The website komonews.com reported in a story on April 20, 2009 that Chrissy Gombos of Kirkland called the authorities to report a near death experience in Skagit County, Washington. Gombos claims that a piece of debris came off the back of a truck on Interstate 5 which thankfully struck her cars’ under carriage and not the windshield.
Gombos said, “All of the sudden, out of nowhere within a split second, I saw a large chunk of something that didn’t really have a shape come off a generic delivery truck in front of us.”
It is still unclear what struck Gombos’ Ford Focus but it was rocked as if it had hit a bomb. The debris punctured the gas tank, and bent a front axle. She believes that the driver of the truck never knew what happened and kept driving.
Gombos said, “The noise was so loud, Wendy, my passenger who was knitting, thought we had hit a car.”
Truck driver’s are responsible for their loads and if they fail to secure them and a load causes injury or death they can potentially face jail time and a $5,000 fine. Additional charges can be filed if the unsecured debris causes property damage.
The most common causes of Seattle truck accidents are unsafe driving, driver fatigue, oversized loads and mechanical negligence.
Whether you were involved in an accident with an 18-wheeler, a truck hauling hazardous waste, a commercial truck, or a pickup truck, the Bernard Law Group can help. The Bernard Law Group has significant Washington State trucking law experience. We have experience in filing Seattle trucking lawsuits and have recovered significant damages from truck accidents. Our experienced Seattle personal injury attorneys handle almost every trucking accident case on a contingent basis, meaning that they only get paid if they win your case. Please call 1-800-418-8282 for a free consultation.