Flatbed trucks are a common sight on Texas’s roadways, seen everywhere, from interstate highways to community streets. The prevalence of these large trucks also means that accidents involving them are more common than you might expect. The injuries semi truck accident victims sustain in such crashes are often severe and life-altering.

If you suffered an injury in a flatbed truck accident, contact Burch Law Firm for a free case review with an experienced truck accident lawyer. Attorney Troy Burch has practiced law in and represented residents of New Braunfels and the surrounding communities since 1990. Attorney Travis Steel has lived his entire life in New Braunfels and treats his clients like the friends and family they are. During your initial consultation, Attorney Burch or Attorney Steel will explain your legal options and answer any questions you have about seeking the compensation you deserve.

How Can an Experienced Truck Accident Lawyer Help Me?

A Texas flatbed truck accident lawyer can help you seek the compensation you deserve by handling every step of your personal injury, including the following:

  • Identifying Liable Parties – The commercial trucking industry involves many moving parts. Trucking companies, commercial truck drivers, cargo loaders, and other parties may contribute to truck crashes. An experienced truck accident attorney can investigate the accident to identify all liable parties to give you the best chance of recovering the compensation you need.
  • Collecting Evidence – To support your case, your trucking accident attorney can collect evidence, including accident scene photographs, eyewitness statements, traffic camera footage, and expert witness testimony.
  • Calculating Your Losses – Our Texas truck accident lawyers can assess your case’s value, using your past medical bills to estimate your future medical expenses, calculating your lost wages, and evaluating your pain and suffering.
  • Negotiating with the Insurance Company – Our experienced truck accident lawyers will negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf to seek a fair settlement that covers all of your expenses. Without an attorney on your side, the insurance company may try to take advantage of you by providing lowball settlement offers.
  • Filing Your Lawsuit – Your attorney will file your lawsuit within the two-year deadline laid out in Texas’ statute of limitations for personal injuries.
  • Representing You at Trial – Your attorney can take your case to trial and seek the maximum compensation for your injuries if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement.

What Is a Flatbed Truck?

A flatbed truck is a large commercial truck that carries cargo on a bed without sides. These commercial trucks can be single-unit vehicles, like flatbed tow trucks, where the truck’s cab and bed are permanently connected, or semi-trucks, where the flatbed trailer can detach from the truck cab.

What Do Flatbed Trucks Carry?

Flatbed trucks in Texas carry a wide variety of cargo, from manufactured goods to construction equipment to debris. Some of the most common types of cargo include:

  • Lumber – Flatbed trucks carry lumber at various stages of the lumber-making process. They carry logs to lumber mills and milled lumber to retailers and construction sites.
  • Vehicles – Flatbeds often carry vehicles, including both new and damaged vehicles. Rather than driving new vehicles separately to a dealership, a single flatbed can carry multiple vehicles simultaneously. Flatbeds are also frequently used to take damaged vehicles to repair shops or junkyards.
  • Construction Equipment – Flatbeds carrying construction equipment, including bulldozers, excavators, and prefabricated construction materials, are frequent sights on Texas’ roads.
  • Rolled Materials – Flatbed trucks often carry manufacturing and other materials, particularly those that can be stored in large rolls. Examples of these materials include hay, sheet metal, and paper.

Dangers Involving Flatbed Trailers

Flatbed trailers pose significant risks to motorists, their passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists due to securement issues, limited visibility, heavy payloads, and limited maneuverability. These factors play a significant role in truck accident cases.

Securement

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) publishes cargo securement rules for flatbeds operating nationwide. These rules include how much acceleration and deceleration cargo should withstand without moving, the types of straps, chains, or netting used for different kinds of cargo, and the weight and size limits for flatbed trucks.

When flatbed cargo isn’t properly secured, it can fall off the truck, striking other vehicles or causing a hazard in the roadway. It can also cause the truck’s weight to shift, leading to dangerous rollover or jackknife accidents.

Limited Visibility

Flatbeds carrying oversized loads can obstruct the view of other motorists who may not see other vehicles behind or beside the truck. Flatbed truck drivers may also have a hard time seeing where the edges of their cargo are, which can lead to semi truck accidents when turning or changing lanes.

Heavy Payload

Flatbed trucks often carry heavy cargo, including construction equipment, machinery, and materials. The more weight a large truck carries, the longer the distance the truck requires to stop. This weight can increase the risk of rear-end accidents and the severity of the injuries sustained by truck accident victims.

Limited Maneuverability

Large flatbed trucks require more room to make turns, especially right turns. This is why you’ll often see these large trucks swing out wide before turning. Unfortunately, if the truck driver isn’t paying attention to their surroundings, this can cause accidents in which smaller vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians suffer devastating or fatal injuries.

What Types of Injuries Do Flatbed Truck Accident Victims Suffer?

Due to the dangers identified above associated with a trucking accident involving a flatbed truck, serious injuries tend to result. Common injuries truck accident victims suffer include:

If you suffered any of these severe injuries, reach out to our experienced truck accident attorneys for a free case review. We can discuss your potential Texas truck accident claim in a confidential setting.

Financial Compensation You Can Recover in a Truck Accident Lawsuit

If you suffered an injury caused by a flatbed truck, you can seek compensation for your various losses through a truck accident claim or lawsuit, including for the following:

  • Medical Expenses – Compensation for your past and future medical expenses, including surgeries, medical treatments, prescription medications, and physical therapy
  • Lost Wages – Compensation for the income and work benefits you lost or will lose because of your injuries
  • Pain and Suffering – Compensation for the physical pain and emotional suffering you experience because of your injuries
  • Permanent Disability – Compensation for accommodating your permanent disabilities caused by the accident, including by modifying your home or vehicle
  • Scarring and Disfigurement – Compensation for permanent scarring and disfigurement to your head, face, and neck caused by the commercial vehicle accident
  • Loss of Consortium – Compensation for your spouse for the impact your injuries have on your relationship; spouses can also seek compensation for loss of consortium after fatal truck accidents

Contact Burch Law Firm Today for a Free Case Review

If you were injured in an accident involving a flatbed truck in Texas, contact Burch Law Firm for a free case review with an experienced member of our truck accident law firm. We’ll go over your legal options for seeking compensation and answer any questions you have.