When a commercial truck, such as a big rig, 18-wheeler, or tractor-trailer strikes a much smaller passenger vehicle, the passenger vehicle's occupants usually sustain injuries. The collision may cause an accident victim's body to strike the vehicle's interior. In the worst truck accident cases, the collision force might even eject the driver or passenger from their vehicle.
If you suffered injuries in a San Antonio truck accident, you should immediately seek the legal help you need. The experienced and compassionate San Antonio truck accident attorneys at DJC Law can assist you with all your legal needs. Our team can aggressively investigate your accident, negotiate with insurance company representatives, or litigate your case in court to an efficient conclusion.
For a free case evaluation and legal consultation with a San Antonio truck accident attorney, please contact our law office and speak with a member of our team.
Why Choose Us for Legal Representation?
We understand you have many choices when selecting an attorney for legal representation following a truck accident. Our firm caters our approach to your unique circumstances.
Unlike many law firms that settle all their cases, we can fearlessly tackle the insurance company head-on and litigate your case in Texas courts if necessary. We are equally comfortable at the settlement negotiation table as at trial.
Let us help you recover the full monetary damages you need following your San Antonio truck accident.
How Much Is My San Antonio Truck Accident Case Worth?
The ultimate value of a truck accident claim or lawsuit in San Antonio depends on the specific accident circumstances and the type of truck accident.
Other factors that may influence a monetary settlement, jury verdict, or arbitration award in a truck accident case include the specific injuries the accident victim suffered, the medical treatment they underwent, the cost of their medical treatment, and whether they missed time from work following their accident.
To be eligible to recover monetary compensation for your truck accident injuries, you must satisfy your legal burden of proof. Ordinarily, you must show fault on the truck driver’s or trucking company's part.
Truck drivers may violate standard traffic laws and motor carrier regulations. Trucking companies sometimes trust their vehicles to known problem drivers.
In addition to proving negligence, you must show that the truck driver or trucking company's breach was an actual and foreseeable cause of your truck accident and the injuries you suffered.
To establish medical causation in your case, we can retain a qualified medical expert to relate your injuries to the truck accident. A medical provider can also establish that one or more of your accident-related injuries are permanent.
You should recover monetary damages if you can satisfy your legal burden of proof. The primary purpose of monetary damages in a truck accident claim or lawsuit is to make you whole again to the greatest extent possible.
First, accident victims can recover monetary compensation for all their accident-related medical costs. Those costs may cover related medical treatment, doctor visits, and physical therapy appointments. Also, if you suffered a permanent injury in your car accident, you can recover compensation for your anticipated medical costs.
Likewise, you can recover lost income compensation if you had to miss time from work after your accident. If you had to switch to a lower-paying, light-duty job, you might recover monetary compensation for your loss of earning capacity.
In addition to these out-of-pocket costs, you can recover monetary damages for your intangible losses. Those damages compensate accident victims for their pain and suffering, loss of spousal companionship, loss of life enjoyment, loss of use of a body part, mental distress, inconvenience, lifetime care costs, permanent disfigurement, or disability.
Our legal team can help you satisfy your legal burden of proof so you can recover monetary damages for your injuries. We can also let you know the approximate value of your case and work to maximize the total compensation you recover through settlement or litigation.
Where Do Truck Accidents Happen in San Antonio?
Unfortunately, truck accidents in San Antonio are an all-too-common occurrence. While these accidents may happen anywhere, some roads and intersections see far more truck accidents than others.
According to reports, some of the most deadly traffic intersections in the San Antonio area include:
- Interstate 10 and Northwest Loop 410
- Interstate 35 and Northeast Loop 410
- Interstate 10 and Loop 1604
- Wurzbach Road and Northwest Loop 410
- Westwood Loop and Alamo Ranch Parkway
- Marzbach Road and Southwest Loop 410
- Culebra Road and Northwest Loop 410
- Highway 16 and West Loop 1604 North
- Rittiman Road and Northeast Loop 410
- Interstate 35 and U.S. 281
- Potranco Road and Highway 151
- Highway 151 and Northwest Loop 410
- Walzem Road and Northeast Loop 410
- Potranco Road and Loop 1604
- Interstate 35 and North Loop 1604 East
- Culebra Road and West Loop 1604 North
- Wetmore Road and Wurzbach Road
- West Military Drive and Highway 151
- Rigsby Avenue and Southeast Loop 410
- San Pedro Avenue and Northwest Loop 410
San Antonio also has numerous dangerous highways with significant truck and tractor-trailer traffic, including:
- Interstate 10
- Interstate 35
- North Interstate Highway 35
- U.S. Route 181
- U.S. Route 90
- U.S. Route 281
- U.S. Route 81
- Texas Route 211
- Interstate 410
- Texas Route 130
- State Highway 151
- Interstate 37
- State Highway 16
- U.S. Route 87
Types of San Antonio Truck Accidents
Truck drivers are more likely to cause serious accidents when they behave negligently under the circumstances. A truck driver is negligent when they fail to act as a reasonable driver should. Violations of traffic laws or federal trucking regulations can cause truck accidents in San Antonio.
Truck drivers must follow all traffic rules like any other, but they often try to skirt the law.
Common traffic law violations include:
- Speeding
- Improper passing
- Following too closely
- Not yielding the right of way
- Failing to signal
- Running traffic lights
- Illegal turns
In addition to the usual traffic laws, commercial drivers must also follow both state and federal motor carrier regulations. These regulations often set load limits for trucks and instruct truck drivers and trucking companies on properly loading and unloading their vehicles.
Regulations also provide instructions for properly securing truck cargo to the truck. Many truck drivers and trucking companies fail to follow these guidelines and procedures, and as a result, they may cause serious accidents that lead to debilitating injuries.
In addition, some truck accidents happen when drivers become fatigued. Trucking companies often offer their drivers financial incentives if they deliver their cargo to its destination before scheduled. As a result, many truck drivers will drive for long hours without taking breaks.
When truck drivers become fatigued, they may lose their ability to concentrate and make severe errors while on the road. If a truck driver falls asleep at the wheel, their vehicle may careen out of control and into the path of another vehicle, causing severe accidents.
At other times, truck accidents happen when drivers do not pay sufficient attention to the road.
Instead of watching the road, a truck driver might:
- Eat and drink
- Talke on the phone (even hands-free is distracting)
- Text or read on their phones
- Take distracting passengers along
- Shave or apply makeup
- Listen to engaging music or audiobooks
Because truckers spend so much time on the road, they might multitask behind the wheel so they do not lose any time toward their destinations. However, in trying to save time, they might cause a severe accident due to distracted driving.
Finally, some truck drivers cause accidents when they drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. An intoxicated truck driver may experience physical and mental symptoms that prevent them from driving carefully.
Alcohol is a depressant that may slow a truck driver's central nervous system. As a result, the driver may experience blurred vision, dizziness, and other physical symptoms that prevent them from driving carefully.
At other times, a truck driver may experience limited concentration, delayed reflexes, and impaired reaction time. As a result, the driver may not brake in time to avoid an accident. Drugs can also dangerously impair truckers.
Types of Truck Crashes
Truck drivers may cause several types of accidents when they are negligent.
Some of the most common accidents that result from truck driver negligence include:
- Tailgate accidents or rear-end collisions, where the front of a truck hits the back of another vehicle
- Broadside or T-bone accidents, where the front of a truck hits the side of another vehicle
- Head-on collisions, where the front of a truck hits the front of an oncoming vehicle
- Sideswipe collisions, where the side of a large truck or tractor-trailer hits the side of a vehicle that is traveling on the same road and in the same direction
- Jackknife accidents, where the tractor and trailer portions of a large truck fold inward, striking other vehicles in the truck's path
- Rollover accidents, where a large truck rolls over in the middle of the road, causing oncoming vehicles to collide with it.
You are not alone if you sustain injuries in any of these truck accidents that resulted from driver negligence if you seek experienced legal representation as quickly as possible.
At DJC Law, our skilled team of attorneys can immediately investigate your case and gather the documents necessary to file a personal injury claim on your behalf. We can then negotiate fair compensation from the insurance adjuster handling your claim.
Common Injuries in San Antonio Truck Collisions
Drivers and passengers who are involved in truck accidents may suffer severe injuries.
Some of the most common injuries that truck accident victims may suffer include:
- Eye injuries
- Soft tissue contusions
- Bone fractures
- Rib fractures
- Traumatic head and brain injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Mouth and teeth injuries
- Open lacerations
- Spinal cord damage
- Paralysis
If you sustained any of these injuries in a truck accident, our legal team can begin gathering the necessary documents to prove your claim while you focus on getting better.
Fighting the Insurance Company After a San Antonio Truck Crash
In most situations following a truck accident, your attorney will deal with the insurance company for the at-fault truck driver or trucking company. However, insurance companies want to offer as little monetary compensation as possible to settle their claims.
Our experienced attorneys can aggressively negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf and pursue the highest monetary compensation available to you. We can do this by highlighting the strengths of your medical records and, if necessary, retaining a skilled medical provider to testify in your case.
What to Do After a Truck Accident in San Antonio
Following a San Antonio truck accident, you can streamline the process by:
- Completing all your medical treatment and following through with all your medical provider’s treatment recommendations.
- Gathering important case documents, including police reports, accident scene photos, injury photos, witness statements, medical records, and medical bills
- Forwarding those documents to us for review.
Speak With an Experienced San Antonio Truck Accident Lawyer Today
If you suffered injuries in a San Antonio truck accident, the experienced legal team at DJC Law is here to assist with all your legal needs. For a free case evaluation and legal consultation with a personal injury law firm in San Antonio, please call us at (210) 220-2222 or contact us online.