Call Dan ‘The Wreck Man’ – Texas Commercial Vehicle Accident Lawyer at 888-2-WRECKMAN. It is critical that the victim or the victim’s family hire a commercial vehicle accident lawyer early on who will investigate the accident before evidence disappears or vehicles are repaired. Evidence preservation is critically important in establishing the foundations of your accident case.
Commercial Vehicle Accidents in Texas
Texas has thousands of miles of highways which include major interstates such as I-10 running across the state east and west, I-45, I-35 running north and south, and major highways such as US 290 from Houston to Austin. Thousands of 18-wheeler tractor trailers travel each highway every day. The sheer number of trucks leads to record numbers of commercial vehicle accidents.
According to the annual report prepared by the Texas Department of Transportation, we have hundreds of thousands of registered commercial trucks operating in the US and over 50,000 registered Motor Carriers.
The growth in the transportation business is expected to rise annually by double digits for the next several years and has led to a severe driver shortage. This all adds up that we have too many trucks to be regulated and finite governmental resources to monitor carriers and drivers over safety issues. Usually, it is only after a severe crash does the safety issues become known.
Over 400 People Are Killed in Semi-Truck Wrecks in Texas Each Year
It has been reported that over 400 fatalities occurred in Texas due to commercial vehicle accidents in one year alone. And according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in one year alone, we had 4,321 fatal accidents in the US involving commercial vehicles.
Most serious injury cases involving commercial vehicles on interstate highways are investigated by The Texas Highway Patrol, which has a special accident reconstruction team equipped with the latest mapping and surveying equipment.
Accident reenactment is often conducted by the Highway Patrol, and when it hasn’t, Dan ‘The Wreck Man’ investigators utilize the latest accident reenactment technologies and computer software to reenact your accident to make it clear to the jury and judge the fault and negligence that caused the accident and your resulting injuries.
In serious cases, the Texas Highway Patrol will “reconstruct” the accident, and often the results may come into evidence in a truck or commercial vehicle accident lawsuit. The Highway Patrol investigates trucking accidents all across the state, including Dallas, Fort Worth, Midland, Sherman, Carrollton, Burleson, Cleburne, Farmers Branch, and Addison. The insurance company for the trucking company will be at the scene of an accident involving a wrongful death within 24 hours of learning about the accident and often before the authorities have removed the vehicles.
It is critical that the victim or the victim’s family hire a commercial vehicle accident lawyer early on who will investigate the accident before evidence disappears or vehicles are repaired. Evidence preservation is critically important in establishing the foundations of your accident case.
Commercial vehicle accidents usually produce injuries that may be life-changing. It is imperative you protect your rights to ensure your medical bills and out-of-pocket expenses are paid by the negligent party. Dan ‘The Wreck Man’ and his experienced law office staff are experts in collecting the evidence needed to get you maximum compensation for your losses and pain, and suffering.
Call Dan ‘The Wreck Man’ at 888-2-WRECKMAN to receive and free case evaluation.
Given the extreme weight of commercial vehicles and 18-wheeler tractor trailers, the aftermath of a wreck is usually ugly. Those lucky enough to survive often have serious injuries such as spinal cord fractures, traumatic brain injury, and paralysis, and many require at least one surgery (if not multiple) at great expense.
Recovering from a tractor-trailer accident can be job enough for anyone, yet the victims are also forced to pay high medical bills or deductibles when they cannot work, which puts a heavy burden on the victim or their families. Some have good health insurance that pays most bills, others face large out-of-pocket expenses, and sometimes the medical expenses can go on indefinitely.
Truck wreck damages:
Legal damages for personal injury in Texas include such items as:
- Physical pain and mental anguish
- Loss of earning capacity
- Disfigurement
- Physical impairment
- Medical care
These damages are posed to a jury to answer in both the past and the future.
Often, for permanent injuries with significant future medical expenses, a life care planner is used to calculate the total lifetime cost of medical care. These professionals are Doctors who work with a team of medical professionals to protect the victim as far as future needs.
Where the victim of a trucking accident did not survive, the family seeks damages for the wrongful death and survival claims. The wrongful death case involves damages known in law as “pecuniary loss,” which is the loss of the person and their economic contribution to the family. The human loss in a wrongful death case is called “loss of companionship and society,” and a separate question is posed for “mental anguish.”
Where the company of the driver acted with “Malice” that is more than mere negligence, or thoughtlessness, exemplary damages in a truck accident may be appropriate, and in Texas, such damages have been capped by statute under recent “tort reform”. But when exemplary damages can be submitted to a jury, it can help the family recover economic justice for the bad actions of a trucker or his company.
Most commercial vehicle accidents involve serious injury and /or death. Because a typical rig can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, occupants of a 4000-pound passenger car hit by a semi-truck have little hope of escaping serious injury on impact.
Trucking Laws Help Prove Negligence
Trucking regulations such as driver hours and pre-trip inspections attempt to make our roads safer. However, estimates of traffic fatalities in the US are as high as 45,000 annually, and many of these involve commercial trucks.
Violation of the safety rules can be very important evidence and personal injury or wrongful death litigation involving a truck driver and trucking company. The federal regulations which have been largely adopted in the state of Texas, are additional standards of care over and above those placed upon everyday drivers.
The safety rules are necessary because of the injury potential of an 80,000-pound vehicle.
The Attorney You Choose for Your Commercial Vehicle Accident Really Matters
If you have lost a loved one in a commercial vehicle accident, get the best commercial accident lawyer you can find as soon as you can. Remember, the earlier you retain a vehicle accident lawyer, the better position you put them in to help your family quickly.
Be wary of hiring an attorney without a significant track record in successfully prosecuting truck and commercial accidents. Do your homework and call the best commercial vehicle accident lawyers in Texas.
Call Dan ‘The Wreck Man’ – Texas Commercial Vehicle Accident Lawyer at 888-2-WRECKMAN. Some helpful links http://www.txdps.state.tx.us – the Texas DPS and https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov – the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
