Carabin Shaw is one of the leading personal injury law firms in Texas. They have extensive experience in accident cases, focusing on securing compensation for clients’ medical bills, property damage, and pain and suffering.
Truck Accidents in Texas
Texas highways are crowded with fast-moving traffic, and a large share of it is heavy semi-trucks. Truck accidents on these busy roads are far too common, and the damage they cause sets them apart from an ordinary crash. According to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, large-truck accidents kill more than 5,000 people and injure roughly 150,000 every year, and nearly one in four passenger-vehicle occupants who die in multi-vehicle crashes are killed in a wreck involving a large truck. Understanding why these truck accidents happen, and who is responsible, is the first step toward protecting your rights. More on this website
When a commercial vehicle like a semi-truck collides with a smaller passenger car, the results are often devastating. A loaded big rig can weigh 20 to 30 times what a passenger vehicle does, and that weight gap means a truck accident usually causes far greater injury than a typical car crash. 
If a large truck accident left you injured, you may be entitled to compensation for medical bills and lost wages, as well as pain and suffering. To speak with compassionate, caring attorneys, call our car accident lawyers toll-free or email us.
The Role of Truck Driver Fatigue
Fatigue is one of the biggest factors in large truck accidents, because a tired driver reacts slower and makes worse decisions. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports that fatigued truck drivers kill more than 750 people and injure around 20,000 every year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has estimated that driver fatigue contributes to roughly 30 to 40 percent of large-truck crashes. More on this page
Long hours with too few breaks are the main driver of that fatigue. The FMCSA notes that the risk tied to fatigue roughly doubles between the eighth and tenth hour of driving, and climbs again between the tenth and eleventh hour — the very end of a long shift, when many crashes occur.
Other Common Causes of Truck Accidents
Fatigue is far from the only danger. Speeding to meet a delivery deadline, distracted driving, improperly loaded or overweight cargo, poor truck maintenance, and inadequate driver training all contribute to serious truck accidents. Each of these points back to a choice made by the driver, the company, or both, which is why a thorough investigation so often uncovers more than one party at fault.
Rules That Fight Truck Driver Fatigue
The FMCSA sets hours-of-service rules to keep exhausted drivers off the road. Under current federal law, a truck driver may drive no more than 11 hours after 10 consecutive hours off duty, and must work within a 14-hour daily window with a required rest break along the way. The agency revisits these rules periodically and often weighs longer mandatory rest periods, because more rest directly lowers the risk of a deadly fatigue-related crash. More on this website
Who Is Responsible
Drivers are not the only ones on the hook. Trucking companies are responsible for making sure their drivers are alert and following the rules, and when a company fails to use reasonable care — pushing unrealistic schedules, skipping maintenance, or ignoring violations — it can be held liable for the harm its driver causes. Public concern about tired truckers has been strong for decades, and the law reflects it: a fatigued driver and the company behind them can both answer for a serious truck accident.
What to Do After a Truck Accident
The steps you take after a crash shape your claim. Get medical care right away, even if you feel only shaken, because truck-crash injuries can surface hours later. Call the police and make sure a report is filed, photograph the scene and the vehicles, and gather contact details from any witnesses. Avoid giving a recorded statement to the trucking company’s insurer before you have spoken with a lawyer, and act quickly — a truck’s electronic logs, black-box data, and inspection records can be lost or overwritten if no one moves to preserve them.
Compensation After a Truck Accident
Anyone injured in a crash with a large truck may be able to recover compensation for medical bills, current and future treatment, lost wages and reduced earning capacity, property damage, and pain and suffering. The stakes are high and trucking companies move fast to protect themselves, so prompt legal help matters. If a truck driver or trucking company’s negligence left you injured, call us toll-free for a consultation with our accident lawyers, or email us.