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Trucking Accident Attorney: Texas 18 Wheeler Accident Lawyer:

Victimized by a trucking accident? Our experienced trucking accident attorneys are here to help.

Through tragic or catastrophic news stories, people understand that trucking accidents usually cause considerably more damage than regular passenger car accidents. What is less well known is the fact that, in legal proceedings when a victim seeks compensation through a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit, trucking accidents are considerably different than car accidents. The most monumental mistake victims of trucking accidents can make is to approach a trucking accident claim in a similar fashion as a car accident claim. In the legal world, the differences are staggering. Trucking accident attorneys in our firm offer the following informative article on why this is often the case, and why enlisting our legal help in your 18-wheeler accident case can be a beneficial first step in seeking compensation for your pain or loss. More info on this website

The Big Difference: Multiple Liable Parties

One of the main and most significant of differences between semi-truck accidents and passenger-vehicle only accidents is the likely involvement of multiple liable parties in 18-wheeler wrecks. While there can sometimes be multiple defendants in passenger vehicle only accidents, such a scene occurs much more often in collisions involving 18-wheelers. This occurs because Texas trucking companies can be held vicariously liable for their drivers’ negligent behavior under the legal notion of “respondeat superior.” Furthermore, Texas trucking companies are required by state law to have insurance coverage on their drivers and truck. What this means is that, more often than not, an 18-wheeler accident that causes an injury or loss of life will have, at the very least, three liable parties, or defendants: the driver, the driver’s employer, and the employer’s insurer. When a trucking insurer becomes involved, 18-wheeler accident cases take on a noticeably more challenging aspect in regards to successfully litigating a personal injury or wrongful death claim against the trucking company.

Furthermore, there can be even more liable parties depending on the specifics of the accident. If cargo falls off of a tractor-trailer, or a load shifts within a semi-truck’s hold and causes an accident, an outside cargo-loading company, if used by the trucking company, can be held partially liable for any resultant injuries or deaths. If a truck crashes into an overpass and causes an injury or death because the driver was following a prescribed route as planned by an outside route-planning company, that company could be held partially liable. If a mechanical failure occurs, such as a brake failure, then the manufacturer of that part could be held partially liable. If an 18-wheeler driver is drunk, Texas dram shop law allows for the alcohol-serving establishment to be held liable if proven of negligence in their care for their patron or for public safety. Additionally, if another driver or entity caused the 18-wheeler accident, that driver or entity could also be held partially liable. With so many possible liable parties, ensuring that each one is properly identified is a vitally important step towards seeking full compensation for your injuries or loss. When our Law Offices take an accident case, we will conduct a thorough investigation into the accident scene so that the truth of the cause of the accident is known and all liable parties are brought to justice.

The Next Big Difference: High-Dollar Insurance Policies

Trucking insurance policies are generally about 50 times as valuable as a normal car insurance policy. This has to be the case since severe and enormous damage can be accomplished through even a momentary lack of concentration on the part of an 18-wheeler driver. However, this can complicate an 18-wheeler accident case since, with so much money at stake, the insurance carriers will employ ruthless tactics to avoid a large payout. Insurers exist to turn a profit, and this is often achieved by seeing to it that large insurance policy claims are denied, or, at the very least, severely lessened. This is quite the opposite from fender-bender insurance claims where the insurer is much more likely to fairly compensate you for sustained property damage since the costs are relatively low and the stakes aren’t so high. As such, having a trucking accident attorney on your side, with his twenty years of experience in litigating semi-truck accident cases, can prove to be a strong legal ally that will defend your rights so that you can receive full compensation despite an insurance company’s tactics.

Aggressive Insurance Adjusters and Ready to Respond Defense Attorneys

Commercial insurance policy adjusters are the most aggressive adjusters in the industry. This is not an entry level position; rather, these adjusters are promoted to work on commercial policies after years of proving that they are capable and efficient at seeing claims result in the smallest of payouts. Furthermore, the more money these adjusters save for their insurance company, the more money they likely stand to make. In other words, they have a vested interest in denying your claim and will work with their own best interests in mind, which, more often than not, relates to their own bottom line as well as that of their employer. By enlisting the help of a trucking accident attorney, you can be sure to have legal experience on your side that will work with your best interests in mind, even against the most aggressive of insurance adjusters. Because of our two decades of experience in dealing with these particular kinds of adjusters, we’re wise to their ways, so we can help prevent you from being taken advantage of by their tactics.

Commercial insurance providers that insure large trucks have a team of defense attorneys on contract and likely on speed-dial. As soon as a trucking accident occurs, these attorneys are dispatched to the accident scene to discover anything they can utilize in order to build a case against you. These attorneys will also likely have a vested financial interest in protecting the insurance carrier. They will likely prove to also be quite aggressive in their means to prove your liability in the accident. By shifting even a percentage of blame onto you, they could stand to save their clients quite a sizable sum. If they can somehow shift a majority of the liability onto you, the case could be dismissed, resulting in no compensation whatsoever for you. Ensure that you have a fighting chance against such an aggressive defense by contacting a trucking accident attorney in our firm. We will go toe-to-toe against these types of attorneys and will act just as aggressively, when necessary, in order to get you fair compensation.