Large trucks are necessary links in the country’s supply chain, but they present a significant hazard to smaller vehicles on the road, outweighing ordinary cars by as much as 76,000 pounds. When collisions occur, the results can be catastrophic.
If you’ve been injured in a trucking accident, contact the Vancouver personal injury attorneys at Sears Injury Law for experienced legal representation in this uniquely complex claim process. Call (360) 854-3696 to schedule a free consultation and discuss your case with one of our Vancouver truck accident attorneys.
Why Choose Sears Injury Law as Your Trucking Accident Lawyers In Vancouver, WA?
Large trucking companies and their powerful insurers are not on your side after a truck accident, especially when you have significant economic damages. Sears Injury Law offers advantages in your case, such as the following:
- A free case consultation and an attorney representing you at no cost until after they’ve recovered compensation in your case
- The Vancouver accident attorneys at Sears Injury Law has over 20 years of history in Washington’s injury laws, traffic laws, civil courts, and insurance system
- A personalized strategy based on the unique circumstances of your case
- An entire legal team and staff collaborating to advance your case
A history of recovering over $300 million for injured clients puts a powerful voice behind your claim, while a compassionate legal advocate defends your rights throughout every step of the process.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Trucking Accidents In Vancouver?
The trucking industry is vital to Washington’s economy due to the state’s strategic location and access to ports and rail systems. Unfortunately, this means the roadways are crowded with large commercial trucks that tower over smaller vehicles. Commercial carrier trucks require long stopping distances and make wide turns, making them difficult to maneuver in traffic. They also have extended blind spots, which present a serious danger to vehicles in parallel lanes. Common causes of truck accidents in Vancouver and elsewhere include the following:
- Unsafe lane changes
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Improper merging
- Failure to yield the right of way
- Tailgating
- Tire blowouts
- Improper passing
- Drowsy driving
- Impaired driving
- Sudden shifting of an imbalanced or improperly secured load
- Inadequate truck or trailer maintenance
- Defective parts or equipment
In some cases, an investigation shows that a hazardous road condition, such as potholes, uneven pavement, obstructed signs, or construction debris, caused or contributed to a truck accident. An experienced Vancouver truck accident attorney determines the cause of the accident and pursues compensation from all parties that contributed to the crash under Washington’s pure comparative negligence system.
What Types of Truck Accidents Happen In Vancouver?
Trucks are heavy—legally allowed to weigh as much as 80,000 pounds when fully loaded. They are also tall, towering over smaller vehicles on the road. Because of lane size restrictions, truck manufacturers cannot sufficiently broaden a truck’s wheelbase to balance the extended height, leaving trucks less stable and more prone to tipping than typical cars. Common types of truck accidents in Washington include:
- Rear-end collisions
- T-bone accidents
- Head-on collisions
- Sideswipes
- Jackknife accidents (a trailer comes out of alignment with the truck and causes a wreck shaped like a partly opened jackknife)
- Rollovers
- Roadway departures
- Collisions with obstacles
- Multi-car pileups
- Underride accidents (a car wedges below the truck or trailer during a collision)
- Override accidents (a truck rides up and over a smaller car during a collision)
Some trucks carry fuel and hazardous chemicals, causing destructive accidents with explosions and toxic exposures that impact entire communities.
Common Injuries In Vancouver Truck Accidents
Although trucks made up only about 10% of total vehicle miles traveled in a single recent year, 9% of all vehicles involved in fatal accidents were trucks. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), about 70% of truck accident injuries and fatalities occur to other motorists, not the truck driver. Common injuries in truck accidents include the following:
- Broken bones
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Soft-tissue injuries like sprains and ligament or tendon injuries
- External head and facial injuries
- Internal organ injuries
- Traumatic amputations
- Burns
- Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
- Wrongful death
Even mild injuries can cause financial anxieties if they require an emergency room and a few days of lost pay. Unfortunately, more serious injuries are common in truck accidents, often with life-altering impacts on an injury victim’s earning ability and ability to take care of their daily routines. These repercussions of a car accident are the “damages” in a truck accident compensation claim.
What Damages Can I Recover After a Truck Accident in Vancouver?
Serious injuries cause serious financial damages as well as pain and suffering. No two compensation claims have the same result because the total amount recovered depends on the extent and nature of the damages. Common damages recovered in truck accident cases include the following:
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Out-of-pocket costs
- Lost wages
- Future income loss or lowered earning ability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Compensation for additional damages in some cases, such as loss of limb, loss of an organ, the loss of one of the senses, or compensation for diminished quality of life, scarring, or PTSD
If a loved one died from injuries suffered in a Vancouver truck accident, a close family member may recover compensation for their economic losses, grief, and anguish through a wrongful death claim. Our Vancouver wrongful death attorneys can explain your legal options and ensure your rights are protected throughout the entire process.
What Makes Liability Complicated In Washington Trucking Accidents?
It takes many different entities to keep a truck properly maintained and driven by a qualified driver while carrying a balanced and secured load. Depending on the cause of the accident, the liable party could be one or more of the following:
- The driver
- The trucking company
- A negligent freight-loading company
- A negligent truck maintenance company
- The manufacturer of a defective truck part or tire
In some cases, another entity, such as a negligent road maintenance agency or a third-party driver, is liable for damages. Proving liability requires an experienced Vancouver truck accident lawyer to gather compelling evidence of the negligence that caused the accident, demonstrating that the at-fault party owed a duty of reasonable care to others, they breached this duty through negligence, and the negligent breach of duty directly caused the truck accident and injuries. Finally, a successful claim also requires evidence of the injury victim’s damages.
Contact the Vancouver Truck Accident Lawyers at Sears Injury Law
During a truck accident claim, possible liable parties may deny responsibility and point the finger at someone else. Insurance companies are rarely in a hurry to write out large checks to injury victims, despite their glossy, reassuring ads. Instead of taking on a crucial truck accident claim alone, seek the experienced representation of a Vancouver truck accident lawyers from Sears Injury Law. We are assertive legal advocates who will argue passionately for your complete compensation after a Vancouver truck accident.