Portland Truck Accident Lawyers

Why Choose Strong Law Attorneys to Fight for You?

We Don’t Settle for Less than Our Clients Deserve

If you or a loved one has experienced a Portland truck accident, you deserve to have your interests represented by a law firm with a track record of success. The attorneys over at Strong Law have garnered a reputation for being fierce advocates who don’t back down. With a near-perfect success rate, you can rely on them to do everything possible to help you get the payout you deserve.

When you choose Strong Law to handle your trucking case, you get the benefit of working with a firm with:

• A 98% success rate fighting for clients
• Multiple multimillion-dollar settlements and verdicts for clients
• Former insurance defense attorneys who know how to deal with adjusters
• A founder dedicated to the rights of accident victims
• Years of satisfied clients.

You never have to settle for less than you deserve. Contact Strong Law to meet with one of our Portland truck accident lawyers and learn how we can potentially pursue and recover the compensation that will make a difference in your life.

Call our office today at (206) 741-1053 for a free consultation.

Justice for Truck Accident Victims

Holding Parties Liable for the Damage They Cause

Truck accident victims don’t have to suffer through their losses alone. If you or someone you love has been impacted by a truck accident, compensation may be available. The first step in getting the justice you deserve is speaking with a qualified truck accident lawyer who will determine which parties in your case might be liable.

Truck accident liability exists when another party’s negligence or recklessness causes a crash and subsequent damages. In some cases, there may be more than one party liable, in which case your truck accident lawyer may pursue compensation from more than one party. Regardless of the situation, one of the following parties can typically be held to pay for truck accident damages.

The Truck Driver

Big rig truck drivers have many layers of responsibility when operating their vehicles. Not only must they obey the basic rules of the road, such as yielding and signaling, but they must also comply with a myriad of state and federal regulations because of their commercial status.

Some of these regulations include:

• Obeying strict hour-per-day driving limitations
• Taking mandatory breaks after a certain amount of driving
• Performing regular pre-trip vehicle safety inspections
• Obtaining all necessary commercial driving permits and endorsements.

Our Portland truck accident lawyers scrutinize the actions and records of truck drivers who injure our clients. Any violations that exist will be found and used to help recover valuable compensation.

The Trucker Driver’s Employer

Truck drivers are typically either independent contractors or employees. When the latter is involved in an accident, their employer may also face liability as well. Under the doctrine of vicarious liability, Oregon employers can be forced to pay for the negligent actions of their employees when:

• The driver was employed and performed work under orders from their employer
• The driver was acting within the scope of their duties
• The employer had authority over the driver’s actions.

If these elements can be proven, it usually makes the most sense to include the company in the claim for compensation — especially when the losses are heavy. Employers are more likely to have the resources necessary to cover expensive claims.

A Shipping Company

Shipping companies are responsible for making sure that their loads are safe for transport. In many cases, they are responsible not only for the packaging of goods but loading them as well. If a shipping company employee improperly loads or secures freight, the shipping company may be held liable for any accidents caused by the improper loading.

A Vehicle or Parts Manufacturer

Defective vehicles and equipment can certainly lead to tragic truck accidents. When they do, the manufacturer, designer, or some other party in the chain of production and sale may be held to answer. For example, tires with a manufacturing defect could cause a big rig to lose control and cause an accident, in which case the tire manufacturer could be held liable.

With that being said, if the trucking company and driver knew of the defective tire or other faulty part and continued to use it, they could be held liable for the accident. In other words, the process of determining liability is often involved and requires the services of a truck accident lawyer in Portland with experience in truck accident cases.

A Government Employee

Government employees operate trucks on a regular basis, and they also cause accidents. Injury victims seeking compensation in these cases must follow specific rules that apply to lawsuits against government entities in Oregon.

Generally speaking, Oregon government agencies enjoy sovereign immunity, which shields them from civil suits. However, Oregon legislators enacted the Oregon Tort Claims Act to allow civil suits against government agencies in some cases. You can demand compensation under the right circumstances if you comply with the special rules for suing government agencies.

Call Strong Law at (206) 741-1053 for a free consultation and case review. A Portland truck accident lawyer from our team is ready to help you identify the parties at fault and potentially move forward with representation.

Losses that May Be Compensated

Truck accident victims often face serious injuries. Fortunately, Oregon law recognizes a variety of specific damages, each of which can be demanded in a claim for compensation or a lawsuit.

Losses of a financial nature are typically referred to as economic damages and include medical bills, lost income, and expenses related to home and car adjustments needed for injuries. They may also include:

• Burial and memorial expenses in cases of wrongful death
• Losses due to the loss of the use of property
• Property loss
• Costs for substitute domestic services.

Losses that are not directly tied to your finances are known as non-economic damages and may include:

• Pain
• Mental suffering
• Emotional distress
• Loss of consortium
• Inconvenience.

When it comes to economic damages, there is no award cap. However, non-economic damages are capped at $500,000.

In some truck accident cases, punitive damages may also be available. Punitive damages are not intended to compensate injury victims but to punish particularly wrongful behavior. They are rare and are only awarded at trial. A potential award for punitive damages at trial provides a heavy incentive for insurance companies to settle before going before a jury.

Frequently Asked Questions

A Portland truck accident lawyer from Strong Law is ready to listen and answer any questions you have. Until then, please review the following answers to some of the frequent questions truck accident survivors typically have.

What are the most common accident-causing regulatory violations?

Unfortunately, the trucking industry is rife with examples of regulatory violations. The most common ones that end up causing many of the accidents in the state include:

• DUI
• Inadequate hiring and training
• Improper vehicle maintenance
• Improper cargo loading and securing
• Violating hours-of-operation rules.

In many cases, more than one violation likely exists.

What are the most common trucking moving violations that cause accidents?

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODT) closely tracks truck accidents for future safety purposes. Within their data, you can see that there are many types of moving violations that cause crashes, but some of them are much more common than others. These violations include:

• Driving over the speed limit
• Following other vehicles too closely
• Various lane violations
• Failure to yield or signal.

The ODT data also demonstrates that truck drivers are at fault more often than the drivers they collide with.

How long do I have to file a truck accident lawsuit?

After being in a truck accident, victims have a two-year time limit for filing a lawsuit when seeking compensation for their injuries. For damages related to property, the time limit is six years. In every case, accident victims should take swift legal action to preserve their claims.

How long do truck accident claims take?

It depends. Each case has a unique set of facts that impact its timing. Straightforward cases can take as little as a few months to resolve. However, the case may take over a year or more to resolve when complexities are involved. Regardless of the situation, you can count on Strong Law to work hard to get you the fastest and most comprehensive payout available.

Can I afford a truck accident lawyer in Portland?

Yes. You have zero initial costs when you hire a truck accident lawyer in Portland. And you typically pay nothing until your truck accident attorney can resolve your case. When you get your settlement or verdict award, your truck accident attorney will take a percentage, meaning if they recover zero dollars for you, you owe zero.

Should I accept an insurance company settlement offer?

You should not accept any settlement offers from an insurance company until a Portland truck accident attorney has reviewed the details. A truck accident attorney will let you know if the offer is appropriate or less than it should be. However, an insurance company will tell you anything to get you to accept less and close the case.

How much is my truck accident case worth?

It depends on the circumstances of your truck accident. Schedule a free consultation with an experienced Portland truck accident lawyer from Strong Law to get a better idea of the value of your claim.

Will my truck accident case go to trial?

A trial is always a possibility in truck accident cases. If an insurance company fails to act reasonably and pay what it should, you can expect your car accident attorney from Strong Law to go all the way to trial if necessary. However, most of them are settled during the negotiations.

Call (206) 741-1053 today for more of the answers you are looking for. A Portland truck accident lawyer is ready to help.

How a Strong Law Truck Accident Attorney Can Help

Strong Law Attorneys Do All the Heavy Lifting While You Get Better

At Strong Law, our clients have the assurance that experienced Portland truck accident lawyers are managing every aspect of their cases. Every attorney on our team knows how to recover compensation awards that do our clients justice, and they never settle for inadequate offers.

The claims process is often complex, especially in trucking cases. There are many stages involved, all of which require strict attention to detail and a deep understanding of the law. With a Portland truck accident attorney from our team, you never have to worry about any of the tasks required to successfully demand compensation, including:

• Managing all paperwork and documents for your case
• Investigating all aspects of your case and collecting evidence
• Hiring medical and truck accident experts when necessary
• Managing the negotiations with insurance company adjusters
• Filing a lawsuit and representing you at trial when required.

Although our Portland truck accident lawyers oversee everything, you will always be kept in the loop regarding the progress of your claim. And you will have a direct line that you can use 24 hours a day to communicate with us.