The Gutierrez Law Firm can help you and your family recover after a serious Houston truck accident. Our Houston personal injury lawyers go to work immediately to get your hospital bills paid and secure help replacing your lost income at work. To learn more about your legal options after a crash and to find out what your injuries are worth, contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
Should I Contact a Lawyer After a Truck Accident?
If your accident results in only very minor injuries or just car damage, you may not need the help of a lawyer to get fair treatment. However, with the size and weight involved, truck accidents often result in much more serious injuries. When insurance companies see hospital bills on the rise, they look for ways to avoid accepting responsibility for reckless truck drivers. They’ll look to shift blame to you if possible or question how bad your injuries are to devalue your compensation.
At this point, it’s a good idea to go over your next steps with a real Houston lawyer. Your lawyer collects all available evidence to protect you when corporate lawyers for trucking companies are brought in to find reasons to reject your claim. Gutierrez Law puts an end to their tactics and demands the most in compensation possible for your family.
Truck Accident Hazards in Houston
Houston is a major center of industry and that activity means there are more large, heavy trucks on the road. Trucks funnel in and out of The Port of Houston day and night. Local farms and ranches also depend on big produce trucks and send farm vehicles out on more rural roads.
Whether you are in the city or the country, Houston and Galveston Bay drivers will encounter dangerous big rigs on every trip. Adding to the dangers, are the fleets of delivery vans, from businesses like Amazon and UPS, that also take up extra room in the lanes.
The hazards are obvious on busy routes like I-45 and Highway 225. Semi-trucks and produce trucks can veer into your lanes and have trouble stopping at red lights. Truck drivers can push their speeds to dangerous levels and lose control. The accident risks are present in Houston neighborhoods as delivery drivers under deadline pressure race down streets to drop off their packages.
Many truck drivers work hard to make safe deliveries, but some drivers and trucking companies get careless and end up putting Houston motorists in harm’s way. These are just some of the most common hazards:
- Reckless Truckers: Truck drivers can switch lanes aggressively without checking mirrors properly. They can drift over double yellow lines. An 80,000lb big rig takes much longer to stop than a car or SUV. Drivers can exceed the speed limit and not be watching the road ahead, making it more likely they won’t be able to stop for the next traffic light. The loads that delivery vans like FedEx vehicles carry also make it harder to stop when excessive speed is involved.
- Distracted Driving: Tractor-trailer drivers might be staring at their cell phones to examine work details, to navigate, or just to check Facebook. These distractions give them less time to react to a slow-down in traffic or a green light changing to red. Delivery drivers use their phones to map their workday, but they must keep their eyes on the road to prevent major impacts.
- Drowsy, Overworked Truck Drivers: The U.S. has strict laws about how much time truck drivers can stay behind the wheel. They must get rest and food breaks. When they cheat the rules, they can get drowsy or physically drained, leading to inattentive driving and even runaway trucks when drivers drift off to sleep.
- Impaired Truck Drivers: Drivers might have too much to drink and be unfit to be behind the wheel of a tractor-trailer or a delivery van. The allowed Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) for commercial drivers is half of the limit for normal motorists. Truckers can’t have a BAC of .04% or over. They’ll be arrested and charged with DUI. Unfortunately, drunk drivers aren’t always caught in time. Drunk big rig drivers can do massive damage to the vehicles around them. Drivers have also been known to use drugs to stay awake on long hauls. This practice can also impair their judgment.
- Truck Breakdowns Leading to Crashes: Mechanical issues that cause accidents are often found to be the fault of the trucking company. These companies and corporations are supposed to perform safety inspections and regular maintenance on components like brakes and tires.
Common Injuries in Houston Truck Accidents
Accidents involving big rigs can cause devastating injuries. Vehicles can be crumpled by the weight and force of an impact. With tractor-trailers that sit higher, vehicles can end up underneath trapping the occupants inside. Injured patients may have to wait on ambulance care while first responders work to rescue them from the wreckage.
Doctors at local Trauma Centers like the one at Red Duke Trauma Institute at Texas Medical Center treat these and other serious injuries after area truck accidents:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI). TBIs include severe concussions, seizures, memory loss, and further complications.
- Bone Fractures: Upper and lower leg bones are often broken as impacts force legs into the floorboards. Arm bones and facial bones are also vulnerable. Chest bone fractures like rib damage and painful collarbone breaks are also common.
- Whiplash: Caused by a quick forward and back motion of the head in a collision. Victims can experience dizziness, extreme pain when moving the head, and headaches.
- Spine and Back injuries: Muscles and other soft tissue in the back and along vertebrae can lead to extreme pain and mobility issues that may last a lifetime.
- Organ Damage: Broken ribs can puncture the lungs or other organs. The tissue meant to keep organs in place might be torn.
Truck accident victims experiencing these and other injuries may heal in a few weeks or they may deal with the effects their whole lives.
Our Houston Truck Accident Lawyers oversee every step of the claims process to see that victims receive care for as long as necessary. Victims who suffer a permanent physical disability might require a lifetime of physical therapy and prescription drugs. They might need home care and new jobs that they can physically handle. Gutierrez Law Firm doesn’t let trucking companies and delivery companies like Amazon abandon accident victims after a few weeks.
Who Can Be Held Liable After a Truck Accident?
Truck collision victims can end up with a stack of medical bills in the mailbox before they’ve even been discharged from the hospital. They’ll be left to worry about who will cover their medical costs now and down the road.
The truth is that several parties may be partly to blame for what happened and could be held liable. Your lawyer fully investigates the accident and the driver and trucking companies involved.
The truck driver’s insurance policy may be the first place victims will need to seek support. This insurance covers owner/operators who generally work for themselves.
If the truck driver works for a company or corporation the trucking company or business should have major truck accident insurance to draw from. A delivery company like FedEx has its own fleet of drivers. Manufacturers and other business owners must often be forced to accept responsibility for their employees, but that’s why you have Gutierrez Law Firm on your side.
Businesses might be guilty of hiring a truck driver with a dangerous record. They might be guilty of
In the Houston area, big rigs, produce trucks, and farm machinery might be on the road for local farmers or giant agricultural businesses. The owners of these farms and companies could be held responsible for a victim’s recovery costs.
The vehicle manufacturers or parts makers could be financially accountable if a truck breakdown causes a crash. This might be an option for victims if a brake malfunction or a tire blowout leads to a big rig collision.
How Much Is My Houston Truck Accident Injury Worth?
It will be hard to give you an accurate estimate on your injury value until you’ve brought your case to Gutierrez Law Firm. We need to talk with you and hear about what happened. This is an easy step to take when you take advantage of our free case consultation.
We would investigate your accident and the driver and company involved before deciding how much compensation to demand on your behalf. Any settlement would need to provide you with everything needed to rebuild your life.
These and other factors would help decide the size of your truck accident settlement check:
- Totals on medical expenses taking into account the time it takes you to heal.
- The potential of lifelong support needed after a permanent disability or disfigurement.
- The amount of support appropriate for the pain you’ve suffered.
- The amount of support appropriate for the emotional trauma you’ve been put through.
- The degree to which an accident and injury affect your quality of life.
- The cost of repairing and replacing your vehicle.
- The total on all the paychecks you’ve lost while having to miss work due to injury.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file a truck accident injury claim in Texas?
Two years. Texas allows truck collision victims to file claims up to two years from the date of the accident. After that, your claim would likely be thrown out. You want to act quickly to give your attorney the best chance to recover fresh evidence, track down witnesses, and secure surveillance footage.
Can my family seek support after losing a loved one in a tragic truck accident?
Yes. The family left behind had up to two years to file a wrongful death claim. Trucking companies would need to help with funeral and burial costs and cover leftover medical expenses. The family must also receive support for the future when the victim can no longer provide income for loved ones. A Houston wrongful death lawyer can file a claim on behalf of the entire family.
What if I can’t afford to hire a truck accident lawyer?
You can always afford representation from Gutierrez Law. We don’t ask for any upfront money and we don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement money a trucking company is forced to provide.
Work With a Houston Truck Accident Attorney for Award-Winning Legal Representation
If you were in a collision with an eighteen-wheeler or other commercial vehicle, please reach out to us as soon as possible. Insurance companies and lawyers for trucking companies will be calling you and asking you to make a recorded statement. Refuse and only offer basic information. They hope that you will say something they can twist later to hurt your case. Refer them to your attorney and let Gutierrez Law handle all communications with unhelpful insurers and corporate lawyers.
If you are unsure if you need a lawyer for a case or not, contact us today to schedule a free consultation. There’s no risk, and it’s an easy way to determine what your case is worth and how to avoid the tactics of unhelpful insurance companies. The team at Gutierrez Law Firm is unafraid to fight for you. We demand the maximum in compensation possible for our clients and make sure they receive support until they back on their feet again.