The bigger the vehicle, the bigger the chances are for a catastrophic accident. That’s why big rig truck accidents are the most frightening and devastating types of accidents, not only in Portland, but on all of our nation’s roadways.
Overall, it’s been shown that truck drivers are less likely to be involved in an accident than automobiles. Still, in a typical year, more than 5,000 people will die in an accident involving a commercial truck, and another 100,000 people will suffer injuries. But the fact that a fully loaded rig can weigh more than 25 times as much as a typical car means that the sheer differences in weights when a car is involved will result in more serious injuries and fatalities.
When a person is involved in an accident with a truck resulting in injuries or death, the first thing an experienced truck accident attorney must do is determine if there is cause to compensate the victims for their losses. This compensation can take the form of payment for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other related types of recovery.
If the circumstances warrant, then the attorney must identify potential defendants. While the driver of the truck is a natural possibility, the list of defendants may be much longer than that.
If the driver was using a rig that had safety issues that had not been addressed, then the company that owns the rig could be held liable as well. If a link can be shown between the driver and the company in other ways, and that the driver was acting in the course of the relationship between him and the company, a liability link may exist as well.
An accident that took place on a roadway that was under construction or was somehow shown to be unsafe may mean the government entity in charge of oversight of that roadway could be held liable too.
In some instances, the contents of a truck are hazardous, and the owners of the contents could be held liable as well.
Once the defendants are clearly identified, then the attorney must prove negligence existed on their part to be able to collect damages on behalf of the plaintiff.
Johnson & Taylor Law proudly serves Portland, Salem and surrounding Oregon communities.