Paul Van Der WaldeAbout 3,000 people are injured in trucking accidents in the United States each year. JB Hunt is a large trucking company that has been responsible for many trucking accidents over the years. If you have been injured in an accident with JB Hunt that was caused by the truck driver’s negligence, the commercial California truck accident attorneys at Caputo and Van Der Walde – Injury & Accident Attorneys can help you obtain fair compensation for your injuries and other damages.
Common Injuries After a Trucking Accident
Injuries from JB Hunt trucking accidents can be very severe. Several types of injuries are the most common after such an accident.
Head Injuries
Brain injuries often happen after accidents with tractor-trailers. They range from very mild to severe or even deadly. Several different types of traumatic brain injuries can occur after an accident.
Concussions:
Concussions occur after a sharp blow to the head. You may be knocked unconscious and it can cause you to have headaches or insomnia. There are some cases in which people lose function from a concussion but it is rare.
Hematoma
A bruise happens when blood gathers outside of vessels and pools in the tissue of the skin. A hematoma is a bruise that happens in the area of the skull and can be very dangerous.
Hemorrhage
A hemorrhage is bleeding from a blood vessel that has been damaged. It can be a result of a cut to the head. There are three basic types of hemorrhage arterial bleeding, venous bleeding, and capillary bleeding. If it happens in the area of the brain, it can be deadly.
Contusion
If you have several small hemorrhages, blood might be leaking into your brain tissues. This is called a contusion. This is not as dangerous as a normal-sized hemorrhage, but you still need to be looked at by a doctor.
Burn Injuries
Engines sometimes explode after an accident. When this happens people suffer from burn injuries. They can be disfiguring.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are very common after truck accidents. Commercial truck accidents are one of the leading causes of spinal cord injuries. A spinal cord injury occurs when you damage the cells and the nerves that are responsible for letting your brain communicate with the rest of your body.
When you are taken to the hospital after an accident you will be given x-rays and an MRI. When you get to the emergency room, they will check you for feeling in the affected area.
There are two types of spinal cord injuries: complete and incomplete. A person with a complete spinal injury will be paralyzed. A person with an incomplete spinal cord injury may have some motor skills.
Amputation Injuries
An amputation injury happens when a limb is severed because of an accident. It may happen during the accident, but, in most cases, amputation is performed during surgery because the limb is so severely damaged.
When a person loses a limb their quality of life is certain to diminish. You will not be able to perform certain tasks anymore and you may not be able to work. You will have to relearn how to do many different things. It may affect your relationships as well as your overall mood.
Wrongful Death
Due to the size, weight and speed of trucks, collisions with them can often be fatal. The most frequent fatal accidents invoving big rig trucks are rear-end collisions by a truck with an equipment or brake failure, or a sleepy driver that crosses over into oncoming trafffic.
About JB Hunt
JB Hunt is one of the largest names in the industry of transportation and logistics. The company also has a growing presence in the freight brokerage industry, so it’s only getting larger. In fact, there are over 22,000 company drivers at JB Hunt. It offers trucking solutions to customers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
According to the JB Hunt website, safety is a top priority. We’re sure they aim for this to be true. Yet, with over 20,000 drivers and over a billion miles a year on our roads, serious truck accidents are bound to happen. FMCSA crash reporting data from 2020 shows that JB Hunt currently averages about 20 fatal accidents every year. JB Hunt drivers are involved in about 275 accidents a year that result in serious injury. These people were minding their own business when they were injured in a truck accident, just like you. (so there are only 295 potential new clients a year from accidents with JB Hunt? Why is this the focus of a whole page?)
What Should I Do if I Have Been Injured in a JB Hunt Accident?
Whenever you are injured in an accident, it is important to contact the police and wait for them to arrive. You should attempt to get the names and numbers of any witnesses who may have seen the accident and take pictures if you can.
In the case of a trucking accident, an ambulance is almost sure to arrive. You should never refuse treatment from the EMTs even if you feel fine. Not all injuries are immediately apparent. There are certain head injuries that you will not be able to feel right away.
If the EMTs tell you that you should go to the hospital, you should let them take you. Even if you feel like you’re okay It is important to go to your doctor and get x-rays. If you are injured and you do not go to the doctor, your insurance company can hold this against you. You never want to give them any reason not to pay you.
Document Your Expenses
Any truck accident lawyer will tell you that it is very important to document your expenses in a truck accident case. You must save the bills from any medical appointments that you have had. You should also save the bill from surgery if you have needed it.
Keep a copy of receipts for any prescription or non-prescription medications that you have had to take. Keep a copy of bills you have gotten for alternative treatments such as acupuncture.
People who are injured by semi trucks often have to take time off work to receive medical treatment. When you miss time off work, you lose money. It is important to get a letter from your employer stating the number of hours that you have missed from work and the amount of income you have lost because of it. If you have missed any important work events, they should include that in the letter as well.
Accident victims often suffer from psychological trauma. You may have post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or depression. If you do, you should talk to a mental health professional. You should also get them to write a report about your progress. You should keep a daily diary about both your physical and emotional progress.
Why Determining Fault Is Important
Figuring out who’s responsible for an accident is very important in the state of California. California is a comparative fault state which means that the person who is fully or partially responsible for the accident must pay their share of your associated damages. . For example, if you were determined to be 40% at fault for an accident and another driver responsible for 60% of the same accident, their insurance would pay 60% of your damages including medical bills, lost wages and pain/suffering.
Professional truck drivers are considered to have a higher level of responsibility than other drivers on the road. People who drive commercial vehicles are only allowed to drive 11 consecutive hours a day during any 14 hour window of time. If they drive longer, they will be in violation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Act.
If a driver violates these rules, a big rig personal injury lawyer in California can argue that this proves they were at fault for the accident that they were involved in.
After you have gathered all your documentation, you will call your insurance company, and your case will be assigned to an insurance adjuster. The insurance adjuster will investigate your case. They will look at the police report, witness statements, and documentation of your expenses. They will also look at any photographs from the accident. If they approve your claim, they will make you a settlement offer. Be sure to call Caputo and Van Der Walde – Injury & Accident Attorneys before taking that offer.
FAQs
Why should I hire Caputo and Van Der Walde – Injury & Accident Attorneys?
We have an outstanding record of wins for clients in big rig trucking cases. We rely on facts, retaining the best experts avaialable and our 60 years of combined knowledge of the law. This enables us to negotiate a fair settlement or proceed to trial and win your personal injury lawsuit.
What if I have lost a loved one to an accident?
We can represent you in a wrongful death lawsuit. If a truck accident has robbed you of the companionship of someone in your family, we will fight to get money for funeral expenses, loss of income, and pain and suffering.
Why is it better to hire an attorney than just negotiate with the insurance company myself?
Lawyers are trained negotiators. So are the adjustors for the insurance companies. The goal of the insurance company is to pay the least amount of money they can to resolve your case. They don’t care about your injuries, lost wages or whether you can ever work again. You are a only a file to them and they are evaluated on how many files they close and what was paid by them to close the file. We have years of experience dealing with insurance companies and large corporations in catastrophic personal injury cases. If a settlement can’t be reached, we will represent you in court and take the case all they way through trial if needed. Give us a call today if you need serious help.