Texas highways are dominated by massive 18-wheelers and commercial trucks carrying goods across the state and nation. While these vehicles are essential to our economy, they also pose significant dangers to passenger vehicle occupants. When a truck accident occurs, the consequences are often catastrophic, leaving victims with life-altering injuries, overwhelming medical bills, and uncertain futures. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident in Texas, you need an experienced truck accident attorney who understands the complexities of these cases and isn’t afraid to take on powerful trucking companies.
The Devastating Reality of Texas Truck Accidents
Texas leads the nation in truck accident fatalities, with over 600 deaths annually according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The sheer size and weight difference between commercial trucks and passenger vehicles makes these accidents particularly deadly. An average passenger car weighs around 3,000 pounds, while a fully loaded 18-wheeler can weigh up to 80,000 pounds – that’s more than 26 times heavier.
The physics of these collisions are unforgiving. When an 80,000-pound truck traveling at highway speeds collides with a passenger vehicle, the results are often catastrophic. Victims frequently suffer traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, multiple fractures, internal organ damage, and in the worst cases, wrongful death.
Why Texas Truck Accidents Are Different from Car Accidents
Truck accident cases are significantly more complex than typical car accident claims. Multiple parties may be liable, including the truck driver, trucking company, cargo loading company, truck manufacturer, and maintenance providers. Federal regulations govern the trucking industry, adding layers of complexity that require specialized knowledge.
Federal Regulations: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) imposes strict regulations on commercial drivers and trucking companies, including hours of service limits, mandatory rest periods, vehicle inspection requirements, and driver qualification standards.
Commercial Insurance: Trucking companies carry much higher insurance coverage than individual drivers – often $1 million or more. While this means more money is available for compensation, it also means insurance companies will fight harder to deny or minimize claims.
Evidence Preservation: Trucks are equipped with electronic logging devices (ELDs), GPS systems, and sometimes dash cameras that provide crucial evidence. However, this evidence can be destroyed or lost if not preserved quickly through legal action.
Common Causes of Texas Truck Accidents
Understanding the leading causes of truck accidents helps establish liability and build stronger cases:
Driver Fatigue: Despite federal hours of service regulations, many truck drivers still operate while fatigued. Driver fatigue impairs reaction time, decision-making, and attention – making it as dangerous as drunk driving.
Distracted Driving: Truck drivers face unique distractions, including CB radios, GPS systems, dispatching devices, and the temptation to use cell phones during long, monotonous drives.
Speeding and Aggressive Driving: Pressure to meet delivery deadlines can lead drivers to speed or drive aggressively. The stopping distance for a loaded truck is much greater than a car, making speed particularly dangerous.
Improper Loading: Overloaded trucks or improperly secured cargo can cause rollovers, jackknifing, or cargo spills that create hazardous road conditions.
Poor Vehicle Maintenance: Trucking companies have a duty to properly maintain their vehicles. Brake failures, tire blowouts, and other mechanical failures often result from inadequate maintenance.
Inadequate Training: Some trucking companies fail to properly train drivers or hire unqualified drivers to cut costs, putting everyone on the road at risk.
Types of Truck Accidents Common in Texas
Texas sees various types of truck accidents, each presenting unique challenges:
Jackknife Accidents: When a truck’s trailer swings out to form a 90-degree angle with the cab, often blocking multiple lanes of traffic.
Rollover Accidents: Large trucks have a high center of gravity, making them prone to rolling over during sharp turns or when cargo shifts.
Rear-End Collisions: Trucks require much longer stopping distances than cars. When trucks rear-end passenger vehicles, the results are often fatal.
Underride Accidents: When a smaller vehicle slides under a truck’s trailer, often shearing off the top of the passenger vehicle.
Wide Turn Accidents: Trucks need extra space to turn, and drivers sometimes fail to account for vehicles in their blind spots.
Serious Injuries from Texas Truck Accidents
The massive size and weight of commercial trucks mean that even “minor” truck accidents often result in serious injuries:
Traumatic Brain Injuries: The violent forces in truck accidents frequently cause concussions, brain bleeds, and other traumatic brain injuries that can permanently affect cognitive function.
Spinal Cord Injuries: Damage to the spinal cord can result in partial or complete paralysis, requiring lifetime medical care and dramatically altering a victim’s quality of life.
Burn Injuries: Truck accidents involving fuel spills or fires can cause severe burns requiring multiple surgeries and extensive rehabilitation.
Amputations: The crushing forces in truck accidents sometimes necessitate amputation of limbs, requiring prosthetics and extensive adaptation.
Internal Injuries: Damage to internal organs may not be immediately apparent but can be life-threatening without prompt medical intervention.
Why You Need a Specialized Texas Truck Accident Attorney
Trucking companies and their insurance carriers have teams of lawyers and investigators working to minimize their liability from the moment an accident occurs. They may arrive at the accident scene before you even leave the hospital, gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses to build their defense.
Immediate Investigation: We dispatch our own investigators to the accident scene to preserve evidence, photograph the scene, and interview witnesses before memories fade or evidence disappears.
Federal Regulation Expertise: Our team understands FMCSA regulations and how violations of these rules can establish liability and strengthen your case.
Expert Witnesses: We work with accident reconstruction specialists, trucking industry experts, medical professionals, and economists to build compelling cases.
Resources to Fight Big Companies: Trucking companies have significant resources to defend claims. We have the experience and resources necessary to level the playing field.
Compensation Available in Texas Truck Accident Cases
Texas law allows truck accident victims to recover various types of damages:
Economic Damages: Medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, future medical costs, and lost earning capacity Non-Economic Damages: Pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium Punitive Damages: In cases involving gross negligence or willful misconduct
Truck accident settlements and verdicts are typically much higher than car accident cases due to the severity of injuries and higher insurance coverage. Settlements can range from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars, depending on the circumstances.
The Importance of Acting Quickly
Time is critical in truck accident cases. Evidence can be destroyed, witnesses can disappear, and Texas has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims. Additionally, trucking companies are required to preserve certain evidence only for limited periods, making immediate legal action essential.
How Matthew Stano’s Prosecutorial Experience Benefits Truck Accident Victims
As a former prosecutor, Matthew Stano brings unique advantages to truck accident cases:
Investigation Skills: Prosecutorial experience means knowing how to conduct thorough investigations, preserve evidence, and build compelling cases.
Understanding of Criminal vs. Civil Standards: When truck drivers violate federal regulations or engage in criminal behavior, this experience helps leverage criminal findings in civil cases.
Trial Experience: Insurance companies take you more seriously when they know your attorney has extensive trial experience and isn’t afraid to take cases to court.
Negotiation Expertise: Years of negotiating with defense attorneys provides insight into effective settlement strategies.
What Sets Our Firm Apart
No Upfront Costs: We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we win your case.
Personalized Attention: Unlike large firms that treat clients like numbers, we provide personalized attention to every client.
Proven Results: Our track record of successful truck accident cases speaks for itself.
24/7 Availability: Truck accidents don’t happen on a schedule, and neither do we. We’re available around the clock for emergencies.
Don’t Let Trucking Companies Intimidate You
Trucking companies and their insurance carriers will try to minimize your claim or deny liability altogether. They may offer quick, low-ball settlements hoping you’ll accept before understanding the full extent of your injuries. Don’t let them take advantage of you during your most vulnerable time.
Get the Justice You Deserve – Contact Texas’s Premier Truck Accident Attorney Today
If you or a loved one has been injured in a truck accident in Texas, don’t face the trucking companies alone. The clock is ticking, and evidence is disappearing every day.
Call Stano Law Firm immediately at 832-777-0390 for your FREE consultation. As a former prosecutor with extensive experience in complex truck accident cases, Matthew Stano has the knowledge, resources, and determination to take on the biggest trucking companies and win. Don’t settle for less than you deserve. Your family’s future depends on the decisions you make today. Call us now. We provide free case evaluation.