Recently, a Long Beach bicyclist lost his life when a shipping container fell off a truck. The accident happened late in the afternoon, when the truck hit a bridge, causing the load to fall off, crushing 51-year-old Robert Castorena to death.

While the cause of that trucking accident is still under investigation, many of these types of accidents can be caused by negligence when a container or load is not properly restrained. Other causes include fatigued drivers, overloaded trucks, or driving on roads not big enough or properly maintained.

Liability for trucking accidents can fall on the truck's driver, owner of the truck, employer of the truck driver, the business who hired the trucking company or driver, the company who loaded the truck, tire or truck manufacturers, and the governmental agencies responsible for maintaining the roads.

Trucking companies are responsible for following certified routes or obtaining the proper permits for their containers to be driven on certain roads, especially if the containers are oversized. Many bridges are not tall enough to allow oversized loads through. In the Long Beach accident, the truck load hit the top of a bridge, loosening the straps that held the container on the flatbed truck.

Determining liability is often difficult and requires an exhaustive investigation into the cause of the trucking accident. Our firm has handled many trucking accident cases involving catastrophic injuries or wrongful death.

If you have lost a loved one or sustained serious injury during a trucking accident, please contact our legal team for a free case consultation.