Truck Accident Lawyer in Georgetown, TX

A Texas Law Firm Dedicated to Helping Accident Victims Seek Compensation for Catastrophic Injuries and Wrongful Death Claims

Commercial trucking crashes are especially hazardous for a few key reasons. First, these trucks are huge and heavy, often weighing as much as 40 tons when fully loaded. That’s like having a giant rolling down the road next to you. Because of their size, they take much longer to stop than regular cars and are harder to maneuver. In addition, the sheer weight of these vehicles can crush a passenger car like an aluminum can, so collisions involving them tend to be more serious.

Another big issue is that truck drivers often have to cover long distances in a short time, which can lead to exhaustion, driving too fast, or driving for too long. Imagine trying to drive for hours and hours without a break – it’s tough work! But tired drivers behind the wheel of these big rigs are prone to making reckless errors or falling asleep, increasing the risk of a serious crash. Sometimes these drivers use unprescribed medications to stay awake. Plus, there are all the other factors that can distract drivers, like checking their phones or eating while driving. We have even seen cases of bored drivers watching movies, all while driving 40 tons of danger next to our families! When you add it all up, it’s no wonder commercial truck wrecks are such a big threat to our families on Texas roads.

Lone Star Legal has extensive experience helping commercial truck accident victims seek financial recovery for the injuries they sustained in commercial truck accidents. As your attorneys, we will gather valuable evidence to support your personal injury lawsuit, including potential witness statements, police reports, medical records, and the testimonies of professional accident reconstructionists. We will negotiate on your behalf with the negligent driver’s insurance company and pursue all legal options to help you get the financial compensation you deserve and require.

To learn more about how our personal injury attorneys can assist you with your truck accident claim, please contact Lone Star Legal to schedule your free initial consultation with our legal team today.

What to Do if You Are Involved in a Commercial Truck Crash?

If you find yourself in a collision involving a commercial truck, it’s crucial to take certain steps to ensure your safety and protect your rights.

Here’s what to do:

Check for injuries: First and foremost, check yourself and others involved in the crash for any injuries. If anyone is hurt, call emergency services immediately.
Move to safety: If possible, move your vehicle to a safe location away from traffic to prevent further collisions or injuries.
Contact law enforcement: Call the police to report the crash, even if it seems minor. Having an official report can be essential for insurance claims and legal proceedings. Also, many injuries do not seem initially apparent due to the effects of adrenaline.
Exchange information: Exchange contact and insurance information with the truck driver and any other parties involved in the accident. Be sure to get the truck driver’s commercial driver’s license number and the trucking company’s information. These companies do not want to be held accountable, and may conceal information after you leave the scene, so do not leave without knowing who may be responsible for your injuries.
Document the scene: Take photos of the crash scene, including vehicle damage, skid marks, road conditions, and any relevant signage. This documentation can be valuable evidence later on, and you can be sure that the trucking company will be sending representatives almost immediately to portray the crash in the most favorable light.
Take video of the driver of the truck. We have seen cases where driver will manipulate the evidence to shift blame for their wrongdoing. They understand that at-fault collisions can cost them their livelihood, and many of these drivers are making six-figure incomes that they cannot afford to lose. They are motivated to keep their jobs – and your recovery is not their concern.

Once you’ve taken these initial steps, it’s essential to seek medical attention for any injuries you may have sustained, even if they seem minor at first. Additionally, contact Lone Star Legal. We can help you navigate the complex legal process, protect your rights, and pursue fair compensation for the harms and losses sustained in these crashes.

Why is a Truck Accident Usually More Legally Complicated Than a Passenger Car Accident Case?

If you’ve been injured in any type of motor vehicle accident, whether it be a car accident, a motorcycle accident, a bicycle accident, or a commercial truck crash, it is highly recommended that you seek the professional legal counsel of an experienced personal injury lawyer. That is especially the case in commercial vehicle accidents involving big rigs and 18-wheelers. Commercial trucking accidents are more legally complicated than most other types of car accidents, and usually involve a sophisticated company with a legal department at the ready to prevent you from getting justice.

Any sort of car crash can cause serious physical injuries to the occupants of the vehicles, as well as injuries to any pedestrians or others outside of the cars. Commercial trucks, however, accidents are known for causing absolute devastation. Because of the severe injuries that often result from a trucking accident, the total dollar amount for medical bills and other associated expenses is often far greater than that seen in most other crashes. With more money on the line, there are more difficult negotiations, insurance adjusters will fight harder to avoid liability, and lawyers representing negligent trucking companies will bring their full weight down upon you in defense of their bottom line. This all starts AT THE SCENE before the truck ever leaves the crash site.

Additionally, these professional truck drivers and their employers are subject to many unique traffic laws, state laws, and federal regulations. Texas truck drivers and trucking companies must abide by strict regulations about licensing, safety inspections, vehicle maintenance, hours of service behind the wheel, and more. These regulatory issues can add complexity to your case and make it more difficult to navigate the legal process.

In a typical car crash, the only parties normally involved are the drivers of either car, which can make holding the negligent driver accountable far simpler once fault has been accurately determined. Unlike a typical Texas car accident, however, trucking accidents often have several parties who could potentially be held liable for damages. While the additional parties present opportunities for recovering compensation, they also complicate the legal landscape.

Trucking companies are represented by insurance companies devoted to protecting their financial interests, and sometimes they will even go so far as to shift the blame onto the accident victims. You do not want to go up against a team of auto insurance agents and lawyers, that have been preparing its defense of this case since long before the crash, without legal representation in your corner. Our truck and car accident attorneys have extensive legal experience assisting clients in complex cases. We would be proud to represent your interests in proving someone else’s negligence so that you may recover compensation.

Finally, it can be difficult to piece together what happened in a commercial truck accident, and investigations may involve unique evidence not normally seen in most car accident cases. For example, many large commercial trucks have black box data recorders that record information about the truck’s speed, engine use, braking, and other factors up until the event of a crash. Additionally, driver logbooks or other logging devices may record hours driven and necessary rest breaks. Maintenance and inspection records, as well as records from cargo loading stations, can also paint a picture of what went wrong in a trucking accident. These pieces of evidence can be useful, but they can also be difficult to obtain and decipher without experience.

How Can a Texas Truck Accident Attorney Help You with Your Personal Injury Claim?

There are several benefits to hiring Lone Star Legal to represent your case.

The first thing any qualified personal injury lawyer should do is ensure that accident victim get the proper medical treatment they require to help them recover. Truck crashes can be absolutely devastating, and it’s not uncommon for accident victims to suffer debilitating injuries as well as post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. While you focus on recovering from your injuries, your attorneys will take your personal injury claim through the legal process in pursuit of a favorable outcome. Your job is to heal, our job is to secure the settlement or verdict you deserve.

In many truck accident cases, it may be necessary to employ the services of expert witnesses. Our personal injury law firm will consider the value of working with technical experts, forensic engineers, accident reconstructionists, federal compliance consultants, and others.

If one of the at-fault parties does not have the proper insurance coverage to adequately pay for your physical and emotional injuries, your attorneys will explore options for holding multiple other defendants liable for damages.

Our truck accident attorneys will ensure that all your insurance claims, lawsuits, and other documentation are correctly filed and submitted to the proper channels while keeping in mind the strict statute of limitations. We are also well-versed in Texas’s comparative negligence laws and will fight to help you recover the compensation you require to get back on your feet.

It shouldn’t be up to you, the accident victim, to negotiate for more favorable terms or fend off lawyers representing the defense. Let us lift the burden from your shoulders and represent your interests both in and out of court in pursuit of the most optimal outcome for your case.

What Are Serious Injuries Commonly Associated with Accidents Involving Large Trucks?

Lone Star Legal’s personal injury attorneys have represented clients who’ve suffered injuries in all types of accidents, including those injured by negligent truck drivers. Jackknife accidents and other types of large truck crashes can cause catastrophic injuries and devastating property damage to everything and everyone within their path. Whether you suffered minor scratches or a broken bone, or you sustained internal injuries or something catastrophic, you deserve the legal representation to help you get the financial recovery necessary to pay for your medical bills and other expenses.

Common truck accident injuries include the following:

Back and neck injuries, including whiplash
Broken bones and bone fractures, including broken ribs, arms, and legs
Burns
Crushing injuries
Cuts and lacerations
Dental injuries
Disability and disfigurement
Dislocated joints
Eye injuries, including vision loss
Forced amputations and loss of limbs
Head injuries, including concussions
Internal bleeding and organ damage
Loss of hearing
Psychological injuries, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and more
Ruptured discs
Scarring
Soft tissue injuries like muscle strains, tears, and sprains
Spinal cord injuries, which can sometimes result in complete or partial paralysis
Traumatic brain injuries
Wrongful death
And more

Obviously, the most tragic outcome of any trucking collision is the loss of life of any motorists, passengers, or pedestrians involved in the crash. Unfortunately, fatalities are far too common in large truck accidents. More often than not, the parties that suffer the most severe injuries or the largest number of fatalities are not the truck drivers but rather anyone else involved in the crashes.

What Are the Common Causes of Commercial Motor Vehicle Accidents?

Like any type of car accident, truck accidents can be caused by a myriad of issues. Regardless of the vehicles involved in the accident, in-depth investigations are often necessary to determine the actual causes so that negligent parties can be held liable.

Common causes of truck accidents in Texas include the following:

Aggressive or reckless driving, including road rage, are unfortunately common occurrences in motor vehicle accidents. It can be difficult to prove road rage or reckless driving without the legal assistance of an experienced attorney.
Distracted driving accounts for a concerning number of fatal truck accidents in Texas. Distracted driving can include texting while driving, eating or drinking while driving, talking on a phone, watching movies, driver inattention, adjusting climate controls, personal grooming while driving, smoking a cigarette, or simply daydreaming and forgetting the responsibilities of being a driver on the road.
Driver fatigue and truck driver drowsiness, which can be common, especially in cases where truck drivers are trying to meet their quotas or are being forced to ignore their required rest breaks in the interest of their employers can result in catastrophic collisions
Impaired driving, such as driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs, opiates, and other substances can lead to devastating crashes. Many truck drivers may have aches and pains, particularly from working the long hours they are forced to work, and they may take painkillers to address these pains. However, these medications can have side effects that lead to impaired or questionable driving.
Overloading or improperly loaded cargo can cause trucking accidents as well. Cargo must be carefully loaded so that it does not cause rollovers or other issues. This is especially the case when hauling hazardous chemicals.
Speeding, especially driving too fast for dangerous conditions, is a common cause of motor vehicle accidents. Truck drivers are encouraged to always avoid reckless driving, but are also encouraged to slow down during adverse weather conditions, heavy traffic, gravel roads, intersections, work zones, and other factors.
Truck driver error is another common cause of 18-wheeler accidents. Overcorrecting, failure to yield to the right of way, failing to obey traffic signs and signals, and failure to execute turns or lane changes correctly can all result in crashes.
Vehicle defects, including defective brakes and other faulty mechanics, can cause auto accidents. Commercial trucks are expected to undergo routine maintenance and inspections in hopes of avoiding these hazards.

Who May Be Held Liable for a Truck Accident in Texas, TX?

Depending on the facts of your case, multiple parties may be held liable for damages.

In certain cases, the trucking company itself could be held liable for negligence or recklessness. Inadequate hiring practices and , training, improper supervision, failure to comply with safety regulations, failure to maintain vehicles in good working condition, and encouraging drivers to engage in unsafe practices may all be considered examples of negligence.

If a truck maintenance crew fails to properly maintain a vehicle, and a mechanical failure contributes to the accident, the crew could be held responsible.

Shipping companies can sometimes be held liable. Liability for shipping and cargo companies may stem from requiring trucking companies to engage in unsafe practices, failing to provide adequate instruction to trucking companies and their staff, and failing to properly secure cargo in the cargo hold.

Truck manufacturers and the manufacturers of faulty truck parts could also be held liable under certain circumstances.

Depending on the circumstances, other drivers and third parties could be held accountable for contributing to the cause of the crash. Because of so many potentially liable parties, it is often necessary to retain professional legal counsel to identify them all and hold them accountable.

Can Lone Star Legal Help You Recover Compensation?

With a successful claim, it is possible to recover compensation for your injuries and financial losses. Your financial recovery can be provided for both economic and non-economic damages.

Your financial recovery may include the following:

Disability, disfigurement, or dismemberment compensation;
Emotional distress and mental anguish compensation;
Loss of companionship or consortium in the event of a fatal accident;
Lost wages if you are forced to miss work, and lost earning capacity if you are unable to return to work;
Out-of-pocket expenses related to the car accident, including the cost of a rental car if your vehicle was totaled;
Past, present, and future medical bills, including expenses for hospital stays, surgeries, physical therapy, medication, and more;
Physical pain and suffering compensation;
Physical Impairment;
Loss of Enjoyment of Life;
Property damage and motor vehicle repairs or replacements;
Wrongful death damages, including compensation for lost benefits, lost income, lost guidance, medical bills incurred prior to death, emotional suffering of surviving family members, and the cost of funerals, memorials, and more.

Why Choose Lone Star Legal for Legal Representation in Commercial Vehicle Accidents?

If you’re involved in a commercial truck crash, choosing Lone Star Legal means you’ll have a dedicated team of experts on your side who understand the ins and outs of these complex cases. Todd Kelly and Robert Ranco are both board-certified in personal injury trial law and members of the Association of Truck Accident Attorneys.

We know how devastating these collisions can be, and we’re here to fight for you every step of the way. With our experience and proven track record of success, you can trust us to navigate the legal process and fight for the compensation you deserve.

From investigating the accident and negotiating with insurance companies to representing you to a jury in court, if necessary, we’ll be your relentless advocates, ensuring your rights are protected and your voice is heard.

Schedule a Free Consultation with an Experienced Lone Star Legal Truck Accident Lawyer Today

If you or a loved one has been hurt in a commercial vehicle accident, you should immediately seek the professional legal guidance of experienced attorneys. Lone Star Legal can help you file your truck accident claim in pursuit of fair financial compensation for your injuries and other losses.

Lone Star Legal has extensive experience representing injured clients and their families in various personal injury legal matters, including the complexities of commercial vehicle accident cases. Make no mistake, a trucking accident is more complicated than most car accident cases, not just because of the severity of the injuries and the cost of medical expenses, but because of other factors that can overwhelm accident victims who decide to go without legal representation. As your legal counsel, our attorneys will explore all options to help you get the desired outcome in hopes of easing the burden thrust upon you by this unfortunate occurrence.

To learn more about the benefits of retaining our legal services and how we can assist you during this difficult time, please contact Lone Star Legal to schedule your free initial consultation today.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by calling 737-234-8831.