Our attorneys have been assisting the Orange County and Southern California communities for over 40 years.
Being in an accident that involved a tractor trailer can be catastrophic. You have found the right firm to help you and your family as the tractor trailer accident lawyers at DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo have over three decades of experience helping injured truck drivers and truck accident victims get the maximum compensation they are due under the law. We strive to be the best Orange County tractor trailer accident lawyers and we are ready to fight the legal battle for you. We work tirelessly for our clients so they can focus on healing from their unfortunate tractor trailer injuries.
A tractor trailer is also called a big rig, semi-truck, 18-wheeler, 16-wheeler or semi-trailer truck. It usually consists of two parts: the tractor and the trailer. The tractor is what pulls the trailer and where the engine and driver are (also called the cab). The tractor typically has three axels. The front axel is for steering whereas the back two axels are used to hold the large wheels that support the load and the trailer. The trailer usually only has two axels but they can hold four wheels each. That is how a tractor trailer can have 16 or 18 wheels and can be called a 16-wheeler or 18-wheeler.
The trailer is coupled with the road tractor by being bolted or being coupled by fifth wheel coupling or automatic coupling. Tractor trailers are, of course, in heavy use by shipping companies and freight companies all throughout the State of California. Many times, tractor trailers drop their trailer at its designated destination and then they either pull another trailer somewhere else or just go back home with only the tractor.
Like all workers in California, truckers who drive tractor-trailers are required by law to be covered by workers’ compensation. The workers’ compensation insurance held by your employer could pay medical expenses, death benefits, temporary disability, income, permanent disability compensation, medical benefits, and vocational rehabilitation when the injury and circumstance warrants.
Third parties are people, companies or government entities who are also responsible for all or part of your workplace injury other than just your employer. You may be able to obtain compensation beyond that which is provided by the California workers’ compensation laws. In fact, to be compensated for your full lost income and for pain and suffering, our firm will need to find a responsible third party like that of a road or highway construction firm, tractor trailer mechanic, truck manufacturer, and others. Call one of our local workers’ comp accident lawyers today to discuss your case and your options.
Due to the size and speed of tractor trailers, many of the possible results of truck accidents can be rather traumatic. Concussions, blindness, lacerations, coma, broken bones, amputation, neck injury, whiplash, burns, muscle strains, ligament sprains, contusions, becoming deformed, brain injury, cuts, being crushed, back injury, heavy bleeding, and wrongful death are all possible outcomes of trucking accidents. The tractor trailer accident injury attorneys of DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo have over thirty years of experience helping those hit by trucks and truckers with their legal cases for all the above injuries, results and more.
Truckers can be on the road for many hours on end and so they invariably encounter many types of challenges and dangers. A main reason tractor trailer accidents cause so many injuries each and every year is that trucks can be forty or more times heavier than the car or van it crashes with. Most (over two-thirds) of truck accident injury victims were not the ones in the truck. Tractor-trailer accidents can happen in many ways including a car got in the way of the wide turn, air-brake failure, jack-knife, spill, unsafe lane change, illegal lane change, rollover, load shift, an intoxicated driver (DUI), a drunk driver, poor repair or maintenance of the truck or car who started the accident, rear-ender, brake failure, speeding, jack brake failure, negligent hiring, illegal loads, drugged driver, overworked driver, load too heavy, poor road design, improper loading, out of control downhill, under the influence driver, driver on drugs, improperly secured load, and animal collision. It is important that the trucking company you work for always keeps up on the maintenance of your semi-truck.
Some more types of causes of trucking accidents include colliding with a pole or stoplight, sleep deprivation, poor eyesight or poor reflexes, collision with a median or barrier, hit a pedestrian, hit a deer, driver fell asleep at the wheel, poor road construction, head-on collision, run-off-road collision, side collision, hit road debris, swerved off-road, equipment failure, poor road condition, blind spot accident, too much downhill speed, another driver hit the truck, driver on his cell phone, swerved into a car, sideswiped a car, driver eating or calling, low bridge clearance, trucker texting, inexperienced UHaul driver, low building clearance, low warehouse clearance, or a distracted trucker on a cell phone while driving. Trucking accident injuries can be catastrophic, serious or fatal and we hope you give us the chance to defend you and protect your rights.
After a tractor trailer truck accident, the driver radios their dispatcher who then gets the trucking company’s lawyers and investigative team to the trucking accident site as soon as possible. They are sometimes there faster than the police, tow trucks, ambulance or fire trucks can arrive. Their team immediately starts to defend the case and possibly even destroy, hide or change the evidence. Call us as soon as you can as we are able to help you preserve the evidence and protect your side of the case.
After any accident, it is important to try and remain as calm as possible. Decisions made after a truck accident matter, so be sure to call family or friends for help after you call 911. It is, of course, important to get immediate medical attention as many injuries, such as neck injuries, do not have immediate symptoms but need quick treatment for the best recovery. Be sure to document and retain as much evidence from the trucking accident scene as possible including taking your own pictures and watching over your vehicle that was involved in the crash. Our trained staff will want to investigate the vehicle for signs of defect or evidence to help with the case.
California has some of the country’s biggest ports, airports, farms, manufacturers, refineries and stores that need to ship their raw materials, products, supplies, produce, and merchandise all across the state and country. Some of the major tractor trailer truck routes in California where trucking accidents happen are: Interstate Highway 5 (I-5), Interstate Highway 8 (I-8), Interstate Highway 405 (I-405), Interstate Highway 80 (I-80), Interstate Highway 10 (I-10), Interstate Highway 60 (I-60), Interstate Highway 395 (I-395), Interstate Highway 15 (I-15), Interstate Highway 99 (I-99), Interstate Highway 40 (I-40), Interstate Highway 19 (I-19), Interstate Highway 14 (I-14), Interstate Highway 215 (I-215), Interstate Highway 805 (I-805), Interstate Highway 905 (I-905), and Interstate Highway 710 (I-710). Be sure to drive carefully throughout our state.
Even if you are unsure whether your case has merit, please contact us anyway as we will be able to discuss that with you over the phone and give you prudent advice as to your legal options. Orange County knows us as top tractor trailer accident lawyers who know how to help you. We offer a free initial consultation and case evaluation for all injured truckers or those hit by trucks. Even after that first no-cost meeting, we work on a contingency basis where you won’t owe us anything unless we win your personal injury case.
The tractor trailer injury attorneys at DiMarco | Araujo | Montevideo are willing to have the meeting at your home or hospital room if you are unable to come to our office. We are available to meet Monday through Friday between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm and we can also set up appointments on Saturdays, Sundays, and in the evening. Contact us online or call us at (714) 783-2205 for a free consultation.