Texas Accident & Injury News
Commercial vehicles come in many shapes and sizes.
Commercial Vehicle Hits, Kills Man Running After Dogs on I-10
According to a KSAT News report, a man was hit and killed in an accident after trying to catch his dogs on I-10 last night.
Police reported the accident happened at around 10 p.m. on I-10 near Dietrich Road on San Antonio’s East Side on April 7th. A man in his 30s was reportedly having trouble with his RV, which had broken down on the side of the highway when his dogs escaped. While the man was attempting to catch them, he was struck by a commercial vehicle and killed. One dog was seriously injured, but the other made it safely to the side of the road. The driver of the commercial vehicle stopped to render aid, and no charges were mentioned in the report. No other vehicles were involved in the accident.
Did You Know?
There are roughly 32 million commercial vehicles in the United States.
Answered: What is a Commercial Vehicle in Texas?
When you hear “commercial vehicle,” you probably picture an 18-wheeler in your head — most people do. But semi trucks are only one of the many types of commercial vehicles that you share the road with every day.
It’s important to be able to identify the difference between a personal and commercial vehicle for auto accident claims. You may be able to handle a minor accident with a personal vehicle without an attorney. But not so with commercial vehicle accidents.
Commercial Vehicles Defined
Texas law very clearly defines what classifies a vehicle as “commercial” in Section 548.001 of the Transportation Code. In simple terms, the law defines a commercial vehicle as one that:
- Transports people (buses, Ubers, etc.), or
- Transports cargo (Amazon trucks, grocery delivery, etc.), and
- It is not a farm vehicle.
That means that every kind of vehicle you share the road with every day, regardless of make and model, could be a commercial vehicle. This includes:
- Uber vehicles,
- DoorDash vehicles,
- Amazon delivery trucks,
- Walmart grocery delivery vehicles,
- Favor vehicles,
- H-E-B delivery vehicles,
- Garbage trucks,
- Box trucks delivering goods,
- and more.
Third-party delivery and transportation services are relatively new but are still considered commercial vehicles under this law. But there’s a catch: because these drivers use their personal vehicles, they have to meet the following criteria to be considered commercial:
- Currently transporting passengers,
- Currently delivering food,
- Clocked-In to the delivery/transportation app, or
- Have a passenger in the vehicle.
So, if you were hit by a vehicle that has an Uber sticker on the back, that doesn’t automatically make it a commercial vehicle accident. They must be working or have a passenger in the vehicle at the time of the accident. Otherwise, the claim will proceed as a regular auto accident case.
Were You Injured in a Commercial Vehicle Accident? Call Carabin Shaw.
If you were hit by a commercial vehicle in Texas, you need an attorney.
Carabin Shaw’s commercial vehicle accident attorneys are specially trained to handle your commercial vehicle accident injury. We know the tricks big companies like to pull and the special laws they are required to follow that may impact your claim. We’re a trusted name in Texas because we put our clients first.
Call the firm that cares today at 800-862-1260 or jump into the live chat to schedule a free case evaluation with our attorneys. We look forward to serving you.
Contacting a Carabin Shaw attorney is free and does not obligate you to work with the firm.
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