Simi Valley sits just 40 miles from Los Angeles and a lot of morning and afternoon rush hours are made up of commuters. There’s also a considerable amount of truck traffic mixing in with everyday drivers. Big rigs, pickup trucks, and delivery vans present hard-to-avoid daily obstacles on local roads.
These trucks help fuel the city’s booming economy, but they also add extra hazards to any drive across the valley.
A massive vehicle veering across the line into your lane or speeding through an intersection can put you at risk for a devastating accident. After suffering an injury, it’s important that you know where to turn for support. Because often, there’s more than one insurance company that should be providing help.
Schedule a Free Consultation After a Simi Valley Accident
Getting clarity on who will be helping you with hospital bills and your lost time at work can be frustrating. When a truck driver is to blame for your collision, there’s often an employer who should be taking responsibility for that employee’s actions.
You might have more than one insurance company trying to convince you that they owe you nothing for the pain you’ve endured.
Don’t accept their denial of your claim. Contact Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys, APC, for a free consultation. It’s a no-risk way to determine what your case is worth so that you know when you should hold out for more in compensation.
There’s no obligation, but if you need our help you don’t have to worry about paying us upfront. We don’t get paid unless we win your case.
Truck Accident Dangers Along Simi Valley Roads
Trucks are constantly on the go, especially from the manufacturing centers in Simi Valley. Raw materials and products travel to and from local machinery and tool companies and manufacturers in the metal industry.
Motorists along State Route 118 and busy routes like Madera Road must share the lanes with semi-trucks and large delivery vehicles. Drivers for businesses like Amazon or FedEx and local and national trucking companies are generally as safe as possible. However, when they get careless or reckless, dangerous accidents can occur. It’s hard enough dealing with an averaged sized car accident.
In 2020, the California Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) recorded 126 accidents involving trucks in Ventura County. The Ventura County Fire Department and county sheriff were on scene to assess and assist everyone involved. Those accidents were responsible for four tragic deaths and, shockingly, left another 164 people injured.
Truck Driver Distraction Dangers
The biggest contributor to these accidents involving trucks and cargo vans is driver distraction. Truck drivers and delivery drivers are on the clock when behind the wheel and that provides even more distraction than a normal driver faces.
They may be looking at a computer screen or cellphone detailing their next stop. Drivers may also be tired from going past the restrictions on their driving hours. These factors might leave a drowsy or inattentive professional driver behind the wheel of a massive vehicle.
Big rigs can weigh up to 80,000lbs when cruising down the road pulling a tractor-trailer. The added weight means coming to a full stop for a red light will take longer.
That weight also means that any impact will be all the more devastating. Cars and SUVs are also at risk from the shape and design of some of these trucks that sit higher. Vehicles can end up under a large truck, leaving drivers and passengers trapped and forced to wait on medical care for severe injuries.
Who Do I Sue After an Accident Involving a Truck Driver in Simi Valley?
Accidents involving a careless truck driver may leave you with several options for getting the financial support you need in recovery. After you call the Simi Valley Police Department, consider speaking to an attorney.
Drivers may be working for themselves and carry commercial truck driver insurance. This may be the first insurance policy you target in a claim, but this coverage may have low limits. You could receive only enough compensation to pay for a few nights in the hospital. The bills for any additional care needed could end up in your lap.
In some cases, the employer of the truck driver can also be called upon for assistance. Companies like Amazon and FedEx carry up to a million dollars in auto accident coverage for their drivers. The problem is that they won’t make it easy for victims to collect what’s fair.
Winning Compensation From A Trucking Company After an Accident
When professional truck drivers cause accidents and injuries, the companies they work for often are left with a choice. They can do the right thing and provide support for injured victims. They might also decide to avoid blame or even shift the blame for you.
Trucking companies or an online merchant like Amazon could decide to contest an accident report or claim they aren’t responsible for their employee’s mistakes. They’ll activate a team of corporate lawyers to pick apart your account of what happened and question the seriousness of your injury.
Don’t allow this behavior. Your personal injury lawyer will build a strong case in your favor and defend you from personal attacks from an insurance adjuster. Your lawyer will collect the evidence needed to leave a company with no choice but to fully support you during recovery.
The safety and hiring records of the company itself could also be questioned. Your truck accident lawyer should be questioning the safety standards any delivery company or trucking industry utilizes.
The amount of training employees receive must also be called into question. It’s also not uncommon for companies to hire drivers with questionable driving records. All of these lapses in safety and corporate culture could prove a business is liable for every hospital bill you have.
Compensation Available After a Truck Accident
Your Simi Valley truck accident lawyer will make it absolutely clear to all insurance companies what damages they are responsible for. If a truck crashed into you, your insurance claim will list every hardship you and your family have faced and every loss you expect compensation for.
These are just a few of the factors that will earn compensation:
- Medical expenses now and the estimates for care expected to be needed in the future. This may include the costs expected over a lifetime if you were forced to live with a permanent disability.
- Travel to and from doctors’ appointments. The costs of visiting out-of-state specialists.
- The physical pain and emotional distress you must cope with in recovery.
- Income forfeited while you’ve been away from work.
- Loss of enjoyment of life. The inability to participate in hobbies, family activities, or travel after a life-altering injury.
- Loss of consortium. Your spouse could file a claim over the loss of intimacy and the loss of a strong emotional bond caused by an injury.
- Damage or destruction of property.
Contact a Simi Valley Truck Accident Lawyer Today
After being injured in an accident that was caused by the carelessness and negligence of a truck driver anywhere in Ventura County or Southern California, don’t talk with that opposing insurance company. You’re likely to harm your case.
Contact the Simi Valley truck accident lawyers at Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys, APC for a confidential free consultation and case analysis. We want to learn more about your accident and how it has impacted your life. We also will provide you with an opportunity to address your initial questions.
After that, we’ll advise you on all of your legal options. If you retain us to represent you in your truck accident case, our goal will be to obtain the maximum available compensation that you’re entitled to.