AUSTIN TRUCK ACCIDENT ATTORNEYS
Millions Recovered for Victims of Big Rig & 18-Wheeler Collisions
If you were seriously injured or your loved one was killed in a crash involving an 18-wheeler, contact our Austin truck accident attorneys for a free and confidential consultation.
At Briggle & Polan, PLLC, we understand how to navigate these types of complex personal injury claims; our team consists of real trial lawyers who are not afraid to aggressively represent you, both in and out of the courtroom. As a result, we have recovered millions of dollars on behalf of our clients.
Let our truck accident lawyers in Austin fight for the compensation you deserve.
Contact us for legal assistance with truck accident claims involving:
- Truck driver fatigue
- Delivery truck accidents
- Dump truck accidents
- Garbage truck accidents
- Tank truck accidents
- Tow truck accidents
Call us at (512) 400-3278 or submit an online contact form for a FREE consultation. If your injuries prevent you from coming to our office, we can come to you.
On This Page:
- Types of Truck Accidents
- Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Texas
- Injuries Commonly Caused by Truck Wrecks
- Potential Defendants in Your Truck Accident Case
- Damages You May Be Entitled to Recover
- Insurance Coverage Required of Truckers by Law
- Why You Should Bring an Attorney on Board from the Start
What Are the Most Common Types of Truck Accidents in Austin?
In the trucking industry, time equals money.
The more work completed or the more goods delivered in the shortest time, the bigger the profits. Companies often expect their drivers to adhere to tight schedules. This may mean that they need to drive faster and for longer hours than the law allows or than is safe, increasing the potential for an accident to occur.
Some of the most common types of truck accidents include:
- Jackknife Accidents: A jackknife accident occurs when a truck's trailer swings out to the side, forming an L or V shape with the cab. This often happens when the trailer loses traction, and the driver loses control, leading to the trailer folding against the cab.
- Head-on Collisions: This occurs when the front of a truck collides with the front of another vehicle coming from the opposite direction. Factors may include driver fatigue, distraction, or misjudgment during overtaking.
- Rear-end Crashes: A truck collides with the vehicle in front of it. Tailgating, distracted driving, or sudden stops by the lead vehicle are common causes.
- Underride Accidents: When a smaller vehicle gets trapped underneath the rear or side of a truck's trailer. Poor visibility, sudden stops, or inadequate underride guards on the truck.
- Side Collisions/T-Bone Accidents: A truck collides with the side of another vehicle, forming a T shape. Failure to yield, running red lights, or crossing intersections without caution.
- Sideswipe Accidents: The side of a truck makes contact with the side of another vehicle traveling parallel. Lane drifting, failure to check blind spots, or sudden lane changes.
- Truck Rollovers: The truck tips over onto its side or roof. Excessive speed, sharp turns, unsecured cargo, or adverse weather conditions can contribute to rollovers.
- Hazmat Spills and Fires: Accidents involving trucks carrying hazardous materials may result in spills or fires. Collisions, equipment failure, or improper handling of hazardous materials.
What Causes Truck Accidents?
When accidents occur, more often than not it is because of either some error on the part of the truck driver or negligence on the part of the trucking company, maintenance and repair contractor, or inspector.
Less often, a defect in the truck or one of its components, attributable to a manufacturer, may be the cause; and, in some instances, a road hazard caused by another party –for example, the government agency or their contractor responsible for the maintenance of the road—may be to blame.
Large trucks, because of their size, are more prone to serious accidents than passenger cars or other smaller vehicles. Some of the reasons are that they are difficult to maneuver, they require a large area to turn, they have larger blind spots, and they take a longer time to stop once the brakes are applied.
Common causes of truck accidents that can be attributed to negligence include:
- Improper training of drivers
- Failing to properly balance the load
- Carrying a load that exceeds weight limits for the truck
- Neglecting to secure the truck’s cargo properly
- Failing to properly attach the trailer to the tractor
- Speeding or driving too fast for conditions
- Use of alcohol or of drugs, whether illegal, prescription, or over-the-counter
- Driving too many hours without rest (in violation of federal law)
- Distracted driving, including texting and other cell phone use
- Missing required maintenance and inspections
- Backing up, passing, or changing lanes and without checking blind spots
- Ignoring traffic regulations, signage, and signals
What Severe Injuries Can an Austin Truck Accident Cause?
Due to the nature of these accidents, the injuries suffered in truck crashes tend to be severe or even fatal.
Truck accident victims offer suffer from:
- Paralyzing spinal cord damage
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Severe burns
- Broken bones and fractures
- Amputation injuries
- Disfiguring facial injuries
- Blindness or deafness
- Injuries to internal organs with internal bleeding
- Nerve damage
- Herniated discs and other neck and back injuries
- PTSD and other psychological trauma
Who Can Be Held Liable for Truck Accidents in Austin?
An important element of your truck accident case is identifying who is at fault for your injuries and subsequent damages. In some cases, multiple liable parties may be involved.
Liability for a commercial truck accident could fall on:
- Truck Driver: The driver of the truck can be held liable if their negligence or actions contributed to the accident. This includes violations of traffic laws, driving under the influence, distracted driving, or driver fatigue.
- Driver’s Employer: If the truck driver is an employee, the employer may be held liable for the actions of their employee under the legal doctrine of "respondeat superior," which holds employers responsible for the actions of their employees during the course of employment.
- Trucking Company: The trucking company may be held directly liable if their policies, practices, or negligence contributed to the accident. This could include issues related to hiring, training, maintenance, or scheduling that played a role in the crash.
- Manufacturer of the Truck: If the accident is caused by a defect in the truck or one of its components, the manufacturer may be held liable for producing a defective product. This falls under product liability laws.
- Third-Party Contractors: If the trucking company hired third-party contractors for services such as maintenance, and their negligence or faulty work contributed to the accident, those contractors might be held liable.
- Parties Involved with Truck Maintenance: This includes individuals or companies responsible for maintaining the truck. If poor maintenance, inadequate repairs, or failure to address known issues led to the accident, these parties could be held responsible.
- Cargo Loaders and Shippers: The entities responsible for loading and securing the cargo on the truck may be liable if improper loading or securing contributed to the accident. This is particularly important in cases where shifting cargo causes the truck to become unstable.
- Other Potentially Liable Parties: Depending on the specifics of the case, other entities such as leasing companies, those responsible for road maintenance, or government agencies overseeing transportation regulations may also be held liable in certain situations.
There are often many different business relationships within a trucking company. The driver may work directly for the company that they are providing the delivery for. In other cases, the driver may be an independent contractor who hauls the goods for the company that directly owns the cargo.
Texas truck accident law specifically notes that trucking companies may be responsible for any harm or injuries caused by the drivers they employ. This liability is legally known as “respondeat superior.”
Several legal elements must be properly established for this doctrine to apply and only an attorney can tell you whether the trucking company, or any other entity, could be a potential defendant in your case.
When you work with our Austin truck wreck attorneys, we can help you determine liability for any negligent actions that led to the crash and pursue all available avenues for compensation.
What Compensation Is Available to People Who Were Injured in a Truck Accident?
If you are able to prove negligence on the part of the truck driver, trucking company, and/or another third party, you may be entitled to compensation for your economic and non-economic losses.
- Economic damages are those that you can prove with bills and receipts: medical expenses, lost wages, household help for tasks you are no longer able to perform, the cost of prescription medication and assistive medical devices, and any other expenses that you would not have had were it not for the accident.
- Non-economic damages are harder to quantify because they are losses on which it is impossible to place a dollar value: pain, suffering, disfigurement, disability, loss of enjoyment of your life, loss of consortium, and even inconvenience. These vary from person to person and, in part, reflect what you most enjoyed about life before the accident that you can no longer do.
In addition, in a very limited number of cases where the defendant has displayed willful and blatant disregard for the life or well-being of an accident victim, a jury may award exemplary damages (called punitive damages in other jurisdictions), designed not to compensate the victim but to punish the defendant.
For example, exemplary damages might be assessed in a drunk driving accident where the defendant’s blood alcohol content was exceptionally high when the accident occurred.
Compensation for Families in Fatal Truck Accident Cases
In the case of a wrongful death of a close family member, certain close relatives—usually a spouse, parent, or child—may recover money for loss of the care, support, and guidance the deceased would have provided; mental anguish and emotional suffering; loss of love and companionship, and loss of inheritance that the person would have received had the deceased lived out his or her full life expectancy.
Understanding Truckers' Insurance Requirements in Texas
Commercial trucks are required by law to carry substantial liability insurance policies. Your attorney will determine the available coverage for the vehicle that hit you and for any third parties who might share in the liability for your accident.
If you have sustained a serious injury or a member of your family has been killed by a commercial truck, there is usually plenty of insurance coverage to pay you the compensation you deserve.
However, that doesn’t mean it will be easy to settle your claim fairly.
The insurance companies for all parties will vigorously oppose your claim, and in many cases, defendants will attempt to place the fault for the accident on the victim(s). When third parties are involved, there may be litigation among the parties, each trying to deny responsibility and lay the blame on the other.
At Briggle & Polan, we are committed to obtaining a recovery that fully reflects the value of your damages. When you hire us, we will handle all negotiations with the insurers, working tirelessly to protect your rights and making certain that every party who shared in the responsibility for your damages pays.
Our Austin truck crash attorneys at Briggle & Polan have an impressive record of success in holding negligent truckers, trucking companies, and third parties accountable and bringing in settlements and verdicts that make a significant difference in the lives of our injured and bereaved clients.
Get an Austin Truck Accident Attorney on Your Side Early
Trucking companies often have mitigation teams on call to rush to the scene of an accident and look for ways in which to deny responsibility and avoid paying large claims. You need your own advocate to counter these efforts and fight on your behalf against these wealthy corporations and their insurers.
The earlier you bring a truck accident lawyer from Briggle & Polan on board, the sooner we will be able to launch our own investigation into the crash and protect your right to a recovery. We know the law, and we understand how both state and federal regulations affect each accident case.
How Briggle & Polan Can Help After a Truck Accident
It is important to begin investigating immediately after a truck crash if possible.
When you hire our Austin truck accident attorneys, we will:
- Examine the truck’s black box;
- Check the driver’s record for prior accidents and substance abuse;
- Investigate the trucking company’s training and loading procedures;
- Examine maintenance procedures and inspection reports; and
- Call upon accident reconstruction experts to study the accident scene and analyze road conditions, skid marks, and other evidence.
We will also interview witnesses and look for possible third-parties who may have contributed to the accident. Over time, evidence may disappear and witnesses may move away or forget relevant details. It is essential to begin assembling the facts and building a case while the evidence is still fresh.
Ready to Fight for You in Court: Austin Truck Accident Trial Lawyers
In many cases, we can negotiate a settlement without your ever having to go to court.
However, it is important to know that we are trained, experienced, and seasoned trial lawyers who are prepared to present a persuasive case to a jury when necessary.
Some lawyers are uncomfortable in the courtroom, but when a trial is needed to get you the money you deserve, our attorneys at Briggle & Polan won't hesitate to fight it out in court.
For vigorous, skilled, and aggressive representation after a truck accident in Austin, Call Briggle & Polan, PLLC at (512) 400-3278or submit an online contact formfor a FREE consultation.
Hear From Our Clients
-
If you are looking for excellent and honest attorneys, call them.
- Paige -
It feels good to have a team on your side that knows what they’re doing and is willing to help you against big faceless insurance companies that don’t want to pay up what they owe.
- Matt -
I very much appreciate all their hard work and will be happy to refer to them should the need come up for friends.
- Sandi -
They got me the help I? needed within a few days of hiring them.
- Karina -
These guys really helped me when no one else would.
- Lauren
We've Recovered Millions
-
$1.8 Million Delivery Truck Accident
Our client was t-boned by a large package delivery truck that was traveling in excess of 70 mph. He sustained a severe neck injury that required spinal surgery. *Net to client was $759,182.96.
-
$350 Thousand Company Truck Collision
Our client was struck by a company truck that ran a red light at a busy intersection. *Net to client was $166,651.36.
-
$400 Thousand Company Truck Wreck
Our client was traveling down a residential street when a company truck backed out of a driveway into the side of her vehicle. *Net to client was $110,000.
-
$100 Thousand DWI Wreck Resolved
Our client was struck by a drunk driver in Round Rock, Texas. *Net to client was $51,113.04.
-
$115 Thousand Distracted Driver Caused Collision
A distracted driver failed to yield the right of way to our client, causing a collision. *Net to client was $25,035.44.
-
$132 Thousand Distracted Driver
Our client was the passenger in a vehicle struck by a distracted motorist who failed to yield the right of way at an intersection. *Net to client was $33,250.59.
-
$112.5 Thousand Truck Crash Into Building
A company driver lost control of his vehicle and smashed into a convenience store, injuring our client in the process. *Net to client was $30,259.56.
-
$82 Thousand T-Bone Collision
Our client had to be airlifted to the hospital as a result of a t-bone collision. *Net proceeds to client were $23,914.57.
-
$85 Thousand T-Bone Collision Resolved
Our client was t-boned by a distracted driver who ran a stop sign and required surgery for injuries sustained. *Attorney fees and expenses totaled $30,267.51.
-
$225 Thousand Collision With A Distracted Driver Operating An 18-Wheeler
Our client severely injured her back in the wreck and the driver did not have the required commercial driver's license needed to operate the truck. *Net proceeds to client were $89,737.54.