The Difference Between Personal & Commercial Accidents in Texas

Every day there are accidents on the road across the United States, and especially in Harlingen Texas, where people share the road with commercial vehicles regularly. Commercial accidents tend to be much more devastating than other types of accidents, because commercial vehicles, such as busses, trucks, or vans, are usually so much larger than regular cars.

If you’ve been in a commercial vehicle collision in Harlingen recently, you may already be thinking about contacting a lawyer. The difference between personal and commercial accidents in Texas is important to know, however, and the commercial vehicle accident attorneys in Harlingen at Carabin Shaw are here to explain.

The first thing you need to know is that a personal vehicle is owned by an individual - such as a car, or a pickup truck, that a person drives every day to work. A commercial vehicle, however, is any vehicle that is owned by a commercial entity—such as a large 18 wheeler semi trucks that are carrying vast quantities of goods across the country, or a limousine service, a utility van owned by a local company, or even the ubiquitous Amazon delivery trucks you see all over the place these days. Basically it’s any car, van, truck, or bus owned and operated by a company and that is used by agents of that company.

If you’re unsure if your accident involved a personal or commercial vehicle, contact an experienced personal injury attorney today to discuss the details of your case.

From a legal standpoint, the difference between personal and commercial accidents in Texas is that there are far more considerations and variables involved in the latter. A personal accident between two cars involves finding liability between the drivers, but a commercial accident may have many third parties at fault as well: for example, if you’re involved in an accident with a local delivery truck, you may be able to sue the driver, the company who owns the truck (and is therefore responsible for inspecting the truck and making sure it is in proper working order), as well as the parts manufacturer, (if, for instance, there were any faulty parts).

Each accident is different, of course, so please contact a Harlingen accident lawyer to discuss the individual specifics of your case.

Another consideration is that personal vehicle accidents typically involve each driver’s personal auto insurance company. Commercial vehicles, however, are usually listed under a commercial insurance policy for their entire fleet, and these companies are notorious for trying to pay out as little as possible in damages to accident victims.

In addition, while another driver may retain their own lawyer, many companies have large legal teams that will make any lawsuit or settlement negotiation more difficult.

These teams will begin investigating the accident immediately and they will work hard to try to prove that the victims should be held liable for the accident, or will try to make an attractive-seeming settlement offer that is actually worth far less than the actual value of the claim. Make no mistake, the insurance adjusters and lawyers working on behalf of the commercial entity do not have your best interests in mind.

This is why retaining your own experienced, qualified attorney is so important, so they can be by your side, helping you navigate the process.

If you’ve been in a commercial vehicle collision in Harlingen and you’re looking for a Harlingent accident lawyer, contact Carabin Shaw today. We’ve been helping both commercial and personal vehicle accident victims for over two decades, and we’ve won over $500 million for our satisfied clients. Contact our Harlingen, Texas office at 956-664-7255 for a no cost, no obligation consultation. Our commercial vehicle accident attorneys in Harlingen will never charge a fee unless we win your case, so you have nothing to lose.