A crash with a commercial truck isn’t just a bigger version of a car accident. It’s an entirely different kind of case. When a fully loaded semi slams into a smaller vehicle, the outcome is often life-changing—physically, emotionally, and financially.
These crashes bring catastrophic injuries, enormous medical bills, and long-term consequences. And while you’re trying to recover, you’re suddenly expected to deal with legal deadlines, confusing insurance paperwork, and corporate defense lawyers who handle these cases for a living. We know this is all far too much for one person to take on alone.
At Reiner & Frankel, LLP, we focus on helping people injured in truck accidents across California. We understand the federal trucking rules, the state safety regulations, and the tactics large trucking companies use to protect themselves. More importantly, we know how to hold them accountable when their negligence causes harm.
You shouldn’t have to become an expert in transportation law to get fair treatment. That’s our job. Your job is to focus on healing, and we’ll make sure the legal side doesn’t get in the way of that.
Call (530) 241-0290 for a free, no-obligation consultation.
Table of Contents
- Why Choose Reiner & Frankel for Your Trucking Case
- Compensation in Commercial Trucking Claims
- Where Trucking Accidents Occur in Northern California
- Understanding Truck Accident Litigation
- Dealing with Trucking Insurance Companies
- What to Do After You Get Home
- FAQ for California Truck Accidents
- Don’t Let Big Trucking Companies Intimidate You
Why Choose Reiner & Frankel for Your Trucking Case
When you are facing the consequences of a serious truck accident, the law firm you choose makes all the difference. You need a team with a history of standing up for individuals against large corporations and achieving real, substantial results. At Reiner & Frankel, LLP, our record speaks for itself.
The Reiner & Frankel Difference
- Deep Roots & Results: For more than 40 years, we have been dedicated to helping accident victims in Northern California and beyond. We are a part of this community, and we are committed to seeing its members get the support they need.
- Proven Track Record: Our firm has successfully recovered over $600 million for our clients. This history of success shows our dedication and ability to secure the compensation victims need to rebuild their lives.
- Trial Ready: We secured the largest single-plaintiff jury verdict in Shasta County history, and we prepare every single case with the expectation that it will go to trial. This approach sends a clear message to insurance companies: we will not accept lowball settlement offers and are fully prepared to argue your case in front of a jury.
- Catastrophic Focus: Our practice focuses on the most severe injuries commonly seen in truck crashes. We have represented clients with catastrophic injuries such as spinal cord injuries, paralysis, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and amputations. We understand the lifelong medical and financial needs these injuries create.
Your Journey with Our Firm
Here is what you can expect when you work with us:
1. Your First Contact With Our Law Firm
When you call Reiner & Frankel, LLP, we take the time to listen. We want to hear the specific details of what happened, whether you were hit by a logging truck on a rural highway like SR-44 or a semi-trailer on Interstate 5.
2. Our Attorney Contacts You
From the very beginning, you will speak directly with a qualified attorney from our firm. We don’t pass you off to intake staff or paralegals. We believe that direct, personal attention from an experienced lawyer is fundamental to building a strong case.
3. We Provide an Initial Assessment
During our initial conversation, we will review the preliminary evidence, such as police reports and your initial medical records. We will explain your legal options in plain English, free of confusing legal jargon, so you can make informed decisions.
4. We Send a Demand Package to the Parties at Fault
Once we take your case, we begin a thorough investigation. This typically involves hiring accident reconstructionists, consulting with life-care planners to calculate future medical costs, and gathering all necessary evidence. With this comprehensive case built, we then send a formal demand for maximum compensation to the responsible parties. If their insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, we won’t hesitate to take your case to court if that’s what it takes.
Compensation in Commercial Trucking Claims
The goal of a personal injury claim is to make you whole again, at least from a financial perspective. This means accounting for every single loss and expense you have incurred and will incur in the future because of the negligence of a truck driver or their company.
Economic Damages
These are the tangible, calculable financial losses tied directly to the accident. We work to secure compensation for:
- Current and Future Medical Bills: This includes everything from emergency room visits and surgeries to long-term rehabilitation, physical therapy, prescription medications, and necessary home or vehicle modifications.
- Lost Wages and Earning Capacity: We pursue recovery not only for the income you have already lost while being unable to work but also for the loss of your future earning potential if your injuries prevent you from returning to your previous career.
Non-Economic Damages
These damages compensate you for the intangible, personal losses that have a significant impact on your quality of life, including:
- Pain and Suffering: This accounts for the physical pain and emotional distress caused by the injuries.
- Loss of Consortium: This addresses the negative impact the injuries have had on your relationships with your spouse and family.
- Emotional Distress and PTSD: Many truck accident survivors experience significant psychological trauma, which deserves to be recognized and compensated.
Punitive Damages
In some cases, the conduct of the trucking company or driver is so reckless that California law allows for punitive damages. This is an additional form of compensation designed not to repay you for a loss, but to punish the defendant for egregious behavior and deter similar conduct in the future.
Examples may include a trucking company knowingly hiring a driver with a history of DUIs or deliberately ignoring essential safety maintenance to save money.
Comparative Fault in California
California follows a legal doctrine known as Pure Comparative Negligence. This rule means that you may still recover damages even if you were partially at fault for the accident. The court determines your percentage of fault and reduces your final compensation award by that amount.
Insurance companies typically try to shift blame to reduce their payout, and a skilled California truck accident lawyer is your best defense against unfair accusations.
Where Trucking Accidents Occur in Northern California
Northern California’s unique geography and its role as a major transportation hub create distinct risks for truck accidents. From high-speed interstates to winding rural roads, drivers face different hazards depending on where they are.
The I-5 Corridor
Interstate 5 is the backbone of West Coast commerce, and the stretch running through Shasta and Tehama counties sees thousands of commercial trucks daily. The combination of high speeds, long-haul driver fatigue, and heavy traffic flow creates a high-risk environment. Many collisions on I-5 are the result of drivers pushing past their legal hour limits or simply failing to account for the speed of surrounding passenger vehicles.
Rural Routes & Logging Roads
Highways like SR-44 and SR-299 present their own set of dangers. These undivided two-lane roads require immense concentration. Blind corners, lack of shoulder space, and drivers unfamiliar with the terrain increase the risk of a tragedy occurring here.
Weather & Terrain Factors
- The Grade: Steep inclines and declines, like those found on the Siskiyou Summit, put immense strain on a truck’s braking system. Brake failure on a steep grade is a common cause of runaway truck accidents.
- Seasonality: Northern California’s weather is a significant factor. Winter brings snow and ice to the mountains, making roads slick and dangerous for heavy rigs. In the valley, dense tule fog reduces visibility to near zero, creating a difficult scenario for a truck driver who needs hundreds of feet to stop.
Understanding Truck Accident Litigation
Truck accident litigation is a highly specialized field, governed by California traffic laws and a dense set of federal regulations designed to ensure the safe operation of commercial vehicles.
Common Types of Truck Accidents
- Jackknife Accidents: This occurs when a driver brakes hard and the trailer swings out to a 90-degree angle with the cab, sweeping across multiple lanes of traffic.
- Underride Collisions: These are among the most lethal accidents, happening when a passenger car slides underneath the side or rear of a truck’s trailer. Federal regulations mandate underride guards, but they fail if poorly maintained.
- Tire Blowouts: Commercial truck tires endure extreme stress. A blowout at highway speed causes a driver to lose control instantly, leading to a multi-vehicle pileup. These are typically caused by poor maintenance or the use of unsafe retread tires.
- Wide Turn Accidents: A truck driver making a right turn may need to first swing wide to the left to clear the corner. Drivers who misjudge the space needed or fail to check their blind spots sometimes crush cars in the adjacent lane.
Relevant Legal Concepts & Regulations
- FMCSA Regulations: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration sets strict rules on how long drivers are on the road. Violations of these Hours of Service rules are a common cause of fatigue-related crashes.
- Vicarious Liability: This legal principle generally holds the trucking company responsible for the negligent actions of its driver, provided the driver was acting within the scope of their employment.
- Cargo Loading Standards: If cargo shifts or falls from a truck because it was improperly loaded, the company that loaded the freight (which might be a separate third party) may also be held liable for the accident.
- Statute of Limitations: In California, you generally have two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit, according to the California Code of Civil Procedure section 335.1. However, essential evidence like a truck’s black box data and the driver’s logs disappears much faster. Acting quickly is key to preserving your case.
Dealing with Trucking Insurance Companies
The Commercial Insurance Machine
Commercial trucking policies have coverage limits that may be in the millions of dollars. Because the financial stakes are so high, these insurance companies employ highly skilled adjusters and attorneys whose job is to protect the company’s financial interests. They are businesses that must balance paying legitimate claims with maintaining profitability, which creates an inherent conflict of interest with your goal of being fully compensated.
The Delay, Deny, Defend Reality
The claims process for a commercial truck accident is a long, tedious, and paperwork-filled process. As medical bills begin to mount, it is easy to get frustrated and feel pressured to accept a lower offer just to get some relief. Some insurance tactics involve delaying the process, denying liability by blaming you or another party, or defending the claim aggressively in court. Our role is to keep them accountable and ensure no amount of blame is unjustly placed on you.
Here’s What to Look Out For
- Quick Settlement Offers: An early offer may seem tempting, but it almost never accounts for the full scope of your long-term medical needs, potential future surgeries, or lost earning capacity.
- Recorded Statements: An adjuster may ask you for a recorded statement about the accident. They are looking for any small inconsistency in your story that they will use to question your credibility later on. Decline this request until you have spoken with an attorney.
- Access to Data: The trucking company and its insurer may try to quickly repair the truck or erase the electronic data from its black box recorder. This data is priceless evidence that shows the truck’s speed, braking activity, and other key details at the moment of impact. An experienced attorney takes immediate legal steps to preserve this evidence.
What to Do After You Get Home
After the immediate scene has been cleared and you are back home, your focus should be on these key steps.
Follow Through on Medical Care
Attend every scheduled doctor’s appointment, physical therapy session, and follow-up visit. If you skip appointments or stop treatment, the defense may argue that your injuries were not as serious as you claim.
Preserve Your Own Evidence
- Keep a Pain Journal: Each day, write down your pain levels on a scale of 1-10. Note which activities are difficult or impossible to perform. This journal becomes a powerful record of how the accident has impacted your daily life.
- Organize Your Paperwork: Create a file for all accident-related documents, including medical bills, co-pays, prescription receipts, and the explanation of benefits (EOB) forms from your health insurer.
Digital Silence
Avoid posting about the accident or your recovery on social media. Even an innocent photo of you smiling at a family dinner could be taken out of context and used by the insurance company to argue that you are not truly suffering.
Do Not Speak to the Trucking Company
If anyone from the trucking company or its insurance carrier contacts you, politely decline to speak with them and simply refer them to your attorney. This ensures that you do not say anything that could be misconstrued or used against you.
FAQ for California Truck Accidents
Who is liable if the truck driver was an independent contractor?
The trucking company that hired the driver may still be held liable. Federal laws frequently hold the motor carrier responsible for the safe operation of the truck, regardless of the driver’s employment classification.
What if the truck was from out of state?
If the accident occurred in California, the case will generally be handled by California courts and subject to California law. However, because it involves interstate commerce, various federal regulations will also apply.
Can I sue the company that loaded the cargo?
Yes. If the accident was caused by cargo that was improperly loaded, secured, or balanced, the third-party company responsible for loading the freight may be held liable for their negligence.
What if I was hit by a delivery truck (like Amazon or FedEx) instead of a semi?
The same principles of commercial liability apply. These large corporations and their insurance carriers have sophisticated legal teams, and the claims process is just as difficult as a case involving a long-haul semi-truck.
Don’t Let Big Trucking Companies Intimidate You
Russel Reiner, California Truck Accident Lawyer
You have the right to pursue full compensation for the devastation caused by a negligent truck driver or a careless trucking company. You do not have to face this fight alone.
Reiner & Frankel, LLP offers personalized legal solutions to all of your accident-related needs. No two cases are alike, and we know that every client has individual needs that should be met. Our highly qualified team is committed to helping victims get the maximum compensation possible after an accident.
Call us today to secure your future. (530) 241-0290.
