If you or someone you love has been hurt in a crash with a flatbed truck, you're likely feeling stuck. The medical bills start piling up. Work gets missed. And the insurance companies aren’t making things any easier.
We understand what you're going through. At the Law Offices of Adrianos Facchetti, our Burbank truck accident lawyer team is here to help you move forward. We’ve helped people just like you hold trucking companies accountable and fight for fair compensation after serious injuries.
Whether it was an unsecured load or a careless driver, flatbed trucks can cause real damage. You don’t have to figure it all out alone. If you're considering a personal injury lawsuit, let our expert lawyers take the pressure off your shoulders.
Call (626) 793-8607 for a free consultation. You don’t pay unless we win.
What Is a Flatbed Truck?
A flatbed truck is a large, heavy-duty vehicle with a long, flat platform instead of an enclosed trailer. It doesn’t have sides or a roof. That open design makes it easier to load things like building materials, equipment, or machinery especially when the cargo doesn’t fit inside a regular trailer.
In places like Burbank, these trucks are a common sight on the 5 or the 134. They're often used in construction zones or near industrial parks. But without walls to contain the cargo, anything loaded onto a flatbed must be secured with care. When it’s not, the results can be serious especially for drivers in smaller vehicles sharing the road.
Types of Flatbed Trucks and What They Carry
Flatbed trucks come in different shapes and sizes, depending on what needs to be hauled. And what they carry plays a big role in how accidents happen.
Standard Flatbed
This is the one you see most often just a flat surface on wheels. It carries everything from lumber to boxes of supplies. A slight shift in weight during a turn can cause the cargo to tip or slide.
Step Deck (Drop Deck)
This type has two levels one lower than the other. It’s built for tall equipment that can’t go on highways with height restrictions. If it’s loaded wrong, even a small bump can throw the balance off.
Double Drop Deck
This one’s for the really tall stuff like industrial machines or huge pipes. These loads sit deep into the truck to stay low, but they’re often heavy and need extra care when turning or stopping.
Extendable Flatbed
Used for extra-long cargo like beams or poles. When something sticks far out the back, there’s a greater chance it could strike another car in traffic, especially during sudden stops.
Common Cargo
Flatbeds often carry concrete slabs, steel, generators, tractors things that don’t fit inside enclosed trucks. If this cargo comes loose on the freeway, nearby drivers are at serious risk of injury.
Flatbed Truck Accident Statistics in California
California sees more truck accidents than most other states, and flatbed trucks are a big part of that. Because of their design and the loads they carry, flatbed crashes tend to cause severe injuries especially for truck accident victims in smaller passenger vehicles.
According to recent data from the FMCSA, large commercial vehicles were involved in nearly 12% of all fatal crashes in California last year. Semi-truck and flatbed incidents often involve spinal cord injuries, internal injuries, or traumatic brain injuries the kind that can change a person’s life in seconds.
One study found that loose or shifting cargo played a role in over 20% of flatbed truck accidents. And distracted truck drivers, tight schedules, or skipped inspections can make things worse.
In many cases, insurance companies try to pin the blame on the driver of the car. But it’s not always that simple. The trucking company, the loader, or even the manufacturer of a faulty strap or brake system could be the responsible party.
When serious injuries happen, it’s not just about medical expenses or property damage. It’s about your quality of life, your job, your ability to walk or think clearly. Our experienced truck accident attorneys use accident reports, police reports, and your medical records to find the truth and help you fight for fair compensation.
Whether the crash happened on a highway or a tight city street, our goal is the same: hold the liable parties accountable and seek the maximum compensation for your pain, lost wages, and emotional distress.
Why Flatbed Truck Accidents Happen in Burbank
Flatbed truck crashes in Burbank aren’t rare and they often follow a pattern. With busy freeways like the 5 and the 134 running through the area, it only takes one mistake from a semi-truck driver or a lapse in cargo safety to cause serious harm.
These trucks are several times heavier than passenger cars. So even at lower speeds, the risk of injury is high. The causes can vary, but they often come back to things that should’ve been prevented.
- Unsecured Loads - Flatbeds carry everything from steel beams to equipment. If it’s not tightly fastened, cargo can shift or fall. We’ve seen drivers swerving just to avoid concrete slabs spilling onto the road.
- Driver Error or Fatigue - Long hours on the road with little rest can affect judgment and reaction time. In one local case, a tired commercial driver ran a red light and hit a vehicle turning legally. That family came to us after being told it was just “bad luck.” It wasn’t.
- Brake or Tire Failures - Flatbeds require constant maintenance. If a maintenance provider or trucking company skips inspections, they risk brake failure or mechanical issues. These failures are especially dangerous on Burbank’s busy slopes and ramps.
- Difficult Maneuvering - Large trucks need extra space. Sharp turns, blind spots, and tight lanes increase the risk of sideswipes and Underride accidents, where a smaller car gets trapped under the trailer.
- Bad Weather or Roads - Add rain to Burbank’s uneven streets and suddenly stopping a loaded truck becomes much harder. These conditions make crashes more likely, especially when proper training is missing.
Common Injuries in Flatbed Truck Accidents
Some accidents leave bruises. Others change lives. Flatbed crashes can cause catastrophic injuries because of the size and weight of the truck, or because of loose cargo turning into road hazards.
Traumatic brain injuries can affect memory, speech, or even basic movement. These often don’t show up right away, which makes early medical care and legal action even more important.
Spinal cord damage might lead to paralysis or chronic pain. We’ve helped clients who could no longer work or walk the way they used to and whose entire family had to adjust.
Broken bones and crush injuries are common, especially when a car gets caught under the side of the trailer.
Internal bleeding and organ damage are often missed at first. Even if a person feels fine after the crash, these injuries can get worse without treatment.
PTSD and anxiety can follow, especially in cases where there was a loud impact, visible trauma, or loss of a loved one. These aren’t just emotional. They affect sleep, relationships, and daily life.
We take every injury seriously visible or not. You’re not just a case file. You’re someone whose life was changed, and you deserve help rebuilding it.
What You Can Claim After a Flatbed Truck Accident
After a crash, bills show up fast medical care, car repairs, time missed from work. If you’ve been hurt, filing an injury claim isn’t just about what happened. It’s about what comes next.
Our experienced truck accident lawyers help victims of truck accidents pursue the full range of damages allowed under personal injury laws.
You can seek economic damages like hospital bills, rehab costs, missed income, or future earnings if you can’t return to your job. If your car or personal property was destroyed, that’s included too.
Non-economic damages focus on what you feel but can’t put a receipt on pain, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment, and loss of companionship in cases involving death or long-term injury.
In rare cases, the court may allow punitive damages if the trucking company or driver showed reckless behavior, like ignoring safety rules or lying in the accident report.
The legal process can be complex. But with the right team, you’ll have the support, evidence, and legal strategy to push forward. No upfront fees. No hidden costs. Just real help, on a contingency fee basis.
Who’s Liable in a Flatbed Truck Accident?
When you’re hit by a flatbed truck, it’s not always the driver who’s solely at fault. These cases can involve several players, and figuring out who’s legally responsible makes all the difference in your ability to recover compensation.
It could be the truck driver, especially if they were speeding, distracted, or made a bad call in traffic. But many flatbed drivers are independent drivers or work under pressure from their employers. So, the trucking company might share blame especially if they skipped safety checks or pushed their drivers to meet tight delivery windows.
Sometimes, it’s not about who was behind the wheel at all. Cargo loaders might’ve failed to secure the load properly. In other cases, the issue lies with equipment failures caused by improper maintenance or a defective part. These situations can bring in maintenance contractors or equipment manufacturers as part of the legal claim.
To prove fault, we gather:
- Maintenance logs that show what was or wasn’t done
- Witness statements from people who saw what happened
- Video footage, often from dashcams or traffic cams
- Police reports that document the scene and findings
- Driver records, including hours of service logs that may show fatigue
In short, we don’t just look at the driver we look at the whole picture.
What to Do After a Flatbed Truck Accident in Burbank
If you’re in a flatbed accident, the hours that follow can affect your health, your claim, and your future. These steps can help protect all three.
- Get medical help right away. Even if you feel okay, some injuries like internal organ damage don’t show up immediately. A visit to the doctor creates a medical record that supports your claim.
- Call the police and file a report. This report becomes key evidence. It helps link the accident scene to your injuries and identifies who was involved.
- Take photos if you’re able. Capture the scene, license plates, road signs, skid marks, and cargo. These details can help show fault.
- Don’t speak to insurance companies without advice. They may try to rush a settlement or get you to say something they can use to lower your payout.
- Reach out to a flatbed truck accident lawyer in Burbank. The sooner you get legal support, the faster we can collect crucial evidence and start building your case.
People often think they should wait to “see how things go.” But delays make it harder to hold the right people accountable.
How Long Do You Have to File a Claim in California?
In California, you generally have two years from the date of your truck crash to file a personal injury claim. This is called the statute of limitations.
There are exceptions. If a child was injured or if it’s a wrongful death claim, the timeline might change. But in most cases, if you miss the deadline, you give up your right to sue no matter how strong your case is.
Starting early also makes a difference. Vital evidence like dashcam footage or maintenance records can disappear within weeks. Witnesses forget details. And the legal process from gathering documents to dealing with negotiations with insurance companies takes time.
If you're unsure whether you're still within the window to file, talk to an experienced lawyer. We’ll look at your case and help you figure out the next step on a contingency basis, so there’s no risk in asking.
Why You Need a Flatbed Truck Accident Lawyer
After a crash, many insurance providers move fast. Their goal is to settle your truck accident claim quickly and for as little as possible. They may downplay your injuries or blame you for what happened.
An experienced flatbed truck accident attorney firm serving Burbank knows how to push back.
We collect the details like traffic cam footage, phone records showing distracted driving, or proof of skipped inspections that can strengthen your case. We handle the calls, the forms, and the pressure so you can focus on getting your life back.
One client came to us after being offered a small settlement that wouldn’t even cover their ER bill. We dug deeper and found the semi-truck that hit them had brake issues the company ignored. With that evidence, the final outcome was 10 times the original offer.
Getting a lawyer doesn’t just level the playing field. It changes it.
Cost of Hiring a Flatbed Truck Accident Lawyer
Worried about cost? You’re not alone.
Hiring us doesn’t mean paying upfront. We work on a contingency fee basis. That means no fees unless we win. No hidden bills. No hourly rates.
You get a free consultation to see if you have a case. If you do, we take on the risk not you.
We’ve helped clients from all walks of life some with serious injuries and no health insurance get access to medical care and secure fair compensation without spending a dime out of pocket.
Why Choose Us for Your Flatbed Truck Accident Case in Burbank
Not all law firms are the same. We focus on serious commercial truck accidents and we’ve been doing it a long time.
Our team brings decades of combined experience, including cases involving semi-trucks, improper cargo loading, and insurance providers who try to avoid paying. We’ve worked cases right here in Burbank and know the roads, the court system, and the common causes of crashes in the area.
We don’t treat you like a number. We listen, keep you informed, and work to make a difficult time feel more manageable.
Whether your case involves general damages vs special damages, or figuring out how fault is shared, we explain what matters, and we fight for what’s fair.
From start to finish, our focus is simple: strong results and honest support.
FAQs About Flatbed Truck Accidents in Burbank
What makes flatbed truck accidents more dangerous?
Flatbed trucks carry large, unsecured items like steel beams or heavy equipment. Without sides or a roof, loads can shift or fall putting nearby drivers at risk. These trucks also have wider turns and bigger blind spots, increasing the chance of collisions.
How is compensation calculated in truck accident cases?
It depends on the damages. That includes things like medical bills, lost income, and how the injuries affect your daily life. There are also non-economic damages like emotional anguish or loss of enjoyment. We look at every angle to help you get the full picture.
Can I sue if my loved one died in a flatbed truck crash?
Yes, certain family members can file a wrongful death claim. This may include a spouse, domestic partner, or child. You can seek compensation for lost income, funeral costs, and the emotional and practical impact of their loss.
Will my case go to court or settle?
Most truck accident cases settle before trial, especially when strong evidence is involved. But if the insurance company won’t offer what’s fair, we’re ready to take the case to court. Either way, your interests come first.
How soon should I contact a lawyer after my accident?
The sooner, the better. Crucial evidence like dashcam video or driver logs can disappear fast. Early legal support helps preserve your rights and makes the process smoother.
Get a Free Consultation With a Burbank Flatbed Truck Accident Attorney
If you’ve been involved in a flatbed truck accident, the next steps can feel uncertain. Maybe you’re trying to figure out who’s at fault, or the insurance company is already calling with questions. You don’t have to figure it all out on your own.
At the Law Offices of Adrianos Facchetti, we offer a free consultation so you can talk to a real Burbank flatbed truck accident lawyer no pressure, just honest answers. We’ll help you understand your options and whether you have a case.
We’ve taken calls from people sitting in hospital rooms, confused and dealing with financial losses. Others reached out weeks later, unsure if they waited too long. Either way, we’re here.
Call us anytime at (626) 793-8607 or fill out the contact form. We’re available 24/7 for urgent questions, and there are no fees unless we win your case.
