Redondo Beach Truck Accident Lawyer
A truck crash in Redondo Beach is usually a claim against a business, not just a driver. Trucking companies often carry far more insurance than the $30,000 per-person minimum for cars, and they also control the records that show what went wrong: the driver’s logs, drug and alcohol tests, and maintenance files. Some of those records only have to be kept for six months (49 C.F.R. § 395.8(k)(1)), so the first weeks after a crash matter.
Redondo Beach truck accident lawyer Jon Olsson represents people hurt in crashes with semis, box trucks, delivery vans, and other commercial vehicles in Redondo Beach and the South Bay, and he stays on each case personally. You can talk with him for free, and you owe no attorney’s fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Redondo Beach Truck Accident Claims: Key Facts
- Lawsuit deadline: generally two years for injuries (CCP § 335.1).
- Trucking company coverage: for-hire interstate carriers hauling general freight in trucks rated 10,001 pounds or more must carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage, and more for oil and many hazardous loads (49 C.F.R. § 387.9).
- Driver logs: carriers must keep records of duty status and supporting documents for six months (49 C.F.R. § 395.8(k)(1)).
- Road-defect claims: generally due within six months (Gov. Code § 911.2), to the City for City streets or to the State for Pacific Coast Highway.
- Shared fault: your recovery is cut by your percentage of fault, not wiped out (Li v. Yellow Cab Co.).
- Courthouse: truck crash suits from Redondo Beach are generally filed at the Torrance Courthouse, 825 Maple Avenue.
- Cost: no attorney’s fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Why Jon’s Corporate Defense Experience Helps Your Redondo Beach Truck Accident Claim
Jon spent the early part of his career on the other side of injury cases, so he knows how insurers and their lawyers will size up your claim. Before founding Olsson Law, he spent six years at a large international law firm defending companies in complex litigation, including serious injury and product liability matters. He then joined a Los Angeles personal injury firm, where he represented injured people in motor vehicle collisions, dangerous property conditions, public entity cases, and disputed liability matters. That background tells him what evidence moves a defense lawyer, and what they look for to justify paying less.
Jon stays directly involved from your first consultation through the resolution of your case, and works to reduce medical bills and liens so more of any settlement goes to you.
- Education: Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.); New York University (B.A.)
- Bar admissions: California, Texas, and Massachusetts
- Community: member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles County Bar Association, and the South Bay Bar Association
Prior Results
- $3.85 million: wrongful death settlement
- $700,000: car accident, back and neck injuries
- $400,000: slip and fall, knee injury
These results include matters personally handled by Jon Olsson at prior law firms and matters in which he participated as part of a legal team. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Read more about Jon Olsson, our approach, and prior results.
Trucks on Redondo Beach Roads
The state’s city crash rankings don’t count truck crashes separately, so there’s no official truck-crash figure for Redondo Beach. What the data does show is how much traffic trucks share the road with:
- Pacific Coast Highway: Caltrans’s 2024 counts show roughly 40,000 vehicles daily just north of Torrance Boulevard and 39,500 just south of it (Caltrans traffic counts).
- Construction work on PCH: Caltrans has a pavement rehabilitation project scheduled through summer 2029 in Redondo Beach and six other cities from Torrance to Santa Monica, which brings work zones and construction vehicles onto the highway.
- Overall crash injuries: OTS counted 224 to 333 people killed or injured in Redondo Beach crashes each year from 2019 through 2023, including 333 in 2022, when the city ranked 6th of 104 similar cities (OTS 2022).
Deliveries keep commercial vehicles on Redondo Beach’s local streets too, from the South Bay Galleria to the shops and restaurants on the harbor. A delivery driver working at the time of the crash can bring the employer’s insurance into the claim.
Who Can Be Responsible for a Truck Crash?
A truck crash often involves more than one company, so Jon looks at everyone connected to the truck, the driver, and the load.
| Who | Why they may be responsible |
|---|---|
| The trucking company | It employs or contracts with the driver, and is usually responsible for the driver’s conduct on the job |
| The carrier an owner-operator is leased to | Federal leasing rules give the carrier exclusive possession, control, and use of the truck, and complete responsibility for operating it, while the lease is in effect (49 C.F.R. § 376.12) |
| The company that maintained the truck | Carriers must systematically inspect, repair, and maintain their vehicles (49 C.F.R. § 396.3) |
| A parts manufacturer | When brakes, tires, or another part failed (CACI No. 1200) |
| The City or the State | When a road defect contributed: the City of Redondo Beach for City streets, Caltrans for PCH |
For a City street, the claim goes on the City’s liability claim form, signed by hand and delivered in person or by U.S. mail to the City Clerk’s Office (City Clerk forms). For PCH, Caltrans’s district office takes claims up to $12,500, and the Government Claims Program takes larger ones. With either agency, the claim generally turns on a dangerous condition the agency created, or knew or should have known of soon enough to repair (Gov. Code § 835).
Who Pays After a Redondo Beach Truck Accident?
| Situation | Who may pay |
|---|---|
| A for-hire interstate truck hauling general freight | The carrier’s commercial liability policy, with a federal minimum of $750,000 for trucks rated 10,001 pounds or more |
| A fuel or hazardous materials truck | The carrier, under higher federal minimums of $1 million or $5 million depending on the load |
| A local delivery van or company truck | The employer’s commercial auto policy |
| The at-fault vehicle’s liability limits are lower than your own underinsured motorist limits | Your underinsured motorist coverage, if your policy includes it (Ins. Code § 11580.2) |
| Medical care while the case is open | Health insurance or auto medical payments coverage, subject to repayment from a settlement |
After a Truck Accident in Redondo Beach
- Get medical care. Truck crashes cause serious injuries that may not show at first; Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is one of the county’s Level I trauma centers.
- Photograph the truck’s markings. Federally regulated carriers must show their name and USDOT number on both sides of the vehicle (49 C.F.R. § 390.21T). Also get the trailer number and both plates.
- Call police to the scene. A report taken there is the strongest record, and a commercial carrier’s own reporting duty can follow different rules than an ordinary driver’s (Veh. Code § 20008).
- Get the driver’s information, including the employer’s name, and ask witnesses for their contact details.
- File an SR-1 with the DMV within 10 days when someone was injured or the damage topped $1,000.
- Don’t talk to the trucking company’s insurer before you’ve talked with a lawyer.
The Police Report
Redondo Beach Police Department’s Records Unit releases traffic collision reports through the City’s online records portal or by mail to 401 Diamond Street, Redondo Beach, CA 90277. Include a copy of your photo ID. We’ll request it for you if you’d like.
How Jon Builds a Redondo Beach Truck Accident Case
- A preservation letter, fast: a written demand that the carrier keep the driver’s electronic logs, supporting documents, and any onboard or camera data before the six-month window closes.
- The driver: the qualification file the carrier must keep (49 C.F.R. § 391.51) and any post-crash drug and alcohol test results (49 C.F.R. § 382.303).
- The truck: inspection, repair, and maintenance records, and the vehicle itself when brakes or tires are in question.
- Damages: treatment records and bills, lost income, and the care your doctors say you’ll need.
- Every policy: the carrier’s, a leasing carrier’s, the employer’s, and your own underinsured motorist coverage, if you have it.
- Resolution: a documented demand and negotiation, and a lawsuit if needed, generally filed in the court district where the crash happened, the Torrance Courthouse for Redondo Beach.
Learn about truck accident claims more broadly.
Redondo Beach Truck Accident FAQs
Is a Delivery Van Crash a Truck Accident Claim?
It’s handled much the same way. If the driver was working, the employer’s commercial auto policy usually applies, and the company’s records about the driver and the vehicle matter. The federal $750,000 minimum applies only to certain interstate for-hire carriers, so the coverage available depends on the company.
The Truck Driver Was an Independent Owner-Operator. Who Is Responsible?
Often the carrier the truck was leased to. Federal leasing rules make that carrier responsible for operating the truck while the lease is in effect. The lease, the carrier name on the truck, and the shipping papers usually show who that is.
How Soon Should I Contact a Lawyer After a Truck Crash?
As soon as you can after getting medical care. Carriers must keep drivers’ duty-status records for only six months, and a written preservation demand helps make sure they’re kept longer.
The Crash Happened in a PCH Work Zone. Can I Claim Against the State?
Possibly, if the work zone’s setup or the road’s condition contributed. A claim against the State is generally due within six months. Claims against the truck driver and carrier follow the regular two-year deadline.
What Does a Redondo Beach Truck Accident Lawyer Cost?
Jon’s fee is a share of the recovery, and without a recovery there’s no attorney’s fee. State law requires a written fee agreement (Bus. & Prof. Code § 6147).
Talk to a Redondo Beach Truck Accident Attorney
A trucking company’s records can be discarded after six months, and claims about PCH or a City street are generally due in the same window. Reach Jon Olsson at (310) 304-4756 or online for a free consultation about your truck crash. You owe no attorney’s fee unless we recover compensation for you.
Our Redondo Beach personal injury lawyer page covers other injuries in the city, and our Torrance truck accident page covers the neighboring city.
This page provides general information about truck accident claims in Redondo Beach. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Deadlines and rules can change and may depend on the facts of your case.