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BELLEVUE TRUCK
ACCIDENT LAWYER
Personal Injury Attorney in Bellevue Serving Clients Injured in Truck Accidents
Did you know that a high percentage of large truck accidents occur on interstates or freeways? According to a fact sheet from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), about 30 percent of collisions involving a large truck happen on interstates and freeways, which includes I-405 and I-90 around and through Bellevue. Yet large truck collisions can happen in other areas, too. In fact, the IIHS reports that about 53 percent of large truck crashes occur on other major roads, which Washington drivers from Bellevue often take to get to work or to run an errand around town.
Why are truck accidents so dangerous? As the IIHS points out, large trucks “often weigh 20-30 times as much as passenger cars and are taller with greater ground clearance.” As such, when they collide with smaller passenger vehicles, the damage to those passenger vehicles tends to be substantial. If you or someone you love recently sustained injuries in a truck collision, an experienced Bellevue truck accident lawyer can assist you.
OTHER PRACTICE AREAS
CAUSES OF
TRUCK ACCIDENTS
What Causes Truck Accidents in Bellevue, WA?
What are some of the most common causes of trucking accidents in Bellevue? The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) conducted a “Large Truck Crash Causation Study,” which helps to clarify some of the reasons that truck crashes occur. There are many causes of trucking collisions, as you might imagine, and the FMCSA study points to the following as among the major explanations for accidents:
- Driver behavior, including negligence or error (about 87 percent of all truck accidents);
- Vehicle problem, including defective truck parts (about 10 percent of all truck accidents); and
- Environmental factors, such as inclement weather (about 3 percent of all truck accidents).
What are some of the common types of truck driver behavior that can result in severe and deadly collisions? The FMCSA points to some key incidents that could signal truck driver negligence or error:
- Truck driver fell asleep, or engaged in drowsy driving;
- Driver was physically impaired and unable to properly operate the vehicle;
- Driver was inattentive or distracted, or in other words, engaged in distracted driving;
- Driver was speeding, or was driving too fast given the conditions of the road;
- Driver misjudged the speed of another vehicle and may have been following too closely;
- Driver panicked;
- Driver overcompensated; and/or
- Driver exercised poor directional control.
To put these into some clearer categories, truck accidents in which the driver may bear some responsibility can result from the following:
- Drowsy driving;
- Distracted driving;
- Aggressive driving; and/or
- Impaired driving.
If a driver’s negligence or error resulted in a deadly or dangerous truck accident, any injured persons may be able to hold the driver liable for damages. However, it is important to keep in mind that other parties also may bear some responsibility for the collision.
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Who is Liable in a Bellevue Truck Accident?
Many different parties can bear some responsibility in a truck crash that results in serious personal injuries. The FMCSA study highlights how many different entities are responsible for trucking safety, from the owner of the truck and the manager of a trucking company to the party responsible for loading the truck. Generally speaking, some of the following parties may be held liable in a truck crash, depending upon the specific circumstances of the case:
- Truck driver;
- Trucking company (company that employs the truck driver);
- Owner of the truck;
- Company or employees responsible for loading the truck;
- Designer of vehicle parts (if the accident was caused by a defective product);
- Manufacturer of vehicle parts (if the accident was caused by a defective product);
- Property owner (if the accident occurred on poorly maintained property); and
- Driver of another vehicle that caused the accident.
A Bellevue truck accident attorney can discuss your case with you and help you to decide the best path for seeking financial compensation.
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How Long Do I Have to File My Claim?
In personal injury lawsuits filed in Washington, it is extremely important to understand the statute of limitations and how it applies to your case. The statute of limitations is the legal term for the time window in which you must file your claim, or else potentially lose the right to seek compensation. Under Washington law, the statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits is three years.
As such, if you want to file a truck accident lawsuit, you will typically need to file your claim within three years from the date of the accident.
DAMAGES ELIGIBILITY
Types of Damages for Which You May Be Eligible
If you got hurt in a serious truck accident, you might be wondering about the types of damages you may be able to receive by filing a lawsuit. In Washington, injured plaintiffs typically can be eligible to receive compensatory damages. Compensatory damages are designed to compensate victims for losses. In general, there are two different types of compensatory damages:
- Economic damages: economic damages are those that have a specific dollar figure attached to them. There is an objective number that the plaintiff would need in order to be compensated for losses. For instance, a hospital bill has a precise amount that the plaintiff had to pay, and lost wages can be calculated objectively by looking at a plaintiff’s pay stub. In addition to these examples, economic damages can also include costs of rehabilitative care, future visits to the doctor’s office, prescription drug costs, and other losses connected to health care or to the inability to work.
- Non-economic damages: non-economic damages do not have a specific dollar amount attached to them, and as such they tend to be more controversial. This form of compensatory damages is designed to compensate plaintiffs for losses that cannot be calculated objectively, such as pain and suffering, or the loss of enjoyment of life. Non-economic damages can vary widely depending upon the specific case.
Contact a Bellevue Truck Accident Lawyer
If you have questions about filing a personal injury lawsuit, an aggressive truck accident lawyer in Bellevue can help with your claim. Contact the Khan Injury Law, PLLC today to discuss your case.