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Houston is one of the leading transportation centers in the United States. With Interstate 45, Interstate 10, and Beltway 8, literally millions of commercial vehicles travel the greater Houston area each year. Because Houston has such a high volume of transporting goods, many commercial vehicle accidents occur.
It is estimated that the Houston area accounts for about 40% of petrochemical products sold abroad. The port of Houston handles a huge volume of traffic from commercial vehicles, which increases the odds of big truck accidents with smaller passenger cars.
Truck accident cases are more complex than a normal car wreck. The intertwining of federal regulations and multiple parties complicates truck accident lawsuits. Retaining a skilled truck accident attorney helps the claim move forward, with much better odds of a successful resolution.
Truck drivers and motor carriers are subject to compliance with safety regulations issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The safety rules cover several areas of minimum safe conduct, such as:
We often handle cases where a trucking company failed to:
These violations of the law can significantly strengthen liability in a case. Identifying and proving safety violations requires experienced truck accident attorneys with extensive expertise in the regulations.
Additionally, there are other regulatory rules dealing with special circumstances such as carrying hazardous materials, oversize loads, or vehicles exceeding certain weight limitations.
Truck accidents also have the potential for multiple liability parties, which differs significantly from a typical car accident, which involves the individual drivers. Skilled legal counsel must evaluate the truck driver, motor carrier, maintenance contractors, companies loading the cargo, and even equipment manufacturers.
While trucking companies often try to call their drivers “independent contractors,” the regulations address the responsibility of the motor carrier for the actions of the driver and for causing a crash.
If the cargo was related to the cause of the crash, the company that loaded the cargo may be responsible for their part in the accident. Likewise, companies that maintain their vehicles can be held accountable for the unsafe condition of a big rig that led to an accident.
Because of the potential for severe injury or fatal accidents, federal and state law requires trucking companies to have higher insurance coverage limits than Texas residents are required for their vehicles. Interstate carriers are required to have minimum liability coverage between $750,000 and $5,000,000, depending on the type of cargo they are carrying.
Also, we often find situations where multiple insurance policies can apply to an accident. Typically, this is the primary liability coverage and excess umbrella policies. With multiple insurance policies, Skilled advocates will use strategic demands to increase the compensation of their clients.
The importance of acting quickly after a severe injury or fatal accident cannot be overstated. The insurance carriers for commercial trucking companies help claims representatives, lawyers, and accident reconstruction experts be immediately available for severe accidents.
The insurance carriers’ rapid responses require that the victim retain counsel promptly to preserve evidence and protect their clients’ interests.
In one recent fatal truck accident case we handled in Houston, the defense had lawyers and expert witnesses at the scene of the crash before the vehicles were even moved.
Accident victims must seek experienced truck accident attorneys to take action to preserve evidence quickly after the accident. Necessary evidence should be obtained, such as:
Also, this scene should be documented for important evidence that often aids a liability claim. Accident reconstruction experts often use the following to analyze the cause of the crash:
Acting promptly to start an accident investigation can help a truck accident case immensely.
Because of the size and weight difference between my trucks and passenger cars, severe injuries or wrongful death often occur. Our truck accident attorneys frequently handle cases involving:
Determining fair damages in these cases is much greater than the medical expenses incurred by the victim. We evaluate the full measure of economic and non-economic damages, such as:
When a truck accident involves a fatality, the firm must evaluate the wrongful death damages available to immediate family members in Texas. Damages for fatal accidents can include:
If the accident victim survived the initial impact, the family can be entitled to survival damages through the estate of the deceased. Survival damages are essentially the personal injury damages that the accident victim suffered before they died.
Because most truck accidents involve significant injuries, we typically work with specialized medical experts who can explain the injuries, their impact on the victim, and the treatment needed to care for the injuries. We work with neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, rehabilitation doctors, and others to document and prove injuries stemming from an accident.
Economic damages from a truck accident case can involve lifetime costs and loss of earnings potential. In such cases, we usually hire economists and life care planners who can document and prove economic damages to the victim.
Additionally, our truck accident firm retains experts to testify regarding negligence or compliance with the regulations, accident reconstruction, and other safety issues.
There’s no doubt that truck accident litigation is a complex venture. We utilize our over 40 years of expertise to win truck accident cases. Often, coordinating with ongoing investigations from local police officers, DPS, and federal investigators in some cases.
A deep analysis of the truck driver and trucking companies’ compliance with the federal regulations is essential to develop a strong case. Not only must the liability portion of the case be proven, but damages or severely injured victims must be well-documented and proven. We work with structured settlement experts and financial planners 2 develop compensation plans that maximize the damages to our clients while maximizing tax advantages and growth potential of a significant settlement.
Because Houston is a major freight center, there are many truck accidents each year requiring specialized legal expertise. Given the compliance with federal regulations, the involvement of multiple parties, commercial liability insurance coverage, and the numerous catastrophic or fatal accidents that occur each year, specialized legal help is mandatory.
Since 1985, we have been committed to providing the most comprehensive truck accident advocacy to secure maximum compensation for truck accident victims in Houston and across Texas.
Call the Truck Accident Attorney in Houston, Texas at (281) 893-0760
