Accidents involving commercial trucks are among the most serious accidents to occur on the roadways in Texas and nationwide. Eighteen wheelers are massive vehicles that weigh easily 20 to 30 times the average passenger motor vehicle. Given the size and weight of these massive commercial vehicles, when they collide with a car or SUV the result is often catastrophic. Truck accident victims may experience a wide array of devastating injuries or death. Due to the severity of many truck accident injuries, truck accident victims will want to engage the assistance of an experienced commercial truck accident lawyer as soon as possible after the crash.
Causes of Truck Accidents
Truck accidents can be caused by any number of circumstances, most often stemming from truck driver negligence. Truck accidents may happen when a truck driver fails to obey road rules, including running red lights or tailgating. Accidents could occur if a truck driver is overly fatigued, distracted, or intoxicated. Other times, accidents are the result of mechanical issues, such as brake or tire failure.
Liability For Truck Accidents
Negligence is the leading cause of commercial truck accidents in the state of Texas as well as nationally. Negligence is defined as the failure to exercise caution such that a reasonably prudent person would under the same or similar circumstances. To have a viable truck accident claim, the accident victim must prove that the driver had a duty to the injured person, this duty was breached, and the breach resulted in injury.
All truck drivers have an automatic legal duty to drive reasonably. A breach of that duty can occur due to careless driving, speeding, texting and driving, drunk driving, or other behaviors. With these factors met, the accident victim must prove that the driver’s behavior was the proximate cause of the accident and they in turn sustained damages, which will be found if any serious injuries or property damage was sustained.
Truck Accident Injuries
Injuries caused by truck accidents are often severe and at times life-threatening. The passengers of smaller cars and SUVs could sustain broken bones, head trauma, lacerations, internal organ damage, and death. At times, a truck accident will lead to a fire, which may cause burns and disfigurement. Truck accident victims or their families should seek the assistance of a truck accident attorney right after the crash to protect their legal rights.
