Sacramento Truck Accident Attorney

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Any kind of automobile or motor vehicle accident is frightening. Whether you are a pedestrian or motorcyclist struck by a car, or car driver involved in an accident with another driver, you will no doubt suffer damage to your property, financial strain and psychological trauma not to mention physical injury. If you are in the unfortunate situation that you are involved in a truck accident, such as one with a semi-truck, consequences can be life-threatening, even deadly.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck accident in the greater Sacramento area, you deserve to be represented from an experienced attorney like those at the law firm of Teal and Montgomery, with offices in Sacramento and Santa Rosa. Contact us today online or call 916-448-1010.

Benefits of Truck Accident Attorneys

Following a truck accident that brought on serious injury or took the life of those inside the other vehicle, a diligent personal injury attorney will investigate facts surrounding the crash, and analyze those facts. This process should provide a clear idea about who was most likely at fault or responsible for the truck wreck. Often, one of our experienced truck accident lawyers uncovers some error or omission on the part of the truck driver, such as the following:

Driving while fatigued
Driving while under the influence of any type of drug, such as over-the-counter medications designed to help someone stay awake
Failure to inspect or weight the truck as required
Failure to tie down cargo properly

Responsibilities of Truck Drivers

All truck drivers have requirements by the federal Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), their state Department of Transportation, as well as their employer to maintain a log that includes information such as the number of hours he or she rested and when and where he purchased fuel. After a truck accident, the truck driver must preserve the log book for a certain period of time. Destroying it or hiding this log book is illegal, and semi-truck drivers are aware of this.

Who is responsible?

In the case of a trucking accident, there are several people or entities who may have responsibility for a victim’s injuries, including:

The driver of the truck
The truck or trailer owner
The person or company to whom the truck owner leased the truck
The manufacturer of the tires, vehicle, or other parts that could have played a part in the cause or severity of the accident
The person who shipped or loaded the cargo on the truck (improper loading)

It is common for trucking, hauling, and leasing companies to argue over whose insurance will repay the victim. For instance, the truck company may claim the accident was brought on by defective brakes. In response, the brake company could then place blame on the leasing company, stating it neglected to maintain the brakes in good working order.

The above reasons make immensely clear the importance of speaking with a Sacramento truck accident attorney as soon as possible following the accident while one can still access key evidence, such as the truck driver’s log. The longer one waits to contact a lawyer, the more likely it is that this kind of evidence will not be lost or destroyed. It will be a mystery as to whether the truck driver followed the rules and regulations or bent the rules.