Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys, APC, fights for the rights of injured truck accident victims hurt along Highway 101. Our skilled truck accident lawyers offer a free case consultation to all injured victims. Contact our office to schedule a confidential case review as soon as possible. There’s also no obligation to you or your family for this meeting. It’s a great opportunity to find out how to hold car insurance companies 100% responsible for your injury hardships.
When Should I Call a Lawyer After a Highway 101 Truck Accident?
After a truck accident that only results in car damage and/or very minor injuries, you can usually handle your accident claim yourself. But if your accident was caused by a careless truck driver and it resulted in a serious injury like a broken leg, back injury, or head trauma, you should speak to a lawyer about your case.
At-fault truck drivers may be on the road for a local agricultural company, a farm, or a delivery company like Amazon. These large businesses will have corporate lawyers ready to try to blame you for an accident or cast doubt on the seriousness of your injury.
Your Highway 101 truck accident lawyer protects you from this unfair treatment and builds a strong case that blocks these shady tactics. It’s the only proven way to stop an insurer from robbing you of the support you need to recover.
Highway 101 Truck Accident Dangers Across Southern California
Plenty of people hit the road to get away on Highway 101. They may be heading for a beach vacation or a scenic road trip. But plenty of drivers in Ventura County and surrounding counties use these roads to head to work or school every day. Many trucking and delivery companies send vehicles out on the road each day as well.
These semi-trucks and loaded-down vans create many more hazards on the road than smaller vehicles. They also tend to cause more serious injuries when they are involved in impacts. The fault often lies with truck drivers who are either paying attention to something other than the road or are in too much of a hurry.
Drivers might be staring at a cell phone or a tablet while traveling. They may be exceeding the speed limit without a chance to stop if traffic suddenly stops ahead. A distracted produce truck driver may lose control and turn over a load of fruits or vegetables, causing other drivers to crash into each other. Truck drivers and their employers are responsible for all accidents they contribute to.
The consequences of distracted and reckless truck drivers are seen every year in L.A. and surrounding cities where Highway 101 passes through.
California’s Transportation Injury Mapping System (TIMS) recorded 65 Highway 101 big rig accidents involving injury across Los Angeles County in 2023. That was an unwanted jump from the 52 serious accidents reported in 2022.
Plenty of people from Northern California and Southern California use Highway 101 as an escape route to enjoy the views of the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, the popular route is a magnet for big rigs and truck collisions along the Central Coast.
According to TIMS, Ventura County saw 19 serious truck accidents along its stretch of 101 in 2022. That number rose to 23 injury-involved accidents in 2023.
A collision with an 80,000-pound semi-truck or a loaded Walmart Delivery Van can cause life-threatening blunt force and crush injuries. A skilled Southern California truck accident lawyer can make sure victims get the care they need for as long as necessary to fully recover. A Southern California wrongful death lawyer can also help the families of lost loved ones seek justice and support after a tragic big rig crash.
What Should I Do After a Truck Accident on Highway 101?
After your accident along Highway 101, a California Highway Patrol Officer will likely respond to the scene. The officer will create an accident report, partly based on your detailed account of what happened. But insurance companies can contest this report and try to shift the full blame to you.
To fight back you’ll need to back your injury claim with the best evidence available. The moments after a truck accident will be a great time to collect evidence that proves who caused it. However, only take action if your injuries allow it and the scene is secure.
Collect these details to help your case later if possible:
- Call 911. Get checked out by paramedics and go to the hospital if necessary.
- Take pictures of everything at the scene. Show the damage to cars, street signs, and lane markings. Show any visible injuries you have. Take photos of the signage on the truck displaying the company involved.
- Get witness contact information so your truck Accident Lawyer can contact them for testimony.
- Get information from the other driver unless the investigating officer provides it to you. Try to get a truck driver’s employee number.
- Alert your car insurance provider about your accident.
- Schedule an appointment with your own doctor. Get any new pain that arises the next day checked out. Follow your doctor’s orders.
What Kind of Things Can I Earn Car Accident Compensation For?
After a crash, your truck accident attorney will be filing a claim on your behalf. It should include a full list of the damages you and your family have endured since the collision.
Everything included in the claim is eligible to earn compensation. But anything left off could end up as a bill your family would have to cover.
Your lawyer will be listing every hardship you’ve suffered and backing up every claim with receipts, invoices, and evidence. These and other factors will determine the size of your car accident settlement check:
- Support for current medical bills and future healthcare costs
- Lifetime support for any permanent disability
- Support for the pain victims endure in crashes and through recovery
- Support for the emotional trauma caused by a major accident
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium (loss of intimacy with a partner)
- Reimbursement for lost paychecks and benefits at work
Families who lose a loved one to a truck driver’s mistake can also seek support. They’d file a wrongful death claim to demand help with funeral costs and paying leftover medical bills. Those left behind should also receive support to draw from in the future when a loved one’s financial contributions to the family won’t be available.
Contact a Southern California Car Accident Lawyer
Schedule a free case review with our Truck Accident Lawyers here at Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys, APC. We can talk about what happened, how it happened, and how it has changed your life. After that, we will go over all of the legal options available to you and your family.
There’s no obligation and if you do hire us to represent your injury claim, you won’t need to worry about how you’ll pay us. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you and then our fee comes out of the settlement you receive from the auto insurance company.
Additional Resources:
Accidents Involving Moving Vans on Hwy 101
Accidents Involving FedEx on Hwy 101