The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) enforces many rules and regulations on trucking, bus, and motorcoach companies. When trucking companies violate FMCSA regulations, the agency may penalize them. When trucking companies' violations of FMCSA regulations contribute to an accident, the trucking company may be liable for victims' damages. If you or a loved one were in a truck accident, your truck accident attorney should investigate whether the trucking company violated FMCSA rules or guidelines. Examples of FMCSA Rules Violations That May Contribute to an Accident There are several FMCSA rules which are clearly in place for safety reasons. If...
Evidence is a vital piece of any truck accident claim. It will be imperative for your attorney to obtain and preserve all relevant evidence in your case. Their ability to do this can make or break your case for compensation. Your attorney should thoroughly collect and preserve evidence, including by: Making multiple records of the same evidence: Simply having a piece of evidence is not enough. Your attorney should make multiple copies of a particular report or take numerous photographs of physical evidence to ensure a damaged or lost piece of evidence doesn’t hurt your case. Keeping all evidence in...
The greater San Francisco Bay Area (including San Mateo County) is home to more than 7.5 million people, making it one of the largest metro areas in the country. Still, there are millions upon millions of people who not only don't live here but also have never even been here at all. (Side note: if you haven't at least visited, you should. It's amazing here!) However, even if you've never set foot in the great state of California, that doesn't mean that you may not find yourself in a situation where you are litigating your vehicle accident case in California....
We've all seen the stereotype played out on tv and in movies. The scene depicts someone whose vehicle was lightly tapped by another. The occupant suffered no injury, yet the occupant reappears later wearing a massive neck brace and other badges of serious injury. The scene is often played for laughs based on the premise that a low-speed crash causing substantial harm is absurd. In the real world, low-speed crashes can, and often do, cause significant injuries. Just because your crash happened at a low speed and the vehicles suffered little damage, don't be misled into believing that those facts...
The greater San Francisco Bay Area (including San Mateo County) is home to more than 7.5 million people, making it one of the larger metro areas in the country. Still, there are millions upon millions of people who not only don't live here but also have never even been here at all. (Side note: if you haven't yet, come check us out. It's amazing here!) However, even if you've never set foot in the great state of California, that doesn't mean that you may not find yourself in a situation where you are litigating your vehicle accident injury case in...
[vc_row el_class="child__page"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Trucking accidents can be devastating because of the sheer size and weight of the vehicles, as well as the potentially hazardous loads that some carry. Many truck accidents are caused by driver fatigue as carriers and drivers strive to work as many hours or shifts as possible to meet deadlines, which often entail bonus compensation. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMSCA) has proposed a number of measures designed to decrease the number of truck accidents, including one that calls for an amendment to the 34-hour restart rule regarding driver fatigue. In a study of the proposal, the FMCSA...
Motorcyclists and their passengers are among the most vulnerable people on the road. Many times, motorcycle accidents result in the death of a motorcyclist or motorcycle passenger and, too many times, they are the result of a car, truck, or SUV driver who failed to maintain a proper lookout and made negligent errors due to their failure to notice the motorcycle. If you've been hurt by someone else's negligence while you were aboard a motorcycle, you should be proactive and get in touch with an experienced San Mateo motorcycle accident lawyer right away. A fatal motorcycle accident from nearby San...
Public sentiment against distracted driving continues to grow, as another federal regulatory agency recommends that commercial drivers be banned from using cell phones while behind the wheel. Recently, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) issued a recommendation that commercial truckers and bus drivers should be banned from using mobile devices while driving in an effort to reduce distraction, and thus trucking accidents. The recent proposal would be non-binding but it would impose restrictions on handheld devices, and would impact thousands of drivers of commercial vehicles in California. The current ban on mobile devices only prohibits text messaging behind the wheel....
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our world in countless ways. One of those is the massive proliferation of people having their purchases -- even everyday ones -- shipped to their front door. With that explosion of deliveries has come more drivers, more trucks... and more accidents caused by delivery drivers. If you were hurt by a professional delivery driver, you need to take great care in initiating a legal case so that your case gets you everything you deserve. One essential step in doing that is retaining a knowledgeable San Mateo truck accident lawyer. Late last month, an incident involving...
After two years of study and deliberation, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has released its new ruling on how many hours a truck driver can work. Known as the Hours of Service of Drivers Final Rule, the regulations reflect new data on driver fatigue and safety, though not all organizations are happy about the changes. These changes will hopefully keep driver fatigue in check – thus limiting the dangers of trucking accidents – and are sure to impact areas high trucking traffic such as northern California, especially the Bay Area. The Original Proposal In 2010, the FMSCA announced...