Laredo is a major transportation hub along Interstate 35, with thousands of 18-wheelers moving through the city daily. While they keep businesses running, they also create serious risks for passenger vehicle drivers. A collision with an 80,000-pound truck can leave victims with life-altering injuries, mounting medical bills, and financial uncertainty.
These crashes happen fast, but the impact lasts a lifetime. From driver fatigue to poorly maintained trucks, negligence plays a major role in many of these wrecks. Holding responsible parties accountable isn’t easy either: trucking companies and their insurers fight hard to avoid responsibility. That’s why you need a law office that knows how to win against them.
Why Hire Us for Your 18-Wheeler Accident Claim in Laredo?
When a trucking accident turns your life upside down, you need aggressive representation to get the compensation for all your financial losses. Here’s why Texas Law Guns, Injury & Accident Lawyers is the right choice for your 18-wheeler accident case:
- We Know Trucking Laws Inside and Out: Commercial trucking is regulated by both state and federal laws. When 18-wheeler drivers or their employers violate hours-of-service rules and weight restrictions, it can directly lead to catastrophic accidents. Our Laredo 18-wheeler accident lawyers know how to uncover these violations and hold negligent parties accountable.
- We Take on Big Insurance Companies: 18-wheeler companies and their insurers work fast to limit their liability. They might offer a lowball settlement or try to shift the blame onto you. Our experienced truck accident lawyers know their tactics and fight back with solid evidence, expert testimony, and aggressive negotiation.
- We Have a Track Record of Winning: Success in trucking accident cases requires experience and a history of results. Our law firm has secured significant settlements and verdicts for clients injured in commercial vehicle accidents. We build cases that hold up in court and put pressure on insurance companies to pay what’s fair.
- We Investigate Every Detail: A thorough investigation is key in 18-wheeler accident claims. Our truck accident lawyers gather black box data, driver logs, maintenance records, and witness statements to prove negligence. If necessary, we bring in accident reconstruction experts to show exactly what happened and who’s at fault.
- You Don’t Pay Unless We Win: Medical bills pile up fast after a trucking accident, and the last thing you need is another expense. Our personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means we only get paid when we win your case. If we don’t secure compensation, you owe us nothing.
- We Handle Everything While You Recover: Dealing with insurance adjusters, paperwork, and legal deadlines is overwhelming when you’ve suffered severe injuries. Our team takes care of everything so you have peace of mind during this difficult time. From filing claims to negotiating settlements, we ensure your case moves forward without delays.
Why Should You Hire a Laredo 18-Wheeler Accident Lawyer?
Trucking accidents aren’t the same as car wrecks. The injuries are worse, the legal process is tougher, and multiple parties could be liable. With a skilled attorney fighting for you, you’re not stuck dealing with the aftermath alone.
A Laredo 18-wheeler accident lawyer fights to secure fair compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and long-term care. They also level the playing field against trucking companies that have teams of lawyers working against you. Without proper legal representation, you risk settling for far less than you may be entitled to.
Common Causes of 18-Wheeler Accidents
Commercial truck accidents take a variety of forms including head-on crashes, jackknife accidents, rear-end collisions, rollovers, sideswipes, T-bone collisions, and underride accidents. They happen for many reasons, but negligence is often a key factor. Some of the most common causes include:
- Driver Fatigue: Federal regulations limit how long truckers can drive, but some exceed those limits to meet deadlines. Fatigue leads to slower reaction times and poor decision-making.
- Distracted Driving: Truckers spend long hours on the road, which increases the temptation to check their phones, eat, or engage in other distractions.
- Speeding and Reckless Driving: Tight schedules lead some drivers to exceed speed limits or take dangerous risks. A speeding 18-wheeler takes longer to stop, which can increase the severity of crashes.
- Poor Truck Maintenance: Worn brakes, defective tires, and mechanical failures can cause deadly accidents. 18-wheeler companies must keep their vehicles in safe working condition, but not all of them do.
- Improper Cargo Loading: Overloaded or unbalanced cargo makes 18-wheelers harder to control and more likely to tip over.
- Driving Under the Influence: Alcohol or drug use (including prescription medications) can impair a trucker’s ability to drive safely.
Due to their size and weight, 18-wheeler trucks cause severe and even fatal injuries, including:
- Spinal cord injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Broken bones
- Internal organ damage
- Abdominal trauma
- Crush injuries
- Burn injuries and disfigurement
- Paralysis
These common truck accident injuries often require extensive medical treatment and long-term rehabilitation, which is why at-fault drivers, their employers, and insurance carriers usually fight liability. An experienced personal injury lawyer will counter any attempt to deny responsibility and strive to hold them accountable, so you get maximum compensation.
Who Pays You Compensation After an Accident?
Trucking accident claims are more complicated than standard car crash cases. Several parties could be responsible for paying your compensation, including:
- The Commercial Truck Driver: If the commercial vehicle driver’s negligence caused the accident, they could be held personally liable. Common examples of driver negligence include speeding or reckless driving, distracted driving, fatigue, or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- The Trucking Company: Trucking companies are responsible for their drivers’ actions and the condition of their fleet. If an employer failed to properly train a driver, encouraged unsafe practices, or neglected vehicle maintenance, they could be liable for a big rig accident.
- The Cargo Loading Company: If cargo is improperly secured, unbalanced, or exceeds weight limits, it can cause serious accidents. Common issues include shifting cargo, overloading, and uneven weight distribution. If cargo-related negligence contributed to the crash, the company that loaded the 18-wheeler could be held financially responsible.
- The Vehicle Manufacturer: Sometimes, an accident isn’t caused by driver error or improper loading but by a defective truck part. Your truck accident attorney can determine whether a faulty part or equipment failure (e.g. a brake malfunction) contributed to the accident and take legal action against the company responsible.
- Third-Party Maintenance Providers: Some trucking companies hire third-party mechanics or maintenance providers to service their fleets. If a mechanic fails to identify or fix a dangerous issue (such as worn brakes or a leaking fuel line), this company could be held liable for the accident.
Because multiple parties may share responsibility, a detailed investigation is necessary to determine who should pay for compensatory damages. This includes:
- Examining driver logs, black box data, and GPS records
- Reviewing trucking company policies and maintenance records
- Analyzing cargo loading procedures
- Inspecting the 18-wheeler for mechanical failures
- Consulting accident reconstruction experts
Trucking companies and insurers often try to shift blame, making it essential to have an experienced lawyer who can gather evidence and fight for full compensation.
What to Do After an 18-Wheeler Accident
The steps you take immediately after a truck accident can affect your ability to recover fair compensation. Trucking companies and their insurers act fast to protect themselves, so it’s critical to document the crash, seek medical care, and avoid common mistakes that could weaken your claim.
- Call 911 Immediately: Always report the tractor-trailer accident, no matter how minor it seems. A police report creates an official record of what happened, which can be important for your case. When officers arrive, they will assess the scene, speak with those involved, and document key details like vehicle damage, road conditions, and any violations of traffic laws.
- Seek Medical Attention as Soon as Possible: Commercial carrier accidents often cause severe injuries, but even if you don’t feel immediate pain, see a medical professional as soon as possible. Some injuries, like concussions or internal bleeding, can take time to develop. Getting medical attention also creates a medical record linking your injuries to the accident.
- Document the Accident Scene If It’s Safe: If you are physically able and it’s safe to do so, gather as much evidence as possible before leaving the scene. Take photos and videos of the vehicles, the truck license plate, skid marks, road debris, weather conditions, and anything that could help prove what happened. If the 18 wheeler has a company name or identification number on it, make sure to document that as well.
- Collect Witness Information: If anyone saw the accident, ask for their contact information. Witness statements can provide valuable third-party accounts of what happened, especially if the negligent truck driver denies responsibility.
- Avoid Speaking to the Trucking Company’s Insurance Adjuster: After an accident, the trucking company’s insurance adjuster may reach out to ask for a recorded statement or offer a quick settlement. Do not agree to speak with them or accept any offers before consulting an experienced attorney.
- Contact a Truck Accident Lawyer Immediately: The trucking company and its insurer will start building their defense right away, which is why it’s important to have legal representation as soon as possible. An experienced 18-wheeler accident lawyer will investigate the crash, gather critical evidence, and identify all responsible parties, whether it’s the commercial driver, the trucking company, a maintenance provider, or the manufacturer of a defective part. They will also handle negotiations with the insurance provider to maximize your settlement.
Compensation in an 18-Wheeler Vehicle Accident
Compensation is meant to cover medical bills, lost income, property damage, and other losses caused by the crash. The amount awarded depends on the severity of the injuries, the financial impact of the accident, and the level of negligence involved.
- Medical Expenses: Compensation can cover emergency room visits, hospital stays, surgeries, physical therapy, prescription medications, and any specialized treatments needed for recovery. Some catastrophic injuries, such as severe burns, spinal cord damage, or traumatic brain injuries, may require lifelong medical attention, which should be factored into a settlement.
- Lost Wages and Future Earnings: Compensation for lost wages helps cover the loss of income during recovery. If injuries prevent a return to the same line of work, a settlement may also include compensatory damages for diminished earning capacity. In cases of permanent disability, truck accident victims may be entitled to compensation for the loss of future earnings.
- Pain and Suffering: Chronic pain, anxiety, depression, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life are common after a catastrophic crash. Compensation for pain and suffering accounts for these non-economic damages, recognizing the emotional and psychological toll that severe injuries can take.
- Property Damage: Compensation for property damage covers the cost of repairing or replacing a damaged vehicle. If personal property inside the car was destroyed (such as phones, laptops, or other valuable items), their replacement costs may also be included in a claim for damages.
- Wrongful Death Damages: With fatal crashes, surviving family members may pursue a wrongful death claim. Compensation can cover funeral and burial expenses, medical bills incurred before death, the financial support the deceased would have provided, and loss of consortium for spouses. In some cases, courts may award punitive damages if the trucking company or driver acted with extreme negligence.
Can You Still Sue if You Were Partly Responsible?
Yes. Texas follows a modified comparative negligence rule. As long as you were less than 51% responsible for the semi-truck accident, you can still recover damages. However, your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
For example, if you were 20% responsible, your settlement would be reduced by 20%. Insurance companies often try to shift more blame onto crash victims to lower payouts, which is why having strong legal representation matters.
Contact a Laredo 18-Wheeler Accident Lawyer Today
When you’ve been injured in an 18-wheeler crash, you shouldn’t have to fight trucking companies and insurers while trying to recover. Texas Law Guns, Injury & Accident Lawyers will stand up for you, build a strong case, and work to secure the financial compensation you need. You deserve justice, and we’re here to fight for it. To schedule a free initial consultation with our legal team, call (210) 800-0000 or contact our law office online today.
