Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys, APC, fights for the rights of injured truck accident victims hurt along Highway 101. Many of the trucks you’ll see along this popular route will be semi-trucks out to deliver goods to local supermarkets. A big rig can cause major injuries if your vehicle is involved in a collision. Our skilled truck accident lawyers offer a free case consultation to all injured victims. Contact our office to schedule a confidential case review and find out what your case is worth.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a Highway 101 Grocery Truck Accident?
If you suffer a serious injury in a collision caused by a supermarket semi-truck, you should speak to a skilled Southern California and Central Coast Truck Accident Attorney. An injury like a bone fracture or head trauma will require additional care and lead to an expensive recovery. Insurance adjusters for giant supermarket chains will fight to avoid having to accept blame. A large company will also employ lawyers to help attack your case.
It’s a smart idea to have representation of your own to make sure you aren’t left to pay hospital bills yourself. Your Highway 101 grocery store truck accident lawyer builds a strong case that blocks shady insurance tactics. Then your lawyer demands the maximum in compensation for your family.
Highway 101 Grocery Truck Accident Dangers Across Southern California
Tourist traffic can mix in with everyday rush hours on Highway 101 all the way from downtown L.A. through Encino and even through Thousand Oaks and Santa Barbara. Local drivers already know to take caution around careless and reckless California drivers, but they will also encounter big rigs for various grocery store chains, hauling goods back and forth on the highway.
A tractor-trailer with Gelson’s on the side or Ralph’s could be spotted at any point through Los Angeles County or up the coastline. And if the truck drivers behind the wheel are staring at cellphones or going a bit too fast, stopping to avoid collisions can be a problem.
These semi-trucks and loaded-down box trucks 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.
When truck drivers are on the road driving for a major retailer like Walmart, they represent the company. That means that a store chain is responsible for the careless actions of a driver. They should automatically help the victims of accidents involving their trucks, but too many stores would rather blame the other driver and question the severity of injuries, rather than assist families.
It’s often up to a skilled attorney to collect evidence and build a strong case for victims, in order to make it hard for companies to find ways to wiggle out of taking 100% of the responsibility.
Who Is Responsible for Accidents Caused by Grocery Truck Drivers?
After a grocery truck accident, one of the most confusing things for victims will be who should be held accountable.
Drivers may work for themselves or contract out for another company that works to move goods for major supermarket companies. It can be complex, but letting a liable party off the hook could mean that you don’t get enough in support to pay all of your bills. Some of your hospital invoices could have to be paid out of your own savings, or cause you to go into debt or bankruptcy.
Quirk Accident & Injury Attorneys, APC, would be taking quick action to hold every liable party accountable for your injury costs.
Those parties that could have to contribute to a settlement check would be:
- Supermarket chain. The grocery company may employ its own drivers and maintain its own warehouses. They’d have larger insurance policies backing their drivers, but a large business can also afford more lawyers to help them escape blame. These companies will also be responsible for maintaining and servicing trucks so that something like a brake failure or a tire blowout doesn’t cause a crash.
- Farm and Ranch Suppliers. A California farm or ranch may transport its own meats and vegetables to local stores. They’d have insurance for their product truck drivers.
- Trucking Company. A national distributor may help a grocery store bring in weekly shipments. These companies would also back their drivers with commercial truck driving insurance.
- The Truck Driver. A truck driver may be what’s known as an owner/operator. These truck drivers work for themselves and must carry commercial truck driver insurance. They’ll usually have smaller policy limits on their coverage.
- Truck Manufacturers. If a part defect or design flaw on the big rig is blamed for the accident, a truck maker could be liable for your injuries in an accident.
What Kinds of Things Can a Store Be Held Liable For After a Truck Accident?
After a crash caused by a grocery store driver on Highway 101, your attorney submits 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
- Wrongful death benefits for the families of victims killed in truck accidents
Families who lose a loved one to a supermarket 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 Truck 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.
Our lawyers aren’t afraid to take on major corporations and supermarket chains for you. We fight for what’s fair after a serious accident and help you reject any lowball offers that don’t cover everything you’ve been through. Then we demand more on your behalf.
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 commercial insurance company.