An underride crash can happen when a smaller vehicle slides underneath a tractor-trailer during an accident. These collisions can cause devastating injuries, and if you have faced these injuries, you may be unsure about what to do next.
If you or someone you love was hurt in an underride crash, a Tacoma underride truck accident lawyer can help you understand your legal options.
Puget Law Group has been serving clients for 13 years and handles serious injury and truck accident cases in Tacoma. Our firm is here to help you figure out the next steps so you can focus on recovery.
Contact our firm today for a free case evaluation with a Tacoma truck accident lawyer.
What Compensation May Be Available After an Underride Accident?
If you were injured in an underride crash caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be able to seek compensation for the losses you suffered.
The amount and types of compensation available will depend on your injuries and the details of your case. However, in general, you may be able to recover compensation for:
- Medical expenses: This may include emergency care, hospital stays, doctor visits, medication, and other treatment.
- Future medical care: If you need ongoing treatment, therapy, or other care, you may be able to seek compensation for those future costs.
- Lost wages: If your injuries prevent you from working, you may be able to recover income you lost while recovering.
- Reduced earning ability: Serious injuries may make it harder to work or earn the same income as before the crash.
- Pain and suffering: You may be able to seek compensation for the physical pain caused by your injuries.
- Emotional distress: A serious crash can lead to fear, anxiety, and other emotional effects.
- Property damage: You may be able to recover the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle and other damaged property.
- Wrongful death damages: If you lost a loved one in an underride crash, eligible family members may be able to seek compensation for certain financial and personal losses.
Every case is different. A Tacoma personal injury lawyer can review what happened, explain your options, and help you understand what compensation may be available.
For a free legal consultation with a underride truck accident lawyer serving Tacoma, call (253) 627-4696
Federal & State Underride Guard Regulations
Federal safety rules require many trailers and semitrailers to have rear impact guards designed to help prevent vehicles from sliding underneath them. Federal rules also set requirements for the design and placement of these guards.
Investigators may need to determine whether the guard was installed correctly, whether it met safety standards, and whether it was properly maintained.
A Tacoma underride truck accident lawyer can review the truck and trailer involved in your crash and determine whether safety rules may have been violated.
Injuries Commonly Caused by Underride Crashes
Underride crashes can cause some of the most serious injuries seen in truck accidents. These may include:
- Traumatic brain injuries.
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis.
- Severe head and neck injuries.
- Amputations.
- Severe cuts and disfigurement.
- Broken bones.
- Internal injuries.
- Fatal injuries.
Some survivors require months or years of medical treatment and rehabilitation. Others may be unable to return to work or live the same way they did before the crash.
Because the injuries can be so serious, it is important to look at both your current and future losses when seeking compensation, which a lawyer can help with.
Tacoma Underride Truck Accident Lawyer Near Me (253) 627-4696
Who Can Be Held Liable in a Tacoma Underride Accident?
Determining who is responsible can take a detailed investigation. More than one person or party may share responsibility. Potentially responsible parties may include:
- The trucking company
- The truck driver
- A cargo loading company
- A government agency
Puget Law Group can investigate the accident to determine who may be responsible rather than simply accepting the trucking company’s version of events.
How a Tacoma Underride Truck Accident Lawyer Can Help
Truck companies and their insurers may begin investigating a serious crash soon after it happens. That means important evidence may need to be preserved quickly.
A Tacoma underride truck accident lawyer can:
- Inspect the truck and details surrounding the underride guard.
- Review truck maintenance and inspection records.
- Review available video footage and photographs.
- Investigate the truck driver’s actions.
- Work with accident reconstruction experts.
- Look for violations of trucking safety rules.
- Identify all potentially responsible parties.
- Handle communications with insurance companies.
- Calculate medical expenses, lost income, and other damages.
- Pursue a wrongful death claim when a loved one was killed.
The goal is to build a clear picture of what happened and pursue the compensation you may be entitled to receive.
Why Choose Puget Law Group?
After a serious truck crash, you need more than someone who simply handles paperwork. Puget Law Group brings a local presence to serious injury cases and understands the challenges that can come with truck accident claims.
Our firm also brings 150 years of combined experience to its work. That experience can be important when a case involves serious injuries, multiple potentially responsible parties, trucking companies, and complex evidence.
Our firm handles cases on a contingency-fee basis, so you do not pay attorney’s fees upfront. You can also start with a free case evaluation to learn more about your options.
Contact a Tacoma Underride Truck Accident Lawyer Today
An underride crash can change your life in a matter of seconds. You may be dealing with serious injuries, medical bills, lost income, or the loss of someone you love. You deserve time to focus on healing while someone protects your legal interests.
Puget Law Group has spent 13 years serving clients, and its team is committed to giving serious injury cases the attention they deserve.
If you need an underride truck accident attorney in Tacoma, contact Puget Law Group for a free case evaluation and learn what steps you can take next.
Click to contact our Tacoma Truck Accident Lawyers today (253) 627-4696