Stockton Truck Accident Lawyers

Truck Accident Attorney in Stockton, CA

What This Page Covers:

• Negligence: Truck accidents often result from negligence, including driver fatigue, distractions, intoxication, and vehicle defects.
• Injuries: Victims commonly suffer catastrophic injuries like traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and amputations, requiring extensive medical care.
• Liability: Determining liability is complex, involving truck drivers, trucking companies, manufacturers, cargo loaders, and other parties.
• Setareh Law: Setareh Law has the resources and experience to help victims pursue compensation against large trucking companies.

Tractor-trailers, 18-wheelers, and other large commercial trucks serve a valuable purpose in society, but they can also be extremely dangerous.  Unfortunately, passenger vehicles and other smaller motor vehicles have to share the roads and highways with these trucks. While most truck drivers are careful and experienced, occasionally, truck drivers, trucking companies, and other parties can fail to exercise the necessary care to prevent accidents. In these accidents, while it’s the fault of someone in the truck’s history, it’s the passengers in smaller vehicles that suffer the most, often requiring extensive medical care. 

Pursuing a claim after a truck accident can mean going up against large trucking companies with extensive resources and strong legal representation. At Setareh Law, we have the resources and experience to stand up against these companies and help our clients recover the compensation they are owed. We are ready to go to trial if necessary to ensure our clients obtain maximum compensation. 

Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Stockton

Truck accidents are generally preventable and avoidable because they happen as a result of someone’s negligence. Some of the most common cause of truck accident consists of:

Truck Driver Negligence 

Many truck accidents are the result of truck driver negligence, meaning they failed to operate their vehicle with a reasonable degree of care to prevent causing harm. Truck driver negligence can look like:

• Fatigued driving
• Distracted driving 
• Driving while intoxicated 
• Impaired driving 
• Performing illegal or unsafe maneuvers 

Truck drivers are responsible for operating their vehicles according to the legal standard of care. Truck drivers who fail to follow trucking and traffic violations have breached their legal duty of care and can be held liable for damages caused by the accident. 

Third-Party Driver Negligence 

Truck drivers are not the only ones on the road capable of performing dangerous maneuvers or choosing to violate traffic laws. Sometimes, truck accidents are the fault of another driver on the road. The third-parties actions cause another car or truck to swerve or perform a maneuver that leads to an accident. 

Vehicle Defects

People assume that their vehicles are safe, and that’s usually the case. However, negligence within the vehicle manufacturing process can lead to parts that don’t work the way they should, leading to accidents. Common types of defects that cause accidents include:

• Tire tread separation issues
• Blowouts
• Brake issues

A defective part can cause a truck driver to lose control of their vehicle and cause a serious collision. 

Cargo Shifts

Trucks carry cargo that’s essential to a business’s operations. It’s critical that cargo is properly loaded and secured so that it doesn’t shift around during transit. When cargo isn’t secured properly and shifts in transit, the truck’s entire trailer can sway, resulting in the truck tipping over, swerving, or otherwise maneuvering into a catastrophic accident.

Road Conditions

Poor road conditions are a significant risk to truckers. Poorly maintained road surfaces and other inadequate road conditions cause a truck driver to lose control, miss traffic signals, and other behaviors that can cause an accident. In these cases, local or even federal municipalities may be liable.

Common Injuries From Trucking Accidents

Commercial trucks weigh up to 20 times more than standard passenger cars, which means that smaller vehicles are colliding with an object that can be more than 20 times their weight. The sheer size and weight of the truck mean that the damage these collisions cause is substantial and often fatal. Common injuries suffered during truck accidents include:

• Traumatic brain injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Limb crush
• Amputation injuries
• Internal injuries
• Bone fractures 

Many of these injuries can result in life-long disabilities that permanently alter someone’s quality of life. These injuries can cross the threshold into catastrophic injuries, meaning that the injuries are so severe that they have a catastrophic effect on the person, their life, and their families. 

Steps to Take After Stockton Truck Accident

Truck accidents tend to be catastrophic in nature due to the sheer size and mass of these commercial vehicles. Statistics have shown that in California, there are nearly 1000 deaths and serious injuries related to truck accidents each year. If you or a loved one has been harmed in a truck accident in Stockton, California, you may be left feeling overwhelmed and unsure of the legal options available to you. 

While it can be easy to experience high levels of stress after a truck accident, when you work with our team of Stockton truck accident lawyers, we will help guide you through each step you should take after the accident as you pursue the justice you are owed.

If you have been injured in a Stockton truck accident, the steps you should take in the days and weeks following the incident include the following:

Seek Medical Attention

After a truck accident, victims are often left with catastrophic injuries. Even if you do not immediately feel any symptoms of an injury, it is crucial you seek medical care from a doctor after the crash. Not only is seeking medical care important to your health, but it is also an important step towards building your personal injury claim and collecting key evidence like medical bills or doctors’ notes.

Gather Evidence From the Accident Scene

If you are able to do so, you should take photos or videos of any visible evidence that an accident occurred. This may include property damage, visible injuries, skidmarks on the road, or bent signs or other damaged structures. Additionally, one of our Stockton truck accident lawyers can collect security footage from nearby businesses that may have captured the crash when it occurred.

Speak to Witnesses

If there were any witnesses to your truck accident, like other drivers or nearby pedestrians, one of our trusted lawyers will ask if they would provide a brief statement and their contact information to use as key evidence in your personal injury claim.

Contact Law Enforcement

If you were involved in a truck accident, you should never assume that another party will call law enforcement. After contacting the police to the scene of the accident, they will be able to assess and secure the scene while also filing an accident report. The accident report will be a vital piece of evidence for your Stockton truck accident case. 

Do Not Post on Social Media

The insurance adjusters will look for anything and everything they can use against you when reviewing your personal injury claim. For that reason, it is crucial you do not post anything on social media regarding your truck accident claim or anything that may indicate you are not as injured as you have claimed. Even if your post is seemingly innocent, it may harm your chances of securing the fair compensation you deserve for the injuries and losses you have suffered.

Get Help From a Stockton Truck Accident Lawyer

One of the most important steps you will take when filing your personal injury claim is to retain the legal counsel of an experienced truck accident lawyer in Stockton, California, who can help you build a strong claim. At Setareh Law, our team of legal professionals has the knowledge to help guide you through each step of the personal injury legal process as you pursue the justice you are owed after your truck accident.

Why Truck Accident Claims in Stockton Can Be Complicated 

While victims of all serious motor vehicle accidents benefit greatly from working with an experienced attorney, truck accident claims can be especially difficult, requiring the skills and resources of a personal injury attorney. The complications arise not just because it means going up against large companies but also because of the number of damage victims can suffer. 

Liability in a truck accident claim is often difficult to determine because there are many layers of responsibility. Understanding liability in a truck accident means shuffling through all those layers, from the truck driver’s history to the trucking company, manufacturers, cargo loaders, and any other party that may have contributed to or caused the accident. 

Damages are greater in a truck accident because the injuries and losses individuals suffer are catastrophic. When dealing with catastrophic injuries, an attorney must be able to prove their catastrophic effects. Attorneys must be able to establish that these injuries have completely altered a person’s quality of life, often needing to bring in expert witnesses to help support your claim.

Understanding Liability in a Stockton Truck Accident Case

One of the most important steps when filing your Stockton truck accident claim is to identify the liable party. The liable party will vary greatly from case to case depending on the factors involved. 

However, some of the most common parties found liable in California truck accidents include the following:

• Truck drivers
• Trucking companies
• Vehicle and part manufacturers
• Cargo loaders
• Maintenance providers
• Government entities
• Other reckless drivers

Our team of experienced truck accident lawyers will launch a full investigation into your case to identify who is responsible for your Stockton truck crash. Once the responsible party has been identified, the next step will be to prove liability.

Proving Liability in a Truck Accident Claim

To prove liability in a truck accident claim, our team of Stockton lawyers must collect evidence of the four factors of negligence. These factors include the following:

• The liable party owed you a duty of care
• The duty of care was breached
• The breach of duty led to your Stockton truck accident and subsequent injuries
• You suffered losses as a result

If you are ready to begin filing your Stockton truck accident claim, contact our team at Setareh Law today. 

There Are Unaffiliated Parties Who Can Be Liable for Your Losses

There are parties unaffiliated with an independent contractor or even a truck driving agency who also may bear the fault for your roadside accident. Manufacturers who release a truck with inappropriate parts may be liable when that truck goes off the road. Mechanics who fail to repair visible damage can also take the blame for a truck’s mechanical failure.

Even truck packers can bear some responsibility for the safety of motorists on the road. Loaders who inefficiently pack a truck can force that truck to unbalance on the road. 

If you suspect any of these parties of causing your accident, you need to bring forward evidence. Our team can work with you to gather the essential information needed to establish your complaint within a civil court.

You Can Use a Civil Claim to Hold Liable Parties Accountable for Your Losses

If you want to hold any of the name liable parties responsible for your truck accident losses, you must identify that party in a civil complaint. Specifically, you need to bring forward evidence indicating that:

• The named party was involved in the specific accident
• The named party had a responsibility to keep you reasonably safe
• The named party directly or indirectly violated that aforementioned responsibility
• You suffered losses as a result of that oversight

You must also bring your claim forward within the timeline established by California’s civil court. California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1 limits your actionable time to two years from the day your accident occurs.

How a Stockton Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help

A truck accident lawyer can help:

• Investigate the accident
• Speaking with insurance companies on your behalf
• Dive into the truck driver’s history
• Obtain the trucking company’s records
• Consult expert witnesses regarding your injuries
• Calculating your damages
• Negotiating settlements

Working alongside an experienced and determined truck accident attorney is vital to building a strong claim that can help secure your right to compensation.

Speak With an Experienced Stockton Truck Accident Attorney Today

At Setareh Law, we have handled numerous truck accident claims and have a deep understanding of their devastating effects. Our legal team is equipped with the resources, skills, and desire to fight for your right to compensation, even if it means going to trial. We know that the consequences of these accidents are devastating, which is why we are proud to be able to provide exceptional legal representation to our clients, giving them the space to focus on their recovery and other personal matters. 

Contact our office today at (310) 659-1826 or complete our contact form. We also speak Spanish.

Stockton Location

110 N San Joaquin St FL 2, #22,

Stockton, CA 95202