California & Nevada Truck Accident Lawyers

If you or someone in your family was hit by a truck in California or Nevada, you can get money for your hospital bills, the paychecks you lost, your car, and what the crash has put you through. Mendez & Sanchez APC has won over $1 billion for injured clients, including a $21 million truck accident settlement. Talking to us is free, we answer 24/7 in English and Spanish, and you pay nothing unless we win.

Why Is a Truck Accident Different From a Regular Car Accident?

A loaded semi can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. Your car weighs around 4,000. When the two collide, the person in the car almost always gets the worst of it. Close to 6,000 people a year die in crashes involving large trucks in the United States, according to federal crash data from NHTSA.

But the biggest difference isn't the size of the truck. It's who shows up afterward. Trucking companies have rapid response teams: investigators and lawyers who can be at the crash scene within hours, sometimes before the tow truck leaves. They are there to protect the company, not you. While you're in the emergency room, they're already building their side of the story.

The money is also different. Federal law requires most interstate trucking companies to carry at least $750,000 in insurance, and many carry millions. That sounds like good news, and it can be. But it also means the insurance company will fight much harder, because much more is on the line.

Do I Need a Lawyer for a Truck Accident?

For a small fender-bender with a car, maybe not. For a truck accident, almost always yes. Here's the honest reason: the trucking company starts working against your claim on day one, and the most important evidence is in their hands, not yours. The truck's black box data, the driver's logbooks, inspection records, dashcam footage. Companies are only required to keep some of these records for a limited time, and things have a way of disappearing.

One of the first things our attorneys do is send what's called a spoliation letter (a formal legal notice that orders the company to preserve all evidence). Once they receive it, destroying or "losing" that evidence can get them in serious trouble with the court. Every day without that letter is a day evidence can quietly vanish.

What Should I Do After a Truck Accident?

1. Get medical help first. Call 911. Even if you think you're okay, get checked. Truck crash injuries like internal bleeding or a concussion don't always hurt right away.
2. Get the police there. The police report is your official record of what happened.
3. Take photos of everything you safely can. The truck, its license plate and the company name on the door, your car, the road, skid marks, your injuries.
4. Get the driver's info and the company's info. Truck drivers carry both a regular license and company paperwork. Photograph it all.
5. Say nothing to the trucking company or their insurance. If anyone calls asking for "just a quick recorded statement," politely say no and talk to a lawyer first. That call is free at our firm.

Who Can Be Held Responsible for a Truck Accident?

This is where truck cases get bigger than car cases. It's usually not just the driver. Depending on what happened, the people who may owe you money include:

• The truck driver, if they were speeding, tired, distracted, or impaired.
• The trucking company, if they pushed the driver past the legal driving hours, skipped background checks, or skimped on training. Federal rules limit drivers to 11 hours of driving in a day, and companies sometimes look the other way.
• The company that loaded the cargo, if a shifting or overweight load caused the crash.
• The maintenance shop, if bad brakes or worn tires were the problem.
• The truck or parts manufacturer, if something on the truck failed.

More responsible parties means more insurance available for your recovery. Finding all of them is a big part of what a truck accident lawyer actually does.

What About Amazon, FedEx, and UPS Trucks?

Delivery truck cases have a twist. Amazon, for example, often doesn't directly employ the person driving the van with the Amazon logo. The driver may work for a smaller company called a DSP (delivery service partner). Big companies set things up this way partly to keep distance between themselves and accident claims. The right legal strategy depends on who really controlled the driver's work: the routes, the schedule, the delivery quotas. We've handled these cases and we know where to look. If an Amazon, FedEx, UPS, or USPS vehicle hit you, don't assume the big company is off the hook just because the paperwork says otherwise.

What Is the Truck's "Black Box" and Why Does It Matter?

Most commercial trucks record their own data, the same way airplanes do. The engine's computer and the electronic logging device (a tablet that tracks the driver's hours, required by federal law) can show how fast the truck was going, when the driver hit the brakes, and how long they had been behind the wheel without rest. Many trucks also have dashcams.

This data can prove your case almost by itself. A jury doesn't have to guess whether the driver was speeding when the truck's own computer says so. But the data belongs to the trucking company, and they won't hand it over just because you ask nicely. Getting it preserved and turned over is lawyer work, and it needs to happen fast.

What Can I Get Paid For?

• Medical bills, from the ambulance ride to surgery to physical therapy, including care you'll need in the future.
• Lost paychecks, plus the income you'll lose going forward if you can't return to the same work.
• Your car and anything else that was damaged.
• Pain and suffering, which is the legal system's way of paying you for what the crash did to your life: the pain, the fear, the sleepless nights, the things you can't do anymore. In serious truck cases, this is often the largest part.

How Long Do I Have to File a Truck Accident Claim?

In both California and Nevada, you generally have 2 years from the day of the crash to file an injury lawsuit. That's the statute of limitations (the legal deadline to file). Miss it and you lose your right to sue, no matter how strong your case was.

One trap to know about: if the truck belonged to the government, like a city garbage truck or a Caltrans vehicle, you may have only 6 months to file a special government claim in California. And truck evidence disappears much faster than the legal deadline. The smart move is to talk to a lawyer within days, not months.

The Trucking Company's Insurance Already Called Me. What Do I Do?

This happens fast in truck cases, sometimes the same week. The adjuster will sound friendly and may even offer money quickly. Understand what's happening: a fast offer usually means they know the case could cost them a lot more. Once you sign their release, the case is closed forever, even if you need surgery a month later. Don't sign anything, don't give a recorded statement, and get a free case review first. If their first offer was fair, we'll tell you. It almost never is.

What if the Accident Was Partly My Fault?

You can still recover money. In California, your payout just gets reduced by your share of the blame. Say your case is worth $100,000 and you were 25% at fault: you'd still get $75,000. Nevada works a little differently, you can recover as long as you weren't more at fault than the other side. Insurance companies know this, which is why they try so hard to pin blame on you. Don't accept their version of who was at fault. The truck's own data often tells a different story.

I'm Undocumented. Can I Still File a Claim?

Yes. Your immigration status does not take away your right to be paid after a crash. California law actually forbids bringing up immigration status in an injury case (Evidence Code 351.2). Our firm is bilingual, our attorneys and staff speak Spanish at all four offices, and everything you tell us stays private.

How Mendez & Sanchez Builds a Truck Accident Case

• We send the evidence preservation letter immediately, so the black box data, driver logs, and dashcam footage can't disappear.
• We dig into the driver's hours, the company's safety record, and the federal inspection history.
• We bring in accident reconstruction experts when the company disputes what happened.
• We connect you with doctors who treat you now and get paid from the settlement later, so you're not paying out of pocket while you recover.
• We prepare every case like it's going to trial. Insurance companies pay more when they know you're ready.

Helpful Guides From Our Attorneys

• Car accident claims in California and Nevada, explained
• You just got in an accident. Here's what to do.
• Who pays my hospital bills after an accident?
• Estimate what your case may be worth