Size is the primary distinction. The size of the vehicles, and indirectly, as a result, the size of the claim and the severity of the injuries. The size of the personal injury claim also rises proportionally, making them more valuable.
With more money on the line, if there is some sort of dispute over liability or causation from the insurance company,
they are likely to put a lot more money into undermining your claim. Often, money will have to be spent litigating it (taking it to court), where the scale of the case will be bigger, too.
There will be more companies involved, more experts hired, and accident reconstructions will be more elaborate. Every detail will often need to be studied and proved before insurance companies are willing to part with the compensation you need and deserve.
While everything is bigger and more expensive, at their heart, trucking accident personal injury claims are not that different from other automobile collisions.
You will need to show who violated the vehicle code or the safety rules to determine who was at fault for the collision.
You need to determine what injuries were caused by the accident and how much they cost you in terms of medical bills and income lost.
You need to demonstrate the non-economic losses (general damages) caused by the trauma, pain and suffering. These can become extremely consequential with long-term injuries or deaths.
You need to show recklessness or negligence or outright illegal behavior, such as driving under the influence (for which punitive damages may be added).
While the steps are similar, the stakes are higher due to the severity of the injuries caused. They are not cases you want to take lightly, and certainly not the kind you can afford to make mistakes when preparing your claim. That is why it is vital to hire an attorney with experience handling elaborate personal injury claims, especially trucking accidents. For more information on Hiring A California Personal Injury Attorney For Your Trucking Accident Claim, an initial consultation is your next best step.