Injured in a Truck Crash Near Tehachapi? Talk to Colvin Accident Lawyers

A Tehachapi truck crash lawyer looks at the driver, the truck, the road and the paperwork to find out who may be responsible. After a semi-truck crash on the Grapevine or the Tehachapi Grade, those four areas usually shape the next steps. Colvin Accident Lawyers is based in Bakersfield and represents accident victims and families in Tehachapi, Kern County, Fresno, Visalia, Lancaster, Palmdale and Delano.

What a Tehachapi truck crash lawyer handles

A Tehachapi truck crash lawyer handles injury and wrongful death claims involving semi-trucks and big rigs. This page is for people hurt in truck crashes on Interstate 5 through Lebec and the Grapevine, or on State Route 58 through the Tehachapi Pass. It’s also for families who lost someone in those crashes.

Colvin Accident Lawyers handles these case types:

• Truck accident claims
• Wrongful death claims
• Catastrophic injury claims
• Car, motorcycle, bicycle and pedestrian crashes that involve a commercial vehicle

Your first consultation is free, confidential and comes with no obligation to continue.

Why the Grapevine and Tehachapi Grade change a truck crash claim

Long downhill grades make brake condition and driver speed central questions in these crashes. A truck coming down a steep grade must control its speed for many miles, and its brakes must hold the whole way.

California law says no one may drive faster than is reasonable or prudent. Veh. Code § 22350 looks at weather, visibility, traffic and the road itself. It also bars any speed that endangers others.

Federal rules add more. 49 C.F.R. § 392.6 bars a motor carrier from scheduling a run that would force a truck to exceed the speeds allowed where it travels. 49 C.F.R. § 393.52 requires a commercial vehicle to come to a stop from 20 miles per hour within a set distance.

Other facts often matter on these routes:

• Runaway truck ramps: Was one nearby, marked and usable at the crash spot?
• Warning signs: Were grade and chain-control notices posted, visible and accurate that day?
• Weather: Wind, fog, rain, snow and ice change braking distance and visibility.

These facts point to different parties. Speed may point to the driver. Brakes and maintenance may point to the carrier. A road condition may involve a public agency.

Evidence reviewed in a truck crash case on these corridors

The most useful evidence usually comes from the crash report, road records and the trucking company’s own files. Early requests matter, because companies keep certain records only for set periods.

• CHP collision report. When the California Highway Patrol completes one, it records the time, place, vehicles, officer observations and any citations.
• Caltrans road records. Where available, these can show grade, signage and reported conditions for the section involved.
• Driver logs. 49 C.F.R. § 395.3 says a driver must first take 10 consecutive hours off duty. It also limits driving after 14 consecutive hours on duty and caps driving time at 11 hours in that period.
• Maintenance records. 49 C.F.R. § 396.3 requires carriers to keep these records for one year where the vehicle is housed, and for six months after it leaves their control.
• Post-crash testing. FMCSA guidance explains federal drug and alcohol testing after certain qualifying crashes.
• Photos, witness statements and medical records. These connect the crash to the injuries claimed.

Responsibility can reach past the driver.

How the process works after you contact Colvin Accident Lawyers

After you reach out, the firm moves through four steps: consultation, investigation, notice and claim. Each step builds on the one before it.

1. Consultation. You describe what happened, where, when and who was involved. You can ask questions with no obligation to continue.
2. Investigation. The firm reviews the crash report, road records, carrier documents and medical information.
3. Preservation and notice. Letters go to the trucking company and insurers asking that evidence be kept. If a public agency may share responsibility, the firm checks its notice rules.
4. Claim or lawsuit. The firm negotiates with insurers. If the claim does not resolve, it can file a lawsuit.

Bring what you have, such as photos, the other driver’s details, medical bills and insurer letters. Missing items are fine.

California generally gives two years to file a lawsuit for injury or death caused by another’s wrongful act or neglect. Code Civ. Proc. § 335.1 sets that rule. An action for injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another is subject to the two-year deadline in Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1. Gov. Code § 911.2 sets six months for claims for death, injury to person or personal property, or growing crops; other claims must be presented within one year. California may hold a public entity liable for a dangerous condition of its property only when specific conditions are met. Gov. Code § 835 explains those conditions. Deadlines depend on the facts of each case, so the firm reviews them at the first consultation.

Why choose Colvin Accident Lawyers for a mountain corridor crash

Colvin Accident Lawyers is based in Bakersfield and represents clients in Kern County and nearby communities. The firm’s work covers the highways and towns that connect the Grapevine and Tehachapi areas.

• Responsible lawyer. Donald Norman Colvin is the responsible lawyer for this page.
• Our team. Our team, including assistants and office staff, helps organize records and keep each case moving.
• Matching practice areas. The firm handles truck accident, wrongful death, catastrophic injury and related crash claims.
• Plain language. We explain the facts and deadlines in plain words before you decide on next steps.

Mountain crashes often involve several parties, including the driver, the carrier, a broker and a public agency. Sorting out who may be responsible takes time. It starts with the facts you can share.

No lawyer can say in advance how a case will turn out.

Common questions about Grapevine and Tehachapi truck crashes

Here are short answers to common questions about these crashes.

Talk with Colvin Accident Lawyers about your truck crash

If a semi-truck crash on the Grapevine or the Tehachapi Grade left you hurt, or took someone you love, you may be asking who is responsible and what deadlines apply. Colvin Accident Lawyers can talk through what happened and which steps come next. Contact Colvin Accident Lawyers to start that conversation.

Colvin Accident Lawyers, Bakersfield, California — responsible for this site.