Truck accidents are a major threat to public health and safety in California and throughout the world.
Our state’s many hundreds of thousands of miles of road serve as vital economic arteries where trucks haul goods, chemicals, materials, and even other vehicles. While we depend greatly on large commercial trucks to keep our economy moving, we may also find ourselves seriously hurt when one of these trucks causes an accident on a major roadway.
There are many primary reasons that truck accidents occur in California, some of which can be quite harrowing. The simple fact is that truck drivers put others’ lives in their hands when they enter the road.
Any carelessness or mistakes can quickly lead to a dangerous — or deadly — accident.
We have conducted a statistical review of truck accidents in California and have outlined some of the primary reasons they happen below. Meanwhile, if you have been in a truck accident, know also that you don’t have to face the consequences alone.
A lawyer from Singh Ahluwalia Attorneys at Law can help you build a case to recover the costs of treating your injuries and any other losses you may have suffered. Find out more about your legal options for seeking compensation after a California semitruck accident when you call 559-878-4958 or contact us online.
How Do Truck Accidents Happen in California?
A truck accident can occur for any number of reasons. Some are caused through sheer happenstance, while others can occur when another vehicle’s dangerous driving triggers a multi-car accident. At the same time, the truck drivers themselves can often cause accidents to happen. Mistakes can quickly trigger an accident with harmful or fatal consequences. Some of the most common forms of driver error, according to California’s 2020 Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) report, are as follows:
- DUI
- Impeding Traffic
- Speeding
- Following Too Closely
- Driving on the Wrong Side of the Road
- Improper Passing
- Unsafe Lane Changes
- Improper Turning
- Failing to Yield Right-Of-Way
- Failing to Obey Traffic Signals And Signs
- Unsafe Starting Or Backing
- Hazardous Parking
- Braking and Equipment Issues
- Falling Asleep at the Wheel
Primary Truck Crash Factors Where Truck Driver Was at Fault, 2016–2020
Speeding
Speeding was a major factor in many injury-causing and fatal truck accidents in California from 2016 to 2020. A whopping 42% of truck accidents (more than 2 out of every 5) featured some form of violating the speed limit or driving too fast for the current road conditions. The enormous size and weight of trucks mean that the threats posed by speeding are compounded. They will have more difficulty braking, turning, or maneuvering in response to hazards. Further, they are more likely to experience a loss of control, resulting in a rear-end collision, rollover, or running off the road.
Improper Turning
Nearly 20% of truck accidents (1 in 5) in California that led to an injury or death involved some form of improper turn. Often, this can mean that the truck driver entered an area of the roadway they weren’t supposed to during their turn. They may have also turned in violation of traffic flow directives, such as by ignoring a “No Left Turn” sign. Trucks make extremely wide turns, so truck drivers are expected to assess all conditions before entering the maneuver. Failing to do so can constitute negligence.
Unsafe Lane Changes
Trucks have massive blind spots, especially when hauling a common box trailer configuration. They are required to verify that no vehicle is riding near them before changing lanes and must also make lane changes in a smooth fashion, avoiding sudden shifts in their trailer’s center of gravity. Over 11% (more than 1 in 10) of California truck accidents that led to an injury or death from 2016 to 2020 involved some form of unsafe lane change.
Driving Under the Influence
Truck drivers are rarely cited for being intoxicated on drugs or alcohol at the time of their crash, with just under 2% of crashes in California from 2016 to 2020 noting improper substance use. However, the actual number of truckers using drugs and alcohol is likely to be much, much higher. A review of self-reported usage by truck drivers[1] found that 27.6% admitted to using psychoactive substances, with “upper” drugs like amphetamine being the most common (21.3%). Some (2.2%) also admitted to using cocaine during driving. A similar review of alcohol use had 9.4% reporting that they drank every day[2]!
Drowsy Driving
Many truck drivers are chronically tired behind the wheel, despite just one cited instance of a truck driver asleep at the wheel in fatal and injury-causing truck accidents in California from 2016 to 2022. Long hours and pressure to complete routes in quick time mean that many drivers ignore their federally mandated rest breaks and requirements to only drive a certain amount of hours every few days.
Evidence That Can Be Used in a Truck Accident Investigation
When analyzing the details of the accident, the following evidence can aid in proving the cause of the accident and who is responsible for the resulting damages:
- Driver logs and personal records
- Internal Electronic logging devices (ELDs)
- Black box data
- Accident reconstruction reports
- Police reports
- Street cameras
- Dash cams
- Witness statements
- Vehicle maintenance records
What Compensation Could an Accident Victim Recover?
The specifics of a settlement award will greatly depend on the details highlighted from the investigative period and the evidence of expenses that an accident victim can provide. Most commonly, a truck accident settlement award will consist of a combination of the following:
- Cost of medical treatment
- Continued care, including physical therapy
- Lost wages
- Future wages lost due to the inability to perform work tasks
- Property damages
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment in life
Frequently Sustained Injuries Involved in Truck Accidents
An accident with a truck can result in serious or even fatal physical injuries, and some of the most commonly recorded include:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Neck injuries like whiplash
- Internal organ damage
- Chest injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Other back injuries
- Facial injuries
- Dental injuries
- Breaks and fractures
- Psychological trauma
- Fatal injuries
What Is Needed to Help Prevent Truck Accidents?
Truck accidents are a serious threat to motorists on the road, but some commercial driving companies have already paved the way for innovative measures that can help prevent collisions. Some preventative measures instituted by the State of California and the federal government include:
- Continued training: Driving a truck is nothing like operating a traditional car, so commercial drivers undergo extensive training to keep themselves and other drivers safe while on the road. This training often continues throughout the commercial truck driver’s career, refreshing topics like defensive driving techniques and hazard recognition.
- Advanced safety systems: Some trucking companies have invested in advanced technology to promote safe driving. Lane departure warnings, collision avoidance systems, and blind spot detection technology can all be useful for commercial drivers.
- Prioritizing driving regulations: It can be tempting for independently contracted drivers to accept long hauls with an early drop-off bonus as an incentive to ignore hours of service regulations and push through sleepiness. Instead, companies that strictly follow these laws can prevent liability expenses later.
- Assessing the learned lessons: More than 13,000 commercial trucks were involved in accidents in 2023 alone, with almost 500 of those crashes resulting in fatalities. To prevent further truck accidents, a trucking company can take the lessons learned from one experience and share the assessment with their drivers. Putting commercial drivers through continued training after experiencing an accident is advised to ensure that they gain ample practice in skills that combat the cause of their crash.
- Hazard mitigation: Some accidents are unfortunately unavoidable due to poor road conditions or other hazards in the path of traveling vehicles. Mitigating these hazards requires a serious study of our infrastructure with regard to how heavy commercial vehicles (not just typical passenger vehicles) commonly use the space.
Reach Out to California Truck Accident Lawyers Ready to Fight for You!
There are many dangers when it comes to driving around trucks in California, not the least of which are the hazards the drivers create themselves. Everyone on the road is put at risk, but at least they can fight to hold negligent parties accountable through a personal injury claim. If you are ready to seek damages against an at-fault driver or trucking company, reach out to Singh Ahluwalia today. We’ll provide you with an experienced truck accident attorney in California to consult with you and help you understand the path forward to full damage recovery. Find out more about how we can help — and what your case may be worth! — when you reach out to us at 559-878-4958 or contact us online to schedule a free case review. [1] [2]
