Were you severely hurt in a commercial truck crash in or near Beaverton, Oregon? If so, you could recover compensation for accident-related medical care, lost wages, expenses, and pain and suffering. An experienced trucking accident attorney from Rizk Law may help maximize your financial recovery.
At Rizk Law, we stand up to insurance companies to demand accountability and just compensation. As a former injury insurance claims defense attorney and claims manager for national insurers, firm founder Richard Rizk knows insurer strategies and motivations. Knowing the schemes insurers use to fight injury claims allows Richard to stay a step ahead as he advocates for you.
Contact Rizk Law today without cost or obligation. Learn how Rizk Law can help you pursue the compensation you deserve.
Benefits of Hiring a Beaverton, Oregon, Attorney for Your Truck Accident Claim
One of the most important benefits of hiring a truck accident lawyer in Beaverton includes having an advocate who can handle all the aspects of your legal claim. That way, you can devote your time and energy to your physical and emotional recovery. Let the Rizk Law legal team pursue the financial recovery you deserve by:
- Investigating the accident and acquiring all available evidence supporting your claim
- Identifying and evaluating legal options for achieving full reimbursement
- Documenting injuries and losses justifying the full compensation sum
- Negotiating with insurers, trucking company representatives, and, if necessary, defense lawyers
- Fighting for a favorable outcome, which might require filing a lawsuit
What to Do After a Truck Accident
After a truck accident injury, prompt action can support financial recovery from trucking companies and insurers. Here are some post-crash actions that may facilitate a quicker recovery:
- Notify your auto insurance provider about the accident.
- Follow the medical treatment plan and recovery instructions. Do not skip or defer medical procedures or rehab appointments.
- Obtain copies of any medical records of your treatment and rehabilitation.
- Request a copy of the police accident report.
- Keep any bills, invoices, or receipts for expenses you incur for medical or long-term care.
- Obtain a written medical work release before missing work.
- Find your pay stubs or income statements of lost earnings if you need to take time off work or transfer to a lower-paying, modified-duty role during your recovery.
- Contact a Beaverton truck accident lawyer from Rizk Law as soon as possible.
How We Investigate Beaverton, Oregon, Truck Accident Cases
When you hire Rizk Law to represent you in a truck accident claim, our legal team will secure evidence to ferret out the party or parties responsible for the crash and your injuries. We will build your truck accident case using evidence such as:
- Truck driver hours-of-service logs
- Cargo manifests
- Truck event data recorder logs (the “black box”)
- Pre- and post-trip truck inspection reports
- Truck repair or maintenance records
- Surveillance or traffic camera footage
- Dashcam or in-cab camera footage
- Eyewitness testimony
- Post-accident vehicle inspections
- Police accident reports
In many cases, we also work with accident reconstruction and trucking industry experts to review the evidence. Doing so allows us to craft compelling arguments to prove the truck driver’s or trucking company’s fault for the accident.
Why Trucking Accidents Are More Complicated Than Other Motor Vehicle Crashes
People who suffer injuries in truck accidents often face challenges that injured victims of other types of motor vehicle accidents do not experience. These complexities make it critical for truck accident victims to secure experienced legal counsel. Some of the top factors that make trucking accidents more complicated than other auto accidents include:
- The Severity of Accident Injuries – Truck accident victims who suffer severe injuries will likely require more compensation. This includes money for future anticipated expenses, which can complicate settlement negotiations.
- The Complexity of Evidence – Investigating a truck accident often requires reviewing extensive trucking company records in addition to physical evidence, photographs, and witness testimony.
- The Potential for Multiple Liable Parties – Multiple parties often bear responsibility for a truck accident, which can complicate the claims process when each party vigorously litigates the allocation of liability.
- Complex Insurance Coverage – Some trucking companies use layered insurance policies, where each policy layer only triggers after prior layers have exhausted coverage. This can make it harder to evaluate the amount of available coverage after a truck wreck.
Compensation You Could Recover in a Beaverton, Oregon, Truck Accident Claim
If you sustain injuries in a truck crash, you could be entitled to financial recovery from a negligent truck driver or trucking company for ongoing and future expenses related to your injuries. Your truck accident compensation could include money for the following:
- Medical treatment and rehabilitation expenses
- Long-term disability care expenses
- Loss of wages from missed work or reduced earnings during recovery
- Loss of future earning capacity or job benefits after becoming permanently disabled from work
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of quality of life caused by disabilities or extensive scarring or disfigurement
After a fatal truck accident, surviving family members could have the right to pursue a wrongful death claim or survival action to recover compensation for their loss. This can include compensation for their loved one’s final medical expenses, funeral expenses, and conscious pain and suffering that their loved one experienced before their death. Family members can also demand compensation for the loss of the value of growth of their loved one’s estate, in addition to the loss of their loved one’s companionship and society.
Parties Who Could Be Held Liable for a Truck Wreck in Beaverton, Oregon
Depending on the circumstances surrounding a truck accident, several parties could bear responsibility for the injuries and losses you have suffered due to the accident. You could have the right to seek financial recovery from one or several of the following liable parties:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company
- The truck’s owner
- The cargo or shipping company
- A third-party auto shop or mechanic that serviced the truck
- The manufacturer of the truck or its components
Could You Recover Compensation if You Are Partly to Blame for a Trucking Accident?
Yes. Even if you share some of the fault for causing a big rig accident, you could still have the right to seek compensation for your injuries and losses. Oregon follows a modified comparative negligence rule for injury cases. This rule states that partial responsibility for causing an accident does not prevent you from recovering compensation as long as you are no more than 50 percent responsible.
However, the rule can also reduce your financial recovery based on the percentage of fault you bear for the accident. This can affect your financial recovery if the trucking company tries to shift some of the blame for the truck crash to you. That is why you need an experienced legal advocate from Rizk Law who will fight to protect your interests after a truck wreck in Oregon.
How Long Do You Have to File a Trucking Accident Lawsuit in Oregon?
Under Oregon law, you have two years to file a truck accident lawsuit after getting hurt in a crash. If you do not act promptly, you could lose the opportunity to recover compensation in a personal injury lawsuit.
The best way to protect your legal rights is by working with a Beaverton truck accident lawyer from Rizk Law as soon as possible after a crash. Our truck accident law firm can help you file your claim before the applicable deadlines expire and preserve your right to demand a fair recovery.
Common Types and Causes of Commercial Truck Accidents in Beaverton, Oregon
At Rizk Law, a truck accident lawyer in Beaverton can help you pursue a legal claim after getting hurt in any of the following types of truck accidents:
- Rear-end truck collisions
- Head-on truck collisions
- T-bone truck collisions
- Sideswipe truck collisions
- Underride truck accidents
- Rollover truck accidents
- Jackknife accidents
- Cargo spill accidents
We can aggressively pursue accountability from truck drivers and trucking companies who cause crashes due to:
- Speeding or traveling too fast for road conditions
- Tailgating or following too closely
- Distracted driving
- Drowsy driving
- Disregarding traffic signs or signals
- Not using turn signals or checking mirrors
- Illegal or unsafe turning, lane changing, or passing
- Improperly wide turns
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Driver inexperience or unfamiliarity with roads
- Failing to yield the right of way
- Inadequate truck maintenance or repairs
- Unsafe cargo loading or securement
Typical Injuries Resulting from a Truck Collision
Semi-truck accidents frequently lead to more severe injuries than other motor vehicle crashes. This is because the greater weight of commercial trucks results in higher impact forces in a collision. Injuries that can occur in a truck crash include:
- Severe lacerations
- Broken bones
- Ligament sprains or tears
- Muscle or tendon strains or tears
- Nerve damage
- Herniated disc injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Internal organ injuries
- Internal bleeding
- Facial injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Traumatic amputations
Contact a Truck Accident Lawyer in Beaverton, Oregon, Today
Did you suffer injuries in an 18-wheeler, tractor-trailer, semi-truck crash, or other kind of commercial truck crash in Oregon? Our knowledgeable attorneys are here to guide you through the claims process and stand up to trucking companies and insurers.
Contact Rizk Law today for a free, no-obligation consultation. Let a Beaverton truck accident attorney from our law firm discuss your legal options.