In an industry with intense shipping demands and overworked drivers, delivery truck accidents can be caused by negligence when safety regulations are ignored. Accidents may occur when a truck is improperly maintained, overloaded, or operated by a fatigued or reckless driver. Victims injured in these crashes deserve fair compensation for their medical expenses, lost income, and suffering as they rebuild their lives.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a delivery truck accident caused by negligence, you need to know your rights as you may be entitled to financial recovery. These complex claims, which may target multiple negligent parties, require extensive industry knowledge and experience handling commercial truck accident lawsuits. When filing a claim, it’s critical to work with a Bakersfield personal injury lawyer that has a reputation for strong client advocacy in delivery truck accidents.
“No other law firm in town has the level of experience handling trucking accidents that we have at Rodriguez & Associates. That is what makes us unique.”
-Danay Gonzalez, Partner, Rodriguez & Associates
Growing Risks of Delivery Truck Accidents
As shipping demands increase, the number of trucks on the road every year and the frequency of delivery truck accidents is also rising at an alarming rate. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reported that, from 2010 to 2021, the rate of fatal truck accidents grew by 46%. Truck drivers pressured to meet unrealistic deadlines may speed, ignore working hour regulations, and choose to drive unsafely, creating dangerous situations for everyone on the road.
Due to the serious risk presented by these overlarge vehicles, the trucking industry is subject to strict federal and state regulations. Drivers must undergo special training and adhere to driving limits, while trucks are subject to regular maintenance. Additionally, vehicle loading procedures are in place to prevent a dangerously overloaded truck. When regulations are not followed and an accident does occur, trucking companies and their insurers will fight aggressively in court to avoid a large payout.
Vehicles Commonly Involved in Delivery Truck Accidents
Delivery truck accidents do not always involve big rigs or 18-wheelers. Many serious crashes occur with smaller fleet vehicles, including privately owned company trucks as well as municipal vehicles and utility service trucks.
The type of vehicle involved in a crash can significantly impact how an injury claim is handled. Privately owned delivery or freight carriers will require different legal action than those operated by government entities providing municipal or utility services. Discuss your claim with an experienced delivery truck accident attorney who can help you navigate these complexities with confidence.
- Delivery trucks: This includes any truck used for deliveries, such as those from grocery suppliers, pizza deliverers, and moving companies. Trucks making local deliveries may not reach freeway speeds, but due to their weight and size, they can still cause serious accidents if regulations and roadway laws are not followed.
- Freight delivery trucks: These trucks typically carry more cargo over a longer distance, making their risk of accidents even higher. These large trucks may be owned by businesses, third-party owners, or the government, and they haul a variety of cargo, ranging from produce to gasoline. The FMCSA published a study on freight delivery companies with the highest number of crashes from 2023 to 2025, citing UPS (72 fatal crashes), Swift (35), and FedEx (31) as the worst offenders.
- Municipal delivery trucks: These are trucks used by local governments to deliver public services, such as garbage collection, mail services, or roadway service vehicles. Municipal vehicles can range from large trucks to smaller, local-level automobiles. Garbage trucks are tremendous in scale and make frequent stops in residential areas, which can lead to numerous potential hazards.
- Utility service trucks: Often contracted by city governments, utility trucks provide services such as tree cutting, highway maintenance, gas delivery, and water system maintenance. These trucks can be large and equipment-heavy, often parked in locations that can create roadway hazards.
Pursuing compensation following a delivery truck accident can be complex, especially if it involves a California government agency. In these instances, the plaintiffs must first file a written claim meeting the requirements of the California Tort Claims Act within the six-month statute of limitations.
What Causes Delivery Truck Accidents?
Despite trucking industry regulations, negligent accidents happen every day. The FMCSA’s Large Truck Crash Causation Study identified the most common causes of delivery truck accidents across the United States:
- Speeding: The cause of 23% of surveyed accidents, delivery truck drivers are often pressured to drive at unsafe speeds by unrealistic shipping schedules.
- Reckless driving: Poor decisions made by the truck driver were found to be the cause of 38% of large truck crashes. Truck drivers must receive in-depth training and adhere to strict safety procedures when operating these high-risk vehicles.
- Vehicle failure: Delivery trucks are required to undergo regular maintenance; however, when the truck’s owner or manufacturer fails to ensure vehicle safety, brakes can fail, tires can blow, or other mechanical issues can cause a devastating crash.
- Improper loading: If a delivery truck is imbalanced or overloaded, the driver may lose control while on the road, causing the vehicle to swerve, roll over, or crash.
- Fatigue: Another consequence of tight delivery schedules, delivery truck drivers may drive longer than is legally allowed to complete their work. When tired and inattentive, drivers are slower to react and less able to avoid a devastating accident.
- Poor road conditions: Driving at high speeds and carrying heavy cargo, delivery trucks can be thrown off balance by hitting a pothole, making an insufficiently maintained road incredibly dangerous.
Common Injuries Resulting from Delivery Truck Accidents
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs): This type of severe brain injury results from a sudden bump or blow to the head or from an object penetrating the brain. The effects can be permanent, including devastating physical and cognitive disabilities that require lifelong medical care.
- Amputations: When pinned or crushed by a large delivery truck, victims may receive such extensive limb damage that the limb must be removed.
- Spinal cord injuries: The speed and force inflicted by a crash with a delivery truck can cause extensive spinal damage. Spinal injuries can be excruciatingly painful and result in permanent loss of sensation, difficulty breathing, and loss of physical function.
- Wrongful Death: When a delivery truck accident occurs as a result of negligence, it becomes a case of wrongful death.
If you or a loved one has been seriously injured or killed in a delivery truck accident in Kern County, you need experienced legal representation from a firm that has a proven record of holding negligent delivery companies, contractors, and government entities accountable. By working with our skilled delivery truck accident lawyers, you give yourself the best chance at securing the maximum compensation for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.
Who Can Be Found Liable for a Delivery Truck Accident?
The FMCSA notes that delivery truck crashes are rarely attributed to only one factor, which can make pursuing compensation a complex task. Manufacturing issues, inadequate maintenance, improper loading practices, and driver errors can all contribute to a catastrophic accident.
California law dictates that if multiple parties are found to have been negligent in a truck accident lawsuit, they are subject to shared liability. The most common parties found to have been liable in delivery truck accident lawsuits include:
- The driver: If the driver’s inattentiveness, poor decisions, or reckless driving were found to have caused the accident, they can be held liable.
- The manufacturer: If faulty parts contributed to the accident, the original manufacturer of the truck may be held partially liable.
- The trucking company: The trucking company or truck owner is responsible for ensuring the vehicle undergoes regular maintenance and that drivers are fully trained. If these requirements are ignored, they may be liable.
- Government agencies: In such cases where the truck is owned or operated by a government agency rather than a private company, the government agency may be found partially liable for the accident. Additionally, if poor road conditions, such as potholes, contributed to the truck accident, the government entities responsible for maintaining roads can be held partially liable.
A law firm with experience handling truck accident cases understands the need for a thorough investigation into the cause of an accident, access to expert witness testimony, and indisputable evidence to build the strongest possible case on your behalf.
Daniel Rodriguez, president and founder of Rodriguez & Associates, has handled thousands of personal injury cases to national acclaim. His background in electrical engineering enables him to represent victims of delivery truck accidents with a unique technical perspective and an understanding of how negligence can lead to mechanical issues.
Types of Damages in a Delivery Truck Accident Lawsuit
When a delivery truck accident occurs in California, victims have the right to pursue compensation for damages, including pain and suffering, medical expenses, loss of earning potential, and other related costs. It’s necessary to consult with your delivery truck accident attorney to understand which damages you may be entitled to.
The main types of damages a delivery truck accident victim may pursue include:
- Economic damages: These are the financial losses victims may experience following a delivery truck accident, such as property damage, medical expenses, and lost wages from limited ability to work.
- Non-economic damages: This refers to the intangible losses suffered as a result of an accident, including pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, and severe emotional distress. Due to their abstract nature, non-economic damages are challenging to evaluate. Your attorney should offer a legal and medical understanding to secure the highest compensation for your damages.
- Punitive damages: These differ from economic and non-economic damages because they are not awarded to the victim of the accident. Intended to punish the liable party or parties for their extreme negligence, punitive damages instead take the form of hefty fines or mandates that the negligent defendant must follow, further incentivizing the trucking industry to adhere to safety regulations.
In the event of a delivery truck accident, securing compensation from the trucking company is never simple. Trucking companies have massive insurance policies and aggressive legal teams, hoping to avoid paying for the damages their negligence caused. To protect your rights and receive the compensation you deserve, hire a personal injury law firm that offers the experience, resources, and dedication to take your case all the way to trial, if needed.
Your Delivery Truck Accident Law Firm
At Rodriguez & Associates, we understand how to support the victims of trucking accidents through the most difficult time of their lives. In the event of a devastating accident, put your trust in the delivery truck accident attorneys at Rodriguez & Associates to guide you on your path to justice.
Since the firm’s founding in 2001, our attorneys have handled thousands of cases, providing each client with compassion and care as we fight to recover the highest possible compensation for their suffering. With over $1 billion secured for our clients, the firm has a history of record-breaking settlements, including the top three highest personal injury verdicts in Kern County history and the largest motor vehicle collision jury verdict in Iowa history.
Rodriguez & Associates is conveniently located in downtown Bakersfield. We are available for evening and weekend appointments, and offer free consultations in both English and Spanish. To schedule a consultation with one of our delivery truck accident attorneys, please contact us online or call (661) 777-7575 or toll-free at 800-585-9262.