California Road Debris Accident Lawyers

Did Flying Debris or an Obstruction in The Road Lead to Your Injury?

One of the most unexpected and traumatizing auto accidents you can ever experience comes from debris in the road. Imagine cruising down a California freeway on a beautiful day when suddenly a huge log tumbles off of a truck and smashes through your windshield!

Debris in the roadway is all too common here in California. It leads to horrific car accidents including massive chain-reaction collisions that close down our freeways and cause life-changing severe injuries and deaths.

California has about 190,000 fatal and injury-causing crashes every year and a surprising number of them involve loose, flying, and obstructive road debris. AAA of Southern California estimates that road debris was responsible for approximately 39,000 injuries and more than 500 deaths nationwide over four years.

You Deserve Valuable California Car Accident Compensation

After a road debris accident, you’ll need the experienced car accident team at Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers to help you pursue the valuable accident compensation you deserve. Your collision coverage against the liable driver and their insurance company to cover your medical bills, lost wages, and more.

A road debris accident lawyer helps you demand the maximum possible value of your injury claim under the law, and it’s unlikely that you’ll ever set foot in court. To learn more, ask for a free case evaluation and read the information below about road debris accident claims.

Why Do Road Debris Crashes Happen?

If you’re wondering, “How did this happen?” you’re not alone. Road debris crashes are usually confusing for unsuspecting victims. The debris comes flying out of nowhere before you can react. Plus, these situations frequently involve a frustrating game of finger-pointing from the liable party and their insurance company.

Even the California Highway Patrol might not be able to provide good insight into what happened. The good news is that your road debris accident lawyer can conduct a thorough investigation and shed additional light on your situation.

Generally speaking, road debris accidents tend to have causes like:

A big pothole triggers a chain-reaction vehicle collision
A logging truck loses its load as it bounces down the roadway
A big rig’s tire comes flying loose and whips into your car
A motorist carries an unrestrained load in an open-bed pickup truck
A vehicle is overloaded, unbalanced, or has a preventable equipment failure
An inexperienced or unlicensed truck driver fails to strap down a truck’s load correctly
Construction company workers create road debris as they work
Road crew workers leave hazardous obstacles behind in the roadway
A highway clean-up crew fails to completely clear the roadway after an accident
Someone swerves to avoid hitting by road debris and crashes into you

Sudden swerves are among the top causes of road debris accidents. Almost 4 in 10 debris-related accidents arise from drivers maneuvering to avoid debris in the roadway and hitting other cars. The majority of these accidents occur during daytime hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. when trucks are actively hauling cargo.

It’s worth noting that California’s deadly crashes and multi-car pileups have served as inspiration for new statewide safety measures and trash collection efforts. In one year alone, Caltrans spent $76 million on freeway litter removal and collected 9,500 garbage trucks’ worth of debris.

Important Things to Do After a Road Debris Accident

As an injured victim in a road debris accident, it’s your burden to fight for the money you need to cover your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. Your compensation isn’t automatic, but you have certain rights guaranteed under California law.

To protect these rights, learn the steps after a car accident that preserve your path to successful accident compensation. Below are some of the most important things you can do after a road debris accident.

Seek Treatment and Save Your Bills

Most accident claims are built around substantial medical bills that show a clear connection to the road debris accident and establish medical treatment. Additional evidence, like the police report and witness statements, will also help support and round out your case.

Get medical care as soon as possible after your accident, whether you go straight to the emergency room or not. Follow your doctor’s orders and give yourself the best possible opportunity for a full recovery.

Build Additional Evidence

Your lawyer can assist you with gathering car accident evidence regarding your road debris accident. It also helps if you’re proactive about taking photos and videos showing your car damage, the debris that caused the accident, nearby road signs in the area, skid marks from the crash, and so on. Photos of your injuries are also helpful.

Contact the police department to obtain a copy of the police report and reach out to witnesses or provide their contact information to your lawyer. In the meantime, keep a journal that documents your daily thoughts, experiences, and emotional changes to your life.

Stay Quiet About Your Accident

Don’t speak to anyone except your doctor and your lawyer about the accident. Minimize your statements to the police. The insurance company could use your statements against you later to indicate something you didn’t intend.

An insurance representative may sound eager to settle your claim with a valuable offer, but it will likely be a lowball offer at first. Don’t accept an offer too quickly before you speak to your road debris accident lawyer.

Don’t allow anyone to make a video or audio recording of your conversation without your permission, which is your right under California law. Also, you don’t have to give out your social security number or other personal details and data until you talk to a lawyer about whether it’s in your best interests.

It’s a good idea to go dark online and avoid using social media to discuss your road debris accident. Remember, lawyers and insurance companies sometimes look through the internet for things they can use as evidence against you.

Common Road Debris Accident Injuries

Road debris crashes have risen 40% over the past two decades and debris-related injuries are also on the rise. Below are some of the most common injuries from road debris accidents.

Bruises and scrapes
Severe skin damage
Burns and scalds
Broken bones
Mouth and tooth damage
Eye socket damage
Broken arms and legs
Whiplash
Neck and shoulder injuries
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
Damaged muscles and ligaments
Back/spinal cord injuries
Organ damage
Crushing ribcage injuries
Numbness and nerve damage
Temporary or permanent paralysis
Chronic pain
Emotional harm

How Insurance Works After a California Road Debris Crash

If you’re not familiar with how insurance typically works in California road accidents, please continue reading. You can also contact Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers for a free online evaluation of your case and an explanation about how insurance could factor into your potential compensation for your crash. Below, we’ll outline how insurance typically works in the average road debris accident, but these results are not guaranteed.

Many road debris accidents are serious enough to involve the police and medical first responders, but some aren’t. Our law firm focuses on road debris cases that are severe enough to cause moderate to major medical bills and other damages like lost wages, significant property damage, and pain and suffering.

In addition to the police investigation, your personal injury lawyer will investigate your accident to determine your paths to compensation regarding insurance and potential legal action. At the same time or soon after, the insurance company will likely make you an offer to see if you’ll accept it.

Your results depend on factors like negotiation, evidence, applicable laws, your medical bills, your other damages, and your level of blame for the crash. Most road debris accident cases can be resolved through careful negotiation without ever going to court. Even if you must appear in court, the team at Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers represents you with experience and professionalism.

Assigning Fault in California Road Debris Accidents

California uses the comparative fault rule for traffic accidents. Therefore, the total liability is divided according to each person’s responsibility for what happened. Your compensation will be reduced according to your share of the blame, so you could be totally blameless, 100% to blame, or anywhere in-between.

Shared fault is quite common, especially in road debris accidents that involve swerving and multi-vehicle collisions. It should be emphasized that you can still recover accident compensation even if you are partially to blame for the accident.

Liability in road debris cases often involves California Vehicle Code Section 23113, which indicates that when a vehicle’s driver is responsible for dumping, dropping, or throwing something in the roadway, they are also responsible for causing related harm. The person can be held liable in criminal and/or civil court for damages and injuries their debris caused other drivers, pedestrians, and more. The state may also charge them cleanup fees.

As a victim or partially responsible party in a road debris case, you could be shielded from blame completely under California’s emergency doctrine. This is a legal concept that releases people from liability when confronted by a danger they didn’t create, like flying debris in the roadway. Your lawyer can advise you on whether the emergency doctrine applies to your specific case.

In road debris cases, it’s common to have multiple parties involved – especially when the accident happens on an extremely congested road or freeway. When there are multiple parties involved in your road debris accident, all will be assigned a proportion of liability up to a total amount of 100%. This is a complicated situation, but your lawyer can help you sort through it all and determine your best path forward.

Your road debris accident case could involve many factors, including:

State and local laws regarding debris, speeding, and other issues
Federal trucking laws that involve loading and safety
Where and when the accident happened on California’s roads
Any relevant weather or visibility conditions
Road debris like cracked and peeling pavement
Testimony from other drivers and witnesses
Expert testimony from highway crash investigators
The damage to each vehicle and whether they’re totaled
Whether your accident involves drunk, drugged, or distracted driving
Additional evidence like video/dashcam footage from cars and businesses
The police report and police testimony

Any accident can involve many other parties with unexpected connections to your accident. A road debris case may involve a big rig driver and their trucking employer, plus a major trucking insurance carrier.

Maybe the responsible party was working for the government at the time of the accident, delivering trash or moving rubble to the dump. They could have been driving for a commercial trucking company, a delivery company, or Uber, which impacts your case. Your lawyer can help you track down everyone involved and establish what it all means for your case.

Short Statute of Limitations for Some Debris Accident Claims!

Time is ticking! Don’t wait too long to start your road debris accident claim. Under California’s statute of limitations, there’s a firm deadline for filing these claims of two years from the date of the road debris accident.

The deadline is much shorter if your debris claim involves a city, county, or state agency. Generally, this deadline is just six months from the date of the accident. Keep this in mind if your accident involves a county or city vehicle like a bus, dump truck, or trash truck.

You Need the Right Road Debris Accident Lawyer

A road debris accident is upsetting and could leave you too traumatized to drive and enjoy your life the way you used to. Choosing the right lawyer at this difficult time is extremely important.

At Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers, we approach our clients with care and compassion. We make it worth your valuable time to explore your legal options and try a free initial consultation with a road debris accident lawyer from our experienced legal team.

We always take a personal interest in each person who becomes our client. We’ll work diligently to pursue the full value of your road debris accident claim, including your medical bills, emotional damage, lost earnings, and more. We’re here to stand up for your rights and help you recover, so please contact us as soon as possible to discuss your road debris accident.

We Handle Your Road Debris Accident Claim So You Can Focus on Your Life

When you suffer injury due to road debris in California, please contact our personal injury attorney attorneys at Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers. We handle many areas of the law, including road debris accidents. We believe you should be able to focus on recovering while we handle the legal details.

We care about helping California’s injured people. Contact us today for a free online case evaluation or call 877-380-8852.

Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers

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Karen johnson

2 years ago

When I got into my accident I was really not looking for an attorney, however I became frustrated with the other parties insurance company. I then went online and found Sally Morin Law and called for a free courtesy consult. Annie quickly called me back and spent 30 minutes explaining the attorney process. This made my decision easy,,, an All female attorney group certainly did not disappoint. Annie and her team (Amber) were on the case immediately, making calls, sending emails and dealing with the other party insured (or lack of insured). I’m so pleased to have had this incredible team of ladies to help me through this process. They did all their professional expertise, none of which I was capable of. They advocated for me in every way from medical bills, insurance liens, med pay, demand letters, phone calls, emails etc. All I needed to do was send receipts, and most importantly focus on getting better. Thank u team for all u have done. I am grateful for so much,,, and I can say that making that first phone call was the best decision. Keep up the great work and helping others Sincerely KJJ

Michael Basti

2 years ago

I unfortunately got injured in an auto accident and called a bunch of different attorneys with little to no help. I called Sally Morin Law and got help from Rebecca who was absolutely fantastic. She was there every step of the way to help and Isn’t just trying to make a quick buck. She took her time with me and went out of her way to help out. Thanks for all the help Rebecca!!

Reba Roseberry

2 years ago

I was t-boned by someone who ran a red light, totaling my car and sending me to the hospital with multiple breaks to my pelvis, among other smaller injuries. Once released from the hospital, I was confused, angry, and extremely anxious about what to do next. A friend encouraged me to seek legal help, and I found the team at Sally Morin. I was drawn to their all-women team, and immediately felt assured that I was in good hands. They took the reigns on handling everything, leaving me significantly more relieved to rest and heal like my body needed. With their help, the case was settled within four months of the accident, and I can now move forward with my life and leave this behind me. I would absolutely recommend the team at Sally Morin to anyone in a similar situation!

John Zientek

2 years ago

I was injured while riding my bicycle and a friend recommended Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers. In my experience, they made the process transparent and smooth, allowing me to focus on recovery — they were professional, empathetic, and effective! Rebecca and Carmen made a difficult time much less stressful.

Jimmy Lu

2 years ago

My mom was in a car accident and was badly injured. We wanted her to focus on her recovery without the worries of medical bills and dealing with multiple insurance companies so we hired Sally Morin Lawyers. Fortunately we received Annie Heller who showed strong ownership of the case, dealing with all communications from medical to slow moving insurance companies. Annie and team helped us settle the case with money in my mom’s pocket, but more importantly helped all of us not worry about anything besides my mom’s recovery. thank you!

Shannon Yu

2 years ago

Carmen and team at Sally Morin are the best. Having Carmen and her team for my personal injury case is one of the lucky thing for me in 2024 Carmen is a very capable law professional. she is expert in her domain, also she is very skillful in finding the key information. Carmen is also a compassionate and kind person, she listened and also put my interests in priority. At the same time she patiently explained to me the law information. Carmen is also very good with execution, the whole process she is proactively driving it towards the satisfactory result What more can you ask for a lawyer who is capable, professional, kind, effective and efficient.

Dee49ful

2 years ago

I was very fortunate that, by pure luck, I found Sally Morin’s firm online. It wasn’t recommended to me by anyone, but I now want to recommend them to EVERYONE, especially my fantastic attorney, Annie Heller. Annie was compassionate, honest, attentive, and responsive to my calls and emails. Throughout the entire process of my claim, I felt completely supported by her, and even after my case was successfully settled, she followed up with me. Thank you Annie, for your exceptional legal service!!

Lew Jabro (Havasu Lew)

3 years ago

Amazing! After months and months of going it alone and getting nowhere with our sons accident, and struggling...badly, we were lucky enough to get refered to Sally and Rebecca. They took over the whole case and handled everything. The whole team was very personable, professional, keeped us in the loop the entire time and cared about what was going on. They also set us up with all the right people to make sure the settlement funds were properly handled in the most efficient way for us. I just dont think we could have done all of this without them. It was a terrible time for our family, and we are very gratefull for everything they did for us! Thank you guys! ~HavasuLew

Kyle Osborn

3 years ago

Rebecca and the Sally Morin team provided invaluable support during a challenging period after our daughter was involved in a car accident. Their care, expertise, and dedication resulted in an outcome that exceeded our highest expectations. Working with them was a great experience, and I wholeheartedly recommend their services to anyone, without hesitation!

Alysia Lyons

3 years ago

I worked with Annie on my case and had such a pleasant experience! I felt supported and understood throughout the whole process. I highly recommend Sally Morin firm. Being injured isn't pleasant, so having a team behind you that's got your back makes the experience that much better.

Ariana D

3 years ago

I just spent the last 8 months working with a team of caring, compassionate, relatable women for my personal injury claim. Brief background: I was hit by a car while riding my bike to work. The driver pulled out of a parallel parking space without looking and was completely at fault. Initially, he and the others in the car were very concerned, but ghosted us afterwards and made up a story in order to not take on the blame. I ended up needing surgery and costs mounted, so I sought legal advice. After much research, I settled on Sally Morin Law. The team at this law firm is invested and responsive in a very personable way. I specifically worked with Carmen and Annie. Carmen took the lead and she answered every email, text, and annoying question my husband and I sent her way. She wrote a detailed demand letter that personalized my case and thoroughly explained the impact the accident had on my life, my children's lives, and my husband's life. In the end, our own insurance policy covered the claim to the fullest amount. Additionally, Carmen was able to negotiate the medical lien to $0, and my husband received a separate smaller amount for loss of consortium. We are more than happy with the results as it’s way beyond what we expected, and completely life changing. We didn't proceed with the case thinking we would have the outcome we did, and almost didn't pursue the case. However, after spending my own money on copays, days off from work, take out, uber rides, babysitters, and special equipment, it just didn't feel right not to seek help and I am so glad that I did! I highly recommend Sally Morin Law!

Simon Unge

3 years ago

Last year me and my partner was in a MC/Car accident. I was clueless on what rights we had and how to proceed with insurance claims etc. I contacted Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers, who guided us through the year long process in a very pedagogical manner, a lot of support, expertise and professionalism - answering any questions we had in a timely manner. Highly recommended, they made a painful experience very manageable. Thank you, Rebecca, Carmen, and Amber!

    
 
 
       Posted on Yelp  
   
   Amy R. 
 
 
 
 Verified I can't recommend Rebecca at Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers more highly. Rebecca is transparent, honest, and client-centered in a way that was completely different from the other firms I considered. Rebecca broke down what can feel like a very opaque process, and helped me understand my options in an approachable way. It was immediately clear that Rebecca's advice and guidance centered around my personal best interest, not what would make her firm the most money. Thanks Rebecca and team!
  
 
      Posted on Yelp  
   
   Mike B. 
 
 
 
 Verified I unfortunately got injured in an auto accident and called a bunch of different attorneys with little to no help. I called Sally Morin Law and got help from Rebecca who was absolutely fantastic. She was there every step of the way to help and Isn't just trying to make a quick buck. She took her time with me and went out of her way to help out. Thanks for all the help Rebecca!!
  
 
      Posted on Yelp  
   
   Shannon Y. 
 
 
 
 Verified Carmen and team at Sally Morin are the best. Having Carmen and her team for my personal injury case is one of the lucky thing for me in 2024
Carmen is a very capable law professional. she is expert in her domain, also she is very skillful in finding the key information. 
Carmen is also a compassionate and kind person, she listened and also put my interests in priority. At the same time she patiently explained to me the law information.
Carmen is also very good with execution, the whole process she is proactively driving it towards the satisfactory result

What more can you ask for a lawyer who is capable, professional, kind, effective and efficient.
  
 
      Posted on Yelp  
   
   Dinora G. 
 
 
 
 Verified I was very fortunate, and  by pure luck, I found Sally Morin's firm on YELP.  The firm wasn't recommended to me by anyone, but I now want to recommend them to EVERYONE, especially my fantastic attorney, Annie Heller.  Annie was compassionate, honest, attentive and very responsive to my calls and emails. Throughout the entire process of my claim, I felt completely supported and even after my case successfully settled, she followed up with me. Thank you Annie for your exceptional legal service.
  
 
      Posted on Yelp  
   
   Phil M. 
 
 
 
 Verified Rebecca and the team at Sally Morin are awesome, plain and simple! Honestly, they were the only legal representation that didn't make me feel slimy after the first conversation. I was thrilled to work with them on my injury case after realizing it was more than I could handle dealing directly with the other party's insurance myself. They advocated for me and my family, going into incredible detail and crafting a great strategy for what to do next. The end result was a pleasant surprise, far exceeding my expectations.

Rebecca and the team definitely earn their share by providing amazing value. They're also no-pressure, which was refreshing compared to other lawyers I contacted before choosing Sally Morin. Their priority was making sure I was always informed and knew exactly what was going on, every step of the way.

If something happens again, Rebecca and Sally Morin will be my first call--and I'm sure there will be a multitude of emails to follow! :P
  
 
      Posted on Yelp  
   
   Steve M. 
 
 
 
 Verified Attorneys Annie Levitt Heller and Carmen from Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers are the absolute best! They are dedicated, approachable and thorough in all their work. They provided the best possible outcome for my case (I was a pedestrian hit by a car in a crosswalk) and supportive every step of the way. I would absolutely recommend Sally Morin Personal Injury Lawyers to anyone Forever grateful to them!
  
 
      Posted on Yelp  
   
   James Minh N. 
 
 
 
 Verified My sister got in a car accident, was hit badly by another driver, became unconscious, and was immediately taken to hospital emergency with an internal brain bleeding thus could not defend herself. As a result, the police report had false information from the other driver and concluded my sister at fault. While other legal firms purposed disappeared after seeing at the police report and other driver's cheap insurance policy (not easy win), Sally Morin team with great heart and "no win, no pay" written clause took on the case and successfully reversed both insurance + police reports and won the case. My family is grateful to find Sally Morin firm and great team with legal expertise, experience, and most important great heart. Thank you very much.
  
 
      Posted on Yelp  
   
   Tim K. 
 
 
 
 Verified Unfortunately me and my mom were hit by another driver on the freeway. We ended up with hospital bills and a long road to recovery especially for my 85 yr old mother. This was such a tragedy and uncertain times for us not knowing where to turn and what to do about mounting bills while trying to get our lives in order. I contacted Sally and her wonderful team. Carmen one of her associates worked with me and my mom and handled everything. Carmen was awesome and such a caring lawyer as well. She keeps
It real and we loved that about her. When you need a personal injury attorney that will work on handling your case in every aspect, insurance claims, potential health liens and negotiating on your behalf then Sally Morin Personal Injury law firm is the one to contact. You can count on them. Carmen explained everything so we knew what we were in for and was trustworthy and honest. There is no way to state how invaluable and priceless it is knowing the law firm you hired has your back and can be trusted. I hope no one ever needs a personal Injury attorney because being injured is one of the worst things that can happen to you; your life changes in an instant after a bad accident. But having a law firm like Sally Morin with lawyers like Carmen make that terrible experience much better knowing they are there to handle every aspect of your case and do it so well. Thanks Carmen and team. Much appreciated!
  
 
      Posted on Yelp  
   
   Stephan B. 
 
 
 
 Verified I originally reached out to a different law firm to handle my personal injury case, but Sally Morin's team (Rebecca Taylor in particular) left such a good impression on me that I switched to them--and I'm glad I did! They were empathetic and professional, communicated early and often, and patiently walked me through every option. They did thorough research and handled so much on their end that I was able to focus on my recovery/work/life with minimal disruption. So I highly recommend this firm.
  
 
      Posted on Yelp  
   
   Michele H. 
 
 
 
 Verified Word cannot express the honesty from Annie at Sally Morin law . She is honest kind and to the point . If you want to get ripped off by shady humans don't hire Annie . If you want honest kind and attentive go with Annie at Sally Morin law . You will feel good about your choice  . She is a firm advocate with insurance and health care .  Annie and her team will be available to explain things all the way through . Her integrity is not matched in this field . I would hire again and again 
Thanks Annie   You made one of the most difficult times in my families life tolerable !  
Your kindness and integrity are not matched in everyday life . Much less with  personal injury lawyers thank you thank you 
Michele Hargrove