Commercial vehicles, including busses, delivery trucks and taxicabs, are often operated by drivers who are on tight deadlines. Commercial vehicle drivers may be under time constraints to get to the next stop on schedule or to pick up and drop off a load in a certain number of hours. Commercial truck drivers may cut corners or drive recklessly in order to meet their deadlines. When this happens, innocent drivers can be placed in harm’s way and sustain serious injuries.
Austin truck accident lawyers know how intricate truck accident claims can be. We know that every little detail can play a role in how we handle the case, including the type of truck or commercial vehicle that caused the accident.
Tractor Trailer Accidents
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There are two different factors that need to be considered in semi truck accidents, the tractor and the trailer. In many cases, both are owned by the same company. However, that is not always the case. Sometimes, the tractor is owned by an independent driver, while the trailer is owned by a larger company.
Ownership of the vehicle can play into the action we take. Depending on what form of negligence caused the accident, we may take action against the owner of the tractor, the owner of the trailer, or file two separate actions, one against each.
Commercial Vehicle Accidents
Our experience is not limited to 18-wheeler truck accidents. Our law firm also has the strength to handle accidents caused by smaller commercial vehicles, including:
- Delivery trucks
- Delivery vans
- Box trucks
- Pickup trucks
Essentially, any vehicle that caused an accident while making a delivery or while conducting work-related travel, is a commercial vehicle. Our lawyers will take action against the driver, the employer or both. We will take the steps necessary to get compensation for the truck accident victim.
Have You or a Loved One has Been Injured?
There are steps that should be taken after a truck accident, and some of those steps are time-sensitive. Obviously, the priority is to get the necessary medical care. That should be your primary focus. However, there are technical steps that, if taken, can benefit you if you need to file a lawsuit against the truck driver that caused the accident. The most important thing you can do is gather and protect all evidence.
- Semi-truck jackknife accidents
- Semi-truck rear-end collisions
- Semi-truck intersection accidents
Make Certain Evidence is Preserved
Things that you can do include:
- Filing a police report and getting a copy of that police report are important steps. What appears on the police report, provided it is accurate, can play an important role in a truck accident claim.
- Getting information about witnesses, including names, phone numbers and initial statements is critical. This needs to be done very early on, before memories start to fade.
- Getting pictures of the accident scene. Very soon after an accident, the cleanup process begins. While this is important to clear the accident site so that other traffic can get through, it unfortunately erases critical evidence in the process. Photographs can serve as an effective substitute.
- Keeping your vehicle. If a vehicle is fixable, there is the urgent need to get it repaired. However, getting it repaired before it is properly examined means that important details can be lost. If the vehicle is not fixable, it should not be disposed of before it is properly examined.
How the Type of Accident Impacts Our Approach to the Claim
Unfortunately, many truck accidents result in catastrophic injuries. This is due to the sheer size of a semi-truck and the comparative lack of strength offered by most other vehicles on the road.
From a purely legal perspective, one of the major factors that we need to consider is the regulated nature of the trucking industry. Truck drivers have rules to follow. They can only spend a certain amount of time on the road. They can only haul loads of a certain weight. Violations of state and federal laws are often at the heart of trucking accidents of all types.
Violations of truck industry regulations are not the only causes of accidents. Sometimes, investigation reveals that the cause was the truck itself. Perhaps there was a defective part or, more commonly, there was a part that was poorly maintained by the trucking company. We may have to go against a manufacturer or a maintenance provider, if not the trucking company itself. No matter who the opponent is, we are ready to take them on.
You Don’t Have to Build Your Injury Claim Yourself
Preserving evidence is our job. Our attorneys are good at it. We make certain that no detail is overlooked. We gather every important fact that we need to build a case designed to get compensation for a truck accident victim. The sooner we are enlisted, the sooner we can get started building your injury claim.