Looking for a Texas Truck Accident Lawyer?
Why should you hire one?
What are the essential elements you should know!
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Table of Contents
What Does A Texas Truck Accident Lawyer Do
A Texas Truck Accident Lawyer is a legal professional specializing in “truck accidents” or any type of road accident involving trucks causing personal injuries or damages.
A truck accident or truck wrecks in Texas is a broad term and can include accidents involving different types of trucks such as:
- 18-wheelers
- Big rigs
- Box truck
- Cement truck
- Dump trucks
- Fed-Ex trucks
- Flatbed trucks
- Garbage trucks
- Semi trucks
- Tanker truck
- Tow trucks
- Tractor-trailers
- UPS trucks
Typically, commercial trucking companies earn money and profits by making shipments of goods to various destinations on time.
As a result, any delay could potentially eat away at the trucking company’s revenues and even result in a financial loss.
Unfortunately, there are instances where truck drivers will tend to speed to avoid delays and thus causing an accident.
Texas Truck Accident Legal Specialty
A truck accident lawyer Texas is a legal professional trained in the field of law, particularly, truck accidents.
As a result, the attorney will have experience and practical knowledge in matters such as:
- Houston and Texas laws relating to trucks and traffic
- Investigating truck accidents
- Determine liability following an accident
- Collect evidence relating to the accident
- Speak to medical practitioners and doctors
- Negotiating with insurance companies
- Negotiating with the at-fault party
- Filing a truck accident lawsuit
- Obtain a fair settlement for your injuries
To adequately defend a client and prosecute a truck accident lawsuit, the truck accident attorneys or law firm must fundamentally master the traffic laws, personal injury laws, tort, negligence, and court procedures.
However, when it comes to truck accidents, there may be additional statutes, laws, and regulations that may be applicable such as the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation promulgated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Here are some specific rules that apply to truck drivers and motor carriers:
- A truck driver can drive for a limited number of hours without rest
- A driver’s duty cannot start before a certain number of hours have elapsed since the last shift
- Truck companies must inspect, maintain, and repair their truck fleets
- Truck drivers must have experience driving a big rig and have the proper license to drive such trucks
- When dangerous cargo is shipped, specialized training is required to be given to the truck drivers
Filing A Truck Accident Lawsuit
Following a big rig collision, it’s important to collect as much facts and information about the accident.
If you are unsure about the steps to take following an accident, it’s best to get a consultation with a Texas truck accident attorney to get a better understanding.
Here are some tips of what you should think about after an accident involving a truck, semi truck or other:
- Take pictures of the scene of the accident
- Collect the name and contact information of any witnesses
- Get the necessary medical treatment
- Contact the police authorities and file an accident report
Once that is done, you’ll then need to evaluate your case with your Texas truck accident attorneys to see if you should:
- File an insurance claim
- File a trucking accident lawsuit
If you choose to file an insurance claim or file a lawsuit to get compensation for injuries (or even wrongful death), in many cases it may be worth it to work with a qualified attorney who understands the trucking laws and litigation.
Having your case handled by a qualified and experienced legal professional may increase your chances of getting a settlement for damages either through the insurance company or from the court.
There are many parties who may be legally sued or held liable for injuries caused by a semi truck, or 18-wheeler:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company
- The truck manufacturer
- The person or company loading the truck
- The government
- Others live vendors or outsourcing companies
Leading Causes of Truck Wrecks
There are many reasons why there could be a truck accident on the Texas roads or highways.
We’ve compiled here a list of the leading causes of accidents involving trucks that may require the legal assistance and support of Texas truck accident lawyers:
- Truck speeding
- Driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI)
- Driving under the influence of drugs
- Poor truck maintenance
- Truck equipment failure
- Human error (inexperience)
- Driver fatigue
- Lack of proper driver training
Speeding is a common cause of collisions and traffic accidents in Texas.
Trucks are large motor vehicles that are difficult to control.
As a result, excessive speeding can quickly result in devastating accidents causing personal injuries (potentially fatal) and important property damage.
Another possible cause of accidents can be with regards to the truck driver failing to adequately maintain the truck or when defective truck parts fail.
Trucks are constantly on the road making it crucial for the driver to ensure the vehicle is properly maintained and parts are regularly changed.
Defective brakes, steering, transmissions, or tire blowouts can cause trucks to jackknife or potentially lead to fatal truck accidents.
It’s also worth mentioning that human error plays a significant role in many truck wrecks in Texas.
Trucking companies must ensure that truck drivers are adequately experienced in accordance with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation.
When that is not the case, traffic collisions are quick to happen.
Types of Truck Accidents And Injuries
There are different types of accidents involving trucks where the victim of the accident or the family of the victim may want to retain the service of a lawyer or law firm:
- Head-on crashes
- Rear-end crashes
- Side crashes
- Jackknife accidents
- Rollover crashes
- Underride accidents
- Load spills
Motor accidents involving regular vehicles can be quite devastating.
Unfortunately, accidents involving large trucks can be more dramatic due to their sheer size and weight.
Victims of 18-wheeler accidents or big trucks can suffer damages such as:
- Back injuries
- Bone fractures
- Brain injuries
- Disability
- Head injuries
- Internal injuries
- Lacerations
- Loss of limbs
- Mental anguish
- Neck injuries
- Post-traumatic stress
- Spinal cord injuries
Texas Truck Accident Statistics
As of 2019, the U.S. Department of Transportation indicates that there were 39,193 crashes involving a commercial motor vehicle where:
- 543 where fatal crashes
- 613 individuals have lost their lives
- 1,124 involved serious crashes
- 1,471 involved collisions with serious injuries
- 5,639 injuries caused
- 8,937 total injuries
The Texas Department of Transportation reported the following statistics for 2019:
- 142,022 crashes in total reported in Houston
- 2,166 accidents caused by speeding
- 23,416 accidents were caused by unsafe speed
- 3,842 accidents caused by use of cellphone
- 12,903 accidents caused by distraction
- 86,567 accidents caused by driver inattention
- 14,806 accidents caused by driver under the influence of alcohol
- 3,148 accidents caused by driver under the influence of drugs
Texas Semi Truck Accident Lawyer Takeaways
So what is the legal definition of Texas Truck Accident Lawyer?
Let’s look at a summary of our findings.
Truck Accident Attorney Texas
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