Texas plays a crucial role in the freight industry, home to tens of thousands of trucking companies and employing one in every 16 Texas residents. Although large commercial trucks are an essential link in the nation’s supply chain, they also congest roadways, loom over smaller vehicles, and outweigh them by as much as 76,000 pounds.
If you’ve been injured in a commercial truck accident, you need legal representation to ensure that you recover the full and fair compensation you deserve. Call the Dallas truck accident lawyers at GreeningLaw for experienced representation in this complex legal area.
Why You Should Select GreeningLaw For Your Truck Accident Claim In Dallas
Under the fault-based insurance law in Texas, a truck accident victim has the burden of proving the responsible party’s liability. Sadly, the defendant’s insurance company is not on your side. Instead of leaving your financial recovery in their hands, you can focus on your physical recovery and let GreeningLaw navigate your Dallas truck accident claim with the following advantages:
- Assertive, proactive representation by a legal firm dedicated to providing compassionate, professional legal counsel
- Over 40 years of experience behind your case with the full benefits of our decades of knowledge and resources, including access to the best accident reconstruction specialists, mechanical experts, and medical professionals
- The benefits of an entire staff behind your case as well as an attorney dedicated to crafting a personalized strategy to recover the maximum available compensation
- A commitment to open, honest communication so you are always involved and informed throughout every step of the process
Our Dallas car accident lawyers never charge upfront fees to injury victims. Instead, we offer a free evaluation of your case and contingency-based payment. You only pay our fee after we obtain compensation for your Texas truck accident claim.
What Causes Truck Accidents In Dallas?
Commercial trucks are difficult to maneuver. They make wide turns and have lengthy stopping times. They also need meticulous maintenance to perform at their optimal best on the road. Common causes of truck accidents in Dallas and elsewhere include the following:
- Distracted driving
- Speeding
- Wide-turn accidents
- Tire blowouts
- Unsafe lane changes
- Failure to yield the right of way
- Tailgating
- Drowsy driving
- Unsafe passing
- Improper merging
- Inadequate maintenance
- Unbalanced or improperly secured loads
- Defective truck parts and equipment
Truck accidents are catastrophic scenes, sometimes causing multi-car pileups due to the extended length of a truck and trailer, which may block multiple lanes of traffic on major highways. Assigning liability and recovering compensation when multiple parties are involved can be a challenge without help from a Dallas personal injury lawyer.
What Makes a Truck Accident Claim Challenging?
Because commercial trucks cross state lines and borders, the trucking industry falls under regulation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). The FMCSA places regulations on driving hour limits and requires regular truck inspections, routine maintenance, and meticulous record keeping. Unfortunately, it only takes a single violation or one of many entities failing to take reasonable care for an accident to occur.
Truck accident cases are far more complex than most car accident claims because of the many potentially liable parties. It takes an experienced investigator with access to the best mechanical experts and other resources to pinpoint the cause of the accident, the correct liable party or parties, and to identify the appropriate insurance company to obtain compensation for a truck accident victim’s damages.
Who Is Liable for a Commercial Truck Accident in Dallas?
It takes many separate entities to ensure that a safe, well-maintained truck with properly secured cargo is on the road with a well-qualified driver behind the wheel. When a truck causes an accident, the investigation could reveal one or more of the following parties as liable for the damages:
- The driver
- The trucking company
- A negligent freight-loading company
- A negligent truck maintenance or repair company
- The manufacturer of a defective part or equipment
In some cases, other entities, such as a third-party driver or a negligent road construction agency, may cause or contribute to a truck accident. Proving liability requires demonstrating compelling evidence that the responsible party owed a duty of care to others on the road, they breached this duty of care, and the breach of duty directly caused an accident with injuries. Finally, the injury victim must also show evidence of economic damages as well as pain and suffering.
What Damages Can I Recover In a Truck Accident Claim In Dallas?
About 70% of injuries in commercial truck accidents in Dallas and elsewhere occur to those in other vehicles, not the truck driver. Injuries are expensive, as well as painful, and potentially life-altering. The compensation typically available in a Texas truck accident claim includes the following:
- Property damage
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Future medical expenses
- Lost earnings
- Future income loss/diminished future earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Other non-economic damages that sometimes apply, such as loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, disfigurement, scarring, or the loss of one of the senses
If a loved one died in a truck accident in Dallas, a close family member can recover compensation through a claim with our Dallas wrongful death lawyer.
What to Do After a Texas Truck Accident
Few scenes are as catastrophic and confusing as the aftermath of an accident involving a large commercial truck like an 18-wheeler, box truck, or tank-like garbage truck. After this type of accident, you may be incapacitated or too seriously injured to take any purposeful action. Fortunately, some accident victims or their uninjured companions can safely use a cell phone after a commercial truck accident to preserve important evidence by doing the following:
- First, call 911 to report the accident and apply any necessary first aid
- Then, use the phone’s camera to take photos of the accident scene, including the damaged vehicles, their positions, and the truck’s identifying information
- Photograph any visible injuries
- Add the contact information of the truck driver
- Add the contact information of eyewitnesses before they leave the scene
Always go directly to a hospital after a truck accident and ask for a full medical evaluation after the treatment for your emergency injuries. This helps to diagnose injuries that sometimes have delayed symptoms. Ask for a detailed medical report and follow your doctor’s treatment recommendations carefully. The medical report and police report are important evidence for a successful case by your Dallas truck accident lawyer.
Call GreeningLaw for Legal Representation In a Dallas Truck Accident Case
It’s crucial to direct all of your energy and attention into your physical and emotional healing after a serious truck accident causes harm to you and your family. By hiring an experienced truck accident attorney, you can focus on your recovery while your attorney recovers your financial compensation. Reach out to GreeningLaw today for a free evaluation of your case by compassionate attorneys with a results-oriented approach that prioritizes your best interests.