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Truck Collision Injuries
Were You Injured In A Collision With A Commercial Truck?
The Road Was Supposed to Be Safe. Then Everything Changed.
You were doing everything right. And then tens of thousands of pounds of steel, cargo, and momentum changed the direction of your life in a fraction of a second.
Commercial truck collisions are not the same as car accidents. The vehicles are much bigger and heavier. The forces involved are greater. The injuries are generally more severe. The legal and insurance landscape is more complex. And the parties on the other side — the trucking companies, their insurance carriers, their shipping companies, their freight brokers, and all of their fast responding legal teams — are more prepared to fight a claim than the driver of a passenger car ever could be.
At Cohn & Swartzon LLP we know the fight. We know exactly how trucking companies and their insurers approach these cases from the moment a collision is reported. And we are ready from the moment you call.
What You Can Expect When You Work With Cohn & Swartzon LLP
From the moment you call us, you speak directly with an attorney. Not a case manager. Not an intake coordinator. An attorney who will listen to what happened, evaluate your situation honestly, and tell you exactly where things stand.
Here is what that looks like in practice.
A detailed review of every party that may share responsibility.
Truck collision cases frequently involve more than the driver. The trucking company, the cargo loader, the freight broker, the vehicle maintenance provider, a third-party contractor, or even the truck manufacturer may each carry a portion of responsibility. We identify every potentially liable party from the beginning and pursue every available avenue — not just the most obvious one.
We take over all communication with the trucking company and their insurers.
Commercial trucking companies have investigators and sometimes, even attorneys on the road within hours of a serious collision. Their job is to protect the company. From the moment we are retained, we handle every contact with the trucking company, their insurer, and their legal representatives. You do not take their calls. You do not respond to their letters.
We move immediately to preserve critical evidence.
Electronic logging device data, black box records, hours of service logs, maintenance records, and camera footage all have limited preservation windows. We act immediately to demand preservation of this evidence before it is overwritten, lost, or destroyed.
Help navigating medical treatment when you do not have health insurance or your coverage is limited.
Not everyone has great health insurance. Some clients have none at all. We can help connect you with paths to obtain the medical treatment you need — including providers who work on a lien basis, meaning they treat you now and are compensated when your case resolves.
Claim paperwork handled completely.
From accident reports to medical record requests to insurance submissions — we manage the paperwork so you can focus on your life. Every document that leaves this office related to your case goes through our highly trained team first.
A strategy built around the full complexity of your case.
No two truck collisions are the same. The weight and size of the vehicle, the nature of the cargo, the hours the driver had been on the road, the condition of the truck’s equipment — all of it shapes the legal and evidentiary approach. We build a strategy from the actual facts of what happened to you.
You will always know who is handling your case and what the next step is. You have direct access to your attorney from the first conversation through the final resolution. We cannot guarantee the outcome of any case. What we can guarantee is how we handle yours — with clarity, consistency, and a personal commitment that does not end when you hang up the phone.
The distinction
Why Truck Collision Cases Are Different
Federal regulations apply.
Commercial trucking is governed by Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations. Hours of service limits. Weight restrictions. Equipment inspection requirements. Drug and alcohol testing obligations. When a trucking company or driver violates any of these regulations, that violation becomes a critical element of the liability case.
Multiple parties may be liable simultaneously.
The driver may have been fatigued. The company may have pressured drivers to exceed legal driving hours. The cargo may have been improperly loaded. The truck may have had a maintenance defect. Each creates a separate avenue of liability and a separate potential source of recovery.
The insurance coverage is different.
Commercial trucking policies carry significantly higher limits than passenger vehicle policies. That means the potential recovery is larger. It also means the insurance company has far greater resources and motivation to fight the claim.
Evidence must be preserved immediately.
Among other things including the truck itself, electronic logging devices, GPS data, dash camera footage, black box data, surveillance video if applicable, all have limited preservation windows. We send preservation letters immediately upon being retained.
Common outcomes
The Injuries Most Commonly Seen in Truck Collision Cases
| Injury Type | Description |
| Traumatic Brain Injury | The violent forces involved in a truck collision can cause concussions and more serious traumatic brain injuries even when the victim’s head does not strike a surface directly. Symptoms including blurred vision, cognitive changes, personality shifts, and memory disruption may not be immediately apparent. |
| Spinal Cord Injuries | The compression and trauma forces in a truck collision can damage or sever the spinal cord at any level, producing partial or complete paralysis, loss of sensation, and permanent changes to motor function that require lifetime medical management. |
| Broken Bones and Fractures | The forces involved in collisions with commercial vehicles frequently produce multiple fractures including complex breaks requiring surgical repair, rods, plates, and extended rehabilitation. |
| Internal Injuries | Blunt force trauma from a truck collision can cause internal bleeding, organ damage, and injuries that are not visible externally and may not produce obvious symptoms immediately after impact. |
| Severe Sprains, Strains, and Contusions | Beyond catastrophic injury, the shearing forces of a truck collision produce significant musculoskeletal injuries to the neck, back, shoulders, and extremities that can require months of treatment and limit daily function. |
| Wrongful Death | Commercial truck collisions are a leading cause of fatal highway accidents. When a collision results in death, the legal and financial consequences for surviving family members are profound and require immediate legal involvement. |
| Psychological and Emotional Impact | The trauma of surviving a serious truck collision — or losing someone to one — produces documented psychological injuries including PTSD, anxiety, and depression that are compensable under California law. |
Act now
What the trucking company is already doing
The moment a serious truck collision is reported, the trucking company’s response team activates. They have investigators, attorneys, and insurance professionals whose entire job is to protect the company’s interests. They document the scene. They pull the driver’s logs. They review the equipment records. And they begin building their defense before the injured victim has even left the hospital.
From the moment we are retained, we step into that same fight on your behalf. We demand evidence preservation. We begin our own investigation. We handle every contact with the company and their insurers.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company or their insurer before speaking with us.
- Do not sign any document they send you.
- Do not accept any settlement offer before understanding what your case may is actually be worth.
FAQ
Your Questions Answered
Responsibility can extend beyond the driver. The trucking company may be liable for the driver’s conduct, for violations of federal hours of service regulations, or for inadequate maintenance of the vehicle. A cargo company may be liable if improper loading contributed to the collision. A freight broker for negligently selecting, hiring and retaining a trucking company, a parts manufacturer may be liable if a mechanical defect was a factor. We identify every potentially responsible party from the first review of your case.
Electronic logging device data, black box records, GPS tracking data, dash camera footage, and hours of service logs are among the most critical. These records have limited preservation windows and can be overwritten or destroyed without a formal legal demand. We send evidence preservation letters immediately upon being retained.
That is what they will say. Our job is to conduct an independent investigation with accident reconstruction experts, federal regulation specialists, and the documentary record of the driver’s logs, the company’s maintenance history, and the vehicle’s electronic data. What the trucking company says about responsibility is the beginning of a legal dispute — not the end of one.
The window of time you have to make a legal claim varies significantly depending on the type of case, who the defendant is, and the age of the person injured. In some situations that window can be as short as six months. The only way to know your specific deadline is to speak with an attorney as soon as possible after a collision.
Cohn & Swartzon LLP Gets Results
Thousands
of clients served throughout California
$150M+
in verdicts, judgments, and settlements over their combined careers
90+ years
of combined legal experience
Direct access
to your attorney from the first call through resolution
Explore
Related pages you should know about
Make the call
The consultation is always free. You speak directly with an attorney — not a coordinator, not a case manager. Our team is available by phone 24 hours a day 7 days a week. There are no upfront fees and no fee unless we recover for you. Services are available in English and Spanish.
Your job is to recover. Our job is to get you justice.
Cohn & Swartzon LLP · legalhelp123.com
2 Park Plaza, Suite 1050, Irvine, CA 92614
131 East Kern Ave, Suite H, Tulare, CA 93274
“Large trucks were involved in over 5,800 fatal crashes in 2022.”
— Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
“The majority of fatalities in truck crashes are occupants of passenger vehicles.”
— NHTSA
Truck collision injuries can affect drivers, passengers, pedestrians, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and others sharing the road with commercial vehicles. These collisions may involve tractor-trailers, delivery trucks, box trucks, utility vehicles, fleet vehicles, and other commercial transportation vehicles operating throughout California. Individuals and families involved in truck-related collisions often have questions about medical care, insurance coverage, lost income, liability, and what steps should be taken after an injury.
Truck collision claims are often more complex than traditional vehicle collisions because they may involve commercial insurance policies, trucking companies, third-party contractors, maintenance providers, corporate investigations, electronic driving records, and multiple potentially responsible parties. These cases often require early investigation, evidence preservation, documentation, and careful communication throughout the legal and insurance process.
Cohn & Swartzon LLP helps clients take control of the situation early by investigating liability, preserving important evidence, identifying available insurance coverage, and handling communication throughout the claims process. Our attorneys help clients navigate the legal and insurance process with direct attorney involvement, clear communication, and guidance tailored to their specific situation so they can focus more fully on healing, recovery, and moving forward.
Table of contents
- Were You Injured In A Collision With A Commercial Truck?
- The Road Was Supposed to Be Safe. Then Everything Changed.
- What You Can Expect When You Work With Cohn & Swartzon LLP
- Why Truck Collision Cases Are Different
- The Injuries Most Commonly Seen in Truck Collision Cases
- What the trucking company is already doing
- Your Questions Answered
- Cohn & Swartzon LLP Gets Results
- Thousands
- $150M+
- 90+ years
- Direct access
- Related pages you should know about
- Make the call
Cohn & Swartzon LLP Gets Results in Truck Collision Injuries
1000s of clients served throughout California
$150 million+ in verdicts, judgments, & settlements
90+ years of combined legal experience
