Trucking accidents are common in El Paso, and they often have devastating results. The size and low visibility of trucks make accidents both more likely and more harmful and potentially fatal. If you have been hit by a commercial vehicle, you are likely struggling with vehicle repair bills, medical bills, and lost wages, alongside other anxieties. Carabin Shaw and our experienced team of El Paso trucking accident lawyers can help you recover from these costs.
What Causes Trucking Accidents?The Texas Department of Transportation reports that the leading causes for accidents in urban areas are, by a significant margin, failure to control speed, which accounted for over 100,000 crashes in 2017. The second-largest cause of accidents is driver inattention, responsible for over 70,000 crashes in 2017: more than twice as many as any factor besides speeding.
Speeding and distraction are both negligent acts that endanger not only the offending driver themselves, but also pose a considerable risk to everyone around them. If a speeding, distracted, or otherwise negligent commercial driver injured you, consider looking for El Paso personal injury lawyers to help you begin recovering financially.
How Common are 18 Wheeler Accidents on El Paso Highways?Texas is one of the most dangerous states for drivers due, in no small part, to the large concentration of commercial vehicles on our highways. Texas, the country’s largest producer of oil, sees an unusually high number of 18 wheelers on our roadways to transport that oil. By extension, this volume leads to a sizable amount of 18 wheeler accidents. According to USDOT, in 2017, Texas saw 556 fatal crashes involving large trucks, dwarfing California, the second-most dangerous state, by over 200. These big rigs pose more of a danger than cars: although less common than accidents involving passenger cars, crashes involving trucks are 30 times more likely to result in fatalities.
El Paso is a particularly dangerous city for trucking accidents. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, El Paso and Hudspeth Counties saw over 1,000 commercial vehicle-involved accidents in 2017, which led to 13 fatalities. El Paso County’s 990 CMV-involved crashes put it behind only Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Tarrant Counties—fifth out of 254 counties in the state.
In 2018, insurance data company ValuePenguin named Texas the most dangerous state for highway driving. It called I-10, which runs through El Paso to Louisiana, one of the most dangerous highways in the country. Some stretches of the freeway have a posted speed limit of 80 miles per hour, the fastest in the United States. Because of these factors, a commercial vehicle accident in El Paso is, unfortunately, a relatively common occurrence.
What Should I Look For in El Paso Trucking Accident Lawyers?When hiring a personal injury attorney to press charges in a commercial vehicle accident, prioritize lawyers with experience, knowledge, and dedication. Commercial drivers do not represent themselves. They represent their companies, and those trucking companies retain seasoned attorneys who specialize in such lawsuits. Therefore, you will want to look for El Paso personal injury lawyers who are as used to cases like yours as the defendant’s representation will be. Hire a team that will use this experience on your behalf.
Additionally, you will want to make sure that you are getting all of the compensation that you deserve. In addition to the mechanic and medical bills, you may merit compensation for lost wages and pain and suffering. Your lawyer should be familiar enough with the details of your case to know how much it is worth and dedicated enough to pursue that amount.
In short, you should look to Carabin Shaw for help. Our team of El Paso trucking accident lawyers embodies all of these qualities. We have decades of experience, in-depth knowledge about trucking accident lawsuits, and a record that shows devotion to our clients.
Call us today at 915-779-2301 or toll-free at 1-800-862-1260 to get started.