Flatbed Accidents

Los Angeles Attorneys Helping Truck Crash Victims

Flatbed trucks are trucks that have no roof or sides. They permit drivers to quickly load goods for transport. Some flatbeds may be permanently mounted, while others are detachable. Detachable flatbed trucks have two styles: standard and lowboy. The former is often used to haul cargo, while the latter has a bed that is closer to the ground, and it is used to move construction vehicles. When flatbed accidents happen, it is often because of negligence or carelessness. For example, the load may be improperly secured, resulting in materials breaking free and crashing into other motorists or pedestrians. If you are hurt due to a flatbed crash, a Los Angeles truck accident lawyer at Sharifi Firm may be able to represent you in a lawsuit for compensation.

Pursuing Compensation after a Flatbed Accident

Many truck accidents involve flatbeds. Truck drivers must check their loads at certain intervals in order to make sure that the load is secure. Some flatbed accidents arise due to a failure to perform inspections, while others are the result of collisions. When a flatbed is hauling cargo and stops suddenly, the load can slide to the rear, harming someone in another vehicle. A load that is not secured properly can shift, causing a truck to roll over or jackknife. If a smaller vehicle hits a flatbed truck from the rear, it may slide under the trailer bed.

A truck driver who fails to conduct the necessary periodic checks of the load or who fails to adequately secure a load may be liable for a resulting accident under a theory of negligence. You would have to establish the driver’s duty of care, a breach of duty, actual and proximate causation, and actual damages. If a truck driver violates a safety law or regulation, he or she may be found liable under a theory of negligence per se (negligence as a matter of law).

Truck drivers require detailed training about how to properly secure their loads and drive safely. It is the responsibility of trucking companies to make sure they hire qualified drivers and train their drivers in matters related to safety. If a truck driver injures someone in the course and scope of employment, you likely can hold the trucking company indirectly or vicariously liable. However, this form of liability is dependent on a finding that the driver was negligent. A trucking company that fails to live up to its duties in connection with the hiring, training, and retention of qualified drivers may be held directly responsible for a flatbed accident. You will have to prove the trucking company’s negligence or its negligence as a matter of law in order to sue the company directly.

Consult a Truck Accident Lawyer in Los Angeles

In most cases, it is helpful to sue a trucking company because the company is probably better insured than the driver. However, once the trucking company is involved, its attorneys and insurers are likely to mount a forceful defense against your claims. Not all personal injury attorneys understand how to find evidence in a truck accident case or the laws that are applicable to truck drivers and trucking companies. You should retain an attorney with experience in this particular area of law. These collisions can result in devastating injuries to multiple victims. At Sharifi Firm, APC, our Los Angeles attorneys can help you seek to hold truck drivers and trucking companies accountable for flatbed accidents. Contact us at (866) 422-7222 or via our online form for a free, no-obligation consultation with a motor vehicle collision attorney. We also represent victims in San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, and Temecula, among other Southern California cities.