Dallas Truck Accident Lawyer (All You Need To Know)

Looking for a Dallas Truck Accident Lawyer?

Should you hire one?

What are the essential elements you should know!

Keep reading as we have gathered exactly the information that you need!

Let’s see who is a truck accident lawyer in Dallas and why it’s important!

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Let’s get started!

Who Is A Dallas Truck Accident Lawyer

A Dallas truck accident lawyer is a legal professional academically trained in the field of law and who practices law in the area of truck accidents in Dallas.

You can find lawyers specialized in many different areas of law.

Individuals who are victims of a truck accident or truck drivers who are legally implicated in a matter will generally consult and retain the services of a truck accident lawyer Dallas to provide them legal support and guidance on their rights and obligations.

Texas truck accident attorney is a person who particularly understands the laws relating to truck accidents, personal injury, insurance, and court procedures.

For an attorney to be truly qualified to provide his or her clients legal advice in the area of Dallas truck accidents, the attorney must have:

• An education in law
• Be a member of the Bar Association in Dallas (TX)
• Have experience practicing law in the area of truck accidents in Dallas

A Truck

What do you mean by a truck?

A truck can be a:

• Box truck
• Concrete truck
• Delivery truck
• Dump truck
• Garbage truck
• Tanker truck
• Semi truck
• Tractor trailer
• Commercial truck

Truck Regulations

Commercial trucks are heavily regulated and there are highly complex rules to be followed at the state and federal levels.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration establishes rules that apply to interstate drivers, such as:

• Driver qualification 
• Truck operation
• Insurance coverages 
• Truck inspections
• Accident investigations 
• Weight distribution
• Vehicle maintenance 

And more…

In essence, an 18 wheeler accident lawyer or commercial truck accident lawyer in Dallas is the right professional to contact when you need legal counseling, advice, and representation to file a claim against someone or defend yourself against a claim.

Why Hire A Dallas Truck Accident Attorney

Getting into a truck accident is a devastating experience for all individuals involved.

If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck accident, you may need to speak with Dallas truck accident lawyers to get a better sense as to what are your legal rights and options.

The fact is that you don’t have any obligation of hiring an attorney to file a claim against a truck driver, the truck driver’s employer, or a third party for damages.

For instance, if you’re dealing with a minor accident, you may not want to hire a lawyer as it may not be worth the cost.

There are other cases where you may want to speak to Texas truck accident attorneys so they can help you file a truck accident claim, manage the claim, and eventually get you fair compensation.

Whether you were involved in an accident with an 18-wheeler, box truck, dump truck, delivery van, tractor trailer, or any other type of truck, your best bet is to at least consult with a good truck accident attorney to get some overall advice.

Legal Services 

An experienced Dallas truck accident lawyer can provide you with the following services:

• Investigate a truck accident 
• Find and gather evidence to support your case 
• Find the trucker’s logbook 
• Review medical reports
• Assess your damages 
• Identify sources of compensation 
• Interview witnesses 
• File an insurance claim 
• Prepare and draft litigation documents
• Negotiate a claim for you 
• Handle court procedures 
• Represent you in a personal injury trial
• Work with experts to reconstruct the scene of the accident (as needed)

A successful truck accident claim (either with the insurance company or in court) requires that you have all the proper evidence to support your claim and formulate the right claim.

It’s possible for someone to not only deal with the physical and mental hardships of an accident and manage his or her legal claim at the same time (but it’s not ideal).

By hiring a specialized attorney who understands the ins and outs of a Dallas accident involving a truck, you can put the chances on your side to act properly, respect the timelines, respect the legal procedures, and get the maximum settlement amount that you can.

Statute of Limitations

Every state in the United States will have a different timeline to file a claim for personal injury, truck accident lawsuit, or other.

In Dallas, Texas, the legal deadline that you generally have to file a personal injury lawsuit is 2 years from the moment the crash took place.

In other words, if you were injured in a Dallas 18-wheeler accident, you must remember that you have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit to claim compensation in court.

However, depending on the nature of your claim (personal injury claim, product liability claims, claim against the government or the state etc), you will not have the same amount of time to file a claim.

For some specific types of claims, your deadline will expire quickly.

If you are involved in an accident or someone you know was involved in a truck accident, you should consult an attorney as soon as possible so you know what are the applicable statute of limitations for filing your claims.

If you miss the deadline, your claims (even though perfectly valid) may be rejected and dismissed.

Most Common Causes of Dallas Truck Accidents 

Trucks, semi trucks, tractor trailers, commercial vans, big rigs, or any other type of truck can get into an accident for a variety of reasons.

Here are the most common reasons why you may see a truck accident in Dallas (Texas):

• Speeding 
• Cargo shifts
• Poor road conditions
• Driving under the influence of drugs
• Driving under the influence of alcohol 
• Illegal maneuvers 
• Distracted driver 
• Driver fatigue 
• Inexperienced driver
• Traffic law violations 
• Defect truck parts
• Tire blowouts 
• Following too closely 
• Negligent supervision 

Common Types of Dallas Truck Accident Injuries

An accident with a truck can result in more serious and catastrophic injuries than an accident with another passenger vehicle.

Unfortunately, statistics show that more people are injured in accidents involving trucks and more die as a result of the crash or shortly thereafter.

The most common types of injuries that may be suffered in a truck accident are as follows:

• Brain trauma
• Severe lacerations
• Whiplash 
• Broken bones
• Post-traumatic stress 
• Spinal cord injuries
• Disfigurement
• Burns
• Paralysis
• Death 
• Disc injuries
• Ligament injuries 
• Limb loss
• Organ damage 
• Internal bleeding
• Wrongful death 
• Paraplegia 
• Quadriplegia 
• Amputation 
• Nerve damage 

Our list here is surely not exhaustive.

If you have been injured, it would be crucial to consult with a good attorney to assess your legal options and see who must compensate you for your physical, financial, and mental damages.

What To Do After A Truck Accident In Dallas

Nobody wants to get into an accident with a truck of any kind.

However, if it happens, being prepared and knowing what to do will ensure that you put all the chances on your side to maximize the recovery of your damages.

Here are the steps you need to take immediately after a Dallas truck accident:

• Make sure that everyone is ok 
• Get medical help for yourself and anyone injured 
• Make sure you get full medical treatment if you are injured 
• File a police report 
• Write down detailed notes about how the accident happened
• Get the contact information of the other drivers involved in the accident 
• Ensure that you identify the truck driver and the trucking company 
• Get every driver’s car insurance policy details 
• Identify witnesses on the scene and get their information 
• Take a lot of pictures of the scene of the accident 
• See if there were videos or security cameras recording the event

After you’ve been medically treated and have had time to gather all your documents and evidence relating to the truck accident, you will then want to consult with an experienced truck accident attorney practicing in Dallas.

By consulting the best truck accident attorney, you will be able to:

• Understand who is liable in a truck accident
• Assess how much damages you may be entitled to
• Understand the legal procedures that you need to take
• Get a better sense of how the Dallas accident attorney dealing with trucks can help you

Who Is Liable In A Truck Accident In Dallas

One crucial question that must legally be answered is: who is liable for the accident and the damages caused?

Naturally, the first reaction is that the truck driver must be held accountable for the damages.

That’s true in many cases.

For example, if the driver exceeded the number of hours that he or she could drive without a break or rest according to the hours-of-service rule, clearly the driver will be responsible for the accident.

However, other parties may also be held legally accountable to compensate you for your personal injury whether physical injuries or mental injuries.

Aside from the truck driver, you may legally hold the truck driver’s employer responsible for damages.

In that case, any truck accident claim filed in Dallas should not only target the truck driver but also the employer.

You can also have third parties held responsible for the accident, such as:

• The truck manufacturer 
• Truck parts manufacturers 
• Company that owns or leases the truck
• Shipping company 
• The government 
• Truck repair shop 
• Negligence claims against other drivers 

When speaking with a top 18 wheeler truck accident attorney Dallas, you will be able to identify the parties who are likely to be legally held responsible allowing you to strategically manage your case targeting all possible defendants.

Damages Resulting From Dallas Truck Accident

What are the damages that you can claim following a Dallas truck accident?

In accordance with personal injury laws, generally speaking, a person is entitled to seek compensation to repair the damages suffered.

An injured driver or motorist can claim the following types of damages:

• Economic damages
• Non-economic damages
• Punitive damages

Economic damages are damages awarded to reimburse the victim’s actual financial losses such as:

• Current and future medical bills
• Costs for physical impairment services
• Rehabilitation costs
• Prescription drugs 
• Medical equipment
• In-home services
• Transportation costs 
• Loss of current and future income

Non-economic damages are generally awarded to compensate a person for “non-financial” damages such as:

• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish 
• PTSD
• Emotional trauma
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium 

There may be instances where you may qualify for punitive damages if the laws permit it.

The assessment of damages in every case may be different and so there’s no cookie-cutter approach in evaluating how much each case will potentially be worth in damages.

Overall, a personal injury attorney is qualified to evaluate the case and assess how much damages you may get as fair compensation for the injuries suffered.

Dallas Truck Accident Statistics

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates:

• 10,659,380 registered large trucks on the road.
• 4,950 traffic accidents were recorded in total 
• 3,964 people were killed in traffic accidents
• 95,000 people were injured in traffic collisions 

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, statistics show revealing information about vehicle accidents in Dallas in the year 2017:

• There were 35 fatal crashes involving a truck or commercial vehicle 
• There were 38 deaths in Dallas truck accident
• 707 seriously crashes were reported with a truck
• 942 people were seriously injured in a Dallas truck crash 

As you can see, unfortunately, many people are at risk of either getting seriously injured or potentially losing their lives in an accident with trucks or commercial vehicles.

If you are a person that you know was involved in a Dallas truck crash, the best course of action is to speak to a truck accident lawyer in Dallas or call a truck accident law firm for legal advice.

18 Wheeler Accident Lawyer Dallas Takeaways 

So there you have it folks!

Who is a truck accident attorney?

Do you need to hire one?

Who is liable in a truck accident?

Truck accidents are exceptionally dangerous causing important property damage and resulting in more serious personal injuries up to and leading to death.

Compared to a car, a fully loaded truck may weigh up to 20 times more than an average passenger car and such sheer size can lead to serious, catastrophic, and even fatal injuries in the event of an accident.

Dealing with life after a truck accident can be very difficult and overwhelming.

Also, filing a claim and dealing with multiple parties involved in a truck accident can also be quite difficult to manage for many.

By hiring an experienced Dallas attorney or law firm specializing in truck accidents, you can have someone knowledgeable in the field not only have those accountable compensate you for your damages but also offload all the stress and challenges in dealing with a truck accident lawsuit or claim.

The best Dallas truck accident lawyers are the ones who master the complex regulation relating to truck accidents.

To ensure that you protect your rights, avoid taking steps to adversely affect your claim and possible compensation, and hold the right party accountable to pay you damages, you should call a Dallas truck accident lawyer or a Dallas truck accident law firm.

Let’s look at a summary of our findings.

Truck Accident Attorney Dallas

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