Experienced Representation for Fontana Truck Accident Victims
Virtually all of the major freeways in San Bernardino County run through Fontana or operate near Fontana’s city limits. As a result, this area of Southern California experiences a much greater incidence of commercial truck accidents than most of the rest of the Golden State does. Due to the size and weight of large commercial trucks, semi-truck accidents usually cause accident victims serious, severe, catastrophic, or fatal injuries. It is rare that an 18-wheeler accident results in very little damage or minor injuries. As a result, truck accident cases tend to be complex and consequential. Unlike fender bender car accident cases in which very little is at stake for those involved, the outcome of truck accident cases can be life-changing. As a result, it is critically important for those injured in truck accidents to seek experienced legal guidance as soon as they possibly can in the wake of an injurious motor vehicle collision involving a large truck. Acting quickly can help to ensure that essential evidence is preserved, the rights of those involved are protected, and opportunities for compensation may be taken full advantage of by those who have been injured.
Whether you operate a vehicle for a living or you were injured while you were commuting, running errands, traveling to other parts of the state, or simply driving for pleasure, our firm can help you to explore your legal options for free. Our team chooses to offer free consultations to all motor vehicle accident victims because we believe that everyone who has been hurt as a result of an accident deserves to understand what their rights are, the likely outcome of exercising the options available to them under the law, and to ask questions of a legal professional before committing to a plan of action. No matter how your accident unfolded, what caused it, and who is to blame for the harm you have suffered, you may benefit significantly from exploring your legal options for free.
Comprehensive Representation for Injured Motorists and Truck Operators
Many individuals who suffer injuries as a result of truck accidents need to navigate a complex legal aftermath in the wake of their collisions. They must communicate with insurance representatives, field questions from opposing counsel hired by others involved in the accident, they may need to file workers’ compensation claims, work accident claims, law enforcement accident reports, and manage a whole host of other complex legal and financial challenges. Our firm offers comprehensive representation for those who have been injured as a result of truck accidents. We represent both truck operators and those who have been injured by trucks but do not drive these vehicles for a living. No matter what your unique situation is, we can help.
We offer free consultations so that no injury victim feels like they must commit to a plan of action before receiving informed guidance about their legal options and likely outcomes. We treat our representation of injury victims with the utmost seriousness of purpose. As a result, our firm has earned a respected reputation for providing quality, client-focused services and for our dedication to securing our clients significant results. Don’t wait. Schedule a free consultation to explore your legal options today in a no-pressure environment staffed by knowledgeable and experienced legal professionals you can trust.
How Do I Know if It’s Worth My Time to Speak with an Accident Attorney?
As noted above, truck accident cases tend to be complex. Injury victims are often compelled to manage numerous claims at once, must communicate with a number of different insurance representatives, and are forced to navigate many financial challenges related to the harm they have suffered. Therefore, even if you are uninterested in filing personal injury action against anyone else who may have contributed to the cause of your accident, it is worth your time to schedule a free consultation with our dedicated and knowledgeable legal team. Doing so will allow you to ask a legal professional questions about your situation and to learn about your options. No one at our firm will ever pressure you to make a specific decision, pursue a specific path, or even to work with our firm moving forward. You will simply receive personalized guidance that will allow you to make informed decisions, regardless of whether any of those decisions include filing legal action or allowing us to negotiate with insurance providers on your behalf.
Who Can I Sue if I’ve Been Injured in a Truck Accident?
Truck accidents are caused by many different influencing factors. Rarely, weather conditions and other “acts of God” cause accidents that are ultimately nobody’s fault. However, most of the time, one or more preventable factors cause truck accidents to occur. Before our legal team can determine whose fault your truck accident was, we must determine what caused your accident. At that point, you may be in a position to file legal action against any party responsible for contributing to the cause of your accident.
Because California is a comparative negligence state, you will be able to sue other individuals and legal entities (if applicable), even if you partially contributed to the cause of your accident. As a result, it is important not to make any assumptions about whether you have grounds to file a personal injury claim until our team has assessed the circumstances of your truck accident. Even if you think that your grounds for legal action are narrow or nonexistent, you may be entitled to significant compensation at this time.
For any personal injury claim you file to be successful, we’ll need to prove that the defendant named owed you a duty of care under the law, breached that duty, and caused your injuries as a direct result of that breach. In other words, if another motorist, a trucking company, a municipality in charge of maintaining the safety of California’s roads, or an auto parts manufacturer behaved in ways that were negligent, reckless, or intentionally dangerous – and your injuries resulted directly from that behavior – you may have strong grounds to sue those parties.
Can I File for Workers’ Compensation Benefits After Being Injured in a Truck Accident?
If you are either a truck operator or you were traveling for work-related purposes when you were injured in your accident, you may be entitled to collect workers’ compensation benefits as a result of your injuries. Workers’ compensation benefits are made available as long as those eligible for those benefits were injured while engaging in work-related activities, didn’t crash their vehicles on purpose, and weren’t drunk or high at the time that the crash in question occurred.
You are likely eligible for workers’ compensation benefits if you are classified as a full-time or part-time employee of the company you work for. By contrast, if you are classified as an independent contractor, you are likely ineligible for workers’ compensation benefits. As workers’ compensation is classified as a no-fault system, you should be awarded benefits if you are eligible for them and you were traveling for work-related purposes at the time of your crash, regardless of whose fault the accident was. Unlike personal injury claims, your workers’ compensation claim may be successful even if no one else contributed to the cause of your crash. This is a particularly helpful reality for single-vehicle truck accident injury victims, as there is often no one else to blame when these crashes occur.
Note that if you are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, you can simultaneously file a personal injury claim against third parties responsible for the cause of your crash, provided that none of these third parties is your employer. Employers enjoy limited liability for work-related harm under California’s workers’ compensation system. By contrast, independent contractors may sue the companies for whom they provide work-related services (if those companies somehow contributed to the cause of their harm) because they are neither protected nor restrained by the structure of the workers’ compensation system.
Insurance Claims and Settlement Offers
If you have been offered a settlement or have been contacted by insurance representatives, please connect with our firm today to discuss the terms of that settlement and/or insurance-related communication. Sometimes, accident victims are offered fair settlements and are treated fairly by insurance companies. However, this is too rarely the case. As a result, it is important not to sign any settlement paperwork until an attorney has reviewed it. Otherwise, you may sign away your rights to sue for compensation that is valued far lower than the amount to which you are entitled. Additionally, you may unintentionally give an insurance representative a reason to devalue or reject your claim when speaking to them on your own, simply because you are not well-versed in the subtle tactics that they often use to avoid paying injury victims in-full. Allow us to help you so that you don’t unintentionally get taken advantage of.
A Word About Social Media Use After a Truck Accident
Take care when posting on social media until all aspects of your legal process have been fully resolved. Many accident victims are unaware that insurance representatives and investigators for others involved in accidents often scour social media for evidence that injury victims are not as hurt as they claim to be. You are certainly not exaggerating the severity of your symptoms. However, the comments, photographs, and posts that you engage with on social media may be misinterpreted if you’re not cautious. For example, if you have sustained a significant leg injury as a result of your accident, you may not be in a position to walk very far. If you post a photograph of yourself on a hiking trail and indicate that you’re “feeling great!” an insurance or legal investigator may assume that you’re not hurt – when, in reality, you were trying to brag that you’ve been working so hard at your physical therapy that you’ve been cleared to walk .5 miles and simply wanted to do so outdoors. In short, don’t give insurance or legal investigators opportunities to devalue, reject, or otherwise question your claim due to unintentionally thoughtless social media activity on your part.
Contact Our Firm Today for a Free Case Evaluation
If you have been injured in a truck accident, chances are high that you are entitled to at least one kind of compensation at this time. As a result, investing one or two hours of your time to attend a free, confidential, no-risk consultation could result in significant dividends down the line.
Our dedicated legal professionals have extensive experience representing both injured truck operators and others who have been injured by large commercial trucks. We understand the ins and outs of insurance negotiations, personal injury action, workers’ compensation claims, and other legal challenges that arise in the wake of such accidents. When you arrive for your consultation, we will provide you with personalized guidance that will empower you to make informed decisions. If you choose to work with our firm in any capacity, we will build you the strongest possible case and advocate passionately on behalf of your rights. Please schedule your free consultation today. We look forward to speaking with you.