A truck accident lawyer does the legal work needed to help victims recover damages after a serious crash with a commercial truck. If you were hurt in an 18-wheeler crash, our Bellevue truck accident lawyers can help you through this difficult time.
Commercial truck accidents are more complex than regular car crashes. They often involve multiple liable parties, complicated insurance policies, and federal trucking regulations. Our team will handle these challenges and fight for your full recovery.
Why Truck Accidents Are More Complicated Than Car Accidents
Truck accident cases are not the same as regular car accident claims. Several factors make them more complex, including:
Multiple Liable Parties
The truck driver, trucking company, cargo loader, or vehicle manufacturer could all share fault. Determining liability can be challenging, but our lawyers will investigate every possible responsible party and build a strong case to hold them accountable.
Severe Injuries
The size and weight of trucks often cause life-changing injuries. These injuries require extensive medical treatment and long-term care. Our team will calculate the full extent of your damages and fight to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and future care costs.
Federal Regulations
Truck drivers and companies must follow strict federal laws, and violations can affect your case. We will review driver logs, inspection reports, and black box data to determine if the truck company or driver broke the law, strengthening your claim.
Large Insurance Policies
Trucking companies carry high-limit insurance policies, but their insurers fight hard to pay as little as possible. Our lawyers know how to handle aggressive insurance tactics and will negotiate for the highest compensation you deserve.
If we cannot recover a fair settlement for you, we can take your case to trial and fight for your recovery in court.
Our team understands these challenges and knows how to navigate them to fight for the compensation you deserve.
How a Lawyer Helps in Different Types of Truck Accidents
Not all truck accidents are the same. Our lawyers handle various types of cases, including:
Hit-and-Run Truck Accidents
While less common than hit-and-run crashes involving passenger vehicles, they do happen. Some truck drivers may flee the scene due to fear of losing their jobs, lack of proper documentation, or not realizing they caused an accident.
If a truck driver leaves the scene after hitting you, we can help track them down using traffic cameras, witness statements, and other evidence. If the driver is never found, we can explore uninsured motorist coverage options.
Uninsured and Underinsured Truck Accidents
While most commercial trucks are required to carry significant insurance coverage, some smaller trucking companies or independent truckers might not have enough insurance to cover your damages. We can investigate all possible sources of compensation, including your insurance policy.
Delivery Truck Accidents
Crashes involving Amazon, FedEx, UPS, and other delivery trucks often involve complicated insurance issues.
These companies use a mix of full-time drivers, independent contractors, and third-party logistics providers, which complicates liability. Determining which insurance policy applies is a key legal issue in these cases.
Our team can determine which policy applies and fight for the full compensation you deserve.
Jackknife, Rollover, and Underride Accidents
These types of crashes are common in the trucking industry and often stem from driver error, improper braking, mechanical failures, or unsecured cargo.
A truck accident lawyer will investigate the cause, whether it’s the driver, the trucking company, or a manufacturer defect, and build a case against the responsible party.
Damages You Can Recover in a Truck Accident Case
A truck accident can leave you with serious injuries, financial stress, and emotional trauma. Our team will fight to recover the full compensation you deserve. Damages in a truck accident case can include:
- Medical expenses: Coverage for hospital stays, surgeries, medications, physical therapy, and future medical care.
- Lost pay and reduced earning ability: Compensation for time missed at work and lost income if your injuries prevent you from returning to your job.
- Pain and suffering: Compensation for the physical pain and emotional distress caused by the accident.
- Property damage: The cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle and any other damaged property.
- Wrongful death damages: If a loved one suffered fatal injuries in a truck accident, certain surviving family members can recover damages related to their loss. Our Bellevue wrongful death lawyers can explain how these lawsuits work during a private consultation.
Insurance companies will try to limit what they pay, but our truck accident lawyers know how to calculate the full extent of your losses and fight for the compensation you deserve.
Statute of Limitations for Truck Injury Cases in Washington State
You have a limited time to file a lawsuit if you suffered injuries and losses in a truck crash. In Washington state, the statute of limitations for injury claims is generally three years from the date of the collision, per RCW § 4.16.080. You must sue the liable party within three years from when the accident happened, or you may lose your right to seek financial recovery from them.
For wrongful death cases, the deadline is also three years from the date of the victim’s death.
Some exceptions may shorten or extend this deadline. For example:
- If the injured person is a minor, the clock may not start until they turn 18 years old.
- If the at-fault driver leaves the state, the deadline may be extended.
Since missing the deadline could mean losing your right to compensation, it’s important to speak with our truck accident lawyers as soon as possible to protect your case. We will handle all filings on time, and we will miss no critical deadlines.
Learn What Our Truck Accident Lawyers Can Do for You
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident, our team is ready to fight for you. At Premier Law Group, we have recovered over $100 million for our clients and use more than 55 years of combined legal experience to help them get the outcome they deserve.
We offer free phone consultations directly with an attorney to discuss your case. Our truck accident lawyers will do everything for your case.
We will deal with the insurance companies, gather your medical records, and lead the recovery process while you focus on yourself and your recovery. Call us today to get started.
Jason at premier law group is truly an outstanding individual. Our particular case was not something that their firm usually sees but they were more than willing to help us and give us all of the information they had available. I can't recommend them enough.