Los Angeles Truck Accident Lawyer

What Should a Person Do After a Truck Accident?

Seek emergency medical help immediately after being involved in a truck accident, even if you believe your injuries are minor. A bystander should call 911 if you cannot. Brain trauma may not be readily discernible for hours because the brain continues to swell. Getting emergency care could be the difference between life and death.

Witnesses and those injured are expected to share personal and insurance coverage information while waiting for law enforcement and medical help to respond to a 911 call. Law enforcement will interview those on the scene. Make sure to get a copy of the police report, which can serve as evidence in a personal injury claim.

Additionally, accumulate all information pertinent to a truck accident and save it for our attorneys in Los Angeles to interpret. This includes medical and police reports, communications with insurers, witness contact information, cell phone videos or pictures, and receipts for expenses relative to the accident and injuries.

Common Causes of Truck Crashes

Though truck accidents do not occur as frequently as passenger car accidents, they are still a serious and sometimes fatal possibility.

Truck accidents are often caused by:

• Fatigued drivers who operate their trucks longer than is legally allowed
• Overloaded vehicles
• Drunk driving
• Improperly trained or unqualified drivers
• Distracted driving
• Defective truck equipment
• Aggressive driving

Depending on the circumstances of the truck wreck, a Los Angeles attorney will use a variety of means – such as witness testimonies, the truck’s black-box data, and consultations with an accident reconstructionist – to build a strong case on your behalf.

Common Truck Accident Injuries

Truck crash injuries are life-altering in their severity and are often catastrophic, which, according to the medical community, means impact to the spine, spinal cord, and brain. Legal scholars expand the definition to include any injury that interferes with the injured person returning to full-time work. Some common truck accident injuries include:

• Damage to the spinal cord resulting in paralysis
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
• Severe burns
• Numerous crushed or broken bones
• Loss of any of the five senses: sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch
• Internal organ damage
• Amputated limbs

Because of the severity of these injuries, our lawyers are very precise when determining how much compensation a client will need and who the appropriate defendants are after a Los Angeles truck accident.

Who Can Be Held Liable?

In a truck accident case, it is not just the driver who could be at fault. In fact, many of the truck accident cases our lawyers in Los Angeles pursue are not directed at the driver himself.

We may also be able to pursue a case against other parties, such as:

• The trucking company
• The truck driver’s employer
• The vehicle manufacturer
• The truck’s primary mechanic
• Government entities

Truck Accident Liability Examples

• Negligent or reckless driving: If the truck driver was driving in a reckless or negligent manner, such as speeding or texting while driving, they may be found at fault for the accident.
• Vehicle maintenance: If the trucking company failed to properly maintain the vehicle, resulting in a mechanical failure that caused the accident, liability may fall on the company.
• Improper loading: In some cases, the party responsible for loading the truck is liable for not properly securing or balancing the load.
• Road conditions: If the accident was caused by poor road conditions, the government agency responsible for maintaining the road could be liable for the accident and any related injuries.

Get the Compensation You Deserve

After suffering personal injury in a truck accident, you are probably facing mounting medical bills, lost wages, severe pain, and mental anguish. You deserve compensation to cover these injustices and to help you move on from this incident. With LNN Law by your side, you stand a better chance of recovering the maximum compensation possible. Our truck crash lawyers in Los Angeles are not afraid to go up against the trucking company or the insurance company to help you achieve a positive resolution.

Compensation after a truck accident may be sought from the trucking company’s insurer since commercial carriers are required to carry a minimum of liability insurance that is much higher than motorist coverage. However, insurers are known for pitching lowball settlement offers because their bottom line is more important than your injuries.

Our attorneys are experienced negotiators and litigators, and we will seek the money you deserve to pay for medical care, cover the wages you lose from being unable to work, and pay for your property damage. Also, we fight for subjective losses, such as the pain you are enduring from your injuries, the emotional trauma of living with disfigurement, and the loss of the enjoyment of your family. In some cases, punitive damages may be available, and if your case qualifies, we will fight for it.

Truck Collision Statute of Limitations

Truck accident victims have a limited amount of time to file a lawsuit. This is called the “statute of limitations.” In California, the statute of limitations for truck accident claims is two years from the date of the accident. This means that truck accident victims have two years to file a lawsuit against the truck driver, company, or other parties responsible for the accident.

If you or a loved one have been involved in a truck accident, it is important to consult with an experienced Los Angeles attorney as soon as possible to ensure that your claim is filed within the applicable statute of limitations.

Why Truck Accident Cases Are Different

Truck accidents are not simply larger-scale car crashes – they involve distinct legal, regulatory, and evidentiary complexities that ordinary motor-vehicle collisions do not. For example:

• Commercial trucks are governed by both state and federal regulations (such as driving hours, weight limits, cargo securement, maintenance logs, and electronic logging devices). A violation of those rules can create an additional basis of liability beyond simple negligence.
• Multiple responsible parties are often involved: the truck driver, the trucking company, the cargo loader, the maintenance firm, and sometimes the manufacturer of a faulty component. Holding all liable parties accountable is crucial to securing fair compensation.
• Because trucks weigh tens of thousands of pounds more than typical passenger vehicles, the damage and injuries are often catastrophic (brain injury, spinal cord injury, amputation, long-term rehabilitation). That increases the stakes for the victim and demands more intensive legal work.
• Trucking companies and their insurers tend to mount rapid, aggressive responses to crash claims (including preservation of data, black-box downloads, driver logs, video evidence). If you wait too long, key evidence may be lost.
• As a Los Angeles firm with experience handling truck-accident claims, our lawyers know how to identify these special issues early, bring in the right experts, and navigate the complex insurance and regulatory terrain.

Investigation and Evidence Process

When a truck accident happens, the investigation must begin promptly. At LNN Law, we treat the early phase of your case as the most critical. Our process typically includes:

Securing and Preserving Evidence

We immediately request the trucking company’s driver logs, electronic logging device (ELD) records, maintenance and inspection files, GPS/location records, and onboard video, when available. We demand that the trucking carrier preserve the black box or event data recorder in the truck or trailer.

Scene Inspection and Reconstruction

Our team works with accident-reconstruction experts to examine the crash site (skid marks, vehicle positions, road conditions, blind-spot issues, rollover dynamics). We monitor local traffic camera footage, highway patrol reports, and witness statements.

Identifying all Potential Defendants

Beyond the driver, we investigate whether the trucking company failed to hire qualified drivers, circumvented hours-of-service rules, overloaded the truck, neglected maintenance, or improperly secured cargo. We also look at third parties, such as cargo loaders or manufacturers.

Medical and Economic Damage Documentation

We coordinate with medical professionals to document your injuries, needed treatments, rehabilitation costs, and future care needs. We also work with vocational experts to quantify lost wages and lost earning capacity.

Negotiation with Insurers or Preparation for Trial

With the evidence compiled, we aggressively engage the insurer of the trucking carrier, highlighting regulatory violations, driver records, maintenance failures and expert opinions. If a fair settlement is not offered, we are ready to move to court.

Trial Readiness

Because trucking-carrier insurers often defend aggressively, our Los Angeles attorneys prepare each case as though it will go to trial, which strengthens our negotiating position.

Accusations of Comparative Fault

Your case may be subject to comparative fault (also called comparative negligence). That means even if you share some responsibility for the crash, you may still recover compensation—though your payout can be reduced in proportion to your share of fault. In the context of truck-accident litigation, this issue deserves careful analysis.

Suppose a truck driver failed to yield, and you were driving in the blind spot of the 18-wheeler. The trucking company may argue that you should have been more vigilant or stayed further back.

Your lawyer must examine what percentage of fault belongs to each party—including the truck driver, the trucking company, and you—and seek to minimize your fault percentage. A high fault percentage on your part can drastically reduce your compensation.

Our Los Angeles attorneys at LNN Law evaluate early on how comparative fault might apply and collect evidence to mitigate your responsibility (for example, proving the truck’s blind-spot design or overloaded trailer made the crash unavoidable). We also educate you about how your actions after the crash (such as delaying medical treatment or admitting fault at the scene) may affect the insurer’s view of your claim and influence the fault assessment.

Even if you have some fault, you should still consult an experienced truck-accident lawyer—because fully understanding and reducing comparative fault can have a significant impact on the value of your case.

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How Much is Your Truck Accident Worth?

Truck accident cases vary widely in terms of their value. Factors that can affect the value of a truck accident case include the severity of the injuries suffered, the amount of medical bills and other damages incurred, the liability of the truck driver and trucking company, and the jurisdiction in which the case is filed.

In general, however, truck accident cases are worth more than car accident cases because truckers are held to a higher standard of care than regular drivers. That said, the actual value of your individual case is dependent on many factors and the best way to understand your legal options is to speak with an attorney.

Reach out to Our Los Angeles Attorneys After a Truck Crash

You deserve a lawyer who understands the unique dangers of truck accidents, and how to fight aggressively for you after a serious collision.

Our skilled Los Angeles truck accident lawyers at LNN Law focus on victims who have been overwhelmed by mounting medical bills, lost income, insurance push-back, and life-changing injuries. If you or a loved one was hurt in a crash with a commercial truck or 18-wheeler, contact our firm today for a free case consultation.