TUKWILA TRUCK ACCIDENT ATTORNEY

Whether the truck involved in a crash was a semi-trailer, flatbed, or tanker, most collisions involving large commercial vehicles are caused by:

 

• Falling asleep at the wheel;

• Driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol;

• Speeding or driving aggressively;

• Driving while distracted;

• Tire blow-outs;

• Mechanical failure; and

• Cargo spills.

 

To help prevent these kinds of negligent and reckless acts, the federal government instituted a series of regulations with which the trucking industry must comply. These rules regulate the following areas:

 

• How long a driver is permitted to operate a truck without taking a break;

• The proper method of loading and unloading cargo;

• Vehicle weight limits;

• How and when to conduct safety inspections;

• Driver qualifications; and

• How to perform proper maintenance.

 

Truck drivers are also legally prohibited from driving a commercial vehicle if they have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.04 or more. This threshold is much lower than the nationwide legal limit of 0.08 percent.

 

Unfortunately, drivers and truck companies do not always adhere to these rules, which can lead to the following types of truck accidents:

 

• Jackknife accidents;

• Multi-vehicle crashes;

• Rear end accidents;

• Rollovers; and

• Underride accidents, in which the smaller vehicle becomes lodged underneath a large truck.

 

Any one of these kinds of accidents could result in severe, and even deadly, injuries.

 

Liable Parties

 

When truck drivers and truck companies do not comply with federal and state regulations, they can be held liable for resulting injuries. Possible liable parties include:

 

• Truck drivers who were negligent or reckless;

• The driver’s employer if it failed to provide adequate training, engaged in negligent hiring practices, failed to supervise its employees, or did not require the completion of safety inspections;

• Vehicle parts manufacturers if they negligently designed or assembled a car part;

• Mechanics who failed to perform proper maintenance or repair a broken part; and

• Other drivers on the road whose negligence caused the crash.

 

When an injured party can demonstrate that one or more of these individuals or entities were responsible for a crash, they may be able to collect damages, including compensation for:

 

• Past and future medical expenses;

• Lost wages;

• Property damage;

• Loss of future income; and

• Pain and suffering.

 

Collecting these types of damages is especially important for truck accident victims, as the injuries sustained in these types of crashes tend to be especially severe and include everything from lacerations and head trauma to broken bones and spinal cord damage. However, before a plaintiff can collect damages, he or she must be able to demonstrate that another party violated a federal regulation or was otherwise negligent. This usually requires the collection of specific evidence, including:

 

• The police report detailing the crash;

• The results of the driver’s commercial motor vehicle examination;

• The driver’s log books;

• Data recorded on in-vehicle technologies; and

• The parties’ medical records.

 

The driver’s log books are often especially helpful in demonstrating fault as they must contain certain information, including:

 

• The number of miles driven per day;

• The truck’s vehicle number;

• Any shipping or cargo document numbers;

• A grid that tracks the driver’s travel in one-hour increments;

• Notations that carefully describe when a driver was on duty, on duty but not driving, or off duty; and

• Notes indicating when and where rest breaks were taken.