Laredo Truck Accident Attorneys – 18 Wheeler Accident Injury Lawyers

It is a clear fact that the enormous size and weight of commercial trucks and their inability to stop quickly or engage in evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision, make truck accidents among the most devastating kind of accidents on our roads today.

Large Trucks: Definition
A large truck as defined in this fact sheet is any medium or heavy truck, excluding buses and motor homes, with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 10,000 pounds. These large rigs can include commercial and non-commercial vehicles. Seventy-five percent of the large trucks involved in fatal traffic crashes were heavy large trucks (GVWR > 26,000 lbs.) in 2018. Data thanks to the NHTSA

Collisions involving 18 wheelers, semis, big rigs, tractor-trailers, and other large Commercial vehicles that involve passenger cars have a high potential for causing serious personal injury and in the worst-case scenario cause the death of the Passengers and or Driver of the Car or cars affected. If these traffic accidents are caused directly by the negligence of a truck driver or their company employers, we must hold them liable for your pain – suffering and the damages they have caused to you. If you have been involved in an accident with a commercial vehicle, Call our Laredo 18 Wheeler Accident Attorney’s Hotline at 956-421-4823 for immediate help.

The Trucking Industry and Accidents

Truck accident Attorneys South Texas
Reports show that every 15-16 minutes a person is injured or killed in an Accident involving an 18 Wheeler and another Vehicle.

Most of the time the occupants in the smaller vehicle will be the ones affected the worst. The number of injuries and fatalities caused by these large commercial rigs has caused plenty of concern for government safety agencies. Therefore there are a number of organizations and government entities that regulate the trucking industry. Despite these regulations and the long training that trucking companies require for their drivers, some truckers still fall short of adhering to practice safe driving. Should a big rig driver break any of these or other traffic laws, and there is evidence of negligence, victims may have a strong case and should call the commercial vehicle Accident Attorneys from our law firm in Laredo for a free consultation.

Other common problems for Big Rig drivers are fatigue, distractions like cell phone use, unsafe-reckless driving, shifting load, and mechanical problems.

In 2011 large commercial vehicles, such as Tractor Trailers, Semi’s, 18 Wheelers, and other Commercial Vehicles on Texas Roads were involved in 376 fatal wrecks. These crashes caused 417 deaths throughout the whole state of Texas.

The same year, 3,370 serious injury crashes involving commercial motor vehicles happened in Texas alone. These crashes showed a total number of 4,734 people who suffered serious injuries, additionally close to 4,000 crashes involving commercial vehicles have caused minor injuries. The data for these Accidents show, that a total of 6,559 people suffered some kind of harm resulting from accidents with large Commercial Vehicles in the year 2011.

In total the number, including all injury accidents, fatalities, and property damage only accidents, that commercial motor vehicles were involved climbed to 23,968 in Texas during 2011 alone. These Big Rig accidents happened throughout Texas, in rural areas, and in urban and suburban areas alike. Nearly every county was affected, and the losses caused by the injuries and deaths were felt by individuals and families everywhere.
Here is a bit of an update from 2012. As to the US total number of accidents involving large trucks is at 333,000 with 3,921 people killed and over 104,000 individuals seriously injured. The definition of a large truck is -gross weight rating is greater than 10,000 pounds-.

Fast Forward to 2018: In Texas that year 4,951 individuals were killed in accidents with large trucks, that a 1% increase from 2017! 71% of people killed in large truck crashes were occupants of smaller vehicles, with most of these accidents happened during workdays. The crazy thing about some of these facts is, that about 0.3% of the commercial drivers were legally intoxicated!

The Liable Parties

Truck Accident by the numbers

Truck Accident Statistics for the whole of the US

In most traffic accident cases, the driver who caused the accident is the one the other victims will sue, that’s when you should call our Laredo Truck Accident Attorneys. Most of the time in these incidents the driver and his/her insurance company will have to pay for the damages. With Commercial Vehicle Accident cases, however, the trucking company may have larger insurance policies and more money than the individual driver. The forwarding company may be the responsible party as a result of its own negligence or simply because the driver was working for them.

Additionally, there could be other parties held liable, possibly the company that owned the cargo and the company that maintained the rig. If it can be proven that a defective part was to blame for the accident, it would be plausible to pursue a lawsuit against its manufacturer or distributor of such part.

Settlements outside the court for Truck Accident Cases

It happens quite frequently that the defendants involved in a These Accident case may not want to see this case going to court. Should this be the case, out-of-court negotiations for a settlement to get what you deserve in damages would take place. Before you should ever consider a settlement, it is important to seek legal counsel and representation. The other parties involved such as insurance companies look out for their own best interests and their bottom lines, not yours. You need a strong advocate with experience in these matters. The Accident Attorneys at Ford & Laurel knows personal injury law and will get you what you are entitled to.

The trucking industry will in many cases conduct their own investigations and try to confuse you. They will use their incredible resources to deflect and defer guilt from their drivers. Our truck accident lawyers at Ford & Laurel have the guts to take the fight to them. There is no substitute for Experience when your claim is on the line.

Fair Compensation for Your Accident

In cases where individuals were killed in an Accident involving a Semi , 18 Wheeler or Tractor Trailer , surviving family members might also be entitled to compensation in the shape of wrongful death damages. These should include payment for funeral costs; lost financial support that the deceased victim would have provided if he or she had lived; and loss of companionship.

Call our law firm and get in touch with the team of seasoned 18 wheeler accident attorneys, and we will ease your stress  and anguish.

 

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