Truck Accidents

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A semi-truck rolling down the highway can rival a missile in its destructive power. The results of an accident can be utterly devastating for you and your family. Our Seattle truck accident lawyers, however, are dedicated to providing you with compassionate yet aggressive representation.

At Davis Law Group Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers, we recognize the physical, emotional, and financial toll these accidents cause, and we are committed to navigating the legal intricacies on your behalf.

The path to justice and compensation can seem daunting. Fear not, because our personal injury lawyers in Seattle are not just legal professionals—we are caring individuals who will stand by your side during challenging times.

Our aim is to alleviate your burden so that you can focus on healing and recovery. Contact us online or call our personal injury law firm in Seattle, WA at 206-727-4000 or 206-727-4000 today to schedule a free initial consultation.

How Davis Law Group Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help You With Your Seattle Truck Accident Claim

We’re proud to be recognized by Lawyer International’s Legal 100 list of the best personal injury law firms in Washington State. Our achievements don’t stop there – AI Global Media, through its AI Legal Awards, has also honored us with its ‘Award for Excellence in Personal Injury Law’ for six different years. These awards are a testament to our unwavering commitment and exceptional performance in personal injury law.

The bottom line is that you don’t need to handle your truck accident claim alone. Our Seattle personal injury lawyers can help you:

• Understand federal and state trucking regulations.
• Investigate the truck driver’s qualifications, training, and history for any previous misconduct.
• Review trucking company policies and procedures for negligent practices.
• Coordinate with accident reconstruction experts to establish causation and fault for the accident.
• Dealing with multiple insurance companies simultaneously.
• Interpret data from the truck’s event data recorder to reconstruct your accident.
• Handle complex liability issues, such as vicarious liability.
• Apply hazmat regulations, if the truck that hit you was carrying hazardous materials.
• Analyzing weight and load regulations to determine the truck’s compliance.

We’ve recovered tens of millions of dollars in compensation for our clients and are ready to fight for you, too. Contact our law offices in Seattle, Washington, to schedule your free case review.

What Types of Commercial Truck Accidents Are the Most Common?

Commercial truck accidents include not only semi-truck accidents but also tanker/fuel truck accidents, dump truck accidents, and other types of truck accidents. Our legal team is qualified to help you no matter the nature of your accident.

What Are the Common Causes of Semi-Truck Accidents in Washington State?

The most common causes of semi-truck accidents in Washington include:

• Aggressive driving,
• Blind spots,
• Distracted driving,
• Driver fatigue,
• DUI,
• Inadequate driver training,
• Inadequate roadway knowledge,
• Mechanical failures,
• Overloaded or improperly secured cargo,
• Poor truck maintenance,
• Roadway hazards,
• Speeding, and
• Weather conditions.

There are many other potential causes.

What Steps Should You Take Immediately After a Truck Accident in Seattle?

Take the following steps starting immediately after a Seattle truck accident:

• Move to a safe area to avoid further accidents;
• Call 911;
• Seek medical attention;
• Document the accident scene;
• Gather contact and insurance information;
• Do not admit fault;
• Notify your insurance company;
• Keep records of medical treatments, expenses, and any time off work;
• Talk to a lawyer as soon as you can, and before giving any statements or accepting any settlements from an insurance company

The first and last steps above are likely to be the most important.

What Are the Unique Risks Associated With Tanker and Fuel Truck Accidents?

The operation of tankers and fuel trucks carries unique dangers, including:

• Hazardous material spills,
• Explosions and fires,
• Greater impact force,
• Rollovers,
• Complex cleanup and containment,
• Extended road closures,
• Evacuation of nearby areas,
• Long-term environmental damage,
• High financial stakes, and
• Specialized legal and regulatory concerns.

Accidents involving these types of trucks often involve large mass torts cases and class action lawsuits.

How Do Hours of Service Regulations Affect Truck Accident Claims?

Hours of service regulations can affect a truck accident claim by:

• Establishing driver fatigue by proving that a driver was over the hours of service limit at the time of the accident.
• Proving regulatory non-compliance.
• Allowing the use of Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) to track a driver’s hours on the road.
• Affecting the willingness of insurers to settle.
• Impacting settlement negotiations.
• Establishing negligent hiring, supervision, or retention practices on the part of the trucking company.

These are not the only ways that hours of service regulations can affect a truck accident claim. Additionally, other types of regulations can also be critical.

What Evidence Is Crucial for Proving Negligence in Truck Accidents?

Any number of items can prove important to a truck accident case. Following are some of the most common items of evidence that are specific to truck accident cases in particular:

• • Driver’s log books,
  • Electronic logging devices (ELDs),
  • Truck maintenance records,
  • Accident scene photos and videos,
  • Witness statements,
  • Police reports,
  • Dashboard camera footage,
  • Cell phone records (especially if you are alleging distracted driving),
  • Cargo records (if the truck was overloaded or if the load was improperly secured),
  • Toxicology reports (if you suspect DUI),
  • Expert testimony in fields like accident reconstruction or truck mechanics, and
  • The event data recorder (“black box”) that records technical vehicle and occupant information for a few seconds before, during, and after an accident.

It is difficult to obtain most of this evidence without filing a lawsuit and demanding that the other party produce the evidence during the pretrial discovery phase.

Can Victims Claim Damages for Emotional Distress After a Truck Accident?

Yes. As long as you suffer a physical injury due to a truck accident, you can claim damages for emotional distress. You have to be able to prove your emotional distress, which means that for evidentiary purposes, it is important to show physical symptoms–depression, for example, or PTSD. Compensation for emotional distress can be substantial.

As a bystander to a truck accident in which your relative was physically injured, you might be able to demand compensation for negligent infliction of emotional distress (NIED).

What Is the Statute of Limitations for Truck Accident Claims in Washington State?

The general statute of limitations deadline to file a lawsuit over a Washington state truck accident claim is three years after the date of the accident. If someone died in the accident, the estate executor generally has until three years after the date of death to bring a personal injury claim.

However, there are exceptions to these time limits. Our legal team can help you confirm the appropriate deadline for your specific case.

What Specific Challenges Do Dump Truck Accident Claims Present?

Dump truck accidents generate unique challenges, including the following:

• The severity of injuries caused by the truck’s size and weight.
• Difficulty determining liability if the dump truck is owned and operated by different entities.
• Complex regulations.
• Cargo-related issues.
• Insurance coverage problems due to high risk.
• Multiple parties may be involved, such as the driver, the truck owner, the employer, contractors, and maintenance companies.
• Complicated claims involving governmental entities due to the truck’s impact on public roads.
• Investigation and evidence gathering is often more demanding due to the nature of dump truck operations.

Don’t try to handle a dump truck accident claim on your own unless its value is trivial.

What Happens if Defective Brake Drums Caused My Truck Accident?

If defective brake drums cause a truck accident, it is possible to file a product liability claim against the brake drum manufacturer and any party in the brake drums’ chain of distribution.

To win your claim, you must prove a design defect, a manufacturing defect, or a warning defect, but you need not directly prove fault.

What Happens if the Victim Dies in the Accident?

If the victim dies in a truck accident, or as a result of injuries arising from a truck accident, the victim’s estate executor can file a wrongful death lawsuit. Wrongful death damages can be substantial, but they are based on different factors than ordinary personal injury damages.

Contact a Seattle Truck Accident Lawyer to Schedule a Free Consultation

At Davis Law Group Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers, we’re ready to lace up our gloves and fight for you. You can hire our Seattle truck accident attorneys without a penny in your pocket. In fact, you won’t ever owe us legal fees unless we win. In that case, your legal fees will equal a pre-agreed percentage of your compensation. In the unlikely event that we don’t win, your legal fees will be zero.

If you were injured in a Seattle truck accident, or if your loved one died that way, contact us today to schedule a free case consultation by calling us 24/7 or by reaching out to us online.

Truck Accident Resources

• How Do Attorneys Investigate Semi-Truck Accident Cases?
• How Do I Determine If I Need A Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer?
• How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer?
• How To Look Up A Trucking Company’s Safety Record & Accident History
• Who Can you Claim Damages From After a Semi Truck Accident?

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Seattle Truck Accident Posts

• Common Defenses In Semi-Truck Accident Cases
• Common Insurance Issues In Semi-Truck Accident Cases
• Common Types of Semi Truck Accidents
• How Trucking Companies Gain The Upper Hand After An Accident
• Legal Mistakes That Could Ruin Your Semi-Truck Accident Case
• How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer?
• Who Can you Claim Damages From After a Semi Truck Accident?