Estadísticas de accidentes de camiones en California

Due to the sheer size and weight of trucks compared to cars, truck accidents have devastating consequences for those involved. California truck accident statistics make the reality of a truck accident more terrifying for drivers. However, understanding these statistics can help you avoid becoming a part of them in the future.

Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer

If you’ve been involved in a truck accident, it’s likely that you’ve experienced physical and emotional trauma. The abogados de daños personales at Corrales Law Group have been helping survivors seek compensation since 2012.

Sibling attorneys Janice and Peter have built their firm based on the principle that vulnerable groups deserve competent legal representation. It’s not fair that those who can afford expensive lawyers often get better legal services.

The Reality of Truck Accidents

Regardless of the type of truck, it’s always going to weigh more than a regular car. The average weight of a normal residential car is 4,100 pounds. When we think of trucks, we typically think of commercial trucks.

These trucks are used for anything commercially, and their weight is measured by a gross vehicle weight rating. A gross vehicle weight rating is the safety standard used for commercial vehicles to calculate their safe operating weight.

This weight rating includes the weight of any drivers and passengers, the truck itself, fuel, and the truck’s loaded cargo. When a truck is fully loaded with cargo, the weight can skyrocket. Semi-trucks have a gross vehicle weight rating of over 26,001 pounds. When fully loaded, it can reach over 80,000 pounds.

Even light-duty trucks weigh way more than a regular car. These trucks have a gross vehicle weight rating of under 10,000 pounds. This number is significantly higher than that of a normal car and can include pickup trucks and cargo vans.

The reality is, if a truck hits a regular car or a person, the person in the truck is most likely protected. When an object of over 10,000 pounds hits an object of 4,100 pounds, the consequences are quick and often fatal.

En four million California residents live with a disability. These disabilities happen for a variety of reasons, but are regularly due to avoidable accidents. This can make life and recovery unbearable for survivors of truck accidents.

There were 48,563 reported injuries because of a large accidente de camión in 2025. Most of these injuries are substantial and life-altering.

Why Truck Accidents Happen

Interstate five and Interstate 10 are considered two of the most dangerous highways in California. Due to the proximity to major cities like Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Monica, thousands of commuters use these highways daily. Among these commuters are long-distance truckers.

Truck accidents can happen for a variety of reasons, especially for those who are long-distance truckers. Long-distance trucking often results in sleep deprivation for drivers, as they have tight deadlines and high quotas to meet to get paid.

It’s not uncommon for truckers to falsify their sleep records to meet their deadlines. This is an unfortunate reality that workers are pressured into doing.

Until the companies change their strict rules and help support their employees, those employees will do what they need to keep their jobs. In 2022, there were 101,114 large trucks involved in an accident in the entire state. Of these crashes, there were 2,377 fatalities.

Sleep deprivation is just as dangerous as driving under the influence. To help put this into perspective, having a blood alcohol level of 0.08% or higher is illegal. If someone is awake for 17 hours, they’re experiencing similar effects to having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%.

When someone is awake for 24 hours, as is common for long-distance truckers, they have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.10%

Preguntas frecuentes

What Should I Do After Being Involved in a Truck Accident?

If you are involved in a truck accident, acting quickly is important to your health and safety. Contact 911 immediately to seek medical attention, even if injuries are not immediately present. Certain injuries, like internal bleeding, can take longer to show symptoms. Get copies of the incident and medical reports. Get the contact information of the truck driver and any eyewitnesses. Then, hire a truck accident lawyer. They’ll be able to represent you and your legal case to get compensation.

How Long Do I Have to File My Truck Accident Claim in California?

In California, you have a plazo de dos años to file a personal injury claim. However, that timeframe can change depending on the specifics of your unique case. If the truck involved was a government vehicle, the deadline to file a claim would be shortened to seis meses. If you don’t file your claim within these deadlines, the court will most likely dismiss your case, and you won’t be able to seek compensation for your pain.

¿Y si tuve parte de culpa en el accidente?

If you’re partially at fault for the accident, you can still seek compensation. California courts assign a percentage of fault to all parties involved. Any compensation you get will be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you were hit by a truck and weren’t wearing a seatbelt, you may be found to be 10% at fault for the incident and resulting injuries. If you get $100,000 in compensation, you will only receive $90,000.

How Do California Courts Assign Fault in a Truck Accident Case?

To decide every party’s percentage of fault, California courts will look at the evidence both sides provide during the case. Evidence can include the black box information from a truck, as well as dash cam or traffic footage. Photos and videos of the accident site, vehicle damage, and any visible injuries can bolster your claim. You’ll want to provide the court with copies of the incident and medical reports. Your lawyer can help with getting eyewitness and expert testimony.

Work With Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys in California

If you suffer a personal injury after a destabilizing event, get the help you deserve. The team at Corrales Law Group is dedicated to making clients feel safe and heard throughout the entirety of legal proceedings. Reach out to our office today to schedule your first appointment with one of our attorneys. We pride ourselves on offering transparent legal advice to clients so that they can make informed decisions about their own futures.