Injured in a Tacoma Truck Accident?
Tacoma Truck Accident Attorney Blake Kremer Will Fight For Your Justice
The Law Office of Blake Kremer recently filed suit in federal court against a truck driver and their company for running into a client’s car on a highway, leaving that client severely injured. After working with some of our state’s premier experts on truck collisions, the case settled shortly before trial for $775,000.00. Blake Kremer, a Tacoma truck accident attorney, worked carefully with our client to investigate and review how the accident occurred. By developing a close relationship with our client involving frequent communication we were able to thoroughly understand and present our client’s damages, resulting in an important recovery.
How We Advocate for Justice in Our Community
According to JW Surety Bonds, the United States trucking industry is responsible for transporting 70 percent of all goods across the nation. Aside from transporting virtually everything we use on a daily basis, the trucking industry employs millions of workers, making up about six percent of the nation’s workforce. Because of the many trucks on the roadways, there are more trucking accidents. In 2018, there were 4,136 fatalities as a result of a truck accident in the U.S. Freeways and interstates were where a full one-third of all these fatalities occurred.
Those involved in a truck accident have a much higher risk of serious injury or death due to the sheer size of a large truck as compared to a much smaller passenger vehicle. If you have been injured following a truck accident, having an experienced Tacoma truck accident attorney like Blake Kremer can help achieve the best outcome possible.
Attorney Blake Kremer stands up for all those who need a strong advocate in their corner—and who might not otherwise receive justice. At the Law Office of Blake Kremer, Blake believes every client has the right to be heard, the right to be treated with respect, and the right to have an attorney who will fight for their future.
If you are the victim of a large truck accident, you likely have very serious injuries—injuries that can take months, years, or a lifetime to recover from. Attorney Blake Kremer will not only help you get the medical treatment you need, but he will also help you get the settlement you need and deserve. Blake secured a $775,000 settlement for a client involved in a semi-truck accident and will be equally zealous and passionate about securing a settlement on your behalf.
Blake often does pro bono work in order to help his community. Blake handles a variety of cases in his pro bono work including victim advocacy, hospice cases, and cases for a pediatric HIV/AIDS support organization. He counts himself lucky to handle some truly remarkable cases that reflect his commitment to social justice—the kind of cases he and his friends dreamed of working on while in law school. As an example, Blake spent a part of the last few years on a death penalty defense case and defended Father Bill Bichsel and others when they broke into Kitsap Naval Base to bring attention to a nuclear weapon stockpile.
How Do Large Commercial Truck Accidents Differ from Car Accidents?
There are a number of differences between a large truck accident and an accident involving two passenger vehicles. Those differences include:
- The size difference between the truck and the passenger vehicle almost guarantees more severe injuries for those in the passenger vehicle. Those injured in a truck accident could have catastrophic injuries such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputated limbs, internal organ injuries and more.
- Because of the higher level of human injury from a truck accident, victims must seek higher damage amounts than in other types of claims. The damages may include current and future medical expenses, current and future lost wages, home modifications and medical equipment, rehabilitative therapies, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and disfigurement.
- There are potentially more liable parties following a large truck accident (discussed in further detail below). With more liable parties, each party may blame the other as a method of reducing their own level of negligence. You need a strong Tacoma truck accident attorney who will hold every single negligent party fully accountable.
- Large trucking companies have bigger insurance policies which means more money is at stake. With more money at stake, insurers and trucking companies will do everything they can to shift the blame.
- Evidence can be different in a large truck accident. Truck accident scenes are usually cleaned up quickly and trucking companies have attorneys on retainer who know how to do just that. While most people are unable to take photos at the scene of the accident due to their injuries, those who can, will find those photos extremely helpful later on.
What are the Primary Causes of Tacoma Semi-Truck Accidents?
Truck drivers, like all American drivers on the roadways these days are virtually always distracted by one thing or another. We eat entire meals while driving, and truck drivers are especially guilty of this because it allows them to continue driving and getting paid. Distracted driving is a particularly dangerous issue; truck drivers may talk on the phone, text, fiddle with the truck controls, change the music, set or look at the GPS, attempt to read a paper map, talk to a passenger, or simply daydream instead of paying attention.
Truck drivers are also more prone to driving while fatigued. Even though the federal government has rules regarding the amount of time a driver can remain on the road, many truck drivers exceed these hours because they are only paid while behind the wheel. Fatigued driving can be extremely dangerous, leading to truck accidents. Other causes of truck accidents include impaired driving, faulty brakes or tires, truck or truck part defects, careless driving, speeding, lack of training, or reckless driving.
What is Truck Driver Negligence?
Proving negligence in a truck accident case is one thing that is much the same as with proving negligence in a two-car accident. It must first be shown that the truck driver had a duty of care toward you (and other drivers on the road). Because large truck accidents are so dangerous, truck drivers have an even higher duty of care to protect other drivers on the road. Since truck drivers have a duty of care, it must be shown the driver (or other liable party) failed to meet that duty of care.
This means the driver failed to take reasonable steps to prevent an accident, thus placing others on the road at risk. The truck driver’s failure to meet his or her duty of care must be the direct cause of the accident, and it must be shown that the accident caused your injuries. Finally, it must be shown that your injuries resulted in specific damages, i.e., monetary loss due to medical expenses, pain and suffering, loss of wages, etc.
The Complexities of Truck Accidents and Assigning Liability
Truck accidents can be very complex, not only because of the serious nature of the injuries, but also because there are many different parties that could be held liable. Those parties include:
- The truck driver could be liable if he or she was distracted, driving recklessly, overly fatigued, or impaired.
- The trucking company who hired the truck driver could be held liable for a couple of different reasons. The trucking company may not have properly vetted the truck driver, meaning they did not check to see if the driver had a clean driving record. The trucking company could also be held liable if they did not ensure the driver was properly trained prior to putting him or her on the road.
- The loading company could be held liable if the accident was caused by improperly loaded cargo. Surprisingly, this is a significant cause of truck accidents. Cargo can shift if not properly loaded, causing the truck to tip or even turn over. Other times, when cargo is not properly secured, it can fall off the truck, causing a serious accident.
- The truck maintenance company could be held liable if the truck was not properly maintained, especially the brakes and tires.
- The manufacturer of the truck or truck parts could be held liable if the parts were defective in some way, and that defect caused the accident.
In many cases, more than one entity may be held responsible for your truck accident. You need attorney Blake Kremer—a highly-skilled Tacoma truck accident attorney who is not afraid to hold those liable fully accountable.
How Experienced Tacoma Truck Accident Attorney Blake Kremer Can Help
When you choose attorney Blake Kremer, he will fight at every turn for your rights and your future. Blake will ensure you get the medical treatments you need, working hard for a settlement that will fully cover your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages. Blake Kremer’s father and grandfather were attorneys, making Blake a third-generation attorney. Blake’s history, and that of his firm, shows a pattern of service to the community, representing causes and individuals who otherwise would not have found justice.
Blake has been successful in many activist cases, often winning against immense odds. He can handle cases from King, Pierce, Snohomish, and Thurston Counties, including Seattle, Tacoma, Everett, and Olympia, Puget Sound, South Sound, and all of Western Washington, as well as handling cases virtually. Contact attorney Blake Kremer to get the help you need following your Washington truck accident. Call (253) 830-5844 today to speak with Attorney Blake Kremer, or (253) 368-4382 to speak with Kate, Blake’s paralegal.
