Importance of Hiring a Portland Truck Accident Injury Lawyer
When you’ve been involved in a truck accident, there is a strong likelihood that your vehicle has sustained major damage and you, yourself, may have been injured in the collision. Truck accidents are some of the worst accidents that can occur on the road, typically due to the impact that is caused by such large vehicles making an impact on smaller vehicles.
If your vehicle has sustained damage and you’ve been injured, you may need to consider hiring a truck accident attorney in Portland. This lawyer will be someone who works for your best interests, fights to protect your rights, and helps you to hold the responsible party accountable for their actions. They will also help you to recover any monetary compensation that you may be entitled to, including compensation for your lost wages, current and future medical costs, and emotional stress and anguish.
A Portland truck accident injury lawyer will work side by side with you in order to thoroughly understand and investigate the specifics of your claim. They will also assist you in determining what your claim is worth, and developing a plan to prove the liability of the responsible party which will ultimately help you to obtain the maximum compensation for any damages and injuries you’ve sustained. A highly skilled truck accident attorney will have worked on multiple truck accident claims in the Portland area and throughout Oregon, and have actually filed wrongful death and personal injury claims in the state as well.
If we take a look at traffic accident data in recent years, we can see that fatalities due to traffic accidents are on the rise, and many of these accidents involve large trucks or semi trucks. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in the year 2007 alone, one out of nine traffic deaths in the United States involved trucks that weighed over 10,000 pounds. Of the deaths, 75 percent of the deceased were actually passengers in the other vehicles. And in 2010, over 500,000 large trucks were involved in major accidents, with approximately 100,000 individuals being injured in these accidents, and over 5,000 losing their lives.
These kinds of accidents are truly disastrous to all parties involved, but particularly to those individuals who are the victims of large commercial truck, tractor trailer, or semi truck collisions. The average passenger vehicle really doesn’t stand a chance up against these large vehicles that typically weight anywhere from 10,000 to 80,000 pounds.
In addition to the often catastrophic damages sustained during a trucking accident, the average individual will then have to deal with major commercial trucking organizations and their even larger insurance companies in order to obtain a settlement. There’s also a good chance that these companies will have lawyers working on their side that will be working hard for their best interests. This means that you could end up with a negative negotiation situation, a weak claim, or even a denial or delay of settlement payment. At this point in time, it will be absolutely vital for you to have a Portland truck accident injury lawyer who can stand up for you and ensure that you receive a proper settlement.