Truck Accident Claims in Houston
A crash with a tractor trailer or another commercial truck is different from an ordinary car wreck, and a Houston crash often involves a driver, a trucking company and more than one insurer. The Ledger Law Firm has attorneys licensed in Texas, and the firm can talk with you about what happened by phone or with the form below. The first step is a free case evaluation. The Texas office of the firm is at 3203 McKinney Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75204.
Call (972) 888-8888
The firm works on a contingency fee: the fee is a percentage of what is recovered. If there is no recovery, you owe no attorney fee, but you may still be responsible for court costs and case expenses.
What to do after a truck crash in Houston
- Call 911 and get medical help for anyone who is hurt. Texas law requires a driver in a crash with injury or death to give notice right away (Transportation Code section 550.026).
- Get checked by a doctor even if you feel able to walk away. Injuries from a heavy truck can take days to show, and a medical record made early helps link them to the crash.
- Take photographs of the truck, the trailer, the roadway and your injuries while the scene is still as it was. Get the company name, any numbers on the cab or trailer, the license plate and the position of every vehicle.
- Write down the names and numbers of witnesses and of the truck driver, and ask who the driver works for. Do not guess at fault in what you say at the scene.
- Order the crash report. A Texas officer who investigates a crash with damage of $1,000 or more must file a report within 10 days (Transportation Code section 550.062), and the Texas Department of Transportation explains how to get one on its crash reports and records page.
- Tell your own insurer, keep every bill and letter, and talk with an attorney before you give a recorded statement to the trucking company or its insurer.
Where truck crashes happen around Houston
Houston is a hub for freight, and trucks use the freeways, the tollways and the surface streets around the city every day.
- Crashes on Interstate 45, Interstate 10 (including the Katy Freeway) and Interstate 610, the Loop around the center of the city.
- Crashes on U.S. Highway 59, which is also Interstate 69 in Houston, and on Beltway 8, the Sam Houston Tollway.
- Crashes near the Houston Ship Channel and the industrial areas east of downtown, where trucks move cargo to and from the port.
- Crashes involving tank trucks, flatbeds, dump trucks and delivery trucks on city streets and at construction zones.
- Underride and rear end collisions in stop and go freeway traffic, and wide turn crashes at intersections.
- Crashes with a truck whose driver or carrier has too little insurance.
Who may be at fault and how fault is shared
Several parties can share the blame for a truck crash. Which of them are responsible turns on the facts: the person at the wheel, the company that dispatched the load, whoever owns the tractor or the trailer, the business that packed the cargo, or a manufacturer whose part gave out. Our Dallas truck accident page lists the federal safety rules that apply to carriers, with their sources.
Texas uses proportionate responsibility (Civil Practice and Remedies Code chapter 33). Sections 33.001 and 33.012 set the rule: a share above 50 percent bars recovery, and at 50 percent or below your damages are cut by your share. A finding of 20 percent responsibility, for example, takes 20 percent off.
The deadline to file
Personal injury
Civil Practice and Remedies Code section 16.003 requires a personal injury suit within two years after the day the claim accrues (chapter 16). Exceptions exist, which is another reason to call early.
Death
If the injured person dies, the period is also two years, measured from the date of death.
A city, county or other governmental unit
If a governmental unit may be responsible, such as a transit or road authority, section 101.101 calls for notice of the claim within six months of the incident (chapter 101). Bring your dates to an attorney soon.
What a claim can include
A claim after a truck crash can seek payment for medical care now and later, income you lost, loss of the ability to earn in the future, repair or replacement of your vehicle, and pain and loss of normal life. What a claim is worth depends on your injuries, your records and the insurance involved. The firm does not promise a result.
Talking to an insurance company
Federal rules set insurance minimums for motor carriers, and our Dallas truck page explains them with sources. For an ordinary vehicle, Texas sets minimum liability limits of $30,000 for injury or death to one person, $60,000 for injury or death to two or more, and $25,000 for property damage (Transportation Code section 601.072). Texas also requires uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on an auto policy unless the policyholder rejects it in writing (Insurance Code section 1952.101), so look at your own policy. A quick offer from a carrier may not cover the full cost of an injury, and it is wise to speak with an attorney before you agree to anything.
How the free case evaluation works
- You contact us by phone or form and tell us what happened.
- We ask about your injuries, the truck and the carrier if you know them, and the date of the crash.
- We tell you whether the firm can take your case. There is no charge for that conversation.
- If you hire the firm, it asks the carrier to keep its records, gathers the evidence and deals with the insurers, and every offer is yours to accept or refuse.
The fee
The firm works on a contingency fee: the fee is a percentage of what is recovered. If there is no recovery, you owe no attorney fee, but you may still be responsible for court costs and case expenses.
Houston truck accident FAQ
Who can be held responsible when a truck hits me?
It depends on the facts. The driver, the carrier, the owner of the truck or trailer, a loading company or a parts maker may each play a part, and a lawyer can look at the records to see who.
Why does it help to act soon after a truck crash?
Records from the truck and the carrier may be kept only for a limited time, and the legal deadlines run from the date of the crash. An early letter can ask the carrier to preserve its records.
What if I was partly to blame?
In Texas you can recover if you are 50 percent or less responsible, and your damages are reduced by your percentage. At more than 50 percent you recover nothing.
I live outside Houston. Can the firm still help?
Call or send the form. The firm has attorneys licensed in Texas and will tell you whether it can help with your crash.
Who is licensed in Texas
The attorneys of the firm licensed in Texas are Emery Brett Ledger and Randall L. Meredith. The Ledger Law Firm was founded in 1998 by Emery Brett Ledger. Its Texas office is at 3203 McKinney Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75204.
Call The Ledger Law Firm at (972) 888-8888 for a free case evaluation.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.