Truck Accident Attorney Dallas

DFW Area - Dallas Truck Accident Lawyer

Helping victims of commercial truck accidents in the DFW area

Trucking crashes often result in fatal injuries. If someone else was negligent, you might qualify for monetary damages. We are ready to fight for and help injured people recover what they deserve.

Contact our Dallas truck accident lawyer for more information. Our legal team can investigate an accident, determine why it occurred, and get you the compensation you deserve. An experienced personal injury attorney can identify the potentially liable parties for your car accident beyond the possible negligent truck driver.

We have an experienced truck accident lawyer for you. They handle cases involving many types of trucks, including 18-wheelers, tanker trucks, delivery trucks and other commercial vehicles.

The Insurance Adjuster

After an accident, you will be contacted by the insurance adjuster. Try not to speak to them until after you hire a truck accident attorney. A personal injury lawyer has extensive experience dealing with insurance adjusters for truck and car accident claims. We know how to speak with them to protect your rights to proper compensation.

Commercial Truck Drivers and Their Legal Defense Team

Trucking companies have lawyers to protect the interest of their commercial truck drivers. You will need similar legal representation to deal with a high-powered law firm protecting the trucking company and their interests.

Our truck accident lawyers will get you the financial compensation you deserve. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Demanding Full Compensation After Your Truck Accident Injuries

The recovery of damages from a car crash is often challenging. Insurance settlements for large truck accidents tend to become complicated, and insurance companies work diligently to reduce the payouts.

Most Texas truck accident claims can get more complicated because collisions involving heavy equipment can cause significant damage. FMCSA mandates the level of insurance Trucking companies put on their vehicles. The insurance policy claims are worth a minimum of $750k to $1 million for large trucks. Insurance agents can refuse or limit claims to reduce the value of the cases. You need a personal injury lawyer to ensure you get the proper compensation you deserve.

Truck Accident Claim

An experienced truck accident attorney will guide you through the claim process and handle all of the legal requirements so you can focus on recovering or grieving for your loved one. Once you hire a Dallas truck accident lawyer, they will deal with the insurance company, investigate the trucking company and send a crash investigation team to the accident site.

The time limit for filing an 18-wheeler accident claim

Every state in the US has laws defining how long a lawsuit can be filed. This directive is known as a statute of limitations. Texas law provides a two-year limitation period in personal injury lawsuits. That means you may file personal injury claims within the state of Texas for injury or wrongful death that resulted from a truck accident within two years of the accident.

Typically the remaining time before the deadline is less than two years, and a lawyer will advise you immediately about the deadline.

Who is Liable in Texas Truck Accidents?

More than one person or company may be liable for your injuries in a truck crash case.  This could include the truck driver, the trucking company, the shipper, the broker, and the company that loaded the cargo. Since truck accidents often cause serious or catastrophic injuries and even death, it is important to hold all negligent parties accountable.

Fatal Truck Accidents Chart

Gathering Evidence After a Commercial Truck Accident

After accidents involving trucks, the need for legal counsel is paramount. A truck accident is often complicated.

Trucking companies sometimes hold large amounts of information that can help explain how accidents occur. The company has strict regulations on the use of truckers. Infractions to these regulations can indicate negligence.

Hours-of-service restrictions are limited for trucks that are unable to take breaks. The logbook of truckers can also be essential when determining an accident involving a driver’s fatigue.

Hours of Service (HOS) Law Attempts To Reduce Driver Fatigue

Driver Fatigue is one of the most common causes of truck accidents. Under federal hours-of-service regulations, drivers of large trucks are allowed to be behind the wheel for as long as 11 hours at a stretch.

Since most truck drivers can be paid for distance and delivery deadlines, it can incentivize a driver to work while they are too tired to drive safely. Other drivers, such as FedEx drivers, are paid hourly, so they are less incentivized to work while tired. The delivery companies have strict deadlines, so the drivers’ pressure to work while tired still exists.

Our Dallas truck accident attorneys know how to investigate both trucking companies and delivery companies that use commercial trucks. As personal injury lawyers, they understand accident victims typically have severe injuries and a lifetime of medical bills.

Contact us about your truck accident case. We will find and hold the potentially liable parties accountable while obtaining compensation to pay your hospital bills.

Citations: Map 21, DOT Proposes Use of Electronic Logbooks to Improve Efficiency Safety in Commercial Trucking Companies, FMCSA: Summary of Hours of Service Regulations, FMCSA: GOA report (GAO)  study on the hours-of-service (HOS) changes implemented in 2013, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: Large Trucks, Wikipedia

How a Personal Injury Lawyer will investigate the events leading up to the collision

Truck accident lawyers immediately obtain the truck driver’s logbook, the truck’s black box, and the ECM records and dispatch an accident reconstruction team to examine the scene and the vehicles involved.

The Dallas truck accident lawyers get the physical evidence that establishes how fast the truck was travelling at impact, if and when it braked, and whether the driver was fatigued or distracted at the time of impact by utilizing this evidence.

Then they gathered evidence to prove how the crash happened and how it affected the client’s health and future income. The injury lawyers consult with experts to figure out what the truck driver could have done to avoid the crash. Finally, the attorneys calculated how much compensation their clients would need for the rest of their lives.

Accident Scene: Physical evidence, including skid marks, slick roads, debris, and vehicle damage, will also help explain the causes of the crash.

Complex regulations can be involved: Federal Motor Carrier Safety (FMCS)

Commercial trucks are complicated vehicles that must comply with even greater federal and state regulatory rules.

Commercial trucking company drivers must comply with these regulations ranging from the number of hours a driver must spend on a daily basis to the kinds of material required to ensure cargo safety. These rules apply across all regulated states.

Commercial Truck Accident Claims

Around the city streets of the Dallas Fort Worth area, delivery trucks, box trucks, dump trucks, garbage trucks, and cement trucks typically cause commercial truck crashes.

Citation: Federal Truck Safety RegulationsFederal Truck Size & Weight,

Types of Vehicles Governed by Commercial Truck FMCS

  • 18-wheelers, Big Rig, Semi Tractor or Tractor Trailer
  • Dump Trucks
  • Tanker Trucks
  • Garbage Truck
  • Flatbed Trucks
  • Cement Trucks
  • Box Trucks
  • Moving Trucks
  • Other large commercial trucks

Large Truck Accident Causes

  • Truck Driver Fatigue
  • Brake Failure
  • Jack Knife
  • Speeding
  • Reckless Driving
  • Roll Over
  • Under
  • Improper Cargo Loading
  • Underride (Vehicle going under the trailer)
  • Distracted
  • Blindspot

Truck Accidents Statistics Causing Injury or Wrongful Death

Large trucks may weigh more than 30 times as much as cars or SUVs, and big tractor-trailers transporting heavy cargo might take 40% longer to come to a stop.

2020 Dallas Metro Area Truck Accident Statistics

Statistics from the Texas DOT reveal surprising facts about commercial vehicle accidents in the Dallas and Fort Worth area.

2020 Crash data for the counties of Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant

  • 63 fatal crashes involving trucks and other commercial vehicles.
  • 197 Catastrophic Injuries from 18 Wheeler and other commercial vehicle accidents
  • 770 people were severely injured in Big Rig and other commercial truck accidents.
  • 1586 people were injured in tractor-trailers and other commercial truck crashes.
  • 6,725 Total Crashes in 2020 involving 18 Wheelers and other commercial vehicles

Citations: Texas DOT, NHTSA: Quick Facts 2019, Traffic Safety Facts Annual Report Tables, Interactive National Truck Crash Map,

Catastrophic Injuries

When a person is catastrophically injured, it is usually considered to be “catastrophic” when the event occurs suddenly and without notice, leaving the victim with significant long-term repercussions. Although most people usually think of spinal cord injuries involving paralysis as the most common type of catastrophic injury, there are various types of catastrophic injuries.

  • Neck & Back Injuries
  • Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
  • Head Injuries
  • Amputation
  • Burn injury
  • Broken Bones
  • Internal Injury

Citation: CDC TBI

Dallas Truck Accident Attorneys Can Help You

If you or your loved ones suffer from truck accident injuries, do not delay.

Contact us today for a free case evaluation.

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Citations: Table 46 – Large Trucks Involved in Crashes, by Most Harmful Event and Crash Severity, 2019, Table 47 – Large Trucks Involved in Crashes, by Crash Type, Initial Point of Impact, and Crash Severity, 2019, Table 48 – Large Trucks Involved in Crashes, by Vehicle Type, Rollover Occurrence, and Crash Severity, 2019, Table 49 – Truck Tractors With Trailers Involved in Crashes, by Number of Trailers, Jackknife Occurrence, and Crash Severity

 

 

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