Orange County Truck Accident Lawyer

Seriously hurt in a crash with a semi-truck, big rig, dump truck or delivery truck in Orange County? Our Newport Beach truck accident lawyers investigate quickly, identify every responsible company, and pursue full compensation.

On this page: OC truck corridors · Types of crashes · Who is responsible · Evidence · Courts · Compensation · FAQ

Smith Trial Group is based in Newport Beach and represents people seriously injured in truck crashes across Orange County, from Anaheim and Santa Ana to Irvine, Mission Viejo and San Clemente. Orange County sits between the Los Angeles ports, the Inland Empire warehouse region and San Diego, so its freeways carry heavy freight traffic every day. Ongoing residential and commercial construction adds dump trucks, cement mixers and flatbeds to local roads. When those vehicles are driven or maintained carelessly, the results can be devastating.

Orange County Truck Corridors

• I-5 (Santa Ana and San Diego Freeways), the main north-south freight route through the county, including the El Toro Y interchange in Lake Forest and Irvine.
• I-405 (San Diego Freeway) through Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa and Irvine, where truck traffic mixes with heavy commuter congestion.
• SR-91 (Riverside Freeway), the primary link between Orange County and the Inland Empire through Anaheim, Yorba Linda and the Santa Ana Canyon.
• SR-57, SR-55 and SR-22, which connect central Orange County with the 91, the 5 and the 405.
• SR-74 (Ortega Highway), a narrow, winding two-lane road between San Juan Capistrano and Lake Elsinore with a long history of serious crashes.
• Construction and industrial areas, where dump trucks and heavy equipment haulers enter and leave job sites.

Types of Truck Crashes We Handle

• Rear-end collisions in stop-and-go freeway traffic, where a loaded truck needs far more distance to stop.
• Unsafe lane changes and blind-spot sideswipes.
• Jackknife and rollover crashes, often involving speed on curves and ramps.
• Underride crashes, where a car slides under the side or rear of a trailer.
• Wide-turn and backing crashes in commercial and residential areas.
• Falling or spilled cargo and gravel from dump trucks.
• Crashes involving delivery vans and trucks and company vehicles.

Holding the Right Companies Responsible

A truck crash claim is rarely just against the driver. The motor carrier, the owner of the truck or trailer, the company that loaded the cargo, a broker that hired an unsafe carrier, a construction contractor that controlled the work, and a maintenance company can all share responsibility. Federal and California rules govern driver qualifications, hours of service, drug and alcohol testing, vehicle inspections and cargo securement. Showing that a company ignored those rules can also support a claim that it was negligent in hiring, training or supervising the driver. See our main truck accident lawyer page.

Acting Fast to Preserve Evidence

Trucking companies often send investigators to the scene within hours. We respond quickly with preservation demands for electronic logging and engine data, onboard cameras, dispatch and GPS records, driver files, and maintenance logs, and we look for traffic and business video before it is overwritten.

Orange County Courts

Most Orange County truck accident lawsuits are filed in Orange County Superior Court, with complex civil cases heard at the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana. Cases against interstate carriers may be removed to the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, which has a courthouse in Santa Ana. Attorney Cardon Smith served as a law clerk to a federal judge and spent years litigating against large companies and their insurers.

What You Can Recover

Compensation can include medical bills, future treatment and care, lost earnings and earning capacity, and pain and suffering. For catastrophic injuries, we work with experts to document lifetime needs. Families who lost a loved one may have an Orange County wrongful death claim. We work on contingency, so you pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation. See also Newport Beach, Irvine and Santa Ana personal injury lawyer pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I do after a truck accident in Orange County?

Get medical care, call 911 so a report is made, photograph the scene and the truck’s markings and DOT number if it is safe, get witness contact information, and avoid giving recorded statements to the trucking company’s insurer before speaking with a lawyer.

How is a truck accident case different from a car accident case?

Truck cases involve federal and state safety regulations, larger insurance policies, multiple potentially responsible companies, and electronic data that must be preserved quickly. They usually require a deeper investigation.

What is the deadline to file a truck accident lawsuit in California?

Generally two years from the date of injury, and six months for a claim against a public agency. Do not wait, because key evidence can be lost much sooner.

Can I recover if I was partly at fault?

Yes. California follows comparative fault, so your recovery is reduced by your share of fault but not eliminated.

What if a dump truck or construction vehicle hit me?

Construction vehicles are subject to many of the same safety rules, and the contractor that controlled the job site or hired the trucking company may also be responsible.

How much does it cost to hire a truck accident lawyer?

We work on a contingency fee basis. You pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation for you.