Modesto Truck Accident Attorneys

Modesto Truck Accidents: Potential Damages and Injuries

Accidents involving trucks and small vehicles rarely result in the drivers or passengers walking away unscathed. Patients are sometimes left with medical conditions that permanently affect the quality of their lives and their ability to function normally. An accident involving a truck is likely to result in one of the following injuries:

• Partial paralysis
• Internal organ damage
• Burns
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
• Loss of limb
• Bone fractures
• Spinal cord damage

Additionally to physical injuries, trucking accident victims suffer emotional and psychological trauma, and their property is damaged in an expensive way. You deserve compensation if you have been hurt in a truck accident or incurred other expenses.

FMCSA Trucking Regulations

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is responsible for regulating trucking companies and their drivers in order to protect drivers on the road. One of these important regulations is called the hours of service regulations which specifies when and how long truckers can be on the road.

These regulations state:

• Truck drivers can work up to a 14-hour day, however, in this 14-hour time period they can only drive for 11 of these hours. The remaining three hours must be spent on rest or meal breaks.
• After the 14-hour workday limit is reached, drivers must rest for at least 10 consecutive hours before returning to work.
• Truckers also must take days off work at regular intervals. If a trucking company is open seven days a week a driver is only allowed to work 70 hours in an eight-day period before taking at least 34 consecutive hours off. Likewise, if a trucking company is open less than seven days a week than a driver is only allowed to work 60 hours in a seven-day period before taking 34 hours off.

All too often trucking companies are found breaking these regulations. When this happens fatigued overworked truckers on the road pose a greater risk to other drivers on the road. Sometimes these regulations are modified in times of national emergency such as in the recent COVID-19 crisis.

While truckers are not breaking the law by driving beyond the above FMCSA limits when this happens, the risk they pose to other drivers on the road is no less extreme. If you have been injured in an accident by a tired trucker call our office today to get started on your case!

Who Is Liable After a Truck Accident?

Unlike a car accident where there is typically one party responsible for an accident, a truck accident can have many liable parties, depending on the circumstances of the case.

Among others, a liable party in a truck accident can include:

• The truck driver
• The trucking company
• The truck manufacturer

A truck driver is usually held responsible if it is discovered they were engaging in illegal activities that caused the accident, such as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. However, the trucking company a driver works for is most often held liable for damages after an accident.

While there are many reasons for this, the main one is the fact that it is not uncommon for a trucking company to encourage their drivers to break FMCSA regulations in order to help save their company money, resulting in tired drivers on the road.

In some cases an accident could be caused by the fact that a truck was improperly loaded, causing the uneven weight in the trailer to cause an accident. Whatever the cause of your accident, our attorneys have the skill and experience to investigate your truck accident case in order to hold the liable parties accountable for their negligence and recover the compensation you need to recover from your injuries.

What to Do After a Truck Accident

Being involved in a truck accident can be a traumatizing experience, but it's important to stay calm and take the necessary steps to protect yourself and your legal rights.

Here's what you should do after a truck accident:

1. Check for injuries: If you or anyone else involved in the accident is injured, call 911 immediately.
2. Exchange information: Get the truck driver's name, contact information, insurance details, and license plate number. Also, collect contact information from any witnesses.
3. Take photos: Use your phone to take pictures of the accident scene, including damage to both vehicles and any injuries.
4. File a report: Contact the police and file a report of the accident.
5. Seek medical attention: Even if you don't think you've been injured, it's important to get checked out by a doctor to ensure there are no underlying injuries.
6. Contact an attorney: It's important to speak with an experienced truck accident attorney as soon as possible to protect your legal rights and ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.

Our team of Modesto truck accident attorneys has over 35 years of experience holding negligent truck drivers and trucking companies accountable for their actions. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Depending on the circumstances, your lawsuit may be filed against the trucker, trucking company, or shipper. In any case, we are ready to fight aggressively to recover the monetary damages that you, as well as your family, deserve. Your first step to claiming financial compensation is to contact a trusted Modesto truck accident attorney for your free consultation.