Oregon Logging Truck Accident Lawyers - Bend/Portland, OR

Commercial trucks like semi tractor trailers, double trailers, big rigs, and other large box trucks are usually the most dangerous vehicles on the roadway.  However, Oregon’s logging trucks are even more dangerous and likely to cause serious personal injuries or wrongful death.  Our Oregon logging truck accident lawyers know this is because large logging trucks are usually loaded in the forest or staging areas where the ground may be uneven and it make be difficult to properly stack the logs.  Some logs may be heavier than expected and result in the logging truck being heavier than permitted under law.  Other times the logs may be longer than the vehicle and loggers do not have the proper warning flags or signs to indicate the increased length.  In addition, logging truck drivers want to deliver as many logs in a single trip as they get paid by the board footage of wood or weight of the wood, thus heavier and bigger equals more money.  

While other large commercial trucks can cause significant damage in a motor vehicle accident, logging trucks can cause even more dangerous and devastating injuries due to the heavy weight.  Logging trucks also poise other special hazards such as wood falling off of the truck, the logging truck toppling over due to improper stacking, logs sticking out the back of truck, and debris flying back towards driving on highways.  Innocent people who are hurt in Oregon logging truck accidents have rights to protect and should ensure that they contact our Oregon logging truck accident lawyers to ensure they fight for the maximum compensation they may be entitled to under law.

Common Causes of Oregon Logging Truck Accidents

Like any other motor vehicle accident, there are many possible causes of Oregon logging truck accidents.  This includes errors such as distracted driving or running a stop sign.  But all commercial vehicles create special hazards and risks, especially logging trucks. Some of the most common causes of Oregon logging truck accident which could result in serious personal injuries or the wrongful death of innocent people include the following:

• Improper stacking of wood;
• Brake failures;
• Steering failures;
• Overweight trucks;
• Logs longer than the maximum allowable length;
• Excess debris, dirt, rocks, and other matter that fly off the truck on the highway;
• Large blind spots;
• Greater stopping distance required due to heavy weight;
• Mud, dirt, wetness, and other environmental factors on logging trucks that are acquired in the forest or staging areas and then tracked onto our highways during a delivery;
• Aggressive driving to make delivery schedules;
• Improper maintenance of vehicle;
• Logging truck driver fatigue and hours of service (HOS) violations; and
• Many other causes.

Logging Trucks are Governed by Oregon Law

Like other commercial trucks, Oregon law applies to any vehicle which is operating in and traveling in Oregon.  This includes logging trucks that are operating off-road and in the woods, then come onto our highways, interstates, and other roadways to complete deliveries.  Violations of Oregon law which result in logging truck accidents may result in liability because of the reckless, careless, and negligent conduct of a logging truck driver or logging company.  

In addition, if a statutory violation of any Oregon law causes personal injuries, and that Oregon law is meant to protect the general public from harm, it is likely that the truck driver and trucking company may be found automatically liable through the doctrine of negligence per se.

Logging Trucks are also Governed by Federal Law

While our state vehicle and traffic law has very strong protections for all motorists, because the trucking industry is an interstate business going through many states, federal law sets minimum requirements that all commercial vehicle operators and companies must follow.  These regulations are promulgated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), which places very strict requirements, standards, and directives on truck drivers and trucking companies.  

When violations of FMCSA regulations result in Oregon logging truck accidents which cause personal injuries, the fact that a regulation was violated and caused personal injuries demonstrates evidence of negligence against the truck driver and trucking company.

Bend/Portland, Oregon Logging Truck Accident Lawyers

If you or a loved one have been seriously injured or killed as a result of a trucking accident or collision contact the Oregon Truck Accident Lawyers at Kuhlman Law at our number below or fill out the intake form.  We offer a free initial case evaluation and handle cases on a contingency fee which means that you pay no money unless we recover.  

We handle cases throughout the state including Bend and Portland Oregon, Redmond, Central Oregon, Multnomah County, Deschutes County, Salem, Eugene, Corvallis, Lane County, Medford, Gresham, Albany, Medford, Beaverton, Umatilla, Pendleton, and Hillsboro.  

We also have an office in Minneapolis, Minnesota and take Trucking accident cases throughout the Twin Cities, including St. Paul, Hennepin County, Ramsey County, Dakota County, Washington County, Anoka County, Scott County, Blaine, Stillwater, and Saint Paul Minnesota.  

Please act quickly, there is a limited time (Statute of Limitations) in which you can bring a claim under the law.