Houston Truck Accident Lawyer

Every day, countless drivers get behind the wheel as they travel to school, work, on vacation, run errands, and more here in Houston. Most never think twice about the potential dangers that lie waiting for them on our busy roadways.

Even more, individuals travel by public transportation on a bus, by foot as pedestrians, or on a bicycle or motorbike without thinking they may get hurt.

A Houston truck accident lawyer is, however, keenly aware of what can happen to these folks going about their everyday lives when a tractor-trailer driver, trucking company, or others engage in negligence.

People get hurt and sometimes die.

Crashes involving large trucks tend to be catastrophic, leaving behind significant destruction of property and injury to those involved.

At Barrera Law Group LLC, we support accident victims as they recover or begin to cope with the loss of a loved one, helping them understand their rights and what legal actions they can take to secure compensation. We can help you do the same. Contact us for a free consultation to discuss your case.

Texas Truck-Involved Crash Statistics

According to reports published by the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT), there were 115,584 total crashes in Harris County in 2022.

Of those, 67,386 of them occurred in Houston proper. At least 6,203 of the crashes in our county involved commercial vehicles, which is the category to which tractor-trailers belong.

Common Types of Large Truck Accidents

Trucks weigh more and are longer than passenger cars and many other automobiles. As such, while they experience some of the same types of crashes as any other vehicle may have, some types of accidents are unique, or significantly different, for large trucks.

These can include:

• Head-on collisions: These may occur because a trucker falls asleep at the wheel or is traveling too fast for conditions and suddenly brakes, both of which are actions that may cause the driver to lose control of their rig and cross a center line or median into oncoming traffic.
• Rear-end crashes: Crashes like these often stem from truckers not anticipating drivers slowing ahead and faulty brake issues.
• Jackknife accidents: These incidents are most common during the wintry months, when ice may have accumulated on the road, extending the time it takes for speeding truckers carrying heavy loads to bring their tractor-trailers to a complete stop, resulting in two components of their truck assuming a “Swiss knife” orientation.
• Blind spot wrecks: These sideswipe types of crashes often occur when a motorist cuts in too close ahead or behind a truck or is unidentifiable by the trucker due to it riding in its blind zone.
• Truck rollovers: These incidents can affect all types of commercial carriers, including box trucks or 18-wheelers, and often occur as operators go around circular exit lanes because they take those turns too fast with their poorly secured or distributed load.
• Override or underride accidents: These commonly occur at intersections when motorists run traffic lights or even as a motorist is riding close behind another and involves a smaller, lower profile car, motorbike, or other vehicle sliding under (and the truck sliding over) the other automobile.

Where Tractor-Trailer Collisions Occur in Harris County

Houston is a city bustling with interstate commerce, which is evident by looking at the sheer number of multi-lane interstates, highways, Texas state roads, and U.S. routes that stretch from one side of the city to the other in all directions.

Some of the interstates with the highest number of crashes involving big rigs include:

• I-10, also known as the Baytown-East Freeway or Katy Freeway
• I-610, which drivers refer to as the 610 Loop
• I-45, commonly called the Gulf Freeway or North Freeway
• I-69, also known as the Eastex Freeway or Southwest Freeway

Texas state roads and federal routes where these collisions occur include:

• State Highway 249, also known as Tomball Parkway
• State Highway 146, referred to as Baytown Freeway
• S. 90, the Northwest Freeway, which connects Houston to Austin
• Sam Houston Tollway (Beltway 8)

Common Causes of Truck-Involved Crashes in Houston

Wrecks involving tractor-trailers can happen for a wide range of reasons, some of the most common of which include:

• Fatigued or drowsy driving (often from ignoring hours of service rules)
• Substance abuse, including alcohol and prescription or illegal drug use
• Distracted driving
• Poor vehicle maintenance and unaddressed repairs
• Defective truck components
• Improper loading
• Road design issues
• Inclement weather conditions

The list goes on and on in terms of factors that contribute to truck crashes. And, no matter the cause of your crash, you need a legal team that you can trust to investigate and hold the responsible parties accountable.

Potential Liable Parties for Collisions Involving Big Rigs

While you may get the impression that only truckers can be responsible for commercial accidents, that’s certainly not the case. You may, of course, pursue legal action against the tractor-trailer driver if their negligent behaviors hurt you, but you can also sue:

• Trucking companies
• Auto parts manufacturers
• Mechanics

There can be additional responsible parties on top of the ones listed that may be partially or fully liable for what happened, too. Your Houston truck accident lawyer can help determine who the potentially liable parties are after reviewing the evidence in your case during your initial consultation or soon thereafter. So, if you’re ready to find out who you can hold accountable for what happened to you, reach out to our law office now.

Compensation Recoverable in Texas Tractor-Trailer Collision Cases

Some of the most catastrophic injuries that trucking accident victims suffer include spinal cord injuries that cause paralysis, internal organ damage, burns, broken bones, and head trauma, resulting in traumatic brain injuries.

As you might imagine, the costs associated with treating these conditions can easily reach tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions.

Physical consequences aside, there may also be residual mental and emotional health concerns that are hard for injured parties to shake, issues like anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Fortunately, Texas law allows victims who are hurt due to someone’s negligence to file insurance claims or civil lawsuits to recover compensation for damages they suffered.

Some examples of compensable losses can include:

• Property damage costs
• Medical expenses, which may include emergency room, surgical, physical therapy, counseling, and medication costs
• Renovations to your Houston area residence to make it wheelchair accessible (if necessary)
• Lost wages

It may also be possible to seek compensation for noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering, mental anguish, and loss of enjoyment of life, by filing a civil lawsuit against the trucker who struck you or any other responsible party.

Damages Recoverable in Fatal Truck Accident Cases in the Bayou City

Damages recoverable in these unfortunate truck-involved wrecks that cause loss of life include:

• Funeral and burial expenses
• Losses of companionship
• Future lost earnings
• Lost benefits (i.e., retirement stipends)

Also, it’s within a Harris County judge’s discretion to assess punitive damages in semi-truck crash cases where the responsible party’s negligence is determined as grossly negligent. An example of when this might occur is if it’s proven that the tractor-trailer operator was intoxicated when the wreck occurred.

Determining How Much Your Truck Accident Injury Case Is Worth

A common question our attorneys at Barrera Law Group LLC receive centers around what the value of their case is. That can be challenging to determine without first knowing the following:

• The extent of your injuries and the medical treatment required to address them
• How much time you might be out of work or if you have to retrain for another career
• Whether your injuries are temporary or permanent
• How debilitating your mental or emotional trauma is
• If you shared any responsibility for causing the crash
• Whether you did anything to prevent the onset of your injuries (e., wearing a seat belt to prevent ejection)
• How much in peripheral expenses you’ve incurred, such as travel to doctors’ visits, acquisition of a wheelchair, and transportation, including handicap-accessible vehicles.

While the factors above can certainly affect how much your case is worth, so too does your choice of Houston truck accident attorney. Successfully negotiating with insurers, especially ones representing those in the trucking industry, takes fine-tuning that only comes with years of experience.

Do I Need an Attorney To Represent Me in My Houston Truck Crash Case?

Our country affords its citizens the right to self-representation in front of a judge and jury during the pre-litigation stage of a case and in the courtroom. While pro se representation is allowed, it’s not advisable.

Why?

State and federal laws are notoriously complex to understand, as are rules for filing cases and presenting them in court.

Plus, insurance companies are big businesses backed by high-powered attorneys looking for any way to deny liability and not make payouts. They regularly take advantage of self-represented injury victims because they can, meaning if you attempt to file a claim or lawsuit unilaterally, there’s a strong chance you could end up with nothing and be left paying for the bills you’ve amassed on your own.

How a Tractor-Trailer Collision Lawyer in Houston Can Help You

There’s a lot that goes into building a strong case against a negligent bad actor in the trucking industry that demands the compensation you need and deserve, and that’s where a Houston truck accident attorney comes in. You can count on the attorney handling your case to:

• Know the elements of negligence in Texas that must be proven to file a civil case.
• Be aware of the statute of limitations that applies to your specific accident or wrongful death case.
• Understand state and federal laws that apply to the trucking industry that can affect liability determinations.
• Collect evidence proving negligence, which may include electronic logging device (ELD) and other onboard data.
• Determine the causation of the crash.
• Solicit the services of experts for accident recreation to explain how injuries occurred or what prognoses are or testify at trial, as necessary, to strengthen a case.
• Identify responsible parties to hold liable.
• Gather your medical records that demonstrate how the collision hurt you.
• Request your medical bills, pay stubs, etc., to calculate your financial losses.
• Negotiate a maximum settlement that covers your actual incurred expenses and other losses.
• Know when litigating your case in the courtroom is necessary.

Questions To Ask a Houston Truck Crash Attorney

Once you feel like you’ve narrowed down your list of attorneys, you’ll want to interview each of them to confirm that they’re the best fit for your case. Some questions you should ask any prospective lawyer you’re considering include:

• How many cases similar to my own have you handled?
• How much experience do you have negotiating with insurance companies?
• Are you comfortable taking the case to trial if reaching a fair out-of-court settlement appears impossible?

At Barrera Law Group LLC, we understand how a wreck with a tractor-trailer can turn life upside down.

We know how debilitating serious injuries are and how long the path to recovery can be, especially if you are additionally experiencing emotional turmoil and lack of income after your loss.  That’s why you can count on any Houston Truck accident lawyer you work with in our office to advocate strongly for you and your best interests from the moment they take your case.

If you’re looking for a passionate team to shepherd your case through the legal system, contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation.