Portland Truck Accident Lawyer
There is no time to waste after truck crashes. Trucking companies and their insurers will launch a strong offense against any injury claim that a victim files, and this process starts long before most people even realize what their legal options are.
You deserve better. At Trucking Injury Law Group, we recognize the importance of treating every person who’s been involved in a truck crash with dignity, compassion, and understanding. Part of our commitment to this mindset is providing completely free, no-obligation consultations to injured victims.
If you were hurt in a trucking crash and are ready to learn about your right to full and fair compensation for your injuries, lost wages, medical bills, mental anguish, and more, get in touch with our office. A Portland truck accident lawyer from our Super Team of attorneys is waiting to speak with you.
Filing a Truck Accident Claim in Portland
To file a truck accident claim, you must be prepared to collect and analyze evidence, determine the cause of the crash, and identify all at-fault parties.
Examples of evidence frequently used to substantiate these types of claims include:
- Proof of driver fatigue
- Documented violations of federal and state laws
- Accident reports created by law enforcement officers
- Medical records documenting severe injuries and treatments
Some of the most common causes of truck wrecks involve:
- Driver fatigue
- Drunk or drugged driving
- Distracted driving
- Aggressive or reckless behavior
- Poor maintenance
- Negligent hiring practices
Parties that may be found liable for a commercial truck crash include but are certainly not limited to:
- The truck driver
- The owner of the truck
- The trucking company
- Third-party contractors
- A shipping company
- Other drivers of passenger vehicles
Truck accidents in Portland should be completely preventable. When one or more acts of negligence allow a crash to happen, we are standing by to hold those at fault responsible for the harm they’ve caused.
Why Choose Trucking Injury Law Group?
Every minute counts after a truck accident. Are you confident that you can preserve evidence before the opportunity disappears? Will you be able to handle the increasingly complex questions posed by insurance adjusters? Can you correctly identify every liable party in your traffic accident?
If you cannot positively say “yes” to any of the above, your chances of successfully handling a truck accident case on your own are low.
You already know the reality of what you are facing, and you know that you cannot afford to miss out on any financial compensation. But how can you be sure that a Portland truck accident attorney from Trucking Injury Law Group is the right fit for your situation?
As a multi-state joint venture law group made up exclusively of lawyers who handle truck crash cases, we have the pooled resources and knowledge needed to stand up to the trucking companies.
Here’s what we believe makes us stand out:
We Are Passionate About What We Do
Time and time again, our Portland truck accident attorneys have witnessed the physical, financial, and emotional devastation brought on by these types of crashes. When accident victims come to us, it is often at some of the lowest and most difficult periods of their lives. Helping clients is our passion.
We have committed our legal careers to being uncompromising legal representatives for people who have been hurt in accidents involving semi-trucks.
We Are Committed To Making Our Roads and Communities Safer
Through our legal advocacy, we have learned the importance of holding negligent motor carriers responsible for the harm they cause. When trucking companies and truck drivers within the commercial trucking industry flaunt federal regulations, they cause real and lasting harm.
When we file a claim seeking compensation on behalf of a client, we are sending a clear message: negligent and reckless attitudes toward the safety of our roads will never be tolerated.
When truck accidents happen, there is often only one way to get motor carriers and their auto insurers to make changes—by taking swift legal action.
We Treat You Like a Whole Person
You have a family and friends. Maybe you’re proud of your long career, spend your weekends volunteering, or work part-time to help support your family. You have hobbies and a full life. And all of that was affected or taken away from you in an Oregon truck accident.
We don’t just see you as the victim of a crash. We see you as a whole person, understanding who you were before the accident to get a better grasp of how your life has been affected. This type of information is key to building the strongest possible case on your behalf.
The State of Semi-Truck Accidents in Portland
The trucking industry is a major employer in Oregon, with 95,020 total positions in the state—that’s about one out of every 17 jobs! Truck drivers transport around 91% of goods manufactured in our state. Chances are that you share the road with big commercial trucks on a very regular basis.
Unfortunately, just because semi-trucks are a normal presence on our roads doesn’t mean that they’re safe. Consider some of the following 2020 Portland, Multnomah County, and Oregon truck accident statistics:
- There were 267 truck accidents in Multnomah County.
- Of those county-wide truck crashes, 208 happened in Portland.
- In total, there were 1,989 trucking accidents in Oregon.
The data above paints a clear picture of how truck companies routinely fail to operate safely within our state.
Truck Accident Configurations That Occur With the Most Frequency
The types of truck accidents that occur with the most frequency are often different than those that occur in accidents only involving passenger vehicles, although there is some overlap. For example, rear-end and head-on collisions, broadside (T-bone) accidents, and sideswipe crashes may happen with both cars and trucks.
However, Oregon truck accidents can also be:
- Rollovers
- Underride accidents
- Override accidents
- Jackknife accidents
- Wide turn (squeeze play) accidents
No matter the type of crash you were involved in, Trucking Injury Law Group is here to help.
Injuries Most Commonly Associated With Truck Crashes
Some of the most common truck accident injuries are also some of the most severe. But why? A fully loaded tractor-trailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, around 20 times more than the average car, pickup truck, or SUV.
The vast size and weight difference between these vehicles is the cause of many life-altering and life-threatening injuries. As Portland truck accident lawyers, we have worked with countless clients suffering from a variety of catastrophic injuries, including:
- Broken and shattered bones
- Amputated limbs
- Head trauma and traumatic brain injuries
- Permanent disability or paralysis
- Spinal cord injuries
- Burns and skin lacerations
Don’t let the insurance company decide how much you are owed for your medical expenses. If you’ve been seriously hurt in a crash caused by a truck driver, you need powerful legal representation to ensure your right to compensation is preserved.
Compensation Available in a Truck Accident Case
You’ve suffered serious injuries. You’re out of work. Your medical bills are piling up, and you’re not sure how to even begin focusing on your physical and emotional recovery while you’re experiencing acute financial distress. So what are you supposed to do about it?
Truck accident cases create a legal path for accident victims to recover compensation for a wide range of damages and losses. Let’s explore the types of damages you might be entitled to and how you can use the funds.
Economic Damages
In civil law, economic damages are awarded to compensate accident victims for their financial losses related to an accident or injury. While medical treatment is a significant category covered by this compensation, it is not the only financial loss for which you can be recompensed.
In a typical injury claim filed against a trucking company, economic damages may cover:
- Lost wages
- Reduced future earning capacity
- Doctor and specialist appointments
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Prescription medications
- Hospital bills
- Surgical fees
- Psychiatric care (including talk therapy)
- Auto repair bills
- Cost of replacing items of value damaged in the crash (such as phones or laptops)
- Travel expenses to and from medical appointments
The above are general examples of the types of economic damages that can be awarded in a trucking accident case. Your own injury claim may encompass different financial losses.
Non-Economic Damages
The ways that your life has been impacted by truck company negligence cannot always be measured by financial losses. For this reason, non-economic damages seek to compensate victims for the non-monetary ways their lives have been harmed or altered.
Although every case is different, an injury claim can include non-economic damages for some of the following:
- Loss of enjoyment in life
- Lasting pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Vehicle- and travel-related phobias
- Loss of companionship and society
- Loss of consortium
- Humiliation
We never underestimate the non-financial impact of a crash when we file an injury claim against a trucking company and its insurer.
Punitive Damages
In a small number of cases, a third type of damage may also be called for. Also known as exemplary damages, punitive damages are awarded when there is “clear and convincing evidence that the party against whom punitive damages are sought has acted with malice or has shown a reckless and outrageous indifference to a highly unreasonable risk of harm and has acted with a conscious indifference to the health, safety and welfare of others.”
This means that when trucking companies and truck drivers engage in dangerous, reckless, and excessively negligent behavior, an extra financial award may be granted. Although the money goes to the victim, it also serves as a punishment that is leveraged against the at-fault party. This discourages them from ever engaging in the same behavior again.
How Can I Use My Compensation?
When a Portland truck accident attorney calculates and fights for compensation on your behalf, they are doing so with the goal of helping you be “made whole” again after a crash. This means that the compensation can be used in a manner that helps you reach a more whole, fulfilling life.
While obvious purposes include paying for medical care and covering lost wages, it may also include purchasing a new home better suited to a new disability, outfitting your vehicle to accommodate a wheelchair or other adaptive devices, or investing in new hobbies that you can more easily perform in your current condition.
What is most important to remember is that truck accident victims have agency over themselves and their situations. If compensation will genuinely improve a specific area of your life by making it more whole, we’ll be sure to account for it when calculating the worth of your claim.
The Different Types of Freight and Their Role in an Accident
There are seven different types of commercial trucks used to transport different types of freight and cargo. The most well-known is the semi-trailer, which is also known as a semi-truck, big rig, tractor-trailer, or 18-wheeler. These are the trucks you are most likely to encounter on the road, but they’re far from the only type.
The type of truck and freight can have a significant impact on the severity of a crash. Below are the seven types of trucks you’ll find on Oregon roads and the types of freight they haul.
- Semi-trucks – Made up of a truck and trailer connected by a fifth-wheel coupling, a semi-truck transports consumer goods, raw materials, farming goods, construction materials, and much more. These trucks are highly versatile and are therefore used for a wide range of purposes.
- Reefers – These are refrigerated trucks that are typically used in the transportation and delivery of perishable goods, often from warehouses to grocery stores. Reefers also transport certain chemicals, medical supplies, and other items that require cool temperatures. Truck drivers are not only tasked with driving these vehicles safely, but also with continuously monitoring the temperature inside the refrigeration unit.
- Box trucks – Short-distance deliveries and transportation are often completed by box trucks. Unlike semi-trucks, the cargo area is smaller and situated directly on the frame of the vehicle.
- Dry vans – A type of semi-truck that lacks climate controls within the trailer, these trucks are typically best suited for the transportation of pallets and cargo that are not temperature sensitive. A new truck driver can often be found behind the wheel of a dry van, as it only requires a Class A commercial driver’s license (CDL).
- Tankers – Tanker trucks have rounded tanks used to transport either dry or liquid goods. A dry bulk truck can transport loose goods such as sand, while liquid tankers carry liquid or gas. Truck accidents involving tankers tend to be catastrophic, as cargo is often flammable or toxic to human health.
- Flatbed trucks – Frequently used for transporting oversized loads, these trucks are characterized by their flat, open trailers. Instead of being placed within a closed trailer, freight is strapped down to the open bed.
- Step deck trucks – These are often confused for flatbed trucks. Step decks also have flat, open trailers, but with one notable difference. There are two levels to the bed of the trailer, one of which is much lower and used for transporting oversized or especially tall cargo.
The different types of freight trucks each involve unique challenges and learning curves. Some trucks, like tankers, require drivers to have special endorsements on their CDLs to operate.
Every trucking company that operates in Portland, Multnomah County, or anywhere else in Oregon is responsible for ensuring that its fleet is in good working order and that every truck driver is properly licensed and trained.
Truck Accident FAQs
Being involved in a tractor-trailer accident is one of the most terrifying experiences anyone can go through. Knowing what to do after can be difficult, especially when you have so many unanswered questions running through your head.
At Trucking Injury Law Group, we are proud to provide completely free consultations to injury victims. During your complimentary meeting, you’ll have the opportunity to sit down one-on-one with a Portland truck accident attorney to discuss the details of your case and to ask any questions you may have.
If you are not yet ready to meet with a lawyer or are simply searching for more information as you consider whether to file a truck accident lawsuit, we hope our answers to some of the following most frequently asked questions will prove helpful.
Can I Use Social Media After a Truck Crash?
Social media has become ingrained in the normal fabric of our daily lives. However, we strongly encourage anyone who has been hurt in a commercial truck accident to reconsider their current use of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, or any other social platform.
Anything you post online can be used as evidence against you in an injury claim. A seemingly innocent picture of you having coffee with a friend could be purposely twisted and misconstrued to mean that you are not seriously injured. Setting your accounts to private is not always enough to keep nosey insurance adjusters out of your feed, so as much as possible, abstain from sharing details of your life or the accident online.
Do I Need To File a Claim Right Now?
You don’t need to file a truck accident claim today, but you do need to be thinking ahead. Oregon state law affords only two years from the date of an accident to file your claim, which limits the amount of time you have to collect evidence, meet with a lawyer, and build your case.
It doesn’t matter if your crash happened last week or last year; we’re here for you. A truck accident lawyer from our law group is ready to meet with you today.
Can I Afford To Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer?
The decision to retain legal representation is not one that should be made lightly. We understand that you may have concerns or preconceived notions about what it means to work with a lawyer.
If you’re worried about the cost of hiring us, we want to set your mind at ease. Our Super Team of experienced attorneys is pleased to provide our services on a contingency fee basis. What this means is that we don’t collect any type of upfront payment from you. Instead, you only pay if we win your case, at which time we collect our legal fees as a small percentage of your final award or settlement.
We find that this system allows us to provide legal representation to accident victims regardless of their financial resources.
Hit by a Truck Driver? We’re Here To Help
As a joint venture law group with nationwide resources and a local focus, Trucking Injury Law Group has the background, experience, knowledge, and tenacity needed to take on a negligent trucking company and win.
When you work with a Portland truck accident lawyer from our law group, you can proceed with the confidence that you’ll always have a tireless advocate on your side. We don’t let the insurance company dictate how things will go.
We’re ready to get to work on your case. Contact us online or by phone to schedule your free case evaluation today.
