Truck Accident in Sylmar Leaves 1 Dead and 1 Critically Injured

An unfortunate accident on the night of July 17, 2019 resulted in the death of a truck driver. The accident occurred Wednesday night, at approximately 11:45 p.m. According to the incident report, the commercial truck was headed southbound on the 5 Freeway near the unincorporated area of the Santa Suzana Mountains, in a portion of the freeway that is frequented by commercial vehicles due to accessibility to other freeways. The truck stuck a support bridge pillar, leaving the truck driver dead and the passenger severely injured.

According to the fire department, the collision caused the truck load to shift forward, trapping the two occupants of the vehicle inside the cab. The truck load consisted of grapes and other produce. The 51-year-old driver somehow lost control of the vehicle, resulting in the commercial vehicle drifting to the left and colliding with the support column; this caused the heavy produce cargo to shift forward, trapping both individuals. The driver and the 61-year-old passenger had to be extricated from the cab of the truck; the passenger was transported to a trauma center due to the severity of the injuries suffered.

Truck accidents are, regrettably, very common – especially in areas frequented by commercial vehicles (like the area in which this fatal accident occurred). In comparison to accidents involving normal passenger vehicles, truck accidents are much more dangerous. Some of the factors that make truck accidents more dangerous than other accidents include the size of the vehicles, the weight of the vehicle, and whether the vehicle is carrying cargo. In some cases, truck accidents lead to critical injuries; many incidents result in fatal injuries.

Were you affected by a truck accident? Did you suffer a variety of injuries as a result of the truck accident? Did a member of your family suffer fatal injuries in a truck accident? Regardless of how you and your family were affected by an unfortunate truck accident, you might have grounds to take action against the party that contributed to the truck accident and to the harm that you suffered. Are you interested in learning more about taking action against the party or parties liable for the harm that you and your family suffered? If so, you must seek legal assistance – you can trust the experts at Normandie Law Firm.

Normandie Law Firm is a firm with many years of experience handling a variety of personal injury claims, including truck accident claims. We are also experienced in handling wrongful death claims. Whether you suffered injuries or a member of your family lost his or her life, you can be certain that our truck accident experts are ready to represent your claim. If you would like to learn more about your right to file a truck accident claim for the injuries or death caused by a truck accident, do not hesitate to contact our law firm at your earliest convenience – we are ready to fight for your rights.

The Common Causes of Truck Accidents

One of the most difficult questions that must be addressed after truck accidents is the following: what caused the accident? We like to believe that accidents are random events, but that is not the case. All types of vehicular accidents, including truck accidents, can be associated with at least one cause. Nothing happens without a cause, and truck accidents are not the exception.

Some of the most common causes behind truck accidents include the following:

The causes listed above are generally associated with truck drivers. Although truck drivers can contribute to their own accidents, it is also possible for other parties to contribute accidents involved commercial trucks. The other parties that could contribute to truck accidents include the following: the drivers of personal vehicles; the drivers of other commercial vehicles; trucking companies; employers that hire drivers through trucking companies; public agencies; city entities.

If the truck accident that harmed you or a member of your family was caused by any of the reasons listed above, it is essential that you seek legal assistance immediately as you might have grounds to pursue a claim. If you would like to learn more about your right to take action against the party that caused the harm that you or your family suffered, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance as soon as possible.

Understanding Liability in Truck Accident Cases

Establishing liability is the most important thing for any sort of personal injury claims to reach successful outcomes. To establish liability, you must have a thorough understanding of the four elements of negligence. To establish negligence, all four elements – duty of care, breach of duty, cause, and harm – must be present. What does this mean? A specific party (such an employer, drivers, and city agencies, for instance) has a duty of care towards you. They must take reasonable care to ensure that you are safe – generally, to avoid accidents that could harm you. These parties could act recklessly and unsafely resulting in a breach of duty, which can cause an accident. In turn, the accident directly results in some sort of harm. When the harm suffered is a direct result of a breach of duty of care, the party will likely be held accountable. This means that the victim (and their family) will have grounds to legal action against the parties liable for the harm suffered.

What Could You Do?

If the negligent actions of a party or entity resulted in the truck accident that injured you or killed a member of your family, you will likely have grounds to take action. What specific action could you take if you or a member of your family suffered any sort of harm due to a truck accident? The action that you could pursue depends on the specific details of your claim.

You could pursue a claim against the following:

• The trucking company
• The truck insurance company
• The truck driver’s insurance company
• Your own (or the deceased victim’s) personal insurance company
• A liable driver’s insurance company
• The city
• Workers’ compensation insurance

Also depending on the details of your claim, you could file an injury claim or a wrongful death claim. Regardless of the specific claim that you pursue for the harm caused by the truck accident, you might be eligible to recover monetary compensation.

The Right to Receive Compensation

Monetary compensation cannot and will not mend the harm that resulted from the truck accident. However, recovering compensation can help victims and their families in the process of moving forward from such a traumatic and tumultuous time in their lives. Without a doubt, filing a claim after being affected by a truck accident might not be the first thing on your mind. Likewise, the thought of fighting for compensation might not have even crossed your mind. However, you must understand that depending on the details of your claim, you could be entitled to receive compensation – as the parties or entities that contributed to the truck accident should be held accountable for their role in the situation.

How much compensation could you receive? What type of compensation could you recover? Some of the categories of compensation that might be available for recovery could include the following:

• Medical costs – compensation awarded for all medical bills directly associated with the accident
• Lost wages – compensation awarded for all the income that was lost and will continue to be lost as a direct result of the truck accident
• Pain and suffering – compensation awarded for the mental and emotional affliction directly resulting from the truck accident
• Funeral and burial expenses – compensation awarded for the costs of all services associated with the death of the parties involved in the truck accident
• Loss of consortium – compensation awarded for the lost ability to have a normal relationship with the victim
• Property damage – compensation awarded for the loss of personal property caused by the truck accident
• Punitive damage – compensation awarded as a form of punishment towards the defendant.

Could you recover all the compensation listed above? The specific type and amount of compensation that you could be eligible to recover will always depend strictly on the details of your claim. Therefore, it is essential that you discuss your claim with a knowledgeable attorney as soon as possible. An experienced truck accident lawyer will be able to evaluate your claim and help you understand your claim’s potential value. When you allow the experts at Normandie Law Firm to handle your claim, you can be certain that there will always be someone aggressively fighting your rights – until you recover the highest amount of compensation available based on the details of your claim. If you would like to discuss your claim and the compensation that you could be granted upon a successful claim outcome, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with our experts at your earliest convenience.

What to do immediately after a Truck Accident?

It might be very difficult to think clearly after you or a member of your family suffered any sort of harm in a truck accident. Even though it might be difficult to think of the steps that you should follow immediately after being harmed, it is essential that you take the appropriate actions.

Consider the following things that you should do after a truck accident (note: these recommendations apply to all kinds of vehicular accidents):

• Photograph all visible injuries sustained in the accident
• Photograph the scene of the accident, including the damage to the vehicles
• Gather the information of all parties involved in the accident, including name, contact, and insurance information
• Gather witness contact information, if applicable
• Contact the police and file an accident report
• Seek medical attention for all injuries sustained as soon as possible
• Evaluate the extent of the property damage to your vehicle, if applicable
• Gather relevant records surrounding the accident and the harm associated with the accident
• Seek legal assistance with an experienced accident lawyer

Following the steps above will essentially allow you to gather the tools necessary to eventually take legal action. Even if you decide to wait some time to file your truck accident claim due to an injury or death (you shouldn’t wait too long because your claim will be subject to a strict statute of limitations or deadline to file), following the steps above will ensure that you are prepared to speak with a lawyer. What if you missed one of the steps above? If you failed to take a particular action immediately after your truck accident, do not worry – our lawyers could still help you file a successful claim.

Contact Normandie Law Firm Today

Were you or a member of your family involved in the unfortunate Sylmar truck accident discussed above? Whether you or your family were affected by the recent truck accident described above or any other truck accident, it is important that you seek legal assistance – you might have grounds to file an injury claim or a wrongful death claim against the parties liable for the accident. If you would like to learn more about your right to pursue a claim against a liable party after a truck accident, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance as soon as possible. You could trust the experts at Normandie Law Firm. Our truck accident lawyers have the expertise necessary to handle your claim and help you recover the compensation that you deserve. If you would like to speak with our experts, you should contact us immediately. Our firm offers free consultations and free second opinions as part of our Zero-Fee guarantee. Our law firm is also strictly based on contingency; therefore, our clients will never have to pay anything until after their claims are successful. If they do not win, they will not be required to pay anything. If you want to discuss the possibility of filing a claim with our lawyers, contact Normandie Law Firm today.