We help local victims who have been hurt in accidents involving Farm vehicles on Kern County highways. If you have been hurt in a collision, contact us for a free consultation.
You can find out more about what we can do for accident victims on our Bakersfield Truck Accident Lawyer page.
Do You Need a Truck Accident Lawyer
Anyone can file a claim on their own, and that’s probably the right move after an accident with a farm truck with no real injuries or with only property damage. But victims who get seriously injured in collisions will need much more to cover their medical bills and lost income. Sadly, when recovery will be expensive, this is when insurers get the most stingy.
A lawyer can help you strengthen your case and often wins you much more than you could by handling your case yourself. A lawyer is especially valuable if you come away with injuries involving something like a bone fracture or a ligament tear in a knee. If you have a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or a neck or back injury, a lawyer is a great advantage in your fight with insurers.
A Free Consultation with a Real Bakersfield Farm Vehicle Accident Attorney
After being hit by a produce truck or a tractor on a busy highway like Route 58, you might be in shock and in some real pain. It’s a difficult time to figure out what action to take to earn full compensation.
Fortunately, you can always take advantage of a free, no-obligation case consultation with Maison Law Accident & Injury Lawyers of Bakersfield. It’s a no-risk way to determine what your injuries are worth, and how to hold a farmer’s insurer fully responsible.
We’ll go over your best options and examine your quickest path to getting help with all of your damages. If we can’t help you emerge from the claims process with more, we’ll be up front with you and show you how to successfully handle your claim yourself.
What Your Farm Vehicle Accident Claim Is Worth
It’s hard to assign a monetary value to your case until an experienced lawyer has gone over your case and investigated the accident.
However, there are several factors that will play a big role in how much you can demand from a local agricultural company or a trucking company like Valley Farm Transport after a collision.
An insurance claim’s value would hinge largely on how badly you or a loved one was hurt, and how long it took to heal. Everyone heals at their own pace, and this time can greatly affect what’s required in a settlement.
There are also emotional damages after a scary truck accident that should factor into any settlement.
Your attorney would demand these and other benefits on your behalf:
- All current and future medical bills covered
- Longterm support for victims with a permanent physical disability
- Support for the physical pain experienced
- Support for the emotional trauma suffered
- Support for the income you forfeit while you can’t make work shifts
- Wrongful death support for families who lose a loved one in a farm vehicle accident
The Parties That May Be Liable for a Farm Vehicle Accident
The risk of a farm vehicle accident may come from many different places in Kern County. It may be a careless farm worker pulling out on a local road on a tractor, pulling harvest machinery, that causes a dangerous collision.
A produce hauling goods from a farm, an orchard, or a ranch may be involved. A tanker or semi-truck could be pulling out of a packing plant or processing facility and cause a crash. The truck drivers behind the wheel can work long hours, skip breaks, and even be looking at their cellphones while driving such big, dangerous vehicles. Accidents will occur.
Owners and operators will have commercial truck insurance to protect the victims of accidents. But you may be left to wonder, should I file a claim with the truck driver or the farm?
The Driver: Some drivers work for themselves and are called owner/operators. They own their truck and haul under contract with local farms. They’ll have commercial truck insurance, but it may not be as protective a policy as insurance provided by a company or corporation. It might have very low limits on coverage that are hit before you are fully compensated for your medical bills.
The Farm Owner: A farm owner would insure their farmworkers and truck drivers with commercial insurance. Farm owners would also be liable for the safe maintenance of farm equipment and product trucks to prevent accidents.
An Agricultural Company or Trucking Company: A major corporation or a trucking company would back its drivers with insurance. This policy may provide better coverage for you to draw from than a small farm or a single driver could afford. However, large companies can also afford teams of lawyers to try to poke holes in your claim. Large businesses would also be liable for the care of vehicles, including making sure brakes and tires were in good shape.
Truck or Tractor Manufacturer: If the design of a part or the manufacture of a truck or tractor was faulty and caused an accident, truck makers would have to help victims.
A skilled attorney checks each detail of an accident to identify all parties that might bear liability. A claim could be filed against each responsible party. This gives victims the best chance at getting enough in compensation to pay every medical bill and to replace all lost paychecks.
Contact a Bakersfield Farm Vehicle Accident Lawyer
If you suffered a serious injury, and a truck driver or farmworker caused your accident, it’s a good idea to take advantage of a free case review. Contact us to set up a meeting with a real lawyer.
Act Quickly. California allows victims to wait up to two years to file an accident claim, but patients shouldn’t wait months or years to explore their options. Valuable evidence can disappear, and witnesses can become hard to reach. Contact a skilled attorney within days of your accident so that the evidence is still fresh.
We also understand that a serious accident won’t leave you in the best financial shape. You may not have the money to hire a lawyer. But don’t worry, if you need us, we only get paid if we win your case for you. Then our attorney’s fee comes out of the settlement check that an insurance company writes for you.