Have you or someone you love been injured in a truck accident in Santa Ana? Was this injury caused by another person’s negligence? If so, you may be eligible for compensation through a personal injury claim or lawsuit. The Santa Ana personal injury attorneys at OnderLaw will review your case for free in an initial consultation and provide you with all the options available for obtaining compensation.

Call us today and let us help you get the just and fair compensation you deserve after a truck accident.

Why Do I Need an Attorney for My Truck Accident?

We obtain compensation for our clients through either a personal injury claim with the responsible party’s insurance company or a lawsuit against the responsible party themselves. This process is complex and time-consuming, and best undertaken with the help of a qualified attorney.

An attorney can make the entire claims process easier to manage and may even be able to get you more compensation than you would get on your own. Hiring an attorney isn’t required to file a claim in California, but doing so can help in ways you may not realize until you understand how claims work.

Your attorney will do more than explain the process. We will do the hard work of investigating your accident, gathering evidence, and building your claim so that you can focus on recovering from your injuries. We will work tirelessly to build a claim based on fact and supported by evidence, so you don’t have to.

The amount of compensation you may be eligible to obtain depends on the losses you sustain in the truck accident. Understanding and defining these losses is key to getting the amount you deserve. Some losses are related to the financial cost of treating or living with an injury, and some are not. Only an experienced attorney can explain how losses and damages work and ensure you’re requesting an amount that is commensurate with your injuries.

If you attempt to file a claim on your own and the responsible party’s insurance company decides to deny payment, you have relatively few options left to you. With an attorney to assist you, you can file a lawsuit against the responsible party in California court. Just the threat of a lawsuit can give you the advantage, as even if the insurance company is able to successfully defend their customer in court, they will have to expend resources to do so. Very often, the litigation costs and court fees are higher than the cost of a fair settlement.

You may not have to hire an attorney for your truck accident, but you’ll certainly be glad you did.

Why Hire OnderLaw to Represent Me?

You have myriad options for legal representation in Santa Ana, but there are many reasons why OnderLaw is best equipped to meet your needs.

Our nearly two decades of legal experience gives us the edge over other law firms. Our dedicated, tenacious team of legal professionals has seen every type of injury imaginable, from whiplash claims to wrongful death lawsuits against major corporations such as Johnson & Johnson. We understand personal injury law, and we know how to make it work for our clients.

We understand that some prospective clients don’t have the finances to pay for our top-tier legal services up-front. This is why we operate on a contingency fee arrangement. This means you only pay for our services if we’re successful in getting you the compensation you need. If we don’t get money for you, we don’t get paid.

We do more than support our clients. We support the communities and organizations that have allowed us to thrive by providing donations of time and money to charities and causes such as MADD, Lupus Foundation of America, and Toys for Tots.

The main reason our clients choose us for representation is our record of success. We’ve been able to obtain over $3 billion in settlements and awards since our founding in 2002. The numbers only tell part of the story. Head over to our Testimonials page to see what other clients have said about our exemplary service.

Causes of Truck Accidents in Santa Ana

Truck accidents are different from accidents involving only passenger vehicles in several key ways. Trucks are larger, heavier, less maneuverable, and their drivers have less outward visibility than passenger car drivers. Their high driver seating position and lack of rearward view make for large blind spots that can completely obscure a normal passenger vehicle. Their enormous weight, some in excess of 80,000 pounds, which is more than 20 times a normal passenger car, means they also require much longer stopping distances.

Truck drivers are required to have special training and licensing to drive large trucks on the road, and federal law allows them to spend a limited number of hours per day driving. If they exceed this limit or try to cut corners, they can cause accidents and severe injury.

Some of the common causes of truck accidents in Santa Ana include the following:

  • Impaired driving
  • Distracted driving
  • Speeding
  • Unsafe lane changes
  • Inadequate surveillance
  • Driver fatigue
  • Inadequate training
  • Manufacturer defects
  • Inadequate maintenance
  • Improperly secured cargo

Common Injuries Suffered in Truck Accidents

Injuries in truck accidents, especially those involving large over-the-road trucks, can be costly, severe, and sometimes deadly. Some of the injuries we see include:

  • Broken bones
  • Lacerations
  • Crushing injuries
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Concussion
  • Whiplash
  • Head and neck injuries
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Internal injuries
  • Organ damage
  • Paralysis
  • Coma
  • Death

Who Is Responsible for My Truck Accident

With most personal injury claims, we obtain compensation from the responsible party’s insurance company, but with truck accidents, the responsibility for the accident can be spread among several different parties.

  • The driver can be held liable for impaired driving, distracted driving, or failing to check blind spots.
  • The trucking company may be held liable in accidents involving inadequate training or faulty hiring practices, such as not performing adequate background checks before hiring a driver.
  • The freight company could be liable in an accident involving improper securing or loading of cargo.
  • The maintenance company may bear responsibility if it’s discovered that they failed to perform adequate maintenance on key components, such as brakes or safety equipment.
  • The manufacturer of the truck may be responsible in an accident involving defective parts.
  • Road maintenance contractors may be held liable in truck accidents involving inadequate signage warning of road hazards.

Your attorney will need to review your case before determining who bears responsibility for your accident.

Compensation for a Truck Accident Claim

Once we complete the investigation into your accident to determine who bears responsibility, we will submit a demand letter to the responsible party’s insurance company.

It’s not possible to determine the amount of compensation you might be eligible for without a full review of your case, but the general rule of thumb is the more severe your accident, the more compensation you should demand.

The amount you could receive depends on the severity of the losses you sustain as a result of the accident. These losses, called damages, must be accurately defined and categorized with the help of your lawyer.

Economic damages are losses with a monetary value attached. Some examples of economic damages include:

  • Lost wages
  • Property damage
  • Medical bills
  • Transportation

Non-economic damages relate to the mental toll of experiencing the injury and not the cost of treating it. There are several different categories, such as:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Loss of consortium
  • Reputational damage
  • Scarring and disfigurement

California law also allows claimants to pursue exemplary damages, also called punitive damages, in some accidents. These are not meant to compensate you for any monetary or non-monetary loss but to punish the party responsible for your accident and deter them from behaving in the same manner again. Exemplary damages are only allowed in cases of extreme malice, oppression, or fraud, and carry a much higher burden of proof than other damages. They can only be awarded by a judge or jury. Talk to your attorney to see if exemplary damages are potentially available in your case.

California Truck Accident Statistics

Trucking accidents in Southern California are all too common. Here are some helpful and informative statistics:

  • There were 341 fatal crashes involving large trucks in California in 2017.
  • California has the second-highest percentage of total large truck crashes in the country, coming in behind Texas.
  • California had 53 fatalities in vehicle crashes involving large trucks in 2017.
  • Just over 5,000 people died in large truck crashes nationwide in 2019.
  • 118,000 trucks were involved in crashes causing injury nationwide in 2019.
  • The crash-involvement rate for large trucks is up 37 percent since 2010.

Call Today for a Free Consultation

If you’ve suffered serious injury after a truck accident in Santa Ana, don’t wait any longer to contact the attorneys at OnderLaw. We are standing by to take your call. The first consultation is absolutely free, and we only take payment if we win your case, so you have nothing to lose by letting us review your case.

Call our firm today and get the help you need and the compensation you deserve.