San Diego Truck Accident Attorney
Susan Handel
San Diego Truck Accident Lawyer – Serving The Entire San Diego Area
Susan Handel is one of the most experienced San Diego truck accident attorneys, and focuses her practice in helping victims who have been severely injured or killed as the result of truck driver or trucking company’s negligence. Susan Handel is widely regarded as one of the expert San Diego truck accident lawyers in the area, with a record of very successful results for her clients who have been injured in trucking accidents, as well as motorcycle accidents and more. Susan Handel has access to the country’s best trucking accident experts and has a wealth of knowledge and experience in this complex area of the law. Trucking accidents are often complex and involve many factors, as they typically require an in-depth investigation and extensive knowledge of vehicle codes and regulations. As part of her personal commitment to each of her clients, Susan Handel makes herself readily available to answer questions and discuss the progress of each client’s case, be it a truck accident or an auto accident.
Trucking accidents are amongst the most dangerous and life shattering of all California motor vehicle accidents. Someone is injured or killed in a trucking accident approximately every sixteen minutes. Large trucks weigh significantly more than a passenger car and require a much greater distance to come to a complete stop. Trucks also have an increased risk of rollovers during sharp turns. Far too often, the results of a crash involving a large commercial truck and a passenger vehicle are fatal and catastrophic. Victims of truck accidents often suffer serious, permanent, or fatal injuries including severe trauma, concussion, brain injury, spinal cord injury, coma, fractures, severed limbs, physical and emotional pain and suffering and even wrongful death. Truck drivers usually do not suffer injuries in a collision with another vehicle because most trucks are over forty times heavier than passenger vehicles.
Because of the risk that large trucks pose to other motorists, truck drivers have a professional and legal obligation to exercise the utmost caution when on the road and obey the trucking regulations.
Why You Need San Diego Truck Accident Attorney Susan Handel
You need to get the advice from attorney Susan Handel immediately after an accident in order to avoid making mistakes which may affect your ability to receive superior compensation for the injuries you sustained in your accident. There is no charge for an initial consultation with Susan Handel, so you have everything to gain and nothing to lose by speaking with her immediately after your accident.
One of the worst mistakes that accident victims make is thinking they are guaranteed to receive fair compensation from insurance companies and responsible parties without the assistance of a truck accident lawyer. Unfortunately, the insurance companies, even your own, are in the business to make money-they are not there to assist you. Trying to “go it alone” can lead to a very unfair relationship between you and the insurance company. Keep in mind that the insurance companies have armies of adjusters, defense lawyers, and claims representatives whose number one goal is to pay you as little as possible and even nothing when you present your personal injury claim. Susan Handel’s goal is completely the opposite. She will see to it that you receive excellent medical care at no up-front cost to you and that you obtain superior recovery for your injuries.
Claims adjusters will be acting immediately to find ways to reduce the value of your claim. They will ask to take a recorded statement from you to get your description of the accident. Later they will turn that around and use it against you if they can.
It is common practice for an insurance company to contact you immediately after an accident and make a premature, low ball settlement offer to you. This is completely unfair and improper. You will not know the true value of your case until all of your medical treatment is completed because until then, the amount of your damages cannot be established. The insurance companies know this. However, they are in danger of losing massive amounts of money as a result of these accidents, and will work vigorously to protect their financial interests with complete disregard for your injuries and the consequences you will suffer from your accident.
Insurance companies can be manipulative and difficult to work with. Susan Handel is not intimidated by an insurance company, the insurance company’s truck accident lawyers, or the insurance company claims adjusters. As a truck accident lawyer, Susan Handel will work tirelessly to represent your rights until you receive the superior compensation to which you are entitled. Your case is important and Susan Handel knows how crucial the outcome can be to your future health and well-being.
Susan Handel has extensive experience and meticulous investigating talents. She is aided by qualified engineers, accident reconstructionists, medical experts, vocational rehabilitation experts, and a team who will gather and analyze all of the relevant evidence in large damage cases involving catastrophic injuries and fatalities.
How is a “Large Truck” Defined?
Large trucks, or commercial vehicles, are typically those that weigh more than ten thousand pounds. Some trucks can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds, including cargo. The shear size and weight of these vehicles on a roadway make them extremely hazardous, and an accident involving one can be catastrophic. Tractor trailers and 18-wheelers can be up to 75 feet in length, traveling at great speeds and making extraordinarily wide turns. Large trucks can include big rigs, buses, dump trucks, postal or mail trucks and more.
Who is Responsible if a San Diego Truck Accident Occurs?
The Law Firm of Susan Handel can help you determine who is most responsible for a truck accident in California. The responsible party may include:
- Truck maintenance and repair companies
- Shipping and receiving clients
- Contractors
- Trucking companies
- Insurance companies
What Should You Do if an Insurance Representative Contacts You after your Truck Accident?
After a collision with a large truck, people involved may be contacted from the trucking company’s insurance representatives. Insurance companies are in danger of losing massive amounts of money as a result of these accidents, and will vigorously work to protect their financial interests. Therefore, it is important that you contact a San Diego truck accident attorney before speaking with the insurance company. Of of the most experienced San Diego Truck accident lawyers around, Susan Handel can advise you of your rights and work to ensure that any financial settlement with an insurance company is superior and fair.
Common Causes of San Diego Truck Accidents
In any truck accident case, determining liability is the key to a successful recovery. In order to definitively establish fault, we must first examine the cause of the accident. In doing so, we can demonstrate negligence on the part of the defendant, and in some cases, may be able to bring suit against third parties as well to help maximize your recovery. Trucking companies will defend their interests vigorously in court, and it is important to pursue all avenues of recovery to help ensure you are justly and fairly compensated for your losses. Susan Handel is an experienced truck accident attorney and has the knowledge and resources required to move forward with the most complex trucking accident.
Common Truck Accident Causes Include:
- Overloaded, or oversized trucks
- Faulty or improperly maintained truck brakes
- Poor driving conditions (fog, snow, rain or smoke)
- Dangerous, aggressive or reckless truck driving
- Sleepy, tired or fatigued drivers
- Unsafe safety systems, reflectors, lights or other warning devices
- Alcohol-related or drug-related accidents
- Failure to yield right of way
- Failure of truck to install under-dash ride protections
- Driving at excessive speeds to meet schedules or to obtain additional pay
- Jack knifing under certain conditions such as sudden braking and turning
- Turning accidents-large trucks are often difficult to turn. Sometimes a truck driver uses two lanes to make a right turn. In some instances, turning the vehicle in this manner is sufficient to establish the truck driver’s fault
- Driver distraction
- Failure of driver to recognize blind spots
- Failure of driver to follow federal or state regulations mandated for operators of large trucks
- Unqualified truck drivers
- Tires not inspected or faulty
- Failure to stop at a stop sign or red light
- Following too closely
- Changing lanes abruptly
Truck driver fatigue has been found to be the most common cause of trucking accidents in which the truck driver is at fault. Because truck drivers are paid by the mile, they are often pressured to keep driving past the point of exhaustion. Doing so may lead to unsafe driving decisions that endanger the lives of truck drivers and everyone else on the road. If it is discovered that a truck driver or his or her supervisors acted negligently by violating a federal rule concerning hours of service, all parties can be held liable for any injuries or death that occur as a result.
In some of the above cases, third parties may also be indicated for liability. If road conditions are unsafe, for example, it may be possible to file a claim against the municipality responsible for maintaining safe road conditions; if a truck is poorly maintained by a third party vendor, we may be able to bring a claim against the maintenance company. We will conduct a thorough investigation of your accident to help ensure that all negligent parties are held accountable for their actions. Our goal is to see our clients’ cases through to a successful, superior resolution. Susan Handel will work diligently on your behalf to make certain that this occurs. Call Susan Handel now for a free, confidential consultation regarding your truck accident. Susan Handel also provides in-person, free, confidential home and hospital visits for your convenience. You deserve the very best, so call Susan Handel now.
What Should I Do After a Trucking Accident?
It is extremely important that you follow some basic rules beginning at the scene of the truck accident, so you do not jeopardize your health and your right to compensation.
- Stay at the scene of the truck accident and wait for a police officer to come and make a full report of your accident. The existence of a police report will strengthen your case.
- Seek medical attention immediately. Obtaining a complete examination from a doctor as soon as possible will serve two purposes. First, the doctor can often detect injuries that you may not have noticed until several days after the accident and will be more easily treated if caught early; and second, a doctor’s examination will automatically create a complete medical record of any injuries you sustain during this accident and this will strengthen your case.
- Get complete information from everyone at the scene of the trucking accident. Obtain the name, address, telephone number, driver’s license number, and insurance information of all of the drivers involved in the truck accident as well as the names of any emergency personnel and the contact information of any witnesses.
- Do not admit guilt or sign any statements without talking to a lawyer first. Be cooperative with the police, other drivers, and emergency personnel at the scene of the truck accident, but don’t say anything that can later be used as evidence to prove that you were responsible for an accident that wasn’t your fault.
- Take photographs of your injuries and damage to your vehicle. These photographs work best as evidence when they are taken at the scene of the truck accident, but they can also be taken after the fact if you are severely injured and need immediate hospitalization.
- Keep complete records of medical expenses and other costs related to your accident which can be used as evidence to help you verify these damages.
- Contact your insurance company and report the accident so they can begin processing your claim. Make sure you give this information to your insurance company with an attorney’s assistance at the time you give the statement in order not to prejudice your claim. Your own insurance company is in the business to make money, they are not there to assist you no matter how nice they may seem. They are looking to find ways to getting out of paying you the compensation you deserve-don’t be one of their victims!
- Contact Susan Handel immediately.
What You Should NOT Do after You Have Been Involved in a Trucking Accident
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- Do not panic. Remain calm and call for help.
- Do not leave the scene of the accident.
- Do not discuss the accident with anyone, but the police and your attorney.
- Do not speak to anyone from the at-fault party’s insurance company without an attorney.
- Do not sign any papers from an insurance company or agree to a settlement without an attorney.
- Do not wait. Contact Susan Handel immediately.
What Kind of Compensation will I Receive for a San Diego Truck Accident Case?
Truck accidents can be sudden, tragic, life-changing events. Susan Handel understands that no monetary compensation can make up for the loss of one’s health or worse, the loss of a loved one. She also understands that victims of trucking accidents often face staggering medical costs, extensive property damage, and other financial and emotional hardships. Susan Handel can help victims recover superior compensation for present and future medical care, present and future lost wages, loss of support, pain and suffering and any other damages associated with your accident.
In appropriate cases out of court settlements will be obtained for our clients, but if it is in your best interests to take the case to trial, Susan Handel has the resources, knowledge and experience to do so.
Truck Accident Compensation: Should I Trust an Insurance Company?
Absolutely not! Insurance companies are in the business to make money, they are not there to assist you. In order to avoid paying for the full extent and treatment of your personal injuries, insurance companies often try to settle quickly after a trucking accident, before the full extent of your injuries are apparent. The insurance companies are very sophisticated in how they go about setting up a claim, but their number one goal is to pay you as little as possible and even nothing if they can get away with that! If you try to go up against a large insurance company without knowing the system, you are not going to be treated fairly and you will not obtain the superior compensation you deserve. Don’t be one of their victims.
Dealing with Insurance Companies
If a negligent vehicle operator causes an injury but is not insured, he or she may be required to pay for the damages resulting from the accident they caused. However, if that person is covered by truck liability insurance, his or her insurance company will be responsible for paying the damages that the injured person proves are caused by the accident based on available insurance. However, the insurance companies fight injury cases vigorously because they want to avoid paying money to you. Unless the injured person can prove that the truck driver was negligent, that negligence actually caused the accident, and that their injuries were caused by the accident, an insurance company will never pay. Even when liability for the accident is completely clear, insurance companies very often dispute the amount of damages an injured person must prove – not only the amount of damages, but the extent of the damages as well.
Experienced truck accident lawyer Susan Handel will not only put together the facts with which to prove negligence, but she will gather all the applicable information including insurance coverage, medical records, wage losses and assemble the damage evidence in a manner which will persuade the insurance company to pay the maximum reasonable compensation for your injuries suffered. If an out of court settlement is not possible, then a jury trial will result.
Susan Handel, San Diego Truck Accident Case Lawyer
If you or a loved one are involved in a serious accident, it can be medically, emotionally, and financially overwhelming. The Law Offices of Susan Handel will help your family and you cope with all of those difficulties.
Susan Handel has the experience, resources and knowledge to handle large, complex and difficult cases, while at the same time maintaining the compassion and understanding the significant impact that truck accidents have on her clients and their families.
Susan Handel is widely regarded as an expert personal injury attorney with a record of very successful results for her clients who have been seriously injured or have lost loved ones in truck accidents.
Your initial consultation with Susan Handel is both free and confidential. You deserve the very best litigation for your case, so call Susan Handel now and she will be happy to answer any questions and address any concerns you may have regarding your accident. Susan Handel also provides in-person, free, confidential home and hospital visits for your convenience.