Topic: Truck Accidents
Here you'll find a collection of articles containing in-depth insights and quick answers to common questions about Truck Accidents.
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Who Might Be Liable for a Wheel-Off Truck Accident?
A wheel separation or "wheel-off" accident, in which a moving vehicle loses a wheel, can be catastrophic if that loose wheel hits other vehicles or people. The danger is typically much greater when that wheel comes off a commercial truck, so who is liable for the damage caused in a commercial truck wheel-off accident? Answer:...
Read MoreWhat Causes a Wheel-Off Truck Accident?
In a wheel separation or wheel-off truck accident, one or more wheels detach from a commercial truck in motion. Whether the loose wheel simply falls over or it rolls further down the road, anyone unlucky enough to collide with it may suffer major property damage, serious injuries, or even death. The truck that lost the...
Read MoreWhat is the “Mystery Car” Defense in Truck Accident Lawsuits?
Trucking companies use many strategies and excuses to explain why they aren't to blame after a serious 18-wheeler accident. One such argument that often pops up in the course of a trial is the "Mystery Car" defense—but what is that? Answer: The "Mystery Car" defense, aka "the phantom car" or "miss and run," is how...
Read MoreHow Often Do Wheel-Off Truck Accidents Happen?
An often-overlooked but very serious kind of vehicular accident is the wheel separation or wheel-off accident, in which a wheel and/or tire break free of a motor vehicle and crash into someone or something else. Commercial truck tires can be particularly devastating if they hit someone after breaking loose, which may lead people to wonder:...
Read MoreWho Can I Sue if a Drunk Truck Driver Injured Me in an Accident?
There's no such thing as a good DWI accident, but the result of one tends to be far worse when the drunk driver is in a commercial vehicle like a delivery truck or 18-wheeler. Over the years we've spoken with countless people who were hurt or lost someone dear to them in a crash with...
Read MoreShould I Give a Recorded Statement to an Insurance Adjuster after a Truck Accident?
After a truck accident people tend to have a dozen or more urgent and immediate concerns, so answering some questions from an insurance representative may not make much of a blip on their radar. Despite that, the conversation they have with a claims adjuster after an 18-wheeler wreck could affect their lawsuit against the truck...
Read MoreWhat Are My Rights if I’m Injured in an 18-Wheeler Accident?
People sometimes make the mistake of thinking that a commercial truck accident is little more than a car crash on a larger scale, but they're truthfully worlds apart. The amount of damage an 18-wheeler can cause dwarfs all but the worst car accidents, and resolving a commercial accident with a trucking company is almost inevitably...
Read MoreWhat Is My Commercial Truck Accident Worth?
One of the questions the firm gets a lot is "What is my truck accident case worth?" I wish I could say there's an easy answer to that, but as with most topics of law the answer depends on many factors. The simplest boiled-down answer we can provide is just below, but there's a great...
Read MoreHow are Criminal Charges Useful to a Truck Accident Victim’s Lawsuit?
After many commercial truck accidents, investigating authorities arrest the truck driver for some kind of criminal offense. In many ways this can be a boon to an injured accident victim, but the value of criminal charges to a civil case may not be clear right away. Because of that, people may wonder: How would a...
Read MoreHow Much of an 18-Wheeler Settlement in Texas Goes to the Lawyer?
Most law firms handle personal injury cases on a contingency basis. That means the lawyer receives a payment only if their client receives a settlement or a verdict at trial. How much does a lawyer get from a truck accident settlement? If we recover compensation for you, the firm will keep around 33% of the...
Read MoreWhat is the Typical Duration of an 18-Wheeler Lawsuit in Texas?
Thousands of people are injured or killed in crashes involving large trucks each year. If you suffered an injury, you may want to settle your claim as soon as possible so you can collect your money and move on with your life. However, you may leave money on the table if you settle too soon....
Read MoreWhen are Truck Drivers Tested for Drug and Alcohol Use?
Among the many federal and state regulations governing truck drivers' behavior are several that govern how often they must be tested for alcohol or drug use. Considering the damage an intoxicated driver can cause in a 40-ton truck, those tests are important for identifying them and keeping them off the road. So how often are...
Read MoreHow Many Times Can a Truck Driver Fail a DOT Physical?
To make sure they're in adequate physical condition to operate 18-wheelers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires commercial truck drivers to pass physical examinations at least once every two years. If a doctor finds the driver isn't in good enough shape to safely do their job, the driver must be removed from service....
Read MoreWho Investigates 18-Wheeler Accidents in Texas?
According to NHTSA statistics, Texas tends to see more fatal commercial truck accidents annually than any other state. It's obviously important to investigate each of those incidents carefully and thoroughly, both to help the victims and hopefully to reduce the number of future crashes. Those investigations can be quite complicated, however, and many different parties...
Read MoreCan I Trust a Trucking Company’s Insurer?
Trucking insurance companies are most often responsible for paying injured victims after an 18-wheeler accident, but they'll do everything they can to avoid it. Their actions in pursuit of that goal may vary, but they'll try hard to protect the company's assets and avoid honoring their client's commercial policy. That may lead people to wonder:...
Read MoreHow Do I Prove the Truck Driver Who Hit Me Was Intoxicated?
By their sheer size and bulk alone, tractor-trailers are already inherently more capable of inflicting harm when something goes wrong than most other vehicles on the road. The matter is made considerably worse when a truck driver is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This raises the question: When someone is hurt or killed...
Read MoreHow Big of a Problem Are Unsafe 18-Wheelers?
Most people are aware that commercial truck drivers occasionally make serious or even fatal mistakes at the wheel, but concerns about those misbehaviors sometimes overshadow another major issue: malfunctioning trucks, particularly those in states of terrible disrepair. A significant number of trucks and trailers in bad shape hit the road every day, but how big...
Read MoreWhat is an 18-Wheeler Accident Investigation Kit?
When a commercial vehicle accident occurs, information must be gathered. Most trucking companies provide their truckers with something called an accident investigation kit, aka a "compliance kit," which is ostensibly used as a tool to tell truck drivers what information they need to collect at the accident scene. In our view, however, the whole thing...
Read MoreWhat Kind of Inspection Does the State of Texas Require for 18-Wheelers?
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and state governments require 18-wheelers to meet certain minimum standards before they're deemed roadworthy. To be sure the trucks are in compliance, state and federal inspectors regularly evaluate them and their operators. That may lead some to wonder: What kind of inspection does Texas require for tractor-trailers? Answer:...
Read MoreHow Do Trucking Companies Cheat Electronic Logging Devices?
The regulations requiring truck drivers to rest after an interval of work are called hours of service (HOS) rules. Most modern truck drivers' hours of service are now monitored by federally-required Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs), which use data from an active 18-wheeler to create a picture of its movement and its driver's activity over a...
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