Truck Accident Attorneys in Lakewood

Serving Victims of Serious 18-Wheeler Accidents

If you or someone you love has been injured in a truck accident, you already know how challenging the recovery process can be. Collision-related injuries and vehicle damage are often just the beginning–you may now find yourself dealing with outsize medical bills, high physical therapy costs, loss of work, or a decreased quality of life. The Lakewood truck accident lawyers of The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs are here to help you through this challenging time. As a personal injury firm serving:

• Lakewood
• Tacoma
• Olympia
• Puyallup
• Chehalis
• Bremerton

We have been dedicated to fighting hard for truck accident victims for over sixty years. Call (253) 588-6696 to discuss your situation with an experienced attorney.

Truck Accident Claims We Handle

Mid-size cars generally weigh three thousand to forty-five hundred pounds. A fully loaded semi can weigh up to eighty thousand pounds, and even a semi with an empty trailer weighs 35,000. When a sedan or SUV is hit by a truck twenty-five times heavier than it is, the results are often catastrophic. Roughly one-fifth of truck-involved traffic accidents result in severe injury or death, a dramatically higher rate than is found in accidents involving only passenger cars. Truck accidents differ from other auto accidents in many ways.

Trucks are unwieldy beasts with many moving parts and many ways driving one can go wrong. Some of the typical truck accident cases we handle include:

• Rollover accidents: When truck drivers take difficult maneuvers too quickly, their trailers or entire vehicles can roll over, blocking off the road and hitting nearby cars.
• Jackknife accidents: A jackknife occurs when the trailer swings out and creates a 90-degree angle with the truck’s cab, blocking off part of the road and often causing drivers to run into it before they can stop.
• Rear-end accidents: Trucks have a lot of momentum because of their weight, making them difficult to stop. Truckers who misjudge distance may not have enough time to stop before they hit the car in front of them.
• Underride accidents: When a smaller car is in the back of a rear-end accident with a truck, it may, in some cases, slide under the trailer. These accidents can be especially deadly.
• Mechanical failure: Trucks are complicated vehicles, and many are constantly used on long, cross-country trips. When companies fail to maintain their fleet properly, trucks can break down and cause accidents simply because engines, brakes, or other parts are damaged.

Many of these accidents have the potential to be deadly and to impact multiple cars. Whatever type of truck accident you have suffered, the lawyers of The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs can help you build a case against the party responsible.

Who Is Responsible For Your Injuries?

Identifying parties who caused a semi-truck accident is almost always complex. First of all, because of their sheer size and weight, truck accidents are much more likely to involve multiple cars. This makes determining the relative responsibility of all parties involved is challenging. Traffic accidents often involve multiple drivers failing to obey traffic laws.

Furthermore, Washington uses the pure form of comparative negligence in cases where multiple parties share fault for a crash. That means each party involved in the crash can pursue compensation for their injuries, though their compensation is reduced by their degree of fault. Unlike in some other states, drivers can recover compensation after a crash even if they bear the majority of fault for the accident.

To complicate matters further, liability on the truck’s side may include several actors. Do you sue the driver or the trucking company? Or both? What about parts manufacturers? Deciding whom to sue can become a major headache.

Truck companies are generally responsible for their driver’s negligence on the job. One notable exception is when the trucker uses the truck to conduct personal business, such as visiting friends or family. The trucking company may also be liable for negligent business practices. If a trucking company owns the vehicle directly, they may be responsible for mechanical failures that contributed to the accident. The company that built the part that failed may also be liable.

If an employer pressures a trucker to drive more hours than federal law allows or carry extra weight, this can further increase the trucking company’s responsibility. Strict federal guidelines regulate truckers’ drive time and non-driving hours, but truckers sometimes face pressure from the companies they work for to ignore these laws to meet shipping deadlines.

One thing to note is that drivers have fewer assets than companies in almost all truck accident cases. That generally means you cannot recover as much money from suing the driver alone. However, in some cases, you can sue both the company and the driver. If there is ever any uncertainty as to whom you should sue, a personal injury lawyer can clear it up and get your case on track.

Understanding What You’re Up Against

Trucking companies run huge (and hugely profitable) operations across multiple states. As a result, they have significant resources at their disposal, including top-of-the-line insurance policies and large, powerful legal teams. These companies can mobilize their insurance and legal operations quickly and may have their adjusters and investigators at work before you even think to call a lawyer.

Because the insurance policies on semi-trucks are many times larger than those on passenger cars, insurers fight harder to prevent full payout on claims. They often pressure truck accident victims to accept quick settlements worth only a fraction of their claim’s value. Studies have consistently shown that accident victims who file personal injury claims receive, on average greater compensation than those who accept an insurer’s initial settlement offer.

As an experienced personal injury firm, The The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs is up to the challenge of taking on negligent trucking companies. However, you must act quickly to have the best chance of success. You should begin collecting evidence, such as pictures and witness statements, immediately after the accident. As soon as you decide to take legal action, contact us.

How Much is My Case Worth?

The value of a personal injury claim after a truck accident depends on many factors. The severity of the injuries you or your family sustained and their long-term effects can impact the claim in a number of ways. You can recover compensation for both lost wages due to injury and your pain and suffering due to an injury’s lasting effects.

The circumstances surrounding the accident play a major role in determining a claim’s value. Determining whether, and to what extent, a trucking company is liable for an accident one of its drivers caused is something to establish before you file a claim. Unlike in a claim with another car, the trucking company’s policy on the truck will have higher liability limits, so you may be able to obtain full value for your claim from the insurance company without having to file a lawsuit.

The lasting effects of the collision also play a major role in determining a claim’s value. Often, the cost of repairing or replacing a vehicle is only a fraction of a claim’s value. The cost of your medical treatment and rehabilitation also make up part of the claim. You can also include your lost wages in your claim if your injuries impair your ability to work.

If your injuries preclude a full physical recovery, this may represent a substantial portion of your claim. Common long-term injuries from truck accidents include partial or complete paralysis, traumatic brain injuries, and chronic back or neck pain, as well as other types of chronic injuries.

One of the most variable parts of a personal injury claim is the pain and suffering component. While some states place caps on non-economic damages, the state of Washington does not. That means that the pain and suffering you experience from an accident are part of your claim’s value.

Figuring out what your claim is worth can be daunting. The personal injury lawyers at The The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs have the experience needed to determine the value of your case. When preparing a claim, our attorneys consult investigators and check prior cases involving similar accidents to establish how much our clients are owed.

Recovering Compensation For Your Truck Accident Claim

Truck accidents can cause life-threatening injuries and destroy your car, upending your life and draining your finances. Thankfully, a successful personal injury suit can help you recover damages for many accident-related costs, including:

• Medical bills
• Car repairs or replacement
• Physical and emotional pain and suffering
• Lost wages while recovering from your injuries
• Future loss of income due to accident-related disability
• Other miscellaneous, recovery-related costs, such as transportation

An experienced personal injury attorney can help you determine which types of damages to seek in your case. If your partner or relative was killed in a truck accident, you might be able to seek damages in a wrongful death claim as well.

Why is Seeking Compensation Important

All human beings want justice. Studies show that even small infants have an inherent sense of fairness. If you or a family member sustained injuries in a crash with a negligent truck driver, it is only fair that you get just compensation for your losses.

A truck collision’s physical, emotional, and financial pain is significant. Loss of work can cost victims and their families thousands of dollars, while the medical bills resulting from truck collisions are often staggering.

Additionally, it’s important to remember the mental toll of dealing with injuries and lost wages. Just because those costs aren’t financial doesn’t mean they aren’t valid. It is important to include non-economic losses in any compensation you receive.

If truckers and trucking companies aren’t punished for negligent behavior, then they’ll have no incentive to change. The way the American justice system works, for better or worse, depends on accident victims seeking appropriate restitution for their injuries. Accepting an insurance company’s preliminary settlement offer essentially lets these companies get away with behaving badly.

At The The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs, we know it’s important that you and your family get the compensation you deserve. We realize that your personal injury claim may be your only chance to recover compensation for your losses. It is paramount to our attorneys that our clients get what they are owed.

At The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs, we know it’s important that you and your family get the compensation you deserve. We realize that your personal injury claim may be your only chance to be compensated for injuries that will affect you and your family for the rest of your life. It is paramount to our attorneys that our clients get what they are owed.

Contact Us

Recovering from a truck accident is hard. From medical bills and a painful recovery process to the strain on your relationships, you may feel your life has rolled over. No one should have to go through this difficult time alone. You should consider legal action if you believe the truck driver or company caused the accident.

However you are handling the aftermath of your truck accident, The The Law Offices of Briggs & Briggs is here to help. Our experienced Lakewood truck accident lawyers will handle your case carefully and respectfully. Furthermore, we will fight aggressively to increase your chances of winning a fair settlement or judgment. From Lakewood and Tacoma to Olympia, Puyallup, Chehalis, and Bremerton, we are ready to help wherever you are. Don’t hesitate and let the trucking company get out ahead of you. For more information on how we can help, call us now at (253) 588-6696.