Your Legal Options in a Texas Truck Accident
Being involved in a Texas truck accident can be a life-altering event. Once you get out of the hospital you may not be able to go back to work, and those injuries could last a lifetime — that is if you make it out with your life. With the right lawyer, an 18 wheeler accident lawsuit could help you and your family recover from the devastation left behind by semi-truck accidents.
Your legal options (and chances at compensation) will depend on many factors, such as the severity of the accident, injuries, and who is found liable for the damages. One factor you can control is your lawyer. Your choice in Houston truck accident lawyer can give you an edge over the trucking and insurance companies, and make sure that you are fairly compensated for your injuries and trauma.
What should you do when an accident happens?
It can be hard to know what to do if you’ve been hit by a truck. In the moments immediately following the accident adrenaline runs high; it’s difficult to know if you have any serious injuries, and therefore whether you should wait for help or take action. If you are conscious and can safely move around after an accident, here is what you should do:
- Call the police
- Assess your injuries
- Get you and/or your vehicle out of harm’s way, if it is safe to do so
- Check on other individuals that are injured
- Document the scene and gather evidence like licenses, insurance, and photos of the vehicles
- Call a top-rated accident attorney, like those at Grimes & Fertitta
The trucking company will be just as ruthless as the insurance company when it comes to advocating against your compensation. There are entire teams of people whose only job is to make sure that you end up with the least amount of money possible. Whether it is the trucking company or the insurance company, they are fighting against you, you need somebody fighting for you — someone like the expert personal injury attorneys at Grimes & Fertitta.
How long after an accident can you sue in Texas?
The Texas statute of limitations for filing personal injury claims is generally two years from the date of the incident, with few exceptions.
Trucking accidents can be more complicated than accidents between normal passenger vehicles for a few reasons.
- Whether the truck’s cargo comes loose or it jackknifes, they often happen while going quite fast and can cause immense amounts of damage. (Keep reading: What causes a truck to jackknife?)
- The trucking company will have a legal team whose job it is to keep you from receiving compensation. They will aggressively attempt to settle you with a mediocre compensation package before you have any idea of how the accident will affect your life.
- There will potentially be many parties involved. There’s you, your lawyer, the driver that hit you, their lawyer or the company they represent, and the insurance company.
Commonly sustained truck accident injuries
Because of the difference in size and weight between vehicles, and the speeds at which collisions often occur, severe injuries are much more common in collisions between commercial trucks and consumer vehicles.
Some injuries commonly sustained in truck accidents are:
- Bone fractures, breaks
- Burns
- Internal bleeding
- Spinal cord injuries
- Head and brain injuries
The injuries that you have sustained and the effect that they have on your life is not something that is easily calculated in the aftermath of an accident. Insurance agents know the types of complications that can arise well after an accident — or rather, they know how expensive they can be. The lawyers at Grimes & Fertitta are former defense lawyers for insurance agencies, they know all of the tricks, and will use that knowledge to help you get what you deserve.
Truck accidents and compensation
Drivers on the road owe one another a “duty of care”, which is a duty to operate the vehicle reasonably and safely so that other individuals will not be at risk of unnecessary harm. Proving that someone violated this duty, and in doing so, caused you harm, is at the heart of winning a personal injury lawsuit. If the trucking company, insurance company, or individual who hit you is found to be at fault, you may be entitled to damages including but not limited to:
- Medical bill and care costs
- Property damage
- Mental anguish
- Lost wages, past, and future
- Pain and suffering
If a loved one lost their life as a result of a Texas truck accident, you may be entitled to wrongful death damages, including funeral expenses, loss of financial contribution, or even punitive damages. If you have been in a truck or 18 wheeler accident, call a Houston fatal truck accident lawyer as soon as possible — you need to level the playing field, and get someone fighting in your corner.
Suffering because of a Texas truck accident? Call Grimes & Fertitta to begin your 18 wheeler accident lawsuit today.
Your Texas truck accident may follow you and your family for the rest of your life. Ensure that you are not left out in the cold by insurance companies or opposing lawyers, hire an experienced and aggressive lawyer for your 18 wheeler accident lawsuit from Grimes & Fertitta today.
Do not let the negligence of another party define the rest of your life. The lawyers at Grimes & Fertitta have the inside knowledge and extensive experience to achieve the best possible outcome after your tragedy. Call us today at 713-224-7644 or contact us online for a free consultation.
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