When you are injured in a motor vehicle accident in California, the type of vehicle involved—a passenger car, commercial truck, motorcycle, etc.—can significantly impact your ability to recover compensation. Car accidents are much more common, but the aftermath of truck crashes often involves more serious injuries, complex legal issues, corporate defendants, and higher liability limits.
How Common are Truck Accidents in California?
Truck crashes are responsible for a disproportionate number of serious injuries and fatalities on California roads each year. According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 4,000 people were injured in trucking accidents across the state in 2019 alone. Even more alarming, accidents involving large trucks killed 333 people that same year in California. With their massive size and weight, collisions with commercial semi-trucks are over 22 times more likely to result in death compared to regular passenger vehicle crashes. Strict liability laws hold trucking companies fully accountable, but these devastating accidents call for more effective prevention measures on our highways before lives are damaged or lost.
Truck accidents can be devastating, and several have been particularly severe in the US. Here are a few that have been widely regarded as some of the worst:
- I-75 in Florida, 2012: A series of crashes occurred on this highway involving multiple vehicles, including cars and semi-trucks, due to poor visibility caused by smoke from a nearby brush fire. This led to a massive pileup resulting in numerous fatalities and injuries.
- I-40 in Tennessee, 1990: Known as the “Fog of Death” accident, this crash involved over 99 vehicles, including 18-wheelers. A sudden fog bank reduced visibility, causing a chain reaction of collisions resulting in multiple deaths and injuries.
- Coalinga, California, 2007: A truck carrying flammable liquid crashed into several vehicles on Interstate 5, causing a massive explosion and fire. The incident resulted in fatalities and severe injuries.
- Gainesville, Georgia, 2019: A chain-reaction crash on Interstate 75 occurred due to poor visibility caused by smoke from a controlled burn nearby. This accident involved over 20 vehicles, including multiple semi-trucks, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries.
- I-10 in Texas, 2018: A crash involving more than 18 commercial vehicles, including several semi-trucks, occurred due to dense fog, resulting in multiple fatalities and injuries.
These accidents highlight the significant risks and devastating consequences that can arise from large-scale truck accidents on highways and interstates.
How Common are Car Accidents in California?
Car accidents occur extremely frequently on California roads. According to recent statistics from the State Highway Patrol, an average of over 3,600 automobile collisions happen across California every single day. With millions of registered passenger vehicles traveling billions of miles yearly, both fender benders and more serious crashes are an everyday occurrence for California drivers. Specifically, state data shows over 1.3 million total car accidents resulting in injuries or property damage were reported by police in 2020 alone. With so many motorists out there, weaving in and out of dense traffic, it’s unfortunately no surprise that vehicle accidents are ubiquitous in the Golden State. Staying alert is key to getting home safely.
If you were hurt in either type of crash, it is important to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney to fully protect your rights. Let’s take a closer look at some key differences between pursuing injury claims from car versus truck accidents.
Higher Value Truck Accident Lawsuits
Multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements are not uncommon with truck crashes leading to catastrophic injuries, lengthy rehabilitation, large medical expenses, lost wages, and other substantial damages.
Why are truck accident cases potentially worth so much more? Consider factors like:
- Truck size/weight. Big rigs can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. When collided with, smaller passenger vehicles don’t stand a chance. Extreme, permanent injuries are more likely.
- Commercial insurance. Trucking companies must carry a minimum of $750,000 to $1 million insurance policies under state and federal regulations. More coverage means more compensation.
- Company liability. Trucking carriers can be held vicariously liable for driver negligence under respondeat superior laws. Additional companies in the supply chain may share the blame too.
- Safety violations. Finding evidence that the truck driver or company violated trucking regulations like hours of service or maintenance rules can help prove negligence.
As you can see, liability arguments tend to be more complex with truck crashes but also open the door for larger payouts. An attorney can pursue multiple avenues for full accountability.
Common Catastrophic Truck Accident Injuries
Here are some examples of severe, disabling injuries known to happen in truck collisions:
- Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
- Spinal cord injury (paralysis)
- Amputated limbs
- Third-degree burns
- Crush injuries
Car accidents more typically involve less critical injuries like whiplash, broken bones, concussions, and soft tissue damage. While serious and painful, these injuries may heal entirely over time compared to the permanent disability caused by truck crash trauma.
Contributory Negligence Concerns
Under California’s comparative fault rules, you can still recover damages if you are found partially to blame (less than 50% at fault) for causing an accident. But contributory negligence arguments are more common in trucking cases.
Defense attorneys might allege the other driver or pedestrians acted negligently around the truck, perhaps:
- Failing to yield right of way
- Unsafely changing lanes
- Driving recklessly
A skilled truck accident injury lawyer can dispute these accusations with accident reconstruction, trucking regulations, and other evidence leveraging the complexity of these cases to your advantage.
Finding All Liable Parties
Between the truck driver, trucking company, leasing company, cargo loader, component manufacturers, etc., there are often multiple potential defendants in a truck crash. An attorney can strategically bring claims against any party whose negligence plausibly caused or contributed to your accident.
Casting a “wide net” leads to the best chance at a maximized recovery amount. Defendants may cross-claim and apportion percentages of fault among themselves. Ultimately, this benefits the plaintiff because defendants tend to point fingers at each other versus the innocent victim.
Takeaway Messages
- Passenger car and commercial truck accident claims differ significantly in California personal injury law. Speak with a truck accident attorney to protect your rights.
- Truck crashes often result in catastrophic, permanent injuries due to the jarring impact and weight differential.
- Commercial policies, business liability, safety regulations, multiple defendants, and other factors make truck cases more complex but raise the settlement potential into the millions.
- Contributory negligence arguments must be combatted while identifying all at-fault parties across the supply chain.
Don’t assume you will get fair compensation from insurers after a truck collision. An accident injury lawyer from the Karns & Karns Truck Accident Attorneys can level the playing field. With higher damages and unique legal issues, truck accident victims deserve aggressive representation against deep-pocketed defendants. Consult us about the best way to proceed after any truck crash injury. We have offices in California, Texas & Nevada.
