Truck Accidents matters in Hanford
Agricultural Freight on SR-198 and I-5
Kings County is dairy and farm country, and Hanford's roads carry a constant stream of heavy commercial trucks hauling milk, feed, produce, and equipment. State Route 198 is the main artery feeding Interstate 5 to the west, and the combination of loaded tractor-trailers, agricultural rigs, and high rural speeds makes this corridor especially dangerous when something goes wrong. A fully loaded big rig can weigh many times more than a passenger car, so even a moderate-speed collision can cause catastrophic injuries. Identifying the truck, its cargo, and its operator early is essential to preserving the proof your claim needs.
Federal Safety Rules That Shape Liability
Commercial trucks are governed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, and FMCSA regulations cover hours of service, driver qualifications, vehicle maintenance, and load securement. When a dairy or freight carrier pushes drivers past safe limits, skips inspections, or overloads a trailer, those violations can establish negligence. We move quickly to preserve the truck's electronic logging device data, driver logs, maintenance records, and the carrier's safety history before that evidence disappears. These records often reveal pressures and shortcuts that a simple police report never captures.
Tule Fog and Heavy Rigs
The dense tule fog that settles over the Valley each winter is especially deadly when it involves heavy trucks. A loaded rig needs far more distance to stop than a car, and a driver who outruns his sightlines in fog on SR-198 or SR-43 can trigger a chain-reaction pileup that injures many people at once. California law requires commercial drivers to reduce speed for conditions, and failing to do so is strong evidence of fault. We analyze weather data, braking distances, and the rig's speed to reconstruct exactly what happened.
Multiple Parties, Multiple Policies
Truck cases rarely involve a single defendant. The driver, the motor carrier, the company that owned or leased the trailer, a maintenance contractor, and even the shipper whose cargo shifted can all share responsibility. That complexity also means more available insurance, since commercial carriers typically carry far higher policy limits than ordinary drivers. We trace every layer of ownership and contracting to identify each responsible party and the coverage behind it, so your recovery reflects the true scale of your harm.
Building the Case in Kings County
After a serious truck crash, victims are often taken to Adventist Health Hanford, and those emergency records anchor the medical side of the claim. If litigation becomes necessary, the case may be filed in the Kings County Superior Court in Hanford. We combine prompt evidence preservation, FMCSA-focused investigation, and thorough documentation of your injuries and losses to pursue full compensation. From the first call, MMG Law Firm treats a commercial truck case with the seriousness its consequences demand, on a no-fee-unless-we-recover basis.
Our attorney
How Mihran M. Ghazaryan helps with truck accidents
Truck cases are won or lost in the first days, so Mihran M. Ghazaryan moves immediately to preserve the evidence — the electronic logging device, the driver's hours-of-service records, and the truck's onboard data — before it can be overwritten. He identifies every responsible party (driver, carrier, broker, and their separate insurers) and applies the federal motor-carrier rules that govern these cases, building the claim for the larger exposure a commercial policy carries.
Types of truck accidents we handle
Tractor-trailer and 18-wheeler crashes
Often involve fatigue, improper loading, or maintenance failures. We send a preservation letter immediately and pursue ELD and ECM data.
Delivery-truck and box-truck collisions
Last-mile delivery has driven a surge in inexperienced drivers under tight schedules. Liability often runs to the carrier, not just the driver.
Underride and override collisions
Catastrophic injury cases. Vehicle conspicuity, guard equipment, and applicable FMCSA standards all matter.
Damages
What compensation can cover
Every truck accident claim is different, but California law allows injured plaintiffs to seek several categories of damages. We build each one with documentation — medical records, wage statements, expert opinions — so nothing is left on the table.
Medical expenses
Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and the future treatment your providers say you'll need.
Lost wages
Income you lost while recovering — and, where the injury affects your ability to work, diminished future earning capacity.
Pain and suffering
Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and the ways the injury has changed how you live day to day.
Property damage
Repair or replacement of your vehicle and other property damaged in the incident.
Out-of-pocket costs
Transportation to appointments, medical equipment, household help, and the other expenses an injury forces on you.
How we work
- 1
Free, no-pressure consultation
We listen first. We answer your questions. There is no fee for the initial conversation — and you decide whether to engage us at the end of it.
- 2
Investigation and evidence preservation
Police reports, scene photos, witness statements, vehicle data, surveillance video, medical records. The earlier we collect, the harder it is for the other side to reshape the story later.
- 3
Treatment, demand, and negotiation
We coordinate with your providers, document the full extent of damages — medical, lost income, pain — and present a demand backed by evidence. We push back firmly when an insurer lowballs.
- 4
Litigation when necessary
Most matters settle. When an insurer refuses to be reasonable, we file. Preparing every case as if it will be tried is what makes the settlement number move.
What to do right away
- Call 911 and request medical evaluation on scene.
- Photograph the truck — license plate, USDOT number, MC number, trailer markings.
- Get the trucking company's name, not just the driver's.
- Save any clothing or vehicle parts as evidence.
- Contact us before speaking with the trucking company's insurer or a 'rapid response' team.
The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.
Deadlines that matter
Most California personal-injury claims must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure §335.1). Miss the window and the court will almost always dismiss the case, no matter how strong it is.
Claims against government entities are much shorter — generally a written claim within six months (Government Code §911.2). Crashes involving city vehicles, public buses, or dangerous public-road conditions can fall under this rule.
Exceptions exist in both directions — discovery rules, minors, continuing violations, out-of-state defendants — so don't assume your deadline has passed or that you have time to spare. Call (818) 539-7969 and we'll tell you exactly where you stand.