A crash involving an 18-wheeler, semi-truck, delivery truck, or other commercial vehicle can change your life in seconds. These cases are rarely simple. The injuries are often severe, the evidence can disappear quickly, and trucking companies usually have insurers and legal teams working immediately to protect their side.
Grossman Law Offices helps injured people in Fresno and across the Central Valley take action after serious truck accidents. We investigate the crash, identify every responsible party, and fight for the compensation you need to move forward.
Call (800) 462-5555 for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we win.
Quick Facts for California Truck Accident Victims
Who can be liable for a truck accident in California?
Liability may involve the truck driver, trucking company, cargo loader, maintenance provider, vehicle manufacturer, or another negligent party. In some cases, more than one party may be responsible for the same crash.
What federal rules apply to truck drivers and carriers?
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules cover hours of service, driver qualifications, inspections, repairs, maintenance, and drug and alcohol testing. These records can help show whether a driver or carrier failed to follow required safety rules.
How long do I have to file a truck accident claim in California?
Most California personal injury claims must be filed within 2 years of the injury. Claims involving government vehicles or public entities may require a government claim within 6 months. Evidence should be preserved much sooner.
What insurance coverage applies to commercial trucks?
Many interstate commercial carriers must carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage for general freight, with higher limits for certain hazardous materials. Some carriers also carry additional umbrella or excess insurance.
What evidence matters most after a truck accident?
Important evidence may include electronic logging device data, engine control module data, dashcam footage, driver qualification files, maintenance records, inspection reports, cargo records, police reports, and witness statements.
Can a trucking company be responsible if the driver was an independent contractor?
Often, yes. Contractor status does not automatically protect a trucking company from liability. These cases may involve California employment rules, federal motor carrier regulations, agency law, and the specific facts of the driver-carrier relationship.
What Truck Accident Cases Cover
Truck accident cases can involve far more than a driver’s mistake. Many crashes trace back to company decisions: unsafe scheduling, poor hiring, delayed maintenance, overloaded trailers, ignored inspections, or pressure to keep moving despite fatigue.
At Grossman Law Offices, we build each case around the facts. That means looking at the vehicle, the driver, the company, the route, the cargo, the maintenance history, and the crash scene itself.
Our truck accident practice includes:
Jackknife accidents
When a trailer swings out and causes a multi-vehicle crash, often on highways such as Highway 99, I-5, or Highway 41.
Underride accidents
When a smaller vehicle slides beneath a trailer, often causing catastrophic or fatal injuries.
Overloaded or unsecured cargo accidents
When shifting, falling, or excessive cargo weight contributes to rollovers, debris hazards, or loss of vehicle control.
Brake and tire failure crashes
When worn tires, faulty brakes, missed inspections, or poor maintenance contribute to the crash.
Fatigued or distracted driving accidents
When driver logs, phone records, onboard video, or witness accounts show the driver was too tired or distracted to operate safely.
Wide-turn and blind-spot accidents
When a commercial driver fails to account for the truck’s size, turning radius, or limited visibility.
How Grossman Law Offices Handles Truck Accident Cases
Free Consultation
We review what happened, explain your options, and answer your questions. Consultations are available in English and Spanish, in person or by phone.
Evidence Preservation
We act quickly to preserve key evidence, including truck data, video footage, inspection records, driver logs, maintenance records, and company documents.
Full Investigation
Our team reviews police reports, crash details, witness statements, medical records, insurance information, and available expert analysis.
Medical Documentation
We help connect the injury evidence to the crash so the full scope of your medical needs, pain, limitations, and long-term recovery is documented.
Demand and Negotiation
We present the claim to the responsible parties and insurance companies with evidence, damages documentation, and a clear demand for compensation.
Litigation and Trial Preparation
If the insurance company refuses to make a fair offer, we can file a lawsuit and prepare the case for trial. Our goal is to be ready before the insurer decides how seriously to take the claim.
Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Truck accident investigations often depend on records that are not available in a typical car accident case. These records can help show how the crash happened and who may be responsible.
| Cause | Evidence We May Review |
|---|---|
| Driver fatigue | Hours-of-service records, ELD data, dispatch records, delivery schedules |
| Unsafe hiring or training | Driver qualification files, driving history, CDL status, training records |
| Poor maintenance | Inspection reports, repair records, maintenance logs, tire and brake records |
| Unsecured cargo | Cargo records, loading documents, photos, witness statements |
| Impaired driving | Post-accident testing records, police reports, witness observations |
| Distracted driving | Phone records, onboard cameras, ECM data, witness statements |
Injuries Commonly Caused by Truck Accidents
Commercial trucks are heavy, powerful vehicles. When they collide with passenger cars, motorcycles, bicycles, or pedestrians, the injuries can be life-changing.
Serious truck accident injuries may include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Internal organ damage
- Crush injuries
- Amputations
- Multiple fractures
- Severe burns
- Neck and back injuries
- Wrongful death
These injuries can require emergency care, surgery, rehabilitation, long-term medication, mobility equipment, home modifications, and ongoing support.
Truck Accident Damages and Case Value
The value of a truck accident case depends on liability, available insurance, injury severity, medical needs, lost income, long-term limitations, and how the crash affects daily life.
| Type of Damage | What It May Include | Evidence That Helps Prove It |
|---|---|---|
| Medical expenses | Emergency care, surgery, hospitalization, prescriptions, therapy, follow-up visits | Bills, records, treatment plans, provider notes |
| Future medical care | Additional surgeries, rehabilitation, medication, assistive devices, home care | Doctor opinions, life-care planning, expert reports |
| Lost wages | Missed work during recovery | Paystubs, tax records, employer letters, work schedules |
| Reduced earning capacity | Long-term loss of income due to disability or career limitations | Vocational reports, medical restrictions, employment history |
| Pain and suffering | Physical pain, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life | Medical records, testimony, daily limitations, mental health records |
| Punitive damages | Additional damages in rare cases involving especially reckless or intentional conduct | Evidence of intoxication, conscious disregard, fraud, or other serious misconduct |
No attorney can promise a specific case value at the beginning. A careful investigation helps identify the full range of losses before settlement negotiations begin.
California Truck Accident Filing Deadlines
Missing a deadline can damage or end your claim. These are general California deadlines, but some cases have exceptions or shorter timelines.
| Type of Claim | General Deadline |
|---|---|
| Personal injury | 2 years from the date of injury |
| Property damage only | 3 years from the date of damage |
| Claim against a government entity | Often 6 months to file a government claim |
| Injured minor | Often tolled until adulthood, but deadlines should be reviewed immediately |
Do not wait until the filing deadline is close. Truck accident evidence can be lost, overwritten, repaired, moved, or destroyed long before the statute of limitations expires.
Frequently Asked Questions About California Truck Accident Claims
Yes, if the company hired, trained, supervised, or kept an unsafe driver on the road. Driver qualification files, driving history, CDL records, and prior safety issues can be important evidence.
Respondeat superior is a legal rule that can make an employer responsible for an employee’s negligence when the employee was acting within the scope of employment. In truck cases, the driver’s work relationship with the carrier must be reviewed carefully.
Many commercial trucks store data through electronic systems that may show speed, braking, engine activity, and related events. This information can be valuable, but it needs to be requested and preserved quickly.
California uses pure comparative negligence. If you are partly at fault, your compensation may be reduced by your percentage of responsibility, but partial fault does not automatically prevent recovery.
Yes, depending on the facts. If improper loading, shifting cargo, or unsecured freight contributed to the crash, a cargo loader, shipper, carrier, or other party may be part of the liability analysis.
Courts may impose penalties or evidentiary consequences when relevant evidence is destroyed after a party had a duty to preserve it. That is one reason attorneys send preservation letters early in truck accident cases.
Some cases resolve in months. More complex cases involving serious injuries, disputed liability, multiple defendants, or expert testimony may take longer. The timeline depends on the evidence, medical recovery, insurance negotiations, and court schedule.
Truck cases often involve commercial insurance, federal safety rules, company records, driver qualification files, maintenance documents, electronic data, and multiple potentially responsible parties.
Free Consultation With a Truck Accident Lawyer in Fresno
Grossman Law Offices has represented injured Californians since 1972 and has recovered more than $500 million for accident victims throughout the Central Valley. We offer direct, personal attention in English and Spanish, and you do not pay attorney fees unless we win or settle your case.
If you were injured in a truck accident in Fresno or the surrounding area, contact Grossman Law Offices today. We can review your case, identify possible sources of recovery, and help you understand your next step.
