01
Driver Fatigue
Long hours and inadequate rest can affect attention, judgment, reaction time, and safe operation of a commercial vehicle.
Dallas–Fort Worth Truck Accident Lawyer
A truck crash is not
just a bigger car accident.
Commercial truck collisions can involve catastrophic injuries, multiple companies, specialized evidence, substantial insurance coverage, and state and federal safety rules.
The Piri Law Firm represents people and families throughout Dallas–Fort Worth after serious collisions involving tractor-trailers, 18-wheelers, commercial trucks, and other large vehicles.
DriverConduct and qualifications
CarrierCompany responsibility
DataElectronic evidence
TruckEquipment and maintenance
CargoLoading and securement
Direct Answer
What makes a commercial truck accident claim different?
A commercial truck accident can involve parties and evidence that are not normally present in an ordinary passenger-car collision. Depending on the facts, potential responsibility may involve the truck driver, motor carrier, employer, maintenance provider, cargo company, equipment manufacturer, or another entity. Driver records, electronic data, maintenance documents, dispatch information, company policies, and other commercial records may become important evidence.
Why Truck Crashes Happen
The investigation can extend far beyond the driver.
Commercial trucking operations involve drivers, carriers, equipment, maintenance, cargo, schedules, and safety procedures. A serious investigation may need to examine each of them.
02
Distracted Driving
Phones, dispatch systems, navigation devices, paperwork, and other distractions can divert a truck driver's attention from traffic.
03
Unsafe Speed
A fully loaded commercial truck requires substantial distance to slow or stop, making excessive or unsafe speed particularly dangerous.
04
Following Too Closely
Insufficient following distance can leave a tractor-trailer without enough roadway to stop when traffic slows suddenly.
05
Maintenance Failures
Brakes, tires, steering components, lights, coupling systems, and other equipment can become critical issues after a crash.
06
Improper Loading
Overloaded, unbalanced, or inadequately secured cargo can affect braking, handling, stability, and rollover risk.
07
Unsafe Hiring
Driver qualifications, licensing, training, driving history, supervision, and company safety practices may require investigation.
08
Impaired Driving
Alcohol, controlled substances, medications, and other impairing substances can create severe risks behind the wheel of a commercial truck.
Evidence Preservation
The truck may contain evidence that does not exist in an ordinary car.
Commercial vehicles and trucking companies can generate electronic and documentary evidence concerning the driver, vehicle, route, hours, maintenance, cargo, and operation of the truck.
Electronic logging and hours-of-service information
Engine, vehicle and event data
Inspection and maintenance records
Driver qualification and training records
Dispatch, route and company documentation
Cargo loading and securement evidence
Building The Case
Four questions can change the direction of a truck accident investigation.
Who controlled the truck?
The driver's employment or contractual relationship, the motor carrier's authority, and the companies directing the trip may affect the investigation.
What does the electronic evidence show?
Depending on the vehicle and systems involved, electronic information may help evaluate speed, braking, driving time, vehicle operation, or other events surrounding the collision.
Was the truck safe to operate?
Inspection history, repairs, maintenance, tires, brakes, lighting, coupling equipment, and other components may require examination.
Were company practices a factor?
Hiring, training, supervision, scheduling, safety policies, dispatch practices, and regulatory compliance can become relevant depending on the circumstances.
Truck Collision Types
How the truck moved can explain how the crash happened.
Large commercial vehicles create collision patterns and hazards that differ substantially from ordinary passenger vehicles.
Jackknife Accidents
A trailer can swing outward from the tractor and sweep across multiple lanes of traffic.
Explore →Underride Accidents
A smaller vehicle may travel beneath portions of a commercial truck or trailer during a severe collision.
Explore →Truck Rollovers
Speed, steering inputs, cargo movement, roadway conditions, and vehicle stability may contribute to a rollover.
Explore →Rear-End Truck Accidents
Stopping distance, following distance, speed, distraction, fatigue, and braking performance can become key issues.
Explore →Commercial Vehicle Accidents
Delivery trucks, work vehicles, vans, fleet vehicles, and other commercial vehicles can involve employer and business liability issues.
Explore →Highway Accidents
Interstate and freeway collisions often involve higher speeds, multiple vehicles, and substantial physical evidence.
Explore →Catastrophic Injuries
The mass and force involved in truck collisions can produce permanent and life-changing injuries.
Explore →Wrongful Death
Families may have legal claims when a commercial truck collision causes a fatal injury.
Explore →Potentially Responsible Parties
The name on the driver's license may be only the beginning.
Depending on the evidence, a truck accident investigation may examine the driver, motor carrier, employer, vehicle owner, maintenance contractors, cargo loaders, brokers, equipment manufacturers, or other entities. The facts determine which parties and legal theories are actually relevant.
Serious Injuries
Commercial truck collisions can produce extraordinary physical forces.
The long-term consequences may include surgery, rehabilitation, permanent impairment, lost earning capacity, future medical needs, and major changes to everyday life.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Severe impacts can cause cognitive, neurological, behavioral, and functional changes.
Explore →Spinal Cord Injury
Traumatic spinal injuries can result in severe neurological deficits and permanent disability.
Explore →Amputation Injuries
Crush forces and severe extremity trauma can result in traumatic or medically necessary amputation.
Explore →Crush Injuries
The weight and structure of commercial vehicles can cause devastating compression and crush trauma.
Explore →Orthopedic Trauma
Multiple fractures and complex joint injuries can require surgery and lengthy rehabilitation.
Explore →Internal Injuries
High-energy trauma can damage internal organs and other structures even when some injuries are not immediately visible.
Explore →Burn Injuries
Fuel, electrical systems, friction, hazardous cargo, and post-collision fires can cause serious burns.
Explore →Catastrophic Injuries
Permanent disabilities may create lifelong medical, financial, occupational, and personal consequences.
Explore →Frequently Asked Questions
Texas truck accident questions.
Who can be responsible for a truck accident in Texas?
Responsibility depends on the facts. Potentially relevant parties can include a truck driver, motor carrier, employer, truck or trailer owner, maintenance provider, cargo company, equipment manufacturer, or another entity whose conduct contributed to the collision.
What evidence is important after an 18-wheeler accident?
Potential evidence can include photographs, video, witnesses, police documentation, vehicle damage, electronic data, driver logs, qualification records, inspection and maintenance documents, dispatch information, cargo records, and company policies. The available evidence varies by case.
Why should truck accident evidence be preserved quickly?
Vehicles can be repaired or returned to service, electronic information may be overwritten, physical evidence can disappear, and some business records may be retained only for limited periods. Early preservation can therefore be important in a serious commercial vehicle case.
Do federal trucking regulations apply to every truck accident?
No. The rules that apply depend on the vehicle, carrier, operation, cargo, route, and other facts. Commercial motor carriers and drivers may be subject to federal and state safety requirements, but the specific regulations must be evaluated for the particular collision.
How long do I have to file a truck accident lawsuit in Texas?
Texas generally applies a two-year limitations period to many personal injury claims, but exceptions and other deadlines can apply. The practical deadline for preserving important truck and company evidence may be much earlier.
Confidential Consultation
What Happened?
Tell us where the truck collision occurred, what type of commercial vehicle was involved, whether law enforcement responded, what you know about the trucking company, and what injuries and medical treatment followed.
Call833-FOR-PIRI
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