Dallas Truck Accident Lawyers
Every year, half a million truck accidents occur in the United States. That’s 500,000 reasons to call a truck accident lawyer right away! Regardless of whether you’ve been involved in an accident with a cargo vehicle or an 18-wheeler, the results can be the same: horrific injuries and irreparable car damage. Now, more than ever, you need professional help.
If you have been involved in a truck accident, there’s no time to waste. Hire an accident and injury attorney who can fight on your behalf. At J. Alexander Law Firm, we stand by the side of accident victims who have sustained life-altering injuries because of a truck accident. We know what it takes to hold liable parties accountable, and we have obtained a remarkable record of success in doing so. We have recovered more than $10 million on behalf of our clients, and we aren’t afraid to take whatever path we need to do the same for you, including taking your case to court if necessary.
We’re proud to be an official sponsor of the Dallas Mavericks! Call us at (214) 206-3264 today to schedule a free consultation. There is no obligation, and you never pay unless we recover money on your behalf.
Common Types of Truck Accidents
A truck accident refers to a collision or incident involving large commercial vehicles, such as semi-trucks, 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, or other large freight carriers. These accidents often result in severe damage due to the massive size and weight of trucks compared to smaller vehicles. Truck accidents can occur for various reasons, including driver error, mechanical failure, or hazardous road conditions, and they tend to cause significant injuries or fatalities because of the force of impact.
Common types of truck accidents include:
- Rear-End Collisions: Occur when a truck hits the back of another vehicle, often because of a truck driver’s inability to stop in time due to the truck’s longer stopping distance.
- Jackknife Accidents: Happen when the trailer of a truck swings out to form a 90-degree angle with the cab, often caused by sudden braking, loss of control, or slippery road conditions.
- Rollover Accidents: These occur when a truck tips over onto its side or roof, usually due to sharp turns, high speeds, or overloading. Rollovers are particularly dangerous for other road users.
- Underride Accidents: In these accidents, a smaller vehicle slides underneath a truck, often because the truck stops abruptly or the smaller vehicle fails to stop in time. This type of accident can be fatal as the smaller vehicle's roof is often crushed.
- Blind Spot (No-Zone) Accidents: Trucks have large blind spots on all sides, especially on the right. Smaller vehicles driving in these "no-zone" areas are at risk of being hit if the truck changes lanes or turns without seeing them.
- Tire Blowouts: When a truck's tire bursts, it can cause the driver to lose control, leading to a collision. Tire debris may also hit nearby vehicles, causing additional accidents.
- Head-On Collisions: These occur when a truck collides with another vehicle head-on, often resulting in catastrophic damage due to the truck’s size and speed.
- T-Bone Collisions: Happen when the front of a truck strikes the side of another vehicle, usually at intersections. These accidents can lead to severe injuries for the passengers in the struck vehicle.
- Lost Load Accidents: If cargo is not properly secured, it may fall off the truck, creating hazards for other drivers on the road and causing accidents.
- Wide Turn Accidents: Trucks need extra space to make turns, particularly right turns. If a truck swings wide into another lane or misjudges the space, it may collide with nearby vehicles.
Common Injuries Suffered in Truck Accidents
Because trucks are so much larger than an average vehicle, it is not uncommon for accidents involving trucks to also involve catastrophic injuries. Because trucks can weigh 30 times more than the average passenger car, the force involved in these accidents can often lead to severe injuries, particularly when highway speeds are involved.
Here are a few common types of serious injuries that are known to happen in truck accidents.
Neck & Spinal Injuries
Truck accidents can cause a wide range of back and neck problems, such as vertebrae slipping out of alignment or dislocating, nerves compressing, or your spinal cord being damaged. Such injuries can change your entire way of life and can be even more challenging to deal with when an accident isn’t your fault.
Brain & Head Injuries
While head injuries do occur from blunt trauma, plenty can also happen without it, such as those caused by whiplash or fast movement related to speeding up and slowing down rapidly. Head injuries and traumatic brain injuries are among the most severe truck accident injuries, but they are not always the most noticeable. Sometimes, it can take hours or days for symptoms like nausea, headaches, vision problems, cognitive issues, and confusion to present themselves.
Broken Bones
Among the most frequently reported are skull fractures, arm and leg fractures, vertebral fractures, and rib fractures. Some of these breaks can be easily fixed with casts, while others require surgery and sometimes even amputation if bones are crushed or damaged beyond repair.
Organ Damage
Motorists involved in truck accidents frequently experience internal bleeding related to damage to the bladder, spleen, pancreas, kidneys, and liver. These injuries are not always evident straight away and can be complicated to treat. We recommend seeing a medical professional ASAP for a check-up—it could be crucial to ensure you’re not suffering from injuries like these that may be extremely serious.
Who Is Liable for My Truck Accident?
Liability in a truck accident can be tricky to prove. In general, liability is assigned to the party whose negligence or failure directly caused the accident in which you were injured. However, this may not always be straightforward. Was the accident caused by a truck driver making a mistake? Or were they the victim of something on their truck going wrong? This is why you shouldn’t hesitate to retain an attorney who can start working on this investigation as soon as possible. Attorneys can request legal stays to protect and preserve accident evidence and commence an investigation into things like maintenance records or operator logs to find evidence of negligence.
Here are a few parties who may be liable for the injuries you have suffered as a result of your accident:
- The other driver
- The truck operator
- The truck’s manufacturer
- The manufacturer of any critical parts or components on that truck that may have failed
- The entity responsible for maintaining the road the accident happened on
Television commercials show insurance adjusters as kind, caring people and businesses who want the best for you. The reality? Often quite the opposite. They are trained to make you admit fault with the intention of minimizing how much money they have to pay. While those insurance companies are negotiating low settlement offers, your expenses are piling up. Medical bills and lost wages are just the tip of the iceberg! You may not be experienced in handling a truck accident situation, but we are. Our Dallas truck accident lawyers work hard to get what you deserve. Often, that means filing a personal injury lawsuit and getting the insurance company to compensate you fairly.
Can I Recover Damages for My Truck Accident?
Depending on the nature of your accident, one of several parties could be liable for the damages you have sustained. Texas is a modified comparative fault state, meaning that each party’s liability is compared to one another to determine who is eligible to recover compensation for their losses. The state also has a 51% bar, meaning only those whose fault is determined to be under 51% may collect compensation. As a skilled personal injury attorney, our goal is to protect your claim and demonstrate you were not at fault for the incident in question.
What Makes Truck Accidents So Serious?
After a truck accident, you might feel okay. You may even think you’ve gotten off lightly. But it’s crucial to let medical professionals be the judge of that. You may look okay on the outside, but life-threatening injuries don’t always show themselves. If you’ve been involved in a truck accident, seek medical assistance immediately. An ambulance driver may even ask if you want to go to the hospital, and we recommend accepting the offer. The worst thing that can happen is that you get a clean bill of health and you can breathe easily.
You may be surprised at just how serious truck accident injuries can be in the short and long term. That’s why seeking assistance from a truck accident lawyer is imperative. What starts as a small or seemingly inconsequential pain can end up as a crippling life-long health problem. Seeking counsel today could help you protect your rights for today and for the future.
Contact J. Alexander Law Firm today to schedule a case evaluation! We’re here to assist you through the challenges of your case.
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How much is my truck accident case worth?
Each case is unique. The nature of your injuries, the extent of your losses, and whether or not your case involved extreme negligence (creating an opportunity to award punitive damages) are all factors that need to be considered. An attorney can help you take a closer look at how the incident in question has impacted your life to give you a more accurate estimate.
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How long do truck accident cases take to resolve?Truck accident cases can take months or even years to resolve. Each case is unique, so it is impossible to provide an accurate timeline without knowing the specifics or unique details of each case. However, we also recognize that truck accidents can cause tremendous losses, and our team can provide you with tips and guidance to help you continue to live your life while waiting for your claim to be resolved.
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How long do I have to file my claim?
Texas places a two-year statute of limitations on injury claims. However, this period shrinks to only six months for claims against government employees or entities. If you have been involved in a car accident and sustained an injury, we recommend contacting an attorney right away to start the process of creating and filing a claim.
Stay In The Know
- Shocking Semi Truck Accident Statistics
- The Dangers Associated With Semi Trucks
- Before You Hire a Truck Accident Lawyer - Do These 5 Things