Despite significant improvements in vehicle safety measures and the rise of self-driven cars, truck collisions caused by inattentive driving are not a thing of the past. These crashes happen daily, and inattentive semi-truck drivers should be held accountable.
Do not wait to take legal action when you or someone you love is involved in a distracted driving truck accident in Portland. A reliable truck crash attorney can fight for monetary compensation on your behalf.
Types of Distracted Driving
Distracted driving occurs when Portland truckers and other drivers engage in actions that divert their attention from the road. The behaviors of inattentive driving are usually categorized as “visual” or “manual.”
Visual Distracted Driving
Visual distracted driving happens when a motorist takes their eyes off the road. This can occur for several reasons, such as sending a text, reading an email, answering a phone call, or searching for an item. Frequently, visual inattentive driving is accompanied by manual inattentive driving, which can have severe or even fatal outcomes.
Manual Distracted Driving
Manual inattentive driving occurs when a driver takes their hands off the wheel, such as when eating and putting on cosmetics. These actions make a driver less capable of stopping their vehicle in time to avoid a collision.
Determining Liability and Compensatory Damages
Individuals involved in Portland roadway collisions caused by distracted truckers may be entitled to multiple types of compensation for their injuries. Compensation can include economic and non-economic damages an injured party sustained.
Economic damages are the direct costs of an incident and subsequent injuries. The examples below can be recovered in a successful personal injury claim.
- Property damage expenses
- The ambulance bill
- Hospital bills
- Surgical costs
- Physical therapy
Non-economic damages do not have a defined dollar value but are equally essential to make a person whole after a catastrophic truck wreck. These can include, among others:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Emotional distress
Each of these can be incorporated into a request for non-economic damages. Our team can provide more information on additional qualifiers.
Collecting Compensation
To collect compensation in a personal injury claim, an injured individual must prove liability for a collision. A personal injury lawyer can document the extent of an injured party’s losses and provide evidence demonstrating a truck driver’s negligence. Vital forms of evidence can include reports from law enforcement, witness statements, and testimonies from accident reconstruction expert witnesses.
Possible Liable Parties in a Truck Wreck
Other liable parties besides a trucker may be involved in a distracted tractor-trailer crash claim in Portland. For example, if a truck company employs drivers who engage in negligent hiring practices or inadequate training procedures, it may bear legal liability for a crash.
Maine is a modified comparative negligence state. This means an injured person in a wreck can potentially collect compensation even if their actions contributed to a crash. However, financial recovery is impossible if an injured individual’s degree of negligence is equal to or greater than a truck driver’s (50% or more).
Consider enlisting a skilled attorney to help with a collision caused by an inattentive trucker. They can present compelling defenses to help prove a driver was over 50 percent at fault. For example, a lawyer can present evidence for damages that they were criminally convicted of driving under the influence before the adjudication of a civil trial.
Reach out to Gideon Asen, LLC for Help with Portland Distracted Driving Truck Accidents
A dedicated lawyer at Gideon Asen LLC can help obtain compensatory damages on your behalf for an 18-wheeler truck crash involving an inattentive driver.
To discuss the specifics of your situation, call, message, or visit our office to speak with an attorney who works on distracted driving truck accidents in Portland.
