Truck Accidents in Los Angeles – When you need a Personal Injury Attorney

Los Angeles is famous for its movie stars, but almost equally as famous for its terrible traffic. This chronic problem is made all the more dangerous by the thousands of big-rig trucks that use the California freeways as main arteries to transport the goods coming in from ports like Long Beach and San Pedro. Notoriously crowded freeways such as the 110, the 405 and the 605 are regularly the scenes of horrific truck accidents, making a Los Angeles Truck Accident Attorney a necessity. Because of the size and scope of these heavy trucks traveling at high speeds on our freeways, the victims of these Truck Accidents – most often the occupants of the passenger cars they collide with – suffer long-term gross injuries, such as spinal chord injury, head trauma and even death. As a result, there are as many Truck Accident Lawyers in Los Angeles as there are movie stars.

Truckers, like the rest of us, are under the gun now with high gas prices guzzling up a bigger share of their profits. Big-rig drivers are in a bigger hurry to deliver their goods. The result of all this pressure? Longer hours, less sleep, and more stress. Unfortunately, this is a recipe for disaster. Truck Accidents in Los Angeles are on the rise as is the need for Truck Accident Lawyers.

We’ve all seen it: truck drivers weaving in front of us, merging over into our lane of traffic, or following too close. And on congested Los Angeles freeways, this type of reckless behavior does not leave passenger cars nearby much room to maneuver. Eighteen-wheelers pose a particularly dangerous threat on the road. Fully loaded, trucks can weigh in at more than 80,000 pounds. Stack that up against a typical family car weighing 3000 pounds or less and it’s clear why a Los Angeles Truck Accident Lawyer agrees that this type of Truck Accident constitutes one of the largest proportion of fatalities among motor vehicle accidents – one out of every nine accidents. It also produces a disproportionately high rate of gross injury. Personal Injury Attorneys in Los Angeles who specialize in Truck Accidents can attest to the fact that 78% of fatalities in these types of truck accidents were not the truck drivers themselves, but were the occupants of the other vehicle. In many cases, these other drivers were innocent victims of truck drivers’ negligence.

So what are the contributing factors to these frightening truck accident statistics?

• Driver fatigue. Truck drivers are pushing their limits to deliver their goods, driving with little sleep and an extra load of stress. They’re driving faster and pushing the envelope of safety. They keep less and less distance between themselves and the passenger cars nearby.

• Inexperienced truck drivers who lack training.

• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

• Driving too fast. Did you know that a mere 10 mph over the speed limit can nearly double the distance a truck needs to brake safely– from 315 feet to 400 feet. In wet weather, those figures practically double to 720 feet for a full stop.

• Following too closely. The DMV recommends a car length for every ten miles per hour. But with big rigs measuring in at 65 feet long, you can see the stopping distance far exceeds the normal following distance we all see truckers following on the freeway.

• Loss of control. Seemingly minor errors in driving that could be easily corrected in a passenger car can become fatal errors in a big rig. Over-correction, too little braking room, and heavy loads balanced on the trailer can all contribute to a disastrous truck accident.

In October of 2007, one of the worst truck accidents in California history occurred in Santa Clarita when 15 trucks converged on a tunnel known for its safety issues. But the trucks, traveling at a high rate of speed, despite the low visibility in the curve of the tunnel ahead, caused a fiery collision, multiple fatalities and many more serious injuries. Truck accident experts – as well as Personal Injury Attorneys and Truck Accident Lawyers – believe that this kind of truck accident could have been avoided if the truckers had reduced their speed going into the poorly lit, curving tunnel.

Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorneys are all too familiar with the horror stories emerging from these types of catastrophic truck accidents. Collisions involving trucks constitute 1 out of every 9 fatal motor vehicle accidents.

While fatalities and injuries of the truckers themselves are concerning, they represent a proportionately small group of victims. Typically, in fatal truck accidents, only fifteen percent are the truckers themselves. Who suffers the most from truck accidents? People like you. Innocent people. Loved ones who did nothing more than get on the freeway to drive home.

If you or someone you love has been involved in a truck accident what can you do? Contact a Personal Injury Attorney in Los Angeles or a Los Angeles Truck Accident Lawyer who specialize in this type of Personal Injury lawsuit. They can advise you about what steps to file a Personal Injury claim, whether or not you have been injured. In one Truck Accident, the father of two children was killed in a head on semi-truck collision and was awarded $2,000,000. In another case, a man killed on a motorcycle by a big rig truck received a $4 million dollar settlement because of negligence of the truck driver. In each of these cases, being represented by an experienced and competent Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney.

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