Common Truck Accidents Truck Accident Causes Truck Accident FAQ's Truck Insurance Choosing a Lawyer

$5 Million against construction companies for a truck/auto accident.

$1.9 Million for a pedestrian vs. truck accident.

$1 Million for a Concord woman who lost control of her minivan and struck a traffic pole after being sideswiped by a big rig.

$1 Million for minor client who was a passenger in a van which rear-ended a big rig on I-5.

$750,000 for Plaintiff who was severely injured while riding his motorcycle when defendant backed his pickup truck into the street from a blind driveway.

$730,000 for a pedestrian vs. truck accident.

$625,000 for the victim of a pedestrian vs. truck accident in Oakland.

$197,500 for the victim of a truck accident on Interstate 80.

$125,000 for severe leg fracture when tractor-trailer turned in front of motorcycle.

$120,000 for Plaintiff who suffered a severe fracture when a garbage truck pulled into his path as he was riding his motorcycle to work.

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Common Trucking Accidents

When a large truck accident occurs, it is almost certain to kill the people in the other vehicle, simply because of the huge weight difference between a large truck and a private passenger vehicle. When a smaller auto is hit by a large truck, each vehicle brings an amount of force to the impact that's proportional to its weight. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that in 2005, three-quarters of large truck crashes were multi-vehicle crashes; it also found that 76% of fatalities in large truck accidents were the fatalities of people in other vehicles. To make matters worse, even the most crashworthy personal auto is not designed for such an impact; federal law requires only that manufacturers design them to withstand a crash with a vehicle of equal weight.

Almost every highway driver shares the road at some time with a large truck, also known as an eighteen-wheeler, a big rig, a Mack truck or a tractor-trailer. These behemoths can weigh up to 80,000 pounds -- as much as 40 times the size of a personal car or truck. This size difference is not just intimidating to many private drivers; it's also a very real threat, because it makes large trucks harder to handle, harder to stop and extremely likely to crush another vehicle in the event of a collision. Worse, drivers of large trucks and trucking companies have a reputation for irresponsible driving behavior -- and it is often well-deserved. A 2006 study by the U.S. Department of Transportation found that 88 percent of truck crashes were caused by driver inattention -- ten times more than weather, vehicle defects or other accident causes that the study looked at.

Truck accidents are devastating to California drivers and their families, who may be grieving or seriously injured, and face enormous medical bills even as they are unable to work. But to a trucking company, accidents are just a part of doing business. Representatives from a trucking company will appear quickly after a crash -- sometimes even at the scene -- to try to limit their legal liability. Do not be fooled! Don't take any money, admit fault for the accident or sign a waiver; instead, you should contact the Northern California truck accident attorneys at Gillin, Jacobson, Ellis & Larsen as soon as possible. Our lawyers have more than three decades of experience in large truck accidents and have won more than $500 million for seriously injured clients. We always offer free and confidential case evaluations to potential clients, and if we take your case, we will work on contingency -- that is, we don't take a fee until and unless we win your case.

To speak to an experienced truck accident lawyer today, call 1-866-218-3776 or visit the Contact Us page to find one of our 18 Northern California offices near you.