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Santa Rosa Truck Accident Attorney

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Attorney Michael Rehm — (800) 978-0754

Highway 101 through Sonoma County is one of the primary commercial freight routes connecting the San Francisco Bay Area to the North Bay and Oregon. Large commercial trucks — semi-trucks, flatbeds, tankers, and box trucks — share the road with passenger vehicles through Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, and Petaluma on a continuous basis. When a commercial truck crash occurs, the consequences for occupants of smaller vehicles are severe. A fully loaded semi-truck can weigh eighty thousand pounds or more — roughly twenty-five times the weight of a passenger car. Attorney Michael Rehm represents truck accident victims throughout Santa Rosa and Sonoma County on a contingency fee basis.

Federal Safety Regulations and Driver Duties

Commercial motor vehicle operators and their employers are subject to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations, codified at 49 C.F.R. Parts 300–399. These regulations govern driver qualifications, hours of service, vehicle inspection and maintenance, cargo securement, and a range of other operational requirements. A trucking company that allows a driver to operate in violation of these regulations — whether by falsifying logbooks, skipping required vehicle inspections, or permitting a driver to operate beyond the legal hours — may be independently liable for resulting injuries, separate from any liability of the driver.

The general duty of ordinary care under Civil Code § 1714 applies to truck drivers and carriers alike. A driver who falls asleep at the wheel, drives distracted, or follows too closely at highway speed breaches that duty. A carrier that hires an unqualified driver, fails to maintain its vehicles, or pressures drivers to skip mandated rest periods may be directly negligent in addition to being vicariously liable for the driver's conduct.

Multiple Potentially Liable Parties

Commercial truck crashes frequently involve more than one potentially liable party. The driver, the trucking company, the vehicle owner (which may be different from the operator), the cargo shipper if improperly loaded cargo contributed to the crash, and the manufacturer of a defective component such as brakes or tires can each face liability depending on the facts. Identifying all potentially liable parties and preserving evidence — including the truck's electronic logging device, event data recorder, GPS records, driver qualification file, and maintenance logs — requires prompt action. Evidence in commercial truck cases deteriorates or is overwritten quickly.

Damages and Statute of Limitations

Truck accident victims typically sustain injuries of greater severity than in crashes between passenger vehicles — spinal cord damage, traumatic brain injury, crush injuries, and multiple orthopedic fractures are common. Damages include medical expenses, lost wages, impaired future earning capacity, future care costs, pain and suffering, and emotional distress. Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1 provides a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims. Whether a particular deadline applies, has run, or is subject to tolling requires individual analysis.

Related Pages

Attorney Michael Rehm handles truck accident cases throughout Santa Rosa and Sonoma County on a contingency fee basis. No fee without a recovery. Call (800) 978-0754 for a free consultation.

The information on this page is general legal information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every case turns on its own facts. The law can change — statutes are amended, cases are decided, and regulations are revised; nothing on this page should be relied upon as a statement of current law without verification. Deadlines and legal bars discussed on this page are general guides — whether a particular deadline applies, has run, or is subject to tolling, and whether a particular doctrine bars or limits recovery in your case, requires individual analysis. Contact Attorney Michael Rehm to discuss the specific facts of your situation.

Southern California Areas Served:

Phone: (619) 787-3456 Areas Served: San Diego, Vista, Chula Vista, El Cajon, Escondido, San Marcos, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas, El Centro, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Clarita, Glendale, Lancaster, Palmdale, Pomona, Torrance, Pasadena, El Monte, Downey, West Covina, Norwalk, Burbank, Anaheim, Santa Ana, Irvine, Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Costa Mesa, Riverside, Corona, Moreno Valley, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Ventura, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, Temecula, Bakersfield, Clovis, and everywhere in between.

Bay Area Areas Served

Phone: (831) 431-0986 Areas Served: Santa Cruz, Aptos, Capitola, Watsonville, Salinas, Monterey, Seaside, Carmel, San Francisco, Oakland, Fremont, Hayward, Berkeley, Livermore, Concord, Richmond, Walnut Creek, Antioch, San Rafael, Novato, San Jose, Morgan Hill, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Gatos, Napa, Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Fairfield, Vallejo, Vacaville, Dixon, Solano County, San Benito, Daly City, San Mateo, South San Francisco, Redwood City, Belmont, San Carlos, San Bruno, Pleasanton, Union City, San Leandro, Milpitas, Pittsburg, Danville, Rohnert Park and the entire Bay Area.

Northern California Office & Areas Served

2121 Broadway Unit 188860 Sacramento, CA 95818 Phone: (916) 233-7346 Areas Served: Sacramento, Elk Grove, Antelope, Citrus Heights, Carmichael, the friendly confines of Land Park, Folsom, Yolo, Woodland, West Sacramento, Davis, Placerville, South Lake Tahoe, Cameron Park, El Dorado Hills, Auburn, Roseville, Rocklin, Lincoln, Yuba City, Marysville, Wheatland, Colusa, San Joaquin County, Lodi, Manteca, Stockton, Tracy, Lathrop, Modesto, Turlock, Oakdale, Stanislaus County, Humboldt County, Arcata, Mckinleyville, Fortuna, Eureka, Butte County, Oroville, Paradise, Chico, Mendocino, Ukiah, Colusa, Shasta County, Redding, Calaveras, Yreka, Amador, Jackson, Lassen, Susanville, Plumas County, Quincy, Nevada County, Grass Valley, Nevada City, Truckee, Lakeport, Sonora, Madera, Crescent City, Trinity, and all of Northern California.

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