New Braunfels Semi Truck Accident Lawyer

Common Causes of New Braunfels Truck Crashes

Some of the most common causes of truck crashes in New Braunfels and surrounding areas include:

• Distracted driving, including texting or talking on a cell phone, eating, drinking, adjusting the GPS or dials in the truck, or talking to passengers or on the radio
• Fatigued driving caused by working long hours or not taking mandatory rest breaks
• Impaired driving caused by illicit, prescription, or over-the-counter drugs or alcohol
• Inexperienced drivers due to under-staffing problems at the trucking company
• Defective truck parts or improper maintenance, such as brakes that do not stop quickly enough, suspension problems that make it difficult to maintain control of the vehicle, or blown tires
• Cargo shifts due to the truck not being loaded properly

What Makes Truck Accidents More Complicated Than Other Types of Personal Injury Cases

Truck accidents are often much more complicated than other types of motor vehicle accident cases because they may involve:

• Multiple parties – Truck accidents may involve many different parties, all of which might try to deny liability and blame others. First, there is the truck driver who caused the accident. Then, there is the trucking company that employs the driver. There may be a different person who owns the truck and yet another who owns the trailer attached to the truck. Another company might be responsible for loading the truck. Maintenance might also be outsourced to still yet another party. It can be difficult to determine which parties contributed to the accident. An experienced commercial truck accident lawyer can conduct a thorough investigation to establish liability.
• Complex laws and regulations – Trucking companies must comply with different state and federal laws that do not apply to drivers of standard passenger vehicles. If they violate these laws, they might be financially responsible for the harm you have suffered but only if you can show the link between their violations and your injuries.
• Immediate defense tactics – Trucking companies invest tons of money into having aggressive insurance companies and defense attorneys at their disposal in case of a crash. You might encounter immediate denials and pushback from them if you try to handle your claim on your own, which is why it is so critical to have the help of an experienced 18-wheeler accident lawyer.

What Should I Do If I’m in a Truck Accident?

The experienced truck accident attorneys at Burch Law Firm have over a quarter-century of legal experience in personal injury law. We have found that taking the following steps can protect you and your claim:

Don’t Move Your Vehicle

Unless it’s unsafe to do so, keep your vehicle in the same spot where the crash happened. The location of the vehicles might help prove how the collision occurred. By keeping the vehicles in the same location, police can note this information in the official report, which can help support your claim against the trucking company.

Call 911

Contact 911 immediately and let them know if anyone was injured so an ambulance can be sent to the scene. Police will also respond and start an accident report, which you can request once it is prepared. Ask the responding officer how you can get a copy of the report.

Request Contact Information from Witnesses

Eyewitness testimony can be valuable in a truck accident case. Ask anyone who saw the accident for their contact information so your truck accident lawyer can follow up with them later.

Gather Evidence at the Scene

Trucking companies are notorious for quickly descending upon an accident scene and concluding that the collision was not their fault. Don’t let them get away with this. Take steps to immediately document the scene of the accident. If you can’t take pictures yourself, ask someone else to take photos of:

• The location of the vehicles
• The accident scene
• Your injuries
• Information that identifies the truck, truck driver, and trucking company

Seek Medical Treatment

See a medical provider as soon as possible. Some MVA injuries may take some time to pop up. Do not delay your treatment. Consult a doctor for a quick and accurate diagnosis.

Search for a Truck Accident Attorney Near Me

An experienced commercial truck accident lawyer like those at the Burch Law Firm has decades of experience handling complicated truck crash claims. We can handle communications with the insurance company and other parties involved while you concentrate on your recovery.

What Do I Need to Prove in My Truck Accident Case?

Simply being involved in a truck accident does not mean you have a valid truck accident claim. You must be able to prove the following to collect compensation for your injuries:

• Duty of care – Truck drivers have a legal duty to operate their vehicles safely and follow all relevant state and federal laws. Trucking companies also have certain obligations, including carefully selecting qualified drivers, following proper loading protocol, and drug and alcohol testing.
• Breach of duty – When truck drivers or companies violate any of their duties, they breach the duty of care.
• Causation – You must link the breach of duty and the crash. You must be able to show that the truck driver’s or company’s actions or inactions caused the crash.
• Damages – The crash must have caused your injuries or other losses.

A truck accident attorney in Texas can help you gather evidence to prove all of the above legal elements.

Compensation Recoverable in a Texas Truck Accident Case

When another party’s negligence causes harm, the accident victim generally has the right to pursue compensation for the losses they have incurred, such as:

How Long Do I Have to File a Truck Injury Claim?

Texas’ statute of limitations generally gives you two years from the date of the accident to file a truck accident claim. If a governmental truck was involved in the accident, the time to file your claim might be drastically reduced.

Even if you have the full two-year statute of limitations, it is critical that you do not delay in reaching out to a truck accident attorney for help. Your lawyer can take immediate steps to investigate the truck accident and preserve evidence that might otherwise get lost or destroyed. For example, your lawyer may be able to take or develop pictures or videos that show skid marks, broken glass, and property damage while it is fresh. They may notify the trucking company of the legal claim and instruct them not to delete information from event data recorders or onboard cameras. They can also identify witnesses and get their statements.

The sooner you contact a qualified truck accident lawyer, the sooner your lawyer can get to work on your case and begin pursuing the compensation you deserve.