Carabin Shaw is one of the leading personal injury law firms in South and Central Texas. They have extensive experience in Truck accident cases, focusing on securing compensation for clients’ medical bills, property damage, and pain and suffering.
Specialization: Personal injury, car accidents, wrongful death, truck/18-wheeler accidents.
Why choose them?: Carabin Shaw offers a free initial consultation, and their team is known for fighting aggressively for their clients’ rights.
Truck Accident Claims in Texas
Truck accidents involving commercial vehicles cause some of the most catastrophic injuries on Texas roads. When passenger vehicles collide with trucks weighing up to 80,000 pounds, the occupants of the smaller vehicle absorb devastating impact forces. Understanding how truck accidents occur, who may be held liable, and what compensation is available helps victims and families navigate the legal process following these serious collisions.
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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports that Texas consistently leads the nation in fatal truck accidents. Commercial truck traffic on Interstate 35, Interstate 10, and other major Texas highways creates constant exposure to these risks for passenger vehicle occupants, motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.
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Why Truck Accidents Cause Severe Injuries
Truck accidents differ fundamentally from collisions between passenger vehicles due to the extreme size and weight disparity involved. Federal regulations define large trucks as vehicles with a gross weight of 10,000 pounds or more. Fully loaded tractor-trailers can weigh 80,000 pounds, measure 75 feet in length, and exceed 8 feet in width. This mass creates collision forces that passenger vehicles cannot withstand.
Physics dictates that the occupants of smaller vehicles bear the consequences of truck collisions. The larger vehicle’s momentum transfers to the smaller vehicle on impact, causing crushing damage, intrusion into the passenger compartment, and violent occupant movement. Studies consistently show that occupants of passenger vehicles and non-occupants such as pedestrians and cyclists account for the vast majority of truck accident fatalities and serious injuries.
Common injuries from truck accidents include traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage resulting in paralysis, multiple fractures, internal organ damage, severe burns, and amputation. Many truck accident survivors face permanent disabilities requiring lifetime medical care and preventing return to former occupations.
Types of Truck Accidents
Truck accidents occur in various configurations, each presenting distinct hazards and injury patterns. Understanding these accident types helps identify how collisions occur and who may bear responsibility.
Rear-end collisions occur when trucks strike slower or stopped vehicles from behind. The weight of commercial trucks makes stopping quickly impossible, and following too closely or driver inattention frequently causes these crashes. Vehicles struck from behind by trucks may be crushed or pushed into other traffic.
Underride accidents happen when passenger vehicles slide beneath truck trailers in rear-end or side-impact collisions. The trailer strikes the vehicle at windshield level, often causing fatal head and neck injuries to occupants. Federal regulations require rear underride guards, but side underride protection remains limited.
Jackknife accidents occur when tractor-trailers fold at the connection point between cab and trailer, causing the trailer to swing across multiple traffic lanes. These accidents often involve multiple vehicles and cause chain-reaction collisions.
Rollover accidents happen when trucks overturn due to excessive speed, improper cargo loading, or loss of control. Rolled trucks may crush adjacent vehicles or spill hazardous cargo onto roadways.
Wide turn accidents occur when trucks swing wide to negotiate turns and strike vehicles in adjacent lanes. Truck drivers must account for trailer tracking, and failure to do so causes collisions with vehicles positioned alongside the turning truck.
Causes of Truck Accidents
Truck accidents result from various factors, often involving multiple contributing causes. Identifying all causes is essential for determining liability and pursuing appropriate claims.
Truck driver negligence includes speeding, following too closely, distracted driving, drunk or impaired driving, and fatigue from exceeding hours of service limits. Federal regulations restrict driving hours specifically to prevent fatigue-related accidents, but violations remain common throughout the trucking industry.
Trucking company negligence encompasses negligent hiring of unqualified drivers, inadequate training, pressure to meet unrealistic delivery schedules, failure to maintain vehicles properly, and failure to monitor driver compliance with safety regulations. Companies that prioritize profits over safety create conditions leading to preventable accidents.
Cargo loading errors cause accidents when improperly secured or overloaded cargo shifts during transport. Unbalanced loads affect truck handling and braking. Cargo that breaks free can strike other vehicles or create road hazards.
Vehicle defects including brake failures, tire blowouts, steering malfunctions, and lighting deficiencies cause accidents when trucks cannot be controlled properly. Manufacturers, maintenance providers, and trucking companies may share liability for defect-related accidents.
External factors such as hazardous weather, poor road conditions, and negligent actions by other motorists contribute to truck accidents. However, professional truck drivers are expected to adjust their driving for conditions and maintain control despite external challenges.
Liability in Truck Accident Cases
Truck accident claims often involve multiple potentially liable parties, distinguishing them from typical car accident cases where only individual drivers bear responsibility. Identifying all liable parties maximizes compensation available to injured victims.
Truck drivers bear personal liability for negligent operation of their vehicles. However, drivers often lack sufficient personal assets or insurance to compensate victims for catastrophic injuries.
Trucking companies face vicarious liability for accidents caused by their employee drivers acting within the scope of employment. Companies may also bear direct liability for their own negligence in hiring, training, supervision, and maintenance practices.
Cargo loading companies may be liable when improper loading contributes to accidents. These companies have independent duties to secure cargo properly regardless of trucking company instructions.
Vehicle and parts manufacturers face product liability claims when defective trucks or components cause accidents. These claims require proving that defects existed and contributed to the collision or injuries.
Government entities may bear liability when government-owned vehicles cause accidents or when dangerous road conditions maintained by government agencies contribute to crashes. Claims against government entities involve special procedures and shorter deadlines.
Compensation in Truck Accident Cases
The severity of truck accident injuries typically justifies substantial compensation. Damages recoverable in Texas truck accident cases include medical expenses for past and future treatment, lost wages and lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, and physical impairment. Wrongful death claims allow families to recover funeral expenses, lost financial support, loss of companionship, and other damages.
Trucking companies carry commercial insurance policies with coverage limits typically ranging from $750,000 to $5 million or more, depending on cargo type and company size. These policies provide resources to compensate victims that individual driver policies cannot match.
Calculating truck accident damages requires projecting future medical needs, lost income, and quality of life impacts over the victim’s remaining lifetime. Economists, life care planners, and medical experts provide testimony establishing these long-term damages.
Getting Legal Help After a Truck Accident
Truck accident claims require prompt investigation to preserve evidence before it disappears. Electronic logging device data, driver qualification files, maintenance records, and cargo documentation must be obtained before trucking companies can destroy or alter them. Attorneys experienced in truck accident litigation know how to secure this evidence and use it effectively.
Texas law provides a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims, making timely consultation essential. Most truck accident attorneys offer free consultations to evaluate potential cases and explain legal options. Contingency fee arrangements ensure victims can obtain representation without upfront costs. If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident in Texas, consulting with an experienced attorney helps protect your rights and pursue fair compensation.