Accidents that involve these types of vehicles are usually very serious injury-producing accidents. Special attention should be paid in regards to these accidents because of the fact that many commercial insurance carriers have special investigative teams to go to the site of an accident quickly.
Most cases involving commercial vehicles cause impairments. They could be permanent or temporary. The bottom line is that your life and likely your income is now compromised and you have medical bills and doctor's appointments that won't stop.
The cards are stacked against you. The insurance company knows you probably don't have the money to pay those medical bills and you probably can't afford to take off work much longer. This is why hiring the right advocate to help protect, pursue and preserve your case is crucial.
When a large vehicle causes large-scale damage, we'll be here to help you move forward.
18 Wheeler & Trucking Accidents
These types of accidents are covered in three general areas. Although the law concerning negligence in the operation of vehicles is much like that of passenger vehicles, their other special statutory considerations when commercial vehicles are involved.
Accidents involving vehicles that are used primarily by local companies for transport of their own products and services are considered commercial vehicles which require the drivers to have a commercial vehicle driver's license. This type of driver's license raises the standard of care regarding the operation of the vehicle.
The second types of commercial vehicle accidents are those that are involved in the transport of interstate commerce. These types of accidents acts involve not only state regulations but also federal regulations concerning the driver and the vehicle. The driver's log is very crucial. The commercial companies however are only required to keep the log for a minimum of six months. Frequently the case involves several safety regulation violations at both state and federal statutory requirements.
The third types of commercial vehicle accidents are those in which the transport is only within the state of Texas boundaries called intrastate commercial transport. These accidents are regulated by Texas statutes. It is important to have time to determine the type of commercial vehicle transport to determine the maximum limits of insurance covering serious accidents.
Recent Case Summary
2019
Our client was traveling to work, a day laborer working at a construction site. He was required to be there before daybreak. An 18-wheeler was attempting to back up into a site. Our client collided with him head-on. The driver of the truck failed to turn on his running lights. Our client couldn't stop in time to avoid colliding with him. On that day he sustained serious injuries and the insurance company denied his claim. We filed a lawsuit and won. Experts were able to prove that it wasn't possible for our client to have stopped in time. They argued that our client who is late into his 60's, took longer to heal, that his ability to perform his daily task as a day laborer was impaired and that this accident would affect the quality of his life.
Tips for Trucking Accidents
- Understand that the insurance carrier is likely to deny liability as a go-to defense.
- Document everything. Evidence is key, as in every case and gathering those key pieces is important, such as data extraction from the trucks/car data recorder, police body camera footage, 911 transcripts for potential witnesses, etc.
- Be careful what you say to the insurance company. Simple statements can be used against you.