Talk to Carabin Shaw About Your Trucking Accident

When fully loaded, 18-wheelers can weigh as much as 80,000 pounds – so it’s no surprise that these massive trucks cause devastating injuries when they collide with passenger vehicles. If you’ve been involved in an accident with an 18-wheeler in San Antonio, there’s a good chance you’ve suffered serious injuries and massive property damage. But before you talk to the insurance companies, talk to Carabin Shaw about your trucking accident; there are several things you need to know.

Although investigating officer are tasked with conducting a fair and full investigation of your accident, accident reports don’t always reflect the truth of what happened. Police reports contain facts, but they also contain the subjective opinions of the investigating police officer – which means that there’s plenty of room for error. If an officer believes what the truck driver says over your version of the story, the result may be an accident report that is one-sided.

Fault determinations in police reports are opinions, not facts. That’s why it’s so crucial to have your own 18-wheeler accident lawyer in San Antonio after you’ve been involved in a serious accident. You need a legal expert who can protect your rights and interests so that a biased accident report doesn’t harm your chances of obtaining a fair settlement.

The insurance company representing the trucking company will do everything to avoid paying for your injuries, so it’s highly likely that they will try to dispute liability in your truck accident case. If the insurance company is able to successfully shift liability from the truck driver to you, they can avoid paying you the settlement you deserve and leave you saddled with costly medical bills and other financial losses.

Common arguments employed by these insurance companies to dispute liability include:

• The injured plaintiff was partially at fault, and the plaintiff’s damages should be reduced.
• The accident occurred to a defective part on the truck and was therefore not caused by the truck driver’s negligence.
• Another driver on the road contributed to the accident or caused the accident.
• Hazardous road conditions caused the accident, not the driver’s negligence.

Since 18-wheeler accidents mean that millions of dollars are potentially at stake, insurance companies representing truckers will often try to conduct investigations as quickly as possible to shift liability away from the at-fault truck driver. In some cases, this can mean that the evidence needed to prove the truck driver liable may literally drive away from the scene after a hasty investigation.

Our lawyers look for the truth when we investigate a truck accident, and we leave no stone unturned in the process of determining liability. Our team of San Antonio trucking collision attorneys and accident reconstructionists in San Antonio will look at the details of your case to find the answer to the following questions:

• Who was at fault?
• Was the truck driver obeying the speed limit?
• Was the truck driver adjusting his speed to account for weather conditions?
• Did the accident occur because the truck was improperly loaded or possibly overloaded?
• Did the truck driver take federally required rest breaks?
• Did the accident result from driver fatigue?
• Was the truck properly maintained?
• Was the trailer properly maintained?
• Did the truck driver have a record of traffic violations or traffic accidents?
• Was the truck driver properly trained?

Our dedicated attorneys have 22 years of experience representing truck accident injury victims in San Antonio and the surrounding areas. Our attorneys offer all new clients a free and confidential consultation, so you have nothing to lose by calling to talk to Carabin Shaw about your trucking accident. Call us at 210-222-2288 to schedule your free initial consultation with a lawyer, and find out what our attorneys serving San Antonio can do for you.