Houston Truck Accident Lawyer

Houston Truck Accident Attorney

Every year, 4,000 Americans are killed and tens of thousands more are seriously injured in incidents involving huge vehicles known as 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, semi-trucks, semis, diesel trucks, or big rigs. With the assistance of an expert Houston truck accident lawyer, victims and their families may frequently file a lawsuit for monetary compensation for their losses. Giant 18-wheelers weighing 10,000 pounds or more are incredibly dangerous, creating horrible collisions that harm or kill innocent people. If this individual was a member of your family, you must be compensated for your losses. You require justice. 

If you or a loved one has been harmed in a large rig accident, contact an 18-wheeler accident attorney at the Willis Law Firm by calling 1-800-883-9858. You may be legally entitled to significant cash payments for injury losses, such as medical costs, pain and suffering, mental anguish, and lost present and future income. Contact us immediately for a free, no-obligation legal analysis of your situation.

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Truck Accident Fatalities

When vehicles of such differences collide, the big rig driver is the least likely to be killed. Car drivers are 80 percent more likely to die in a wreck with an 18 wheeler than in a wreck with another car.

The bulk of the 5,000 deaths each year in incidents involving a heavy truck and a vehicle are the driver or passengers in the car. Indeed, large rigs are engaged in a disproportionate number of deadly accidents. Semi-trucks account for just 3% of all vehicles on the road, yet they are involved in 12% of fatal accidents.

You have legal rights if someone in your family was hurt or killed in an accident with an 18-wheeler or another big rig.

18 Wheeler Accident Attorney

As professional drivers with loads to carry and deadlines to meet, 18 wheeler drivers often work for too many consecutive hours. As a result, individuals may fall asleep while driving and cause a catastrophic accident on a highway at high speeds.

Other big rig drivers may be suffering from sleep apnea, or they may have received insufficient training from the trucking company, which can lead to a big rig catastrophe.

A tractor-trailer on a Houston interstate.

Also, 18-wheeler drivers may be impaired by alcohol or other drugs, or they may be distracted by the numerous new electronic devices that are frequently placed in truck cabs. Some large rig drivers also tailgate, speed, and drive in other dangerous ways.

A semi-truck vehicle may be poorly maintained due to the trucking line’s irresponsibility. This might lead to a tire blowout or other breakdown of the big rig, ending in a devastating collision.

Injuries from a Large Truck Accident 

A big truck accident injury might be the most severe of any crash or wreck. Most ordinary-sized automobiles are rolled over and destroyed by these vehicles on America’s roads and highways, especially when a semi-truck is moving at a fast pace to fulfill a delivery deadline.

These 18 wheeler injuries can involve:

  • skull or brain damage
  • paralysis such as paraplegia or quadriplegia
  • Back, spinal or neck injuries 
  • Broken bones or amputation of an arm or leg
  • Disfigurement or burn injuries

So 18 wheeler accident injuries can be life-changing, severe, debilitating and catastrophic. They often are among the worst injuries victims can suffer in any traffic accident or collision.

Truck Accident Costs

America must shoulder billions of dollars in losses due to truck accidents — losses both in terms of property damage and also the human cost of lost lives, medical care for survivors and lost productivity.

Someone must pay for such large truck accident costs. But it shouldn’t be the innocent victim in a car or another smaller vehicle that was hit by big rig driver.

Major Causes of 18-Wheeler Accidents

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), among many causes of 18-wheeler accidents are the following:

  • Driver fatigue, when commercial truck drivers work for too many hours without proper rest. Trucker fatigue causes at least in part 13% of 18-wheeler accidents, the FMCSA says.
  • 18 wheeler driver falling asleep at the wheel
  • Poorly maintained brakes, which make even worse the 50% longer it takes for big rigs to stop, compared to cars.
  • Poor maintenance for diesel trucks, such as tires in poor condition leading to dangerous tire blowouts.
  • Truck trailers being improperly loaded, overloaded or top-heavy.
  • Reckless and aggressive driving of the 18 wheeler driver
  • Cargo not being properly secured
  • Truck drivers being poorly trained or inexperienced.
  • Truck drivers with a history of speeding and accidents being allowed to drive loaded tractor-trailers on highways
  • Truck drivers being distracted by cell phones or onboard computers.
  • Truck drivers being under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, an element in 18 percent of semi-truck accidents.
  • Truck drivers speeding beyond the speed limit or safe road and weather conditions.
  • Drivers forced to meet tight and unrealistic deadlines.
  • Drivers unable to see other vehicles in the blind spots of these large trucks
  • Making unsafe lane changes without signaling
  • Truckers driving aggressively and tailgating other vehicles.
  • Failing to yield right of way or failing to maintain a proper distance from other vehicles.
  • Road rage

Any of these problems with large trucks could cause 18-wheeler accidents — which rarely injure the big rig driver. However, in some 18 wheeler crashes, the truck driver may be severely injured due to the poor crashworthiness design of the truck, the cab, roof rack, roof, roof pillars, airbags, seatbelts, and door locks. These injuries usually occur in a rollover of the big truck. Roof crush and roof pillar collapse on the cab/roof of an eighteen-wheeler due to the weight, speed, and energy of the rollover accident that can be massive. When this occurs, the driver may in fact have a product liability case for his own injuries. The Willis Law Firm has handled these types of cases before and can assist.

18-Wheeler Accident Injuries

Federal statistics show that among 90,000 injuries yearly in tractor-trailer accidents, just a fourth of those killed and just 14 percent of those injured are truck drivers themselves. By contrast, drivers and passengers of other, smaller vehicles comprise three-fourths of the fatalities and 86 percent of the injuries in auto and big rig crashes.

Due to the speeding and loads carried on these trucks, many large truck crash injuries are especially severe.

These injuries can include:

Get an Experienced 18 Wheeler Accident Lawyer on Your Side

If your family has suffered injuries or death due to dangerous 18-wheeler drivers or vehicles, rest assured that you can get an experienced 18-wheeler accident lawyer on your side. Big rig injuries can be particularly severe, including head injuries, herniated discs, and broken bones. A commercial trucking line or its insurance company is unlikely to pay you for such losses without being compelled by a big rig accident attorney who handles your case. Such an accident lawyer can fight for your rights to payments for your many expenses after a semi-truck crash. The company which manufactured the truck also may be liable for the deaths and injuries caused by it.

Many Americans need such help, due to over 500,000 truck accidents happening in the U.S. annually. In fact, about 12 percent of traffic deaths in this country involve a big rig, diesel truck, semi-truck, tractor-trailer or 18-wheeler, even though large trucks are just four percent of all vehicles. Also, 80 percent of fatal large truck accidents are multi-vehicle crashes, as opposed to just 58 percent of other fatal accidents, reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

An SUV damaged in an accident with a truck in Houston.

Results of 18 Wheeler Truck Accidents 

$1,000,000 18 Wheeler Accident – Wrongful Death

A truck driver who was high on drugs killed our client. Personal injury trial lawyer David Willis filed a trucking accident lawsuit against the 18 wheeler driver and his employer. They settled for the available insurance limits of $1,000,000. Expenses $17,325, Attorneys’ Fees $333,333, Net to Clients $666,666.

Houston Truck Accident Lawyer

An experienced truck accident lawyer can stand up to a trucking line insurance company.  You won’t have to pay us anything out of your own pocket since we’ll only be paid by winning your case, and then only from a part of the settlement award. All cases are taken on a contingency fee basis. No fees or expenses charged to the client unless we win your case.

Time is of the essence in a major accident involving an 18 wheeler. Don’t let the critical evidence, tire skid marks, airbags, seatbelts, logbooks, cell phones, and other evidence get “lost” in all the red tape. We have over 30+ years of experience protecting the legal rights of our clients.

Our personal injury law office helps clients nationwide who have been hurt by 18 wheelers. David P. Willis is board certified as a personal injury trial law specialist. For almost 40 years, we’ve put in a lot of effort to get the best results for our clients, and we’ll do the same for you and your loved ones. Call us at 1-800-883-9858 or 713-529-9377 to tell us your story.

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