Imagine this: A truck driver crashes into your SUV in Lakewood, leaving you with severe injuries. You’re unable to work, struggling to pay bills, and uncertain about the future. In Washington, you can file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault truck driver or their company. This can help you recover compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost income, diminished earning capacity, and more.
At Ye Law Firm Injury Lawyers, our Lakewood truck accident attorneys are here to help you secure the compensation you deserve. We’ve successfully guided numerous clients through the process, obtaining fair settlements and verdicts for their medical bills, lost earnings, and pain and suffering.
Why Choose Us?
Our Lakewood truck accident attorneys are committed to prioritizing your best interests. With a proven track record of great client service, our legal team has secured impressive results, including a $1 million big rig crash settlement, a $300,000 car wreck settlement, and a $200,000 settlement for a severe box truck crash. Recognized among the National Trial Lawyers Top 100, our attorneys bring experience and dedication to every truck accident case.
Our office is conveniently located at NE 40th St. and 148th Ave., near the North Lakewood Community Center and just a block from the Microsoft Building. Call us today at (253) 946-0577 for a free truck accident claim consultation. We’ll evaluate your case at no cost and outline your financial recovery options.
Compensation In Lakewood Tractor-Trailer Accident Crashes
In Washington State, if you're involved in a commercial truck accident, you may be entitled to seek compensation for various damages depending on the circumstances of the accident. Washington is a "fault" state, meaning the party responsible for causing the accident is liable for covering the resulting damages. Your tractor-trailer accident lawyer may assist you with the following compensation:
Economic Damages
These cover your out-of-pocket losses, including medical expenses for your current and future costs. A severe injury may require extensive medical bills for years into the future. A personal injury attorney in Lakewood will ensure you receive fair compensation for future medical needs.
Compensation for lost income is necessary to pay you for the lost time from work after the accident. You could receive additional compensation for lost earning capacity for a permanent truck injury.
Property damage compensation is usually necessary to pay to replace your vehicle.
Non-Economic Damages
These address subjective, non-monetary losses during and after the truck crash. One of the most important is your physical pain and suffering from significant injuries. A severe injury, such as burns or compound fractures, could lead to tremendous pain.
Emotional anguish compensation may also be needed for your mental suffering, such as anxiety, depression, or trauma from accident injuries. Loss of enjoyment of life compensation may be required for your reduced ability to enjoy life, including your hobbies. Loss of consortium compensation may be appropriate for your inability to have an intimate relationship with your spouse or partner.
Key Factors Affecting Compensation
Many factors affect your ultimate truck accident settlement value:
- Severity of truck accident injuries: The more serious your truck crash injuries, the higher the case value. For example, a brain injury claim is worth more than a whiplash claim.
- Medical bills: People with months or years of medical bills have a higher case value than those who heal within a few weeks.
- Liability: Truck accidents can involve multiple liable parties, such as the truck driver, trucking company, vehicle manufacturer, or cargo loaders. Determining who’s at fault often requires a thorough investigation.
- Statute of limitations: You have three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit or three years from the date of death for a wrongful death claim. Missing this deadline typically bars you from seeking compensation.
- Insurance limits: Washington requires commercial trucks to carry higher liability insurance than passenger vehicles. However, the at-fault party’s insurance policy limits may still cap your recovery unless you pursue additional avenues, such as uninsured motorist coverage.
Retain a Lakewood commercial truck accident lawyer to understand your claim’s possible value better. Your personal injury attorney oversees many truck crash claims and can carefully estimate your potential claim value.
Where Lakewood Truck Accidents Happen
Lakewood is a bustling suburban city near Tacoma, which has busy roads due to its proximity to Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) and major highways like I-5. Intersections with higher traffic volumes, poor design, or inadequate signage can lead to more truck accidents. Common hotpots for tractor-trailer crashes in the Lakewood area include:
- Gravelly Lake Drive SW & 100th Street SW: This area sees significant traffic due to its proximity to shopping centers, such as Lakewood Town Centre, and residential neighborhoods. Congestion and turning movements could contribute to collisions.
- Bridgeport Way SW & Pacific Highway SW: Bridgeport Way is a key arterial road connecting to I-5, and Pacific Highway carries heavy commuter traffic. The combination of high speeds and merging traffic might increase accident risks.
- Steilacoom Blvd SW & 87th Ave SW: Near Lakewood’s commercial and residential zones, this intersection handles traffic from JBLM and local schools, potentially leading to peak-hour accidents.
- South Tacoma Way & SR 512 Interchange: Close to Lakewood’s eastern edge, this area links to State Route 512 and sees heavy flow from commuters, making it a hotspot for rear-end or side-impact crashes involving trucks.
Common Lakewood Tractor-Trailer Crash Injuries
A truck accident can lead to catastrophic injuries, including the following:
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
Concussions, contusions, or more severe brain damage caused by the head striking an object or from whiplash-like forces. These can lead to cognitive issues, memory loss, or long-term neurological impairment.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Damage to the spine, potentially resulting in partial or complete paralysis, depending on the severity and location of the injury from the truck accident.
Broken Bones
Fractures in the arms, legs, ribs, pelvis, or skull from the impact of the heavy crash or being crushed by debris or cargo.
Whiplash and Neck Injuries
Sudden jerking motions cause soft tissue injuries to the neck and upper back, which are common in rear-end collisions with tractor-trailers.
Internal Injuries
Damage to organs such as the liver, spleen, kidneys, or lungs is often caused by blunt force trauma or seatbelt pressure. Internal bleeding can be life-threatening if not treated promptly.
Lacerations and Abrasions
Cuts and scrapes from broken glass, metal, or road debris from the truck crash can range from minor to severe and potentially lead to infections or significant blood loss.
Burns
These are painful injuries from fires or explosions that may occur if the truck carries hazardous materials or if fuel ignites after the crash.
Crush Injuries
Severe damage to limbs or the torso from being pinned under or between heavy objects, such as the truck itself or its cargo.
Fighting The Insurance Company After A Lakewood Truck Crash
No one wants to deal with insurance companies after a serious motor vehicle accident, but that is usually necessary. Insurance disputes following a commercial truck crash can be even more complex due to the unique factors involved, such as higher policy limits, multiple liable parties, and the involvement of commercial entities like trucking companies.
These disputes often arise when determining liability, negotiating settlements, or addressing coverage limits, and they can significantly impact the compensation process for victims. You should strongly consider hiring an experienced Lakewood truck accident attorney. Your attorney can oversee the insurance headaches while you focus on getting better. You can bet that the trucking insurance company will fight hard to reduce what they pay you.
Multiple Potentially Liable Parties
Liability in commercial truck crashes can involve several parties: the truck driver, the trucking company, truck parts manufacturers, or even third parties like cargo loaders. Each may have separate insurance policies, complicating the claims process.
For instance, if a crash results from driver fatigue, the driver might be liable, but the trucking company could also share responsibility if they enforced unrealistic delivery schedules. Insurance companies often investigate these factors differently, leading to disagreements over fault. This can delay claims or push cases toward litigation.
Bigger Insurance Policies
Commercial truck insurance policies typically have higher coverage limits than personal auto policies. Under federal regulations, they often start at $750,000 for interstate trucks and sometimes reach multimillion-dollar limits for vehicles carrying hazardous materials.
However, insurers frequently resist large payouts, employing tactics like questioning the severity of injuries or alleging victim fault to reduce settlements. Disputes can also stem from policy exclusions, subrogation, or disagreements over whether damages exceed policy limits. Several insurance policies could be involved in a truck accident claim, making it more difficult to sort out without a personal injury attorney.
Insurance Adjusters May Demand Extensive Documentation
Victims may face challenges like insurers requesting excessive documentation, offering lowball settlements, or delaying payments to pressure acceptance. For example, an adjuster might claim insufficient evidence of injury, even when medical records exist, or argue that damages fall under a different party’s coverage.
These tactics aim to minimize the insurer’s financial exposure, especially given the high stakes of truck crash claims. Due to the vehicles' size and weight, truck crash claims often involve severe injuries or property damage.
Let A Skilled Lakewood Truck Crash Lawyer Handle The Insurance Company
Resolving these disputes often requires thorough evidence collection, such as police reports, witness statements, truck black box data, and maintenance records, to establish fault. Negotiation is typical, but if insurers deny fair compensation, mediation, arbitration, or lawsuits may follow.
Consulting an experienced tractor-trailer accident attorney can help navigate these complexities, counter insurer strategies, and pursue claims against all liable parties to maximize recovery. Depending on the dispute’s scope and the willingness to settle, the process can take weeks to years. Your truck accident lawyer in Lakewood can likely obtain more compensation than you can, and the settlement may occur faster.
What To Do After A Lakewood Truck Crash
A tractor-trailer slams into your vehicle from behind on the highway. You are probably dazed, in shock, and injured. It can be challenging to know what to do. After getting immediate medical attention, take the following steps to secure your case and future:
Follow-Up With The Doctor
Yes, you will get immediate medical attention after a truck wreck. However, some injury victims fail to follow up with their appointments. Ensure you do what your doctor says by seeing every specialist and attending every appointment. If you don’t, the trucking insurance company could deny your claim.
Document The Truck Crash Scene
The trucking company will get to the crash scene quickly and could take action to move or even hide evidence. Try to take videos and photos of the crash site, including vehicle damage, road conditions, skid marks, and any visible injuries. Get the truck driver’s information, license plate, and company name if it’s a commercial vehicle.
Gather Witness Information
If there are bystanders, ask for their names and contact details. Their statements could support your version of events from the crash. Witnesses could disappear quickly, so get their information before they leave the truck crash scene.
Avoid Admitting Fault For The Truck Crash
Don’t apologize or say anything that could be interpreted as taking blame, even casually. Stick to the facts when speaking to the police or the other party.
Notify Your Insurance Company
Report the accident promptly to your insurance company, but avoid giving a detailed statement or accepting a quick settlement until you consult a Lakewood truck accident lawyer. Insurance companies may minimize payouts, especially after a truck crash.
Consult A Truck Accident Lawyer
Contact a personal injury attorney with experience in truck accidents ASAP. Trucking companies often have aggressive legal teams and federal regulations, which your personal injury lawyer can navigate.
Speak To A Lakewood Truck Accident Attorney Now
Being seriously injured in a truck accident is terrible, and you should not face the problem alone. You may be eligible for compensation for your injuries and losses after the truck crash. Contact our Lakewood truck accident attorneys at Ye Law Firm Injury Lawyers at (253) 946-0577. Remember, you do not pay legal fees for your Lakewood truck crash claim unless Ye Law Firm Injury Layers obtains money for your injuries and losses.