Truck Accident Attorneys in League City

Thousands of truck accidents result in severe or fatal injuries every year. In most of these accidents, occupants of cars and other passenger vehicles bear the brunt of the damage.

If you were injured in a truck accident, you are likely dealing with painful injuries and wondering how you’ll make ends meet. Fortunately, you could be entitled to compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and other losses.

The trusted League City truck accident lawyers of Pines & Goldenzweig, PLLC are here to handle the challenges of your injury claim while you focus on your recovery. 

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help in a free initial consultation.

What Makes Truck Accident Cases So Complicated?

Truck accidents tend to be more complicated than car accidents because they typically involve:

• More extensive damage and injuries: The force of impact in a truck accident frequently causes severe injuries — especially for the occupants of any passenger cars involved — which result in more expensive claims.
• Higher insurance policy limits: Commercial truck insurance policies usually have higher payout limits — often $1 million or more — which means more money is at stake, and insurers have more incentive to fight claims.
• More potentially liable parties: In addition to the truck driver, multiple other trucking industry parties may bear responsibility for a truck accident. That can make determining fault incredibly complicated.
• Different rules and regulations: Truck drivers and trucking companies must obey federal regulations regarding matters like truck maintenance and hours-of-service limits. Determining whether any of these complex rules were violated can be difficult without legal experience.

Common Injuries Caused by Truck Wrecks

Truck wrecks frequently cause devastating injuries such as:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs): TBIs are caused by blunt force trauma or penetrating injuries to the head. Even a relatively minor TBI can have serious cognitive effects and lasting consequences.
• Spinal cord injuries (SCIs): Injuries to the delicate structures of the spinal cord can interrupt signals between the brain and the rest of the body. Some SCIs can cause paralysis, reducing or eliminating function or sensation below the injury site.
• Back and neck injuries: Truck accidents frequently cause severe trauma to the back and neck. Injuries such as whiplash, muscle strains, and herniated discs are common.
• Broken bones: The brutal forces of a truck collision can easily dislocate, break, or shatter bones. Commonly broken bones include bones in the lower legs, arms, joints, ribcage, pelvis, and spine.
• Lacerations and bruises: Blunt-force trauma from hard impacts with airbags, seatbelts, glass, or vehicle structures can leave truck accident victims with deep bruising and painful lacerations.
• Internal injuries: Severe truck accidents can cause internal injuries, such as cracked ribs, punctured vital organs, and internal bleeding. These injuries can be challenging to identify and treat, which makes them especially problematic.
• Amputation: When truck accident victims are pinned between hard surfaces upon impact, the forces of the collision can crush or remove body parts entirely, which may or may not require surgical amputation.
• Disfigurement: Truck accident injuries can leave victims with extensive scarring and permanent disfigurement, which can affect range of motion, protection against disease or infection, and overall quality of life.
• Burns: Truck accident victims can sustain severe burns from gas or electrical fires, caustic chemicals, escaping steam, or contact with hot or rough surfaces.

Why You Need a Lawyer After a Truck Accident

After a truck accident, our knowledgeable personal injury lawyers can:

• Explain your legal rights and opportunities for financial recovery
• Thoroughly investigate the truck accident to uncover valuable evidence and determine who was at fault
• Work with expert witnesses, such as accident reconstruction specialists, to gather more information about the causes and effects of the crash
• Manage essential case documents and deadlines on your behalf
• Communicate with trucking industry representatives, insurance adjusters, and other attorneys on your behalf
• Negotiate assertively during settlement talks to maximize your compensation

Take your case to trial, if necessary, to demand fair compensation on your behalf

Who Can Be Responsible in a Truck Accident Case?

Depending on the circumstances, one or more of the following parties could be liable for a truck accident case:

• The truck driver: In most truck accident cases, the truck driver bears at least some responsibility. Truck drivers may be at fault for accidents if they are distracted, impaired, fatigued, violating traffic laws behind the wheel, or otherwise negligent.
• The trucking company: The company that hired the truck driver may be partially responsible for a wreck if it knowingly hired an unqualified driver or encouraged the driver to engage in dangerous or unlawful activities, for example. Trucking companies are also vicariously liable for employee drivers.
• The truck owner: The truck owner may be at fault in a truck accident case if they failed to properly maintain the truck or repair known mechanical deficiencies, for example.
• The cargo loader: The team that loaded cargo into the truck may bear responsibility if they dangerously overloaded the trailer or failed to balance or secure the load properly and that contributed to the crash.
• A truck or parts manufacturer: If the failure of a critical truck component contributed to a loss-of-control truck accident, the manufacturer may be at fault if it was negligent in designing, manufacturing, or distributing the truck or a component of it.
• The truck maintenance provider: Maintenance and repair providers may be responsible if they failed to properly inspect, address, or repair defective components that contributed to the accident.

Causes of Truck Accidents

Many factors contribute to truck accidents, but some of the primary causes include:

• Distracted driving: Truck drivers who are distracted by things like text messages, phone conversations, food, or personal grooming are more likely to ignore critical changes in traffic and cause accidents.
• Driving under the influence: When truck drivers are impaired by alcohol or drugs, they may have cognitive impairments such as slowed reaction time, poor judgment, and blurred vision that increase their risk of collisions.
• Reckless driving: Truck drivers who behave recklessly by speeding, tailgating, lane weaving, or engaging in other risky actions are less likely to leave themselves with adequate time or distance to avoid devastating crashes.
• Drowsy driving: Extreme fatigue can be just as dangerous as drunkenness. Many truck drivers work long and demanding hours that make it difficult to maintain a healthy sleep schedule.
• Unskilled driving: The American trucking industry has had a severe driver shortage for years, which means more inexperienced truck drivers are on the road, and accidents caused by driver error are more likely.
• Defective truck parts: When critical truck components such as brakes, tires, airbags, or steering systems fail, truck drivers can experience dangerous losses of control that can lead to serious crashes.
• Improper cargo loading: Overloaded, unbalanced, or poorly secured cargo can cause tire blowouts or shifts in a truck’s center of gravity, increasing the chances of rollovers, loss-of-control crashes, or cargo spill wrecks.
• Poor road maintenance: When poor maintenance leaves roads with missing signage, inadequate drainage, or excessive potholes, truck drivers may be involved in loss-of-control or accidental failure-to-yield crashes.

Types of Damages for Which a Victim Should Be Compensated

If you file a successful truck accident claim, you could receive money to compensate you for the following accident-related losses:

• Past and future medical expenses related to the accident, such as the cost of ambulance rides, hospital stays, doctor and specialist appointments, diagnostic tests, physical and cognitive therapy, medical equipment, and prescription medications
• Income reductions or losses you incur as a result of time spent away from work while you recover from your injuries
• The projected value of losses in your long-term earning potential caused by accident-related injuries or disabilities that prevent you from returning to your previous job or career path
• The subjective value of the physical pain, mental anguish, and emotional suffering you endure as a result of the accident and your subsequent injuries
• Out-of-pocket costs for incidental expenses, such as costs of transportation to and from medical appointments or costs of in-home assistance
• Repair or replacement costs for any vehicles or other personal property damaged in the accident

Depending on the nature of the truck accident, you could also be entitled to punitive damages. Punitive damages, also called “exemplary damages” in Texas, are a special type of compensation awarded in injury cases involving exceptional recklessness or intentional malice.

Time Limit for Filing a Truck Accident Lawsuit in Texas

Texas law imposes a two-year time limit on your ability to file a truck accident lawsuit in civil court. This two-year period begins on the date when the truck accident occurred.

If you have grounds for a personal injury lawsuit, filing before the two-year deadline expires is vital. If you fail to file on time, you could lose your right to demand compensation for your losses. An experienced attorney can help you determine the exact deadlines for your case and ensure your claim gets filed promptly.