How a Lawyer Can Help With Your Seattle Trucking Accident
Posted Friday, August 20, 2021 by Chris Thayer
Trucking accidents are among the most complicated and fatal of all traffic accidents. This is in part due to the catastrophic amount of damage that trucks can cause. If you have been in a trucking accident, you may feel completely overwhelmed trying to adapt to your new way of life and growing medical bills. It can be hard to tell what to do next when you are busy trying to recover from serious injuries. Luckily, a Seattle personal injury lawyer from Pivotal Law Group can help you to navigate this process and can help you recover monetary damages for the harm that you have suffered.
*Identifying Liable Parties * One of the most complicated parts of trucking accidents is a part that many people know nothing about — determining liable parties. Most people assume that if they are hit by a car, the driver of that car is the liable party. Most of the time, this is true. However, when it comes to commercial trucking there may be more liable parties than are visible to the naked eye. For instance, even if the truck driver was speeding when their truck overturned and they hit you, it does not mean that they were the only negligent party who contributed to the accident. The truck driver may have been speeding to adhere to an illegally tight or demanding driving schedule, which would mean the truck driver’s employer was also liable for the accident.
*Liable Parties in Over-Turn Accidents * Additionally, semi-trucks often flip because they are overloaded or loaded improperly in a way that makes them off-balance. The truck driver is rarely involved in loading the truck, and often does not even know how the truck is loaded. Instead, trucks are usually loaded by suppliers or manufacturers, who may attempt to overload trucks in an attempt to cut down on shipping costs. This compromises the balance of the truck, and makes it very easy to tip over when making turns or driving. It is even more dangerous if the truck driver is unaware that they are carrying an imbalanced or extra-heavy load, as they will not know to compensate for it. If the supplier, manufacturer, or other company who loaded or provided the cargo contributed to the accident, they can also be held liable.
*Liable Parties in Defective Truck or Equipment Accidents * Sometimes the truck driver does nothing wrong, but the truck or one of its component parts malfunctions, causing an accident. For example, maybe the brakes stopped working or the steering wheel locked. It is also possible that a component part so small malfunctioned that it is unclear to anyone what happened until the truck is inspected by experts. If a component or part of the truck was improperly designed or defectively made and it resulted in the crash, the manufacturer and/or supplier, and in some cases, the manufacturer of the truck, can be held liable as parties to the accident, as well.
*Talk to a Seattle Personal Injury Attorney * If you have been injured in a Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Renton, Burien, Mercer Island, Issaquah, or greater Washington State area trucking accident, the experienced personal injury attorneys at Pivotal Law Group are ready to help. Call today to schedule a consultation.