Involved in an 18-Wheeler Wreck in Oregon? Our Truck Accident Lawyer in Portland Can Help You
Motor vehicle accidents involving large commercial trucks such as semi-tractor trailers, 18-wheelers, flatbeds, tankers, and other box trucks are often serious or fatal. Even at low speeds, these heavy trucks generate significant momentum and a powerful force in an impact that can break bones, cause brain injuries, and result in the wrongful death of an innocent person. When those collisions are at higher speeds, which is often the case on highways and interstates like I-5, I-205, and I-84, our truck accident lawyer in Portland knows that the results are almost always catastrophic. Indeed, national statistics reveal that trucking accidents account for approximately 6,000 fatal and 119,000 injury-causing traffic accidents each year in the United States. In Oregon, medium and heavy trucks account for over 2,300 crashes each year – a nearly 24% increase from the prior year.
If you or a loved one were one of those seriously injured, or if a loved one was wrongfully killed, in an Oregon trucking accident, call the Manners Law Firm. We offer free consultations and case evaluations for victims and their families, allowing them to ask questions and get answers related to their case. Our clients receive dedicated and personalized attention, from an attorney with extensive defense experience previously representing insurance companies, now helping victims maximize the potential recovery that they may be entitled to under Oregon law. To learn more about your rights and how our truck accident lawyer in Portland can help you, contact us today by dialing 503-468-7937.
Types of Trucking Accidents That We Handle
There are many different ways that a negligent truck driver or trucking company could cause you or your loved one serious personal injuries. Generally, these injuries are caused by the reckless, careless, and outright negligent conduct of a defendant. More specifically, they could be due to reckless driving conduct, improper maintenance, inadequate inspections, or a combination of these causes.
Some of the most common examples of the types of trucking accidents that we handle include the following:
- Rear-end collisions
- Jackknife accidents
- Lane change collisions
- Carriage underride accidents
- Head-on collisions
- Braking failures
- Tire blowouts
- Improper turning
- Fatigued drivers or falling asleep at the wheel
- Unsafe U-turns
- Disabled trucks, and
- Many other types of serious or catastrophic trucking accidents in Oregon.
Why Trucking Accidents Are Different: You Need a Trucking Accident Lawyer in Portland
Although trucking accidents are a type of motor vehicle accident, they are much different than regular passenger, motorcycle, or other vehicle crashes. Thus, victims who were injured in a trucking wreck need to hire not just a motor vehicle accident lawyer – but a lawyer who specifically advertises for and handles trucking accidents.
There are several important reasons for this, including because:
There Are Unique Regulations That Apply to Commercial Vehicles
Even though truck drivers must comply with Oregon traffic laws, they also must comply with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations. These regulations are complex and apply no matter what state drivers are licensed in, driving in, going to, or coming from with their delivery. The regulations set forth the minimum standards that all truck drivers must comply with, in addition to state-specific laws.
Unfortunately, these regulations are complicated and many lawyers who do not regularly handle trucking accident cases may not be aware of all the specific rules that could apply to a case. In fact, some car accident lawyers may be unaware of how these regulations can be used to help prove liability against a defendant truck driver or trucking company. Thus, it is imperative that victims and their families hire an experienced trucking accident lawyer in Portland who is both knowledgeable and skilled at using violations of FMCSA regulations to help prove a case.
Different Equipment and Mechanicals
Another major difference with commercial trucks is that they contain different equipment than smaller, passenger vehicles. Understanding this different equipment can be critical to helping prove a case, especially in a tire blowout or brake failure case. For instance, trucks use air brakes as opposed to drum or disc braking systems. These require different maintenance and inspections, as well as different standards in how to use the braking system, and can be a basis for a negligence claim against a defendant.
More importantly, commercial vehicles also include an engine control module or electronic control module (ECM), which functions like a black box on an airplane. This data record captures important information such as whether a driver was accelerating or braking at the time of a collision, speed, direction, steering wheel input, and other critical data that can help prove a car accident case. However, this information is fragile, and must be obtained by an expert right after a crash in order to prevent it from being deleted, modified, corrupted, or otherwise rendered unusable. Thus, having a knowledgeable and experienced trucking accident lawyer in Portland is critical to preserving this information and potentially saving your claim.
Complex Litigation Issues
Since trucking is an interstate business, there are often issues relating to venue and choice of law. This is particularly true when a truck driver is from one state, a trucking company is from another state, and the victim is from Oregon. Thus, victims of trucking accidents often need to hire a lawyer who is more than just a good personal injury lawyer, but also a lawyer who is very experienced and knowledgeable of procedural laws – like our lawyer at the Manners Law Firm.
Injured in an Oregon Truck Accident? Call Our Trucking Accident Lawyer in Portland for Help
Victims and their families who were seriously injured in an 18-wheeler wreck may be entitled to compensation for their personal injuries, lost wages, medical bills, and other damages. However, in order to recover compensation, victims will need to establish liability, demonstrate causation, and prove their damages. Although any car accident lawyer can do this, due to some of the unique issues surrounding trucking accidents, victims and their families should call an experienced trucking accident lawyer in Portland for help.
Here at the Manners Law Firm, we don’t just handle motor vehicle accidents – we specifically also handle trucking accident cases. That’s because, unlike some other car accident attorneys, our firm has the skills, knowledge, and experience working semi-tractor trailer cases and using the FMCSA regulations to help prove a case. To learn more about how we can help prove your case in Oregon, contact us today by dialing 503-468-7937 or by using our contact box available here.
