Oakland Truck Accident Lawyers
Powerful Truck Accident Lawyers Committed toDefending the Injured in Oakland
Truck accidents in Oakland leave devastating injuries and damages to their victims. When you find yourself in this predicament, know that Arash Law will have your back. The Oakland truck accident lawyers in our award-winning law firm offer decades of expertise and unparalleled dedication to win your case. Call us at (888) 488-1391 for a free, no-obligation consultation today.
Oakland is the eighth-largest city in California and the third-largest in the Bay Area, directly east of San Francisco and north of San Jose. The size of Oakland means that it is a common destination for all kinds of commercial motor vehicles transporting various goods to and from locations all over the state.
Commercial trucks go by a variety of names, including semi-trucks, 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, and big rigs, but accidents involving these types of vehicles often have the potential to cause a loss of life, severe injuries, and possibly lifelong disabilities. In addition to the risks of possible traffic accidents involving commercial trucks, accidents involving these kinds of vehicles that weigh several thousands of pounds can also involve freight that is either heavy equipment or hazardous chemicals.
The consequences of large truck accidents can be dramatic for all people involved in an accident. If a truck driver, trucking company, or mechanic happens to be at fault for an accident, the people who suffer injuries or the relatives of the people killed can be entitled to financial compensation for their losses.
Large truck crashes can be very complicated cases for people to handle on their own because liability in these types of accidents can be extremely complex, and most people are not going to know how to differentiate the many possible liable parties. The bottom line will remain that when a person does suffer injuries or loses a loved one in a commercial truck crash, they can seek compensation from the negligent party, whoever it might be.
If you recently suffered severe injuries or your loved one was killed in a commercial truck accident in the Bay Area, you will want to be sure to speak with Oakland truck accident lawyers at Arash Law, founded by famous attorney Arash Khorsandi, Esq., as soon as possible. Our firm has more than 30 years of experience handling all kinds of truck crash claims. We can provide diligent and thorough legal representation in these matters.
Every single truck accident case is going to be unique because no two crashes are ever the same, and an attorney will make your life easier by handling much of the necessary legwork before you file a claim for damages. After you file a claim, the lawyer can then negotiate a full and fair settlement to your case that adequately compensates you for all of your past, present, and future losses.
Arash Law has been handling truck accident cases throughout California for several decades. We know how to investigate these crashes properly and determine every single liable party. Under the leadership of Arash Khorsandi, Esq., our truck accident lawyers in Glendale can hold all negligent parties fully accountable and ensure that you can recover every last dollar that is available to you.
Settlement in a case where a client was injured while unloading commercial truck; client sustained crush injuries to legs– JUDD ROSS ALLEN
Common Kinds of Oakland Truck Accident Injuries
The size disparity between commercial trucks and the average passenger vehicle often means that occupants of smaller cars are much more likely to suffer catastrophic injuries, while truck drivers can walk away from crashes without a scratch. Our Oakland truck accident lawyers have experience helping people who have suffered all kinds of injuries, and our firm is willing to come to you in your hospital room or home when you cannot come to our office.
- Fractures or broken bones
- Concussions
- Crush injuries
- Closed head injuries
- Back injuries
- Knee injuries
- Leg injuries
- Neck injuries
- Arm injuries
- Internal injuries
- Skull fractures
- Traumatic brain injuries((TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Permanent nerve injuries
- Amputations
- Paralysis
- Severe burn injuries
- Wrongful death
Physical injuries are, of course, only one aspect of a person’s recovery. It is far from uncommon for many people to be dealing with various psychological issues as the result of a truck accident.
Arash Law will work tirelessly to help people recover every dollar of compensation they are entitled to, and people need to remember that a One Insurance Research Council (IRC) study entitled “Paying for Auto Injuries: A Consumer Panel Survey of Auto Accident Victims” found that victims who hired personal injury attorneys received 40 percent more in settlements with insurance companies than those who represented themselves. It is further important to recognize that 85 percent of the money insurance companies pay for injury claims goes to people who are represented by truck accident attorneys.
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Seeking Damages for a Truck Accident
Most truck accidents are going to be resolved through settlements instead of jury trials because the parties involved usually view settlements as being the most favorable outcomes instead of having to pay the high costs of going to trial. While a settlement can provide a person with enough money to cover all of their losses, several insurance companies will aggressively try to lowball people immediately after an accident.
- Medical bills
- Lost income
- Motor vehicle damage
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
Whatever damages you want to file a claim for, Arash Law’s award-winning truck accident attorneys in Oakland can win them for you. They’ll create a solid case out of crucial evidence, witness statements, medical records, and more to secure the compensation you deserve.
Liability for an 18-Wheeler Crash
Many people involved in a truck accident have a tendency to assume that a negligent truck driver was at fault and is thus the only person responsible for damages in these cases. It is always important for these people to retain legal counsel precisely because so many other parties can also be liable for damages in these cases. Your Oakland truck accident attorneys will know how to pinpoint all of the possible parties who can share liability for a truck crash.
- Truck drivers
- Trucking companies
- Truck owners
- Truck manufacturers
- Shipping companies
- Cargo shippers or loaders
- Vendors
- Cargo owners
- Local governments
- Other drivers
One of the major benefits of hiring qualified Oakland truck accident lawyers is that they will immediately commence an independent investigation into your crash to collect all relevant evidence and determine liability for the accident. Anybody who is unclear about who can be held accountable for a crash will want to be certain they speak to an attorney without delay.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Oakland
- Truck driver negligence
- Driver fatigue
- Negligent truck maintenance
- Brake failure
- Tire blowouts
- Failure to pay attention to blind spots
- Improper loading or load shifting
- Speeding
- Reckless driving
- Driving under the influence (DUI) of drugs or alcohol
It is important for people to know that truck drivers are expected to comply with various federal and state regulations relating to commercial motor vehicles, so any deviation from the expected standards can constitute negligence as well. Our experienced Oakland truck accident attorneys are going to pin down the exact cause of a crash by working with accident reconstruction specialists and other parties to get definitive answers.
Benefits of Hiring Oakland Truck Accident Lawyers
When a person suffers injuries or loses a loved one in a truck accident in Oakland or a surrounding area of Alameda County, they will always benefit from working with an experienced attorney. The bottom line will remain that a lawyer is going to have the experience and knowledge that people need to recover as much compensation as possible in these cases.
- Free consultations – When a person contacts a truck accident law firm, most establishments are going to offer free consultations to discuss their cases. While many lawyers charge hourly fees or flat rates for their services, a free consultation is effectively a free way for a client to interview a lawyer and vice versa. There are typically no fees in most injury cases because many law firms handle these cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that victims do not pay anything upfront because a lawyer instead gets paid by collecting a predetermined percentage of any settlement or jury award.
- Knowledge of state and federal laws – The trucking industry is extensively regulated at both the state and federal levels, so a person is going to want to know if there were any violations of legal standards in a company’s operations. When you work with knowledgeable Oakland truck accident attorneys, they will know how to examine whether a truck driver or trucking company was operating in defiance of federal or state laws.
- Conducting an independent investigation – Most people are not going to collect evidence in a truck accident case on their own, but hiring a lawyer will be the best way for a person to get help preserving important evidence. Arash Law’s Oakland truck accident attorneys know how to secure information relating to a truck’s black box or other important on-board details.
- Sending a letter to preserve evidence – Following a truck accident, a lawyer can send a letter of preservation of evidence to all potentially liable parties. This letter will place the other parties on notice that a potential commercial truck accident claim is in the works and will also hold them to an obligation not to alter or destroy any evidence that may be relevant to the accident.
- Negotiating insurance settlements – Insurance companies for truck drivers and trucking companies always have a goal of paying as little as possible to resolve any injury claims stemming from a truck accident, and many insurers will try to offer people lump-sum settlements to close their cases quickly. You need to be aware that whatever you are being offered, even when it sounds sizable, is usually far less than what you are entitled to. Ignore all potential settlement offers and let an attorney handle settlement negotiations because they can arrive at an amount that will actually cover every expense you are currently dealing with or will be dealing with in the future.
- Taking a case to civil court – Settlements are common but not always possible. In some cases, your Oakland truck accident lawyers may have to take a case to the local court to get justice. There are usually many benefits to filing the necessary paperwork to take a case to trial because putting a case before a jury can often lead to even more sizable awards than were possible in settlement negotiations. It is also possible that filing to take a case to court can compel an insurance company to be more willing to settle the case in accordance with the victim’s demands to avoid the extreme costs of going to trial.
People need to be aware that no matter how friendly and seemingly concerned agents for insurance companies may seem, the insurers are never on their side. All insurance companies are far more beholden to their shareholders than accident victims, meaning they all share a goal of paying as little as possible to resolve injury claims.
Settlement in a motor vehicle accident; client suffered internal injuries.– JUDD ROSS ALLEN
Frequently Asked Questions Concerning Oakland Truck Accidents
Is it expensive to hire lawyers for a trucking collision case in Oakland?
Is there a time limit on commercial truck accident cases in California?
Yes. California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1 establishes that a person has only two years to commence an action for injury to or the death of a person caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another party. Under California Code of Civil Procedure § 338, a person has three years to commence an action for physical damage to private property.
Are punitive damages possible in Oakland truck accident cases?
Yes. Punitive damages are rarer in personal injury cases, but they are always possible when a person can prove by clear and convincing evidence that a negligent party was guilty of oppression, fraud, or malice.
Malice is defined as conduct that is intended by a defendant to cause injury to a plaintiff or despicable conduct that is carried on by a defendant with a willful and conscious disregard for the rights or safety of others. Oppression means despicable conduct that subjects a person to cruel and unjust hardship in conscious disregard of that person’s rights, and fraud is defined as intentional misrepresentation, deceit, or concealment of a material fact known to a defendant with the intention on the part of a defendant of thereby depriving a person of property or legal rights or otherwise causing injury.
When it comes to safety for their drivers and passengers, do trucks perform better in accidents?
Commercial trucks remain far more complicated to operate than traditional passenger vehicles, but they do end up being somewhat safer for their occupants. Most truck drivers sit comfortably in cabs that are elevated, so they are not directly in the path of most collisions. Vehicle damage in truck accidents can also involve collisions with cabs or trailers, and the points of impact rarely place truck drivers or their other occupants in danger.
How long do truck accident lawsuits take?
It is difficult to estimate the recovery time for any truck accident action because so many intangibles can come into play. All people should prepare for several months or possibly even years of settlement negotiations.
When a satisfactory settlement appears to be an impossibility, your Oakland truck accident attorneys may have to file a lawsuit to take the case to trial. A lawyer will be keeping the statute of limitations in mind to ensure that a case is properly filed within the relevant time limits.
How can people avoid truck accidents?
All people should employ the best defensive driving techniques available to them when they encounter commercial trucks on any road in the Oakland area. There are certain techniques people will want to keep in mind in these circumstances.
- Provide more space when you are following a truck than you normally will when following a passenger vehicle – Keep in mind that a larger vehicle, such as a commercial truck, will limit your visibility of what is ahead, such as slowed or stopped traffic, construction, or other hazards on the road. When you leave adequate space between your own vehicle and a commercial truck in front of you, you will have a greater opportunity to react appropriately in emergency situations.
- Leave plenty of space when you are passing a truck – Trucks are far heavier than passenger vehicles, meaning they require even more distance to come to a stop. You should never cut in front of a large truck. If you cannot pass with plenty of room, you should stay in your lane.
- Stay out of the truck’s blind spot – One good trick to help people know if they are in a truck’s blind spot is to look at the truck’s side view mirrors. If a person cannot see a truck driver’s face in the mirrors, then the truck driver cannot see them. It will always be safer to pass a truck on the driver’s side, as truck drivers have much wider blind spots on the passenger side.
- Exercise caution about where you pull over on a highway – When you must pull off a highway between exits, you should try to find a wide shoulder or designated pull-off spot. Several accidents occur because cars are pulled over and then swiped by passing trucks that may swerve onto the shoulder.
- Use caution when a truck is turning – Even basic turns for commercial trucks still require significant space, meaning that even a common right-hand turn that seemingly is no threat to surrounding traffic can involve a truck driver needing to move out to their left before performing the turn. People need to give trucks adequate room to perform these turns and should avoid being too close to any truck they know will be turning.
- Do not play “chicken” with a commercial truck – When you think a commercial truck wants to pass you or get in front of you, you should let it do that. It is never a good idea to try and compete with a commercial truck for any space on a highway. Doing so can create collisions that may be fatal.
- Make sure to pass quickly – People should only pass trucks when they can see that there is adequate space to do so. Avoid lingering in a lane beside a truck for any longer than is necessary.
- Stay predictable – When a person is driving near a commercial truck or being followed by one, they need to keep all of the basic traffic laws in mind. Most importantly, use turn signals at all times, especially when changing lanes.
- Never engage in distracted driving – Virtually every state in the nation now tries to discourage distracted driving for all people. It is even more critical around commercial trucks because any kind of distraction that diverts a person’s attention from the road can be enough to cause a major accident.
- Prepare for periods of boredom – Trucks are frequently encountered during longer drives, and people should plan in advance for how they will deal with these periods. You do not want to be trying to do anything else while you are driving, so do not allow your mind to drift from what your purpose is.
Call The Best Truck Accident Lawyers Oakland Trusts
Truck accidents can be incredibly debilitating experiences for most people, and any person involved in a truck crash in the greater Oakland area of California should be sure to speak to legal professionals. Arash Law is run by the talented team of Arash Khorsandi, Esq.
Are you suffering from serious injuries, or was your loved one killed in a truck accident in Oakland or a surrounding community in California? Wherever you are, whether in Alameda, Berkeley, Emeryville, Piedmont, Fruitvale, Albany, El Cerrito, Rockridge, San Francisco, or other cities in California, our team can come to you 24/7.
Make sure you call (888) 488-1391 or contact us online to arrange a free consultation so we can take the time to speak with you with complete candor about your case.
