Lakewood Truck Accident Wrongful Death Lawyer
Truck collisions can be catastrophic in nature. When an accident occurs between a truck and a passenger vehicle, the individuals in the smaller car are almost always more likely to sustain serious and even fatal injuries. Trucks often weigh 20 to 30 times as much as passenger vehicles and are taller with greater ground clearance which, among other things, can result in smaller vehicles getting under trucks in crashes.
When someone is fatally injured in a truck wreck, their estate can pursue a wrongful death action against the at-fault party. If you lost a loved one in a tractor-trailer crash caused by a negligent party, a Lakewood car accident wrongful death lawyer could help you seek justice and fair compensation. Contact a skilled attorney right away to get started.
Common Causes of Fatal Truck Collisions
One of the most frequent causes of truck wrecks is driver fatigue. It is not uncommon for the drivers of commercial vehicles to be drowsy because they have been overworked, as trucking companies often push drivers to work long hours with little rest.
Alcohol or drug use, poor driver training and truck maintenance, speeding and overtaking other drivers, and distracted driving can all lead to truck crashes as well. An attorney well-versed in wrongful death cases could investigate a fatal semi-truck accident to determine the cause and the liable parties.
Parties Involved in a Truck Crash Wrongful Death Case
There are a number of parties who may be involved in truck wreck cases, including:
- Injured drivers and passengers
- Parties involved in the commercial truck’s creation and operation
- Loaders or shippers of the cargo to be carried by a truck
- Truck owners
- Companies leasing a truck from the owners
- Truck drivers
Due to the multiple potentially liable parties and the corporate association of most trucks on the road, fatal truck accident cases are generally handled differently than other wrongful death cases. Corporate liability can increase if the corporation fails to comply with all maintenance requirements, approved vehicle parts, and inspection deadlines required by federal regulators for any commercial vehicle that the corporation owns.
Additionally, the corporate entity itself may be required to be part of the lawsuit. It is often difficult to pursue individual owners of the corporate entity or the individual officers of the corporate entity, so usually the corporate entity itself must be sued. A Lakewood attorney could help establish the liable parties in a fatal truck accident case.
Damage Caps in Lakewood Fatal Truck Wreck Cases
Damage caps are laws that limit the amount of non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering, that a person can receive in a certain type of case. State law outlines the damage caps for fatal truck accident cases in Lakewood.
Current non-economic damage caps are $613,760 for incidents that occurred on or after January 1st, 2020, and $468,010 for incidents that occurred before January 1st, 2020. This damage limitation will continue to increase at regular intervals to offset inflation. A knowledgeable attorney could explain how damage caps may affect a particular truck wreck wrongful death case given the unique facts of the accident.
A Lakewood Truck Accident Wrongful Death Attorney Could Help
Coping with the loss of a loved one can be hard enough on its own. When the fatal accident was caused by a preventable action, it can be even more difficult.
If you have lost someone in a semi-truck crash caused by another party, you have legal options. A Lakewood truck accident wrongful death lawyer could help you hold the at-fault party accountable and pursue the compensation you need. Reach out today to see what a dedicated legal professional could do for you.
