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Seattle Truck Accident Lawyer

The Seattle truck accident attorneys at Fang Law Firm have a decade of experience in truck accident litigation. Call us today at (206) 489-5140 to get you or your loved one the compensation you deserve. After a truck accident, trucking and insurance companies will work overtime to keep you or your loved one from receiving the compensation they’re entitled to. If you’ve suffered an injury driving on the job, you may be entitled to compensation from either of these corporate conglomerates.

Commercial truck accidents are on the rise as demand for consumer goods increases across the country. Companies force drivers to drive while tired to meet supply chain demand. When tired drivers are on the road, accidents happen. With those accidents come serious injury and even death.

 

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Why Choose Our Seattle Truck Accident Lawyers?

  • We’ll get your desired result: Our Seattle car accident lawyers have a 98 percent success rate across 10,000 litigation cases.
  • Always available: Fang Law Firm makes it a priority to keep in touch with our clients. We’ll return your call within 24 hours.
  • No up-front fees: We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay unless we win.

How Can a Seattle Truck Accident Lawyer Help?

Often trucking and insurance companies deny or delay valid injury claims or offer you a financial settlement for less than you deserve. An experienced truck accident litigation attorney will handle the large corporate conglomerates on your behalf and ensure you receive the payment you deserve. At Fang Law Firm, our personal injury law firm will help you with the following:

  • We will develop an extensive medical, employment, and injury record.
  • Our attorneys will negotiate with the trucking and insurance company on your behalf.
  • We will do a thorough case evaluation to determine whether you have other claims or causes of action against your employer such as negligence, pain and suffering, and other damages.
  • If you were driving a car or a passenger in a car that was involved in an accident with a truck and the truck driver was at fault, we can advocate for your compensation for property damage and personal injury claims even when it means taking on the powerful insurance companies that provide policies for major trucking companies.

A truck accident litigation attorney can help you reach a more favorable outcome than you would on your own. After a traumatic injury, you shouldn’t have to fight for the compensation you deserve.

What Compensation Can I Recover in a Truck Accident Claim?

Seeking payment from an insurance company and your employer can be scary and overwhelming, especially when you’re suffering from serious and debilitating injuries. With potentially two large entities and dozens of lawyers fighting as hard as they can to give you the smallest payout possible, it might feel impossible to get what you deserve. With an experienced Seattle truck accident attorney, you won’t have to worry about the bullying and scare tactics these companies use to force you into settling for less. The attorneys at Fang Law Firm will assist you in fighting back against these underhanded corporate conglomerates. We will fight for the compensation that you deserve for your life-changing injuries and compensation to cover the following:

  • Payment for medical expenses
  • Compensation for lost wages
  • Compensation for future lost wages for ongoing treatments
  • Payment for disability
  • Rehabilitative care
  • Vocational training
  • Pain and suffering
  • Property damage

Don’t spend precious recovery time fighting tooth and nail for the financial compensation that could save your life. Our Seattle trucking accident lawyers are familiar with insurance and trucking company tactics and techniques; we’ll cut through their hollow threats and get you the major payment you’re entitled to.

How Long Do I Have to File a Truck Accident Claim?

Washington’s Statute of Limitations (time limit to file) is three years from the date of damage. This limitation applies to both repairs and complete replacement of a damaged or totaled vehicle after a truck accident, as well as to personal injury claims; however, there may be exceptions made for personal injuries that didn’t become apparent for some time after the initial accident.

If you have questions about your personal injury claim, our accident law firm in Washington state can help. Contact a Seattle trucking accident attorney from The Fang Law firm today to schedule a free consultation.

How Do You Determine Fault After a Truck Accident?

In order to succeed in a truck accident claim in Washington, accident victims must prove the other driver is at fault. Showing whether the truck caused the accident or the driver of the other car or truck involved in the accident was at fault is the key to determining which driver’s insurance must cover the damages. To prove fault in an accident you must prove negligence on the part of the at-fault driver. Some key points to prove negligence include showing the following:

  • The driver owed a duty of care. All drivers on the road owe a duty to other drivers to drive responsibly and follow laws and road rules. Other drivers have the right to expect them to adhere to this duty of care
  • The driver breached their duty of care by their actions whether it was driving carelessly, recklessly, not following traffic laws, or driving while impaired, tired, or distracted
  • You suffered property damage and an injury as a direct result of the other driver’s breach of duty

The fault in an accident doesn’t always fall on one driver. For example, a defective part in a vehicle could mean the manufacturer is at fault.

What If I Was Partly At-Fault in a Truck Accident?

Washington does not operate as a no-fault state. Instead, it’s understood that sometimes both parties in an accident share blame. Washington operates as a pure comparative fault law state, which means you can recover compensation even if you were partly at fault for the accident. For example, if the investigation shows you were 25% at fault you can still recover 75% compensation. Any settlement or awarded compensation is reduced by the proportion of fault.

If you were involved in a truck accident but were partly at fault, you still deserve a fair portion of compensation for your damages and injuries.

Seattle Truck Accident Lawyer

Types of Truck Accident Claims

If you pursue a settlement from the trucking company’s insurance company, it may not be the amount you were hoping for. In many cases you can pursue a separate legal action against the trucking company for damages. There are three types of claims that are typically brought in truck accident litigation.

Negligence

Negligence is the failure to exercise ordinary care that is expected of a person of ordinary prudence in like circumstances in protecting others from a foreseeable and unreasonable risk of harm in a particular situation. Types of trucking company negligence in a truck accident can include:

  • Failing to maintain trucks
  • Overloading trucks

Something to be aware of is that Washington is a comparative fault state. That means that if a judge, jury, or insurance adjuster finds you contributed to the accident in any way, your settlement amount will be reduced by the percentage that your actions caused the accident. Types of driver negligence in truck accident can include:

  • Driving while drowsy
  • Speeding
  • Driving drunk
  • Falsifying driving logs

Statute of Limitations (time limit to file): three years from date of injury or accident

Property Damage

Property damage can be significant in a truck accident. Some semi-truck drivers own the cab of their truck or keep valuable objects in the sleeping compartment. If you have had your property damaged in a truck accident, you can recover the following in a personal injury lawsuit for property damage:

  • Loss of use
  • Cost of repairs
  • Diminution of value
  • Total loss
  • Cost of personal property

For accidents involving collisions between large commercial trucks and cars, car owners are entitled to property damage when the truck driver is at fault. Damages are typically extensive in this type of collision due to the size and weight of trucks. For cars that become “totaled” in an accident with a truck, the owner is entitled to compensation at the fair market value of the vehicle as well as the cost of registering a new vehicle.

If a vehicle isn’t a total loss, an accident victim can collect compensation for the amount of reduction in value caused by the damage, as well as the cost of repairs.

Wrongful Death

RCW 4.20.010 defines wrongful death as the death of a person caused by a negligent or wrongful act or default of another person. If your loved one or family member died in a trucking accident caused by the trucking company’s or another person’s negligence, you can pursue an action on their behalf. Consult with an experienced Seattle wrongful death attorney to explore your legal options for a wrongful death lawsuit under Washington law.

Statute of Limitations (time limit to file): three years from date of death

Common Causes of Truck Accidents

Trucking accident numbers are on the rise despite increased regulations and public awareness. Truckers and their vehicles aren’t the only victims of accidents. Many times drivers and passengers in other vehicles on the road become victims. With the average weight of an 18-Wheeler at about 80,000 pounds, and that of a car averaging only 3,000 pounds, catastrophic results occur in an accident. Common causes of big-rig accidents include the following:

  • Truck driver fatigue
  • Distracted driving such as texting, adjusting sound systems or eating while driving
  • Driving recklessly
  • Impaired driving
  • Challenging weather conditions
  • Improper cargo loading or securing
  • Negligent truck maintenance

Driving large trucks requires extra care. It’s critical for truckers to follow regulations regarding the number of hours they are on the road.

Common Injuries in a Truck Accident

The immense size and heavy weight of trucks cause many serious injuries in accidents, especially in a collision with a car, which is much smaller and lighter. Some of the most devastating injuries from truck accidents require years of treatment for recovery or leave significant, life-altering impairment. Some unfortunately common injuries suffered in truck accident include the following:

  • Neck and back injuries
  • Broken bones
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Head injuries, including traumatic brain injury
  • Burns
  • Internal injuries
  • Lacerations
  • Whiplash and seatbelt injuries

Financial compensation for medical expenses and pain and suffering greatly depends on the severity of the injury resulting from a truck accident. An experienced Seattle truck accident attorney knows how to gather pertinent evidence to prove the severity of injuries to secure fair compensation and damages.

Differences Between Truck and Car Accidents

Truck accidents are very different from car accidents! Mainly due to the large, dangerous nature of semi-truck. Here are a few reasons why truck accidents differ from car accidents:

Enormous Medical Bills

Commercial trucks are giant and when they crash that means the possibility of giant injuries. With a large number of injuries comes an increase in medical bills.

Increased Chance of Death

Everyone knows that commercial truck driving is dangerous. Just how dangerous? Trucking fatalities have reached an all time high; 885 truckers died in 2018.

Large Settlement Opportunities

Trucking insurance policies are often in the millions of dollars, whereas car insurance is typically capped at $50,000/person or $100,000/accident depending on your state’s mandatory insurance law. When large sums of money are on the line, insurance companies will do anything they can to reduce or deny your settlement.

Seattle Trucking Industry Statistics and Accident Statistics

Over 4,000 deaths and 130,000 injuries occur in the United States each year due to accidents involving trucks. Head-on collisions make up the largest number of truck accidents, with speeding, distraction, and driver impairment the top three factors in truck-involved accidents.

There are over 3 million truck drivers in the U.S. and Seattle is a mecca for trucking companies in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It’s a hotbed of truckers, truck companies, truckstops, truck leasing businesses, and truck repair shops. Thousands of commercial trucks make their way through and around Seattle daily. With the boom in internet shopping, the number of trucks on the road is steadily increasing. Accidents involving trucks increased by over 40% between 2009 and 2019. Seattle reports an average of 3,000 truck accidents per year. Some reasons for the increase in trucking accidents include:

  • Greater numbers of trucks on the road
  • More opportunities for distractions due to the increased popularity of smartphones
  • More instances of speeding due to increased demand for products
  • Increased shipping demands cause improperly loaded trucks and less time for maintenance

Despite an overall decline in traffic accidents in recent years, truck crash numbers are on the rise in Washington and throughout the U.S.

Contact Our Seattle Truck Accident Lawyers Today

Our experienced trucking accident attorneys at Fang Law Firm have a 98 percent success rate across 10,000 litigation cases. We have a decade of experience defending innocent, hard-working people from insurance companies in personal injury lawsuits. We understand how confusing and difficult recovering the compensation you deserve can be, especially when dealing with insurance companies. Let our Seattle personal injury attorneys handle the negotiations while you recover. Call us at (206) 489-5140, and an attorney will review your case with you and chart out the best path for financial recovery.

Fang Law Firm offers 100% remote and contactless meetings & representation.