Callahan & Blaine, PC has spent decades representing people throughout Orange County who have been profoundly injured by careless drivers and the powerful companies behind them. We understand that trucking companies and their insurers move quickly to protect their own interests after a wreck, which is why our firm moves just as quickly to protect the best interests of our clients, preserve evidence, and build a case designed to hold every responsible party accountable. Anyone searching for a Westminster car accident attorney after a serious truck crash can expect that same urgency from our team.
Why Truck Accidents Require a Different Approach
Truck collisions are not simply larger car accidents, as they have many additional factors that must be considered from multiple at-fault parties to specific federal laws. The potentially responsible parties can include the driver, the trucking company, a cargo loading company, a maintenance contractor, or even the manufacturer of a defective part, and each of these parties often has its own insurance policy and its own legal team working against the injured person. Federal trucking regulations governing hours of service, vehicle maintenance, and driver qualifications also come into play, adding another layer of complexity that does not exist in an ordinary two-car collision.
We investigate these cases with that complexity in mind from day one. Our team works to secure vital black box data, driver logs, and maintenance records before they can be lost or destroyed, since trucking companies are not always required to preserve this evidence indefinitely. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s 2024 Pocket Guide to Large Truck and Bus Statistics, large trucks and buses were involved in tens of thousands of crashes and thousands of fatalities in recent years, highlighting how often these collisions cause catastrophic harm rather than minor property damage.
Common Causes We Investigate
Truck accidents in and around Westminster tend to trace back to a handful of recurring failures on the part of drivers or the companies that employ them. We dig into every angle of a crash to determine what actually happened and who should be held responsible. Our firm looks for evidence of the following:
- Driver fatigue: Commercial drivers pushed beyond safe hours of service limits often experience delayed reaction times comparable to intoxication.
- Improper cargo loading: Overloaded or unevenly distributed freight can cause a truck to jackknife, tip, or lose control during ordinary maneuvers.
- Poor vehicle maintenance: Worn brakes, bald tires, and neglected repairs frequently turn a routine drive into a preventable catastrophe.
- Distracted or impaired driving: A truck driver checking a phone or driving under the influence loses critical seconds needed to avoid a collision.
- Inadequate training: Drivers who are not properly trained on defensive techniques or their vehicle’s handling characteristics pose a heightened risk to everyone else on the road.
Once we identify the specific failure behind a crash, we can connect it to the responsible party, whether that is an individual driver, a trucking company, or a third-party contractor, and pursue compensation accordingly. A truck accident case can bring up many questions regarding liability, and our firm is ready to address them.Â
What Compensation May Cover
People catastrophically injured by a commercial truck often face a lifetime of consequences rather than only a temporary setback. Medical treatment for serious injuries can extend for years, and many survivors are never able to return to the work they once did. We evaluate every aspect of your losses, from emergency treatment and ongoing rehabilitation to lost earning capacity and the profound toll a life-altering injury takes on daily living.
We also recognize that these cases are frequently defended by large corporations and their insurers with deep pockets and a strong incentive to delay or minimize payouts. Our firm has a long record of taking on well-resourced defendants and securing substantial results for people who were left with nowhere else to turn.
Hire Callahan & Blaine, PC to Handle Your Litigation Matter
Selecting the right legal team after a truck accident can shape the entire outcome of a case. Our firm brings 29 lawyers and decades of combined trial experience to every legal matter we accept, along with the resources needed to go up against trucking companies and their insurers without hesitation. Attorneys like Edward Susolik are known throughout Orange County for their willingness to take difficult, complex cases to trial when an insurance company refuses to offer a fair resolution.
If a commercial truck accident has left you or someone you love seriously injured, our team is ready to review what happened and explain your options for pursuing accountability. We encourage anyone affected by a truck accident in Westminster to reach out on our contact form to submit the details of your potential case, so our attorneys can begin evaluating how best to help.
