Holding Negligent Truck Drivers Accountable - San Antonio 18 Wheeler Accident Attorneys

When truck drivers engage in negligent or reckless behavior, they can cause severe injuries in an 18-wheeler accident. These big rigs outweigh passenger vehicles and can cause catastrophic damages when drivers don’t handle them properly. If you’ve suffered injuries in a San Antonio trucking accident, calling a lawyer can help you discover your legal options to hold the truck driver accountable for your injuries.

The San Antonio truck accident attorneys at Carabin Shaw have the legal skills required to expedite your journey to justice. Our team has decades of experience in personal injury law, and we can help you get the compensation you deserve. Read our client reviews to find out how we’ve helped people financially recover from accidents. We offer our services on a contingency-fee-basis, meaning you pay nothing to us unless your case is won, and we have English- AND Spanish-speaking staff available. Call our toll-free number at 800-862-1260 to schedule your free consultation 24/7.

Negligence is the failure to act in a reasonable manner, which results in an accident. The negligent party must have had a duty to act, failed to perform that duty, and because of this, injuries occurred. If all these components exist, then you can hire a lawyer and file a personal injury claim to sue the driver, the transportation company, or their insurance.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) produces safety standards and recommendations to identify the behavior of negligent truck drivers and help drivers make the roads safer. These safety recommendations include:

• Checking blind spots: Regularly checking mirrors and scanning the visible areas around a big rig helps to avoid accidents where a truck driver sideswipes an adjacent vehicle or gets into an accident while passing.
• Being aware of stopping distances: Because of their weight, it can take trucks much longer to stop than lighter passenger vehicles. As a result, trucks must keep a lengthy following distance to avoid rear ending another vehicle.
• Taking care when turning: Truck trailers add significant length to the vehicle, which makes negotiating turns more difficult. Taking time and exercising caution limits the chances for a crash.

Other things that may cause the court to consider negligent truck driver liability include speeding, driving while distracted, failing to maintain the truck, and disregarding traffic laws. Your attorney will help you to find evidence that the truck driver was negligent, so you can present a strong case for personal injury compensation for your damages.

Once you have established that the truck driver who caused your accident was negligent, you can hold them accountable by suing for damages. Damages in a personal injury claim include:

• Economic damages: medical bills, auto repair costs, lost income, travel expenses
• Noneconomic damages: pain and suffering, inconvenience, disfigurement
• Exemplary damages: punitive damages the court may award in gross negligence cases

18 wheeler accident lawyers in San Antonio, Texas will help you to calculate your losses, so you can claim an amount that covers your entire loss. If your damages exceed the insurance limits of the commercial automobile policy, you may have to sue the company or the truck driver to receive adequate compensation.

Proving negligence means collecting evidence, and your legal team can be instrumental in this process. However, if you can collect evidence at the scene, this can also help your lawyer to present a strong case. Evidence that may prove negligence and damages includes:

• Photographs of the scene of the accident showing the location and road conditions
• Photographs of automobile damage
• Photographs of injuries
• Police report
• CCTV or dashcam videos
• Eyewitness statements
• Personal testimony
• Medical records
• Automobile repair shop invoices

The path to San Antonio truck accident compensation can be a smooth one with the help of the skilled legal professionals at Carabin Shaw. We are compassionate about your feelings throughout the legal process, and our extensive knowledge about the Texas legal system will maximize your compensation. Call today to start your journey to financial recovery.

For more information:

• FMCSA
• Texas Department of Motor Vehicles
• Statutes Capitol Texas