Two big rigs crashed on the 5 Freeway in Santa Clarita early Wednesday morning.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the accident happened at about 3:35 a.m. on the northbound 5 Freeway, south of Calgrove Blvd. The cause of the crash is being investigating. At least one of the tractor-trailers sustained major front-end damage.
Traffic accidents involving big rigs can result in major injuries or death due to the size and weight of the vehicles involved. When a tractor-trailer is loaded with cargo, the additional weight makes the danger even greater.
Truck Driver Downtime
For an owner operator, if a truck is not on the road, the owner operator is not producing income. But the owner operator still has to pay his/her fixed montlhly expenses, like insurance and payment on the truck. The losses can add up quickly.
If another party was at fault for the accident, then they will have to pay for your businesses losses. You will need to provide evidence of your monthly income before the accident. The more loss of income you are claiming, the more pre-accident earnings documentation that the other side’s insurance company will demand before they pay you on your downtime claim.
If you are a truck driver and you have been injured in an accident or your truck has been damaged in an accident and you are losing income, you should speak to a truck accident attorney about your right to compensation. The other side will try to defend against your claim by contending that you have a duty to “mitigate your damages.” But if you do not have the money to rent a truck during the time that your truck is being repaired, then you cannot “mitigate your damages,” and the other side cannot use that against you.
Call the trucking accident lawyers at McGee, Lerer & Associates for a free consultation. If we take your case, there is no up-front fee, and no fee whatsoever unless we win your case.