Truck / 18-Wheeler Accident Statistics in Los Angeles
8,400+
Annual Large Truck Crashes
85
Fatal Truck Crashes (2024)
$3.1M+
Avg Serious Truck Injury Settlement
#1 Most Dangerous
I-710 Port Corridor
Courts in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles County Superior Court — Stanley Mosk Courthouse
111 N Hill St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
U.S. District Court — Central District of California
350 W 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Hospitals & Trauma Centers in Los Angeles
LAC+USC Medical Center — Level I Trauma Center
2051 Marengo St, Los Angeles, CA 90033
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center — Level I Trauma
8700 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048
Liability Considerations in Los Angeles
Port-Related Truck Accidents on the I-710 Corridor
The I-710 (Long Beach Freeway) serves as the primary drayage corridor from the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to regional distribution centers. With over 40,000 drayage truck movements daily, the I-710 is consistently among the state's most dangerous commercial vehicle corridors. California's AB5 law has dramatically affected the independent contractor classification of drayage truck drivers, potentially extending motor carrier liability to companies that previously insulated themselves through contractor arrangements. Drayage truck accident cases on the I-710 regularly involve AB5 misclassification arguments that, when successful, expose carriers to punitive damages.
California's pure comparative fault system allows truck accident victims to recover damages regardless of their own fault percentage — a major advantage in cases where the carrier attempts to argue shared liability. Los Angeles County juries have produced some of the nation's highest truck accident verdicts, with nuclear verdicts exceeding $20 million occurring in cases involving egregious FMCSA violations or carrier safety culture failures.
Construction and Delivery Trucks in the LA Metro
Beyond port drayage, construction trucks serving LA's massive development pipeline and last-mile delivery trucks (Amazon DSP, FedEx Freight, UPS) are significant contributors to LA's commercial vehicle accident statistics. Construction trucks frequently violate posted weight limits on city surface streets, causing road damage and creating hazardous pavement conditions. Delivery trucks operating under intense time pressure double-park in bike lanes and loading zones in ways that force cyclists and pedestrians into traffic — creating separate liability beyond the vehicle collision itself.
Your Legal Team
Jennifer Kowalski
Partner
Los Angeles, CA
Jennifer Kowalski is one of California's premier truck accident attorneys, focusing on catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases involving commercial carriers on California's dense freeway network. Over 18 years, she has developed deep expertise in the electronic evidence that defines modern truck litigation — ELD records, GPS tracking data, EDR analysis, and dashcam footage — and has pioneered spoliation strategies that have resulted in adverse inference sanctions against multiple major carriers. Jennifer has recovered over $180 million for truck accident victims and is a frequent lecturer on commercial vehicle litigation at the Consumer Attorneys of California annual conference.
Education
- J.D., USC Gould School of Law (2008)
- B.A., Economics, UCLA (2005)