Dump trucks are among the largest and heaviest vehicles on Washington roads, often weighing tens of thousands of pounds even before carrying loads of dirt, gravel, construction materials, or debris. When a dump truck crashes into a passenger vehicle, the force of the impact can cause devastating injuries, extensive property damage, and even fatalities.
If a dump truck driver’s negligence or a trucking company’s failure to follow safety regulations caused your accident, you may be entitled to compensation. A dedicated Lake Stevens truck accident lawyer can investigate the crash, identify all liable parties, and fight for the full compensation you deserve. Contact Wells Trumbull today for a free consultation to discuss your legal options.
Proving Liability In a Dump Truck Accident
The involved insurance company investigates a dump truck accident with the goal of minimizing the policyholder’s liability to protect the company’s profits. Often, they do this by assigning a percentage of fault to the injury victim under the state’s pure comparative negligence system. When a dump truck accident victim in Washington hires an attorney, their lawyer conducts an independent investigation to document evidence of the at-fault driver’s or company’s liability by showing the following:
- That the at-fault party owed a duty of reasonable care to the injury victim
- They breached this duty of care through negligence
- The breach of duty caused the injury
- The injury victim suffered damages from the injury
Under the state’s pure comparative negligence system, even when an injury victim contributes to the cause of their accident, they may still recover compensation, reduced by their percentage of fault. Unfortunately, this rule may incentivize the insurer to assign an undue percentage of fault to the injury victim.
Common Causes of Washington Dump Truck Accidents
Dump trucks are unwieldy vehicles with extended blind spots. They also require long stopping distances and make wide turns. Common causes of dump truck accidents in Washington include the following:
- Unsafe reversing
- Tailgating
- Making unsafe lane changes
- Improperly merging
- Illegal passing
- Suddenly shifting loads
- Overloading
- Inadequate driver training
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Impaired driving
- Brake failure
- Defective parts
In some cases, other factors cause or contribute to dump truck accidents, including poor road conditions or third-party driver negligence.
How Common Are Dump Truck Accidents In Washington?
Dump trucks are commonly considered the “workhorses” of many industries, including in Washington. According to data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), dump truck injuries caused 809 worker deaths in a recent ten-year period. Data on injuries to vulnerable motorists involved in traffic accidents with a dump truck isn’t always clear, since the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) doesn’t differentiate between types of commercial trucks. Still, dump trucks are commonly involved in traffic accidents, including T-bone collisions, rear-end collisions, reversing accidents, head-on collisions, and pedestrian accidents.
Dump Truck Accident Injuries In Washington
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), about 70% of injuries in large-truck accidents involve motorists in smaller vehicles rather than the truck driver, including in dump-truck accidents. Common injuries in dump truck accidents include the following:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Single and multiple bone fractures
- Soft-tissue injuries like muscle sprains, strains, tendon damage, and torn ligaments
- Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
- Neck injuries
- Back injuries
- Internal organ injuries/internal bleeding
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic amputations
- Crush injuries
- Facial and dental trauma
- Burn injuries
After a collision with a dump truck, injury damages can quickly escalate, especially when catastrophic injuries require medical procedures, surgeries, and physical therapy. These financial consequences of a dump truck accident become the economic damages in a claim. The pain, suffering, and permanent losses are the recoverable non-economic damages in a claim against the dump truck driver, the company the driver works for, or another negligent party.
How Can a Washington Dump Truck Accident Lawyer Help My Case?
The defendant’s and the insurance company’s goals to protect their profits directly conflict with the injury victim’s objective to obtain the full compensation they deserve. Experienced legal representation helps counteract common insurance company tactics with compelling evidence of the at-fault party’s liability and the full extent of the injury victim’s damages. Contact Wells Trumbull at (360) 435-1663 to speak with a dump truck accident lawyer who is ready to represent your best interests throughout the process of your case.