Semi-Truck Driver Hospitalized After I-90 Crash Near Ellensburg, WA

Washington law requires drivers to keep their vehicle within a single lane and not move from that lane until it can be done safely, a rule that applies with special force to commercial trucks whose size makes lane departures especially dangerous. When a semi drifts off the roadway and strikes a fixed object like a guardrail, investigators look closely at whether the driver was distracted, fatigued, or otherwise inattentive behind the wheel. A citation for allowing a vehicle’s wheels to leave the roadway can support a finding of negligence in a resulting injury claim.

Under Washington’s comparative fault statute, an injured person can still recover damages even if they are found partially at fault for a crash, with their compensation reduced by their percentage of fault rather than barred outright. This standard often applies in truck crash cases where liability may be shared among the driver, a trucking company, or other parties. It allows injured passengers, following drivers, or others harmed by a commercial truck’s actions to pursue compensation for their medical bills and losses.