Bakersfield Commercial Vehicle Accident Lawyer

Injured by a commercial vehicle in Bakersfield, CA? Contact a Bakersfield commercial vehicle accident lawyer to seek justice today.

A crash with an 18-wheeler on I-5, a FedEx van on Rosedale, or a GET bus in downtown Bakersfield is not the same kind of case as a two-car fender bender. Within hours of the crash, the trucking company’s investigators, lawyers, and insurance adjusters are already working to shape the record in their favor.

At Kuzyk Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers, our commercial vehicle accident lawyers represent injured people in Bakerfield, CA, and we treat commercial vehicle cases as what they are: high-stakes claims that reward preparation and punish delay. We send preservation demands for ECM and ELD data, subpoena driver and maintenance records, and prepare every case as if it will go to trial. Since 1971, we have recovered more than $1.25 billion for injured clients.

Get a free consultation and discover how our commercial vehicle accident attorneys in Bakersfield can help you seek the compensation and justice you deserve.

Who Is Liable After a Bakersfield Commercial Vehicle Crash?

Liability in these cases rarely stops with the driver. Trucking companies, maintenance contractors, and cargo loaders can all carry legal responsibility for the same crash, and they often shift blame between each other to reduce what you are paid. We investigate every potential defendant from the moment we are retained so that tactic does not work.

Potentially liable parties include:

• The driver: Fatigue, speeding, distraction, or federal hours-of-service violations that limit how long a driver can operate without rest
• The trucking company: Negligent hiring, inadequate training, or internal pressure to meet deadlines that compromised driver safety
• The maintenance contractor: Failing brakes, worn tires, or faulty couplings caused by negligent repair or inspection work
• The cargo loader: Improperly secured or overweight loads that made the truck dangerously unstable before the crash
• The manufacturer: Defective parts, such as brakes, tires, or steering components, that failed in normal operating conditions

“There’s a lot of moving parts to a successful personal injury case. Unless you do it for a living, you wouldn’t know those moving parts.” – Mark Anderson

What You Can Recover in a California Truck Accident Claim

California law allows you to seek compensation for every financial and personal loss the crash caused. These fall into three categories.

• Economic damages cover medical bills, future care costs, lost wages, and reduced earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from returning to the same work
• Non-economic damages cover physical pain, emotional suffering, and the permanent loss of activities you once enjoyed
• Punitive damages may apply when a company engaged in gross misconduct, for example, knowingly keeping a disqualified driver on the road

From tanker trucks and construction vehicles to Amazon and other delivery vans, commercial vehicles are governed by federal regulations, corporate policies, and insurance limits that start at a $750,000 minimum and climb into the millions. We make it our mission to hold insurance companies accountable for the damages you’ve sustained. 

What to Do After a Bakersfield Commercial Vehicle Accident

The decisions you make in the first hours after a crash shape the strength of your case. Evidence disappears fast, and the trucking company’s legal team begins protecting itself the moment an incident is reported.

Call 911 and Document the Scene

Get medical attention first, even if you feel fine. Injuries like internal trauma or a concussion often have no immediate symptoms. A California Highway Patrol or Bakersfield Police Department report creates an official crash record, and the DOT identification numbers on the truck’s cab and trailer connect the vehicle directly to its owner.

Preserve ELD Data and Witness Information

The truck’s Electronic Logging Device, or ELD, is a required onboard recorder that tracks driver hours, location, and behavior. If the driver exceeded federal rest limits, this data proves it, and it gets overwritten within days. Collecting witness names and contact information before people leave the scene protects your ability to use their accounts later.

Decline Recorded Statements

The trucking company’s insurer will call, and they will sound cooperative. Their goal is to capture a statement that limits or eliminates your claim. Do not speak with any adjuster or company representative without your attorney. Route every call to our office.

“Little, seemingly harmless statements people give to insurance companies can torpedo a case.” – Mark Anderson

Call Kuzyk Law for a Free Case Review

The trucking company has legal representation working from the moment the crash is reported. You deserve the same protection. Call (661) 945-6969. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and your consultation is free.

How We Build Your Case

We prepare every case as though it will go to trial. That posture forces insurers to evaluate their real exposure instead of hoping you accept a lowball offer.

ECM and ELD Analysis

Promptly after we are retained, we send a spoliation letter, a formal legal demand asking the trucking company to preserve all relevant data and records. This protects information from the Engine Control Module (ECM), which records vehicle speed and braking force, and from the ELD before either can be overwritten or destroyed.

Driver Qualification and Company Records

We subpoena the driver’s qualification file, drug and alcohol testing history, and DOT inspection records going back years. A driver hired despite a pattern of violations, or a company that ignored repeated maintenance failures, is proof of corporate negligence beyond the crash itself.

Street and Warehouse Video Pulls

We move quickly to secure footage from traffic cameras, truck stop security systems, and nearby business cameras along the crash corridor, along with the truck’s own dash cam footage. Once we have it, the other side cannot dispute what the video shows.

A pattern we consistently see in Bakersfield delivery van and box truck claims is that the best video comes from the warehouses themselves. Distribution centers along 7th Standard Road and the Highway 99 corridor run their own yard cameras, and that footage is usually recorded over on a short cycle unless someone demands it in writing. We send those demands early, because a clip from a loading dock camera often shows the truck’s speed and lane position better than any witness can describe it.

Medical and Wage Loss Documentation

We work with your treating physicians and independent medical experts to build a complete picture of your injuries, both present and future. For clients who cannot return to the same work, we bring in vocational experts to calculate the full value of lost earning capacity with precision.

How Long Does a Commercial Vehicle Case Take?

In cases where liability is clear, claims can sometimes resolve relatively quickly, but the exact timeline depends on the facts. Multi-defendant or catastrophic injury claims often take considerably longer to resolve than straightforward cases. In California, you have two years from the crash date to file a lawsuit, but one important exception applies.

Claims against government entities, such as city buses, county trucks, and school district vehicles, require a formal claim filed within six months of the crash under California Government Code §911.2. Missing that deadline eliminates your right to sue, with no path to extend it.

“Kuzyk made it simple and straight to the point. I brought in all necessary documents and they began working on my case immediately. If you have no idea where to start after being involved in accident, definitely start with Kuzyk!!” – Mary J.

How Much Is Your Case Worth?

Value depends on the severity of your injuries, the insurance policies available, and how clearly we can establish fault. What we can show you is what our approach consistently produces.

We have secured substantial recoveries for our clients. When an insurer made a low offer, we rejected it, and the case later settled for a significantly larger amount. An initial low offer was substantially increased after we filed suit. The insurer lowballs. We build the case. We push back. The number changes.

Winning matters. What you keep matters more.

Call (661) 945-6969 for a free, no-obligation case review.

“Insurance companies want to hold onto their money as long as they can, and as much of it as they can.” – Mark Anderson

Commercial Truck Insurance and Federal Policy Minimums

Federal law requires commercial trucks to carry far more insurance than passenger vehicles. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA, sets these minimums based on what a truck is hauling, and for the largest and most dangerous loads, those minimums run into the millions.

Many carriers also carry excess and umbrella policies beyond these figures, and we review every available layer to make sure nothing goes unclaimed. An MCS-90 endorsement, a federally required add-on for interstate carriers, guarantees a minimum payout even when the primary insurer attempts to deny the claim. We use it when carriers try to hide behind policy exclusions.

Government Vehicle Crashes in Kern County

If a GET bus, Kern County truck, or public school vehicle was involved in your crash, the standard two-year filing window does not apply. California Government Code §911.2 requires a formal claim filed within six months of the crash. After that deadline passes, your right to sue is permanently gone.

This same rule applies to vehicles operated by public agencies, such as water districts and municipal utilities. Privately owned utilities like PG&E and SoCalGas are not public entities, so the standard two-year deadline applies to crashes involving their trucks. If a government or utility vehicle struck you, call us immediately.

In one case we handled, our client aggravated pre-existing low-back injuries when he was rear-ended by a school bus. Before suit was filed, the school district offered only $3,800 to settle. We filed a lawsuit on our client’s behalf, and the case settled at mediation for $100,000.

Bakersfield Roads Where Commercial Crashes Happen

We know where and why these crashes happen because we have handled them for years. I-5 near the Grapevine, Highway 99 through central Bakersfield, Highway 58 toward Tehachapi, and the oilfield routes along Rosedale and Stockdale Highways are the highway corridors we know best, along with the agricultural haul roads through Shafter, Wasco, and Delano.

Our clients come from across Kern County, including Taft and Ridgecrest. Knowing these roads, these intersections, and the local courts is not a marketing claim. It is part of how we work every single case.

What we see across the commercial vehicle claims we handle in Bakersfield is that crashes on Rosedale Highway and Stockdale Highway near the oilfield service yards often involve a truck owned by one company, driven by a contractor, and loaded by a third. Each of those companies has its own insurer, and each one points at the others in the first round of letters. Clients treated at Kern Medical or Mercy Hospital Southwest after these crashes often hear from two or three adjusters in the same week, and we route every one of those calls through our office.

What It Costs to Hire Kuzyk Law

You pay nothing unless we win. Our fee is a percentage of what we recover, and if we do not win, you owe us nothing. There is no retainer, no hourly billing, and no surprise deductions when the case closes.

Every line on your settlement disbursement is explained before you sign. You will know exactly what was recovered, what was deducted, and what lands in your hands. Our bilingual team also serves Spanish-speaking clients throughout Kern County.

“I couldn’t be more grateful for Kuzyk Law because from the moment I reached out, they treated me with compassion and professionalism, and they truly took the time to understand my situation, which made me feel heard and supported. Not only did they keep me updated throughout the entire process, but they also explained every step in a way that was easy to understand, which gave me so much peace of mind. Thanks to their dedication and hard work, I was able to focus on healing while they fought to get me the compensation I deserved.” – Ken A.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I File My Claim Against the Driver, the Trucking Company, or Both?

In most cases, we pursue both. Under a legal principle called respondeat superior, a trucking company is legally responsible for its driver’s on-the-job conduct, and we investigate the company’s hiring, training, and oversight practices as a separate line of liability.

What If the Driver Was Classified as an Independent Contractor?

Trucking companies often label drivers as independent contractors to limit their legal exposure. Federal FMCSA regulations frequently define these drivers as statutory employees regardless, which means the company can still be held responsible for your injuries.

Does My Immigration Status Affect My Right to File a Claim?

No. California law protects your right to seek compensation regardless of immigration status, and our bilingual team serves Spanish-speaking clients throughout Kern County.

How Quickly Do You Demand That the Trucking Company Preserve Evidence?

We send the formal legal demand to preserve all records, including ELD and ECM data, maintenance files, and any available dash cam footage, within 24 to 48 hours of being retained.

Can I Recover Lost Income If I Work Gigs or Earn Cash?

Yes. We document your losses using tax returns, bank deposit records, 1099 forms, and vocational expert testimony to build a specific, credible record of what you actually earned before the crash.

How Do Outstanding Medical Liens Affect My Final Payout?

A lien is a legal claim placed on your settlement by a provider or health insurer that covered your care, and negotiating those liens down is a core part of our work, so more of what you win stays with you.

Kuzyk Personal Injury & Car Accidents Lawyers is proud to support the Antelope Valley community. Over the years, we have received awards and certificates of appreciation from local organizations and charitable partners, including area schools and youth sports programs such as Quartz Hill Little League, Palmdale Youth Soccer League, Quartz Hill soccer, Quartz Hill High School basketball, and local football programs, as well as community institutions like Grace Resource Center, Antelope Valley Hospital, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.