Every time a driver starts their vehicle, they are entrusting that road conditions will be safe, traffic signs accurate and up-to-date, and their fellow drivers careful and law-abiding. However, this is not always the case; up and down Texas’ major highways, thousands of fatal and near-fatal collisions occur every year. The Texas Department of Transportation reported 3,896 fatalities caused by automobile collisions in 2020 alone.
While any automobile collision can cause serious injury or fatality, collisions involving commercial trucks almost always have a deadly result. Because of the immense size of 18-wheeler trucks (averaging 40 tons or 80,000 pounds), passenger vehicles incur major damage in these collisions, often resulting in fatal injury for the driver or their passengers.
Are you suffering from severe injury, immense medical debt, or the loss of a loved one after a serious trucking accident? If you or a loved one have been injured in a commercial vehicle collision, truck injury attorneys serving San Antonio Tx can help you win justice for your losses.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Commercial Truck Accidents?Establishing the exact cause of your commercial truck accident is crucial in determining who can be held financially liable in your trucking accident claim according to Texas law. In financial settlement negotiations, your San Antonio trucking injury lawyer will need to establish that the negligence of the truck driver or trucking company indisputably caused your commercial vehicle accident.
Statistically, most trucking accidents are caused by the following factors:
Intoxicated DriverDrunk or impaired driving results in a higher risk of collisions. Due to slowed reaction time, truck drivers may not be able to stop their 18-wheelers from colliding with smaller passenger vehicles. If a truck driver begins their shift in any way impaired, they are considered to be criminally negligent according to state law.
Driver FatigueWhile driving drunk or impaired is a conscious choice, sometimes drivers start their shifts, intentionally or otherwise, in a similarly dangerous condition: extreme fatigue. In fact, drowsy driving is one of the leading causes of commercial vehicle accidents nationwide.
Texas law requires drivers to take eight hour breaks after every consecutive fifteen-hour shift in order to ensure truck drivers are alert while operating heavy machinery. If a driver or trucking company fails to adhere to these requirements, they can and should be held liable for their negligence.
SpeedingFailure to adhere to state traffic laws can have deadly consequences. Drivers who are in a rush to deliver cargo may not always carefully follow speed limits, resulting in collisions with other vehicles attempting to merge on the freeway or change lanes.
Inadequate TrainingMost commercial drivers receive adequate training and licensing through their employers; however, in the rare cases that employers have failed to provide their drivers with sufficient training, the trucking company could be held mainly or exclusively liable for any accidents that occur due to their employee’s lack of training.
Whatever the cause of your commercial truck accident, you deserve fair compensation for your injuries, medical bills, or loss of a loved one. Contact a qualified personal injury lawyer as soon as possible to ensure you receive the settlement you deserve.
Call the Top Texas Lawyers at Carabin ShawHow have the truck injury attorneys at Carabin Shaw Law Firm earned our reputation as the foremost option for accident victims statewide? We approach every accident claim with the time, dedication, and passion victims deserve. With our “client-first” approach, our personal injury attorneys have helped commercial truck accident victims reclaim millions of dollars in financial settlements.
If you would like to learn more about your legal rights after a commercial trucking accident, contact the experienced San Antonio trucking injury lawyers at Carabin Shaw. To schedule your no-cost, no-obligation initial case review, call our 24/7 English and Spanish-speaking staff at 800-862-1260.