’s cargo
- Inadequate truck driver training
- Hiring unqualified or unlicensed truck drivers
- Poor truck maintenance and equipment breakdowns
- Defective truck parts
California is a fault-based car insurance state, meaning you have the right to bring a claim against the person or party that caused your truck accident. To recover compensation from this party, you or your truck accident attorney will have to prove negligence or fault.
Common San Bernardino Truck Accident Injuries
Truck accidents are often the most damaging and devastating traffic accidents in California due to the significant difference in size and weight between the vehicles involved. A semi-truck towing a trailer can exceed 80,000 pounds in weight. By contrast, the average passenger vehicle weighs between just 3,000 and 4,000 pounds.
This size difference gives the big rig the advantage in a collision. When the two vehicles collide, the larger and heavier truck imparts a great deal of force into the smaller car. This can result in a catastrophic level of damage. Common injuries suffered by truck accident victims include:
- Bone fractures
- Soft-tissue injuries
- Muscle sprains and strains
- Whiplash and neck injuries
- Back injuries and herniated disks
- Spinal cord injuries
- Permanent paralysis
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Crush injuries
- Limb amputations
- Severe burn injuries
- Lacerations
- Internal injuries and organ damage
- Significant emotional and psychological injuries
- Wrongful death
These accidents have the potential to inflict life-changing and fatal injuries on those involved. The victims who suffer the worst of the injuries in a large truck accident in San Bernardino are typically the passengers of the car, not the truck. The enormous potential for a catastrophic accident is why special safety laws exist within the trucking industry.
Trucking Laws in California
Commercial trucks are recognized as “common carriers,” or vehicles that transport cargo for a fee. As such, they are subject to federal laws that do not apply to standard motor vehicle drivers. These laws are enforced by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). They address many potential safety issues by creating standards that must be met by trucking companies, cargo companies, truck owners, and truck operators.
These laws include:
- Commercial driver’s license (CDL) and medical certification requirements
- Hours-of-service restrictions that limit a truck driver’s number of working hours without rest breaks
- Required truck driver electronic logging devices and daily reports
- Drug and alcohol testing
- Truck inspection, maintenance and repair requirements
- Truck weight and size restrictions
- Cargo loading and securement rules to prevent lost load accidents
- Special regulations for transporting hazardous materials
In California, large trucks must abide by lower speed limits than typical traffic. Commercial trucks with three or more axles or that are towing trailers have a statewide speed limit of 55 miles per hour. Violating any state or federal trucking laws can result in citations, fines and civil liability for a related truck accident in San Bernardino.
What Makes Truck Accident Cases Unique Compared to Car Accidents?
As the victim of a truck accident in San Bernardino County, it is important to recognize the difference between this type of case and one involving two passenger cars. Trucking accident cases have many unique issues, such as:
- Federal regulations: as detailed above, trucks must abide by certain standards of operation. Evidence of violations can be used to prove a case against a trucking company.
- Liability: multiple parties could be held liable, not just the other driver. This includes the truck driver, as well as vicariously liable parties such as the trucking company or cargo company.
- Evidence: truck accident cases can come with unique types of evidence, including the truck’s black box, records from the trucking company, the truck driver’s medical and driving histories, and federal compliance documentation.
- Injury severity: truck accident cases often involve catastrophic injuries, typically increasing what these cases are worth. It is important to discuss case value with an attorney before accepting a settlement that does not adequately compensate you for future foreseeable losses.
The attorneys at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP are prepared to guide you through all the aspects of your case that make it unique. We will represent you with a personalized legal strategy and careful attention to detail every step of the way.
How Much Is My San Bernardino Truck Accident Case Worth?
By filing an insurance claim or lawsuit after your truck accident in San Bernardino, you could recover the financial compensation that you need and deserve for your related expenses. In California, the recovery of economic, non-economic, and (in some cases) punitive damages is possible in the aftermath of a preventable commercial truck accident.
Common damages or financial compensation include:
- All related medical costs, including an ambulance, emergency care, surgeries, follow-up appointments, specialists, therapy, rehabilitation, and medical devices.
- Lost income and earnings, including wages from being unable to work, bonuses and commissions, employment opportunities, and the future ability to earn.
- Any ongoing or long-term costs associated with a permanent disability, including medical treatments and home or vehicle modifications.
- Motor vehicle repairs if your car was damaged, or the total pre-crash value of your vehicle if it was totaled in the truck accident.
- Pain and suffering, including physical harm, emotional distress, psychological damage, post-traumatic stress disorder, lost quality of life, and loss of consortium.
- Punitive damages to punish the defendant in cases involving gross negligence, recklessness, fraud, malice, or oppression.
You should not trust the value a trucking company’s insurance carrier assigns to your truck accident claim. Initial offers are often set low in an attempt to protect the insurer’s profits. Inadequate settlements are especially common among high-value claims, such as trucking accidents involving severe injuries or fatalities. Before accepting a settlement, contact us.
What to Do After a San Bernardino Truck Accident
If you get involved in a trucking accident in San Bernardino or the surrounding area, taking the following steps can help you preserve your physical health, safety and legal rights:
- Call 911 from the scene to report the truck accident to the authorities.
- Check yourself for injuries and get immediate medical attention.
- Exchange information with the truck driver. Write down the name of the trucking company and the truck number.
- Take photos of the crash scene and roadway before you leave.
- Look around for traffic or surveillance cameras to gather footage of the truck accident.
- Speak with witnesses and collect their information for statements later.
- Report the accident to your own car insurance provider. Do not admit fault.
- Contact the trucking company to report the crash and file a claim.
- Keep careful documentation of the accident by gathering copies of relevant records and insurance communications.
- Before rushing into a settlement, contact our attorneys in San Bernardino for a free case evaluation.
When you contact us, we can provide legal advice and counsel you can trust about how to proceed with the recovery process.
Contact Us for a Free Truck Accident Case Review in San Bernardino
If you or someone you love suffered serious injuries in a truck accident in San Bernardino, contact the truck accident attorneys at Panish | Shea | Ravipudi LLP for help. Our law firm has a history of going up against trucking companies and winning. We are prepared to hold one or more parties accountable for your commercial truck accident with aggressive legal tactics.
Our law firm is dedicated to representing individuals and families in complex personal injury claims. We will relentlessly seek the justice and financial compensation you deserve, in and out of the courtroom. Our lawyers are here to make the legal process as easy, effective, and rewarding for you as possible during this difficult time.
Speak directly to a qualified truck accident attorney in San Bernardino by contacting us 24/7. We offer free consultations, where you can tell your truck accident story to a knowledgeable lawyer and receive legal advice at no cost or obligation. Call (310) 928-6200 today to start the legal process with a leading plaintiff’s law firm in California.