In many ways, accidents involving a large truck are like accidents involving smaller passenger vehicles.
Basically, if the truck driver is responsible for the accident, then they or their insurance carrier will have to pay compensation to the victims according to Texas law. This compensation will include things like medical bills, lost income and additional payments for pain and suffering or other non-economic losses.
However, there are a lot of things about truck accidents that make them more complicated than other types of accidents.
- Because there is a big difference between the size of a truck and the size of a typical personal vehicle, truck accidents more often involve severe injuries, like traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries.
- There is a lot more at stake financially for the trucking company and their insurance carriers as well. The case may even have more than one insurance carrier involved, and the limits on policies for truckers are usually high, often at or greater than $1 million.
- Trucks are complicated machines that operate differently from automobiles.
- Truckers and the companies which hire them are responsible to follow a number of different safety rules and regulations which would not apply to personal vehicles. Their failure to do so might have contributed to a victim’s injuries.
- There can be many different people responsible for a victim’s injuries. In addition to the truck driver and the truck driver’s employer, other businesses may have roles in the accident. The victim can pursue compensation against all parties who are responsible for their injuries.
A victim of a truck accident will want to understand their legal options
Because these accidents are different in a lot of ways, a Houston-area victim of a trucking accident will want to be sure that they understand all of their legal options and alternatives.
They will also need to make sure that their claim gets thoroughly and properly investigated.
In these respects, having an experienced legal professional with knowledge of both Texas and federal trucking laws and the ends and outs of a truck accident claim can be very helpful.