How Compensation Works for Truck Accidents in Texas
Passenger vehicles share the road with a large proportion of commercial trucks. That’s the overarching conclusion reached in multiple studies, including one published by the American Trucking Association (ATA), the largest and most comprehensive national trade association for the U.S. trucking industry. It revealed that approximately 13.4 million single-unit and combination trucks were registered in the U.S. in 2021, representing 5% of all registered motor vehicles on the road. For those unfamiliar with these kinds of vehicles, single-unit trucks have a single frame with two or three axles and an overall length of at least 19 feet. Delivery trucks, haul vehicles, recreational vehicles (RVs), and motor homes are examples of single-unit trucks.
Combination trucks are much larger than their single-unit counterparts and consist of a tractor unit and an attached trailer. Altogether, these trucks are 53 to 75 feet long and weigh between 35,000 and 80,000 pounds. Semi-trailer, double-trailer, and triple-trailer trucks are examples of combination trucks, and individuals operating them must possess a commercial driver’s license (CDL). Large single-unit and combination trucks are instrumental in moving small packages, which are shipments weighing 150 pounds or less, and freight, which are larger shipments weighing 150 pounds and up to 15,000 pounds, all across the country.
How Large Trucks Keep America Moving
From FedEx and UPS to Knight-Swift Transport and YRC Worldwide and everything in between, trucks transport over 72% of the nation’s freight by weight. But it’s about more than merely moving small packages and freight shipments from one destination to another. Trucking is big business.
According to the American Trucking Association, the collective trucking industry generated $940.8 billion in gross freight revenue in 2022, a feat they accomplished by transporting an estimated 11.46 billion tons of freight. That works out to roughly 72.6% of total domestic tonnage shipped. The same ATA study notes that single-unit and combination trucks traveled over 327 billion miles on U.S. roadways to pick up and deliver small packages and freight shipments in 2022. But those pick-ups and drop-offs didn’t always go off without a hitch. Many of those large, not to mention heavy, commercial trucks that keep America moving were involved in traffic accidents.
A Closer Look at Truck Accidents in the U.S.
Because of their enormous size and weight, large commercial trucks can cause considerable damage when they crash into passenger vehicles or even other trucks. Unfortunately, such crashes are not uncommon, according to a study published by Forbes. It revealed that around 523,796 trucks were involved in accidents across the U.S. in 2021, up from the roughly 415,444 reported in 2020. Common causes for these accidents included the following:
- Careless driving
- Distracted driving
- Driving under the influence
- Poor weather conditions
- Speeding
While truck accidents do cause considerable damage, they result in fewer fatalities than accidents involving passenger vehicles. A study from Forbes revealed that only 1% of truck accidents reported in 2020 and 2021 resulted in a fatality. That’s about 4,444 deaths caused by truck accidents in 2020 and around 5,237 in 2021. By comparison, 23,914 and 26,325 people.&In%202021%20there%20were%2026%2C325,increase%20from%2023%2C914%20in%202020.) lost their lives in passenger vehicle accidents during the same timeframe. Nonetheless, some states experience more annual truck accidents than others. One of those states is Texas, say truck accident lawyers in Houston, Dallas, and many other cities in the Lonestar State.
What More People Should Know About Trucking Accidents in Texas
According to truck accident attorneys in Texas, along with data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), approximately 17% of people killed in truck accidents in Texas in 2022 were truck drivers and truck occupants. Around 66% were occupants in passenger vehicles, and an estimated 16% were pedestrians, bicyclists, or motorcyclists. Data from IIHS further shows that around 49% of the truck accidents reported in 2022 occurred on major roads other than interstates and freeways. About 35% occurred on interstates and freeways, and around 16% occurred on minor roads. Speeding, driving under the influence, distracted driving, or careless driving were factors in most of these accidents.
Studies Show That More Truck Accidents Occur in Houston Than Any Other City in the Lonestar State
Truck accidents are common across Texas, but Houston seems to experience more than its fair share, according to attorneys well-versed in seeking compensation for truck accidents. And the reasons for this are many. Along with the same factors that cause trucking accidents nationwide, driver fatigue, companies hiring inexperienced and unqualified drivers, and drivers repeatedly violating Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations are responsible for many trucking accidents in Houston. Most of the truck accidents that resulted in over 2,835 injuries and 41 fatalities in Houston in 2022 occurred on the following roadways:
- Interstate 10
- Interstate 45
- Interstate 610
- Sam Houston Parkway
- U.S. 59, U.S. 288, U.S. 290, and U.S. 225
The Financial Impact of Trucking Accidents
Being involved in a truck accident can take a tremendous toll on someone, both physically and psychologically. It can also do a number on them financially. Across the trucking and shipping industry, the total cost of truck-involved accidents, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, is as follows:
- Fatal crashes – $3,604,518 per crash
- Non-fatal injury crashes – $195,258
- Property damage-only crashes – $15,114
The amount someone is eligible to receive in compensation if they are involved in an accident with a truck can vary depending on the cause of the accident, who was at fault, and the type and severity of the injuries sustained. For example, the cost associated with a truck accident where a driver was speeding would be much higher than one caused by a mechanical defect. Likewise, the cost of accidents that result in severe injuries, such as bone fractures, traumatic brain injury (TBI), or spinal cord injury, are significantly higher than those that involve less severe injuries. While we are on the topic, common truck accidents in Houston, Dallas, and many other cities in Texas include jackknife accidents, wide-turn crashes, and deadly rollover collisions, all of which increase the risk of severe injuries.
Why You Should Seek Compensation if You Were Involved in a Truck Accident
Whether you were severely injured, had your vehicle destroyed, or both following a truck accident, you should seek compensation. Doing so can help you recover damages to cover medical expenses, the cost to repair or replace your damaged vehicle, and lost wages if the accident left you unable to work. And it does not end there; you may also be eligible to receive non-economic damages. That means receiving compensation for one or more of the following:
- Emotional distress
- Loss of consortium
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering
To improve your chances of receiving the compensation you deserve following a truck accident, you should hire an experienced truck accident attorney. A FedEx truck accident lawyer or an Amazon truck accident lawyer can help you decide whether it might be best to settle or argue your case if you were in an accident with a driver operating a vehicle from one of these companies. They can also give you an idea of how much compensation you might be eligible to receive based on your injuries, damage to your vehicle, and so on.
What You Should Know About Filing a Compensation Claim Following a Truck Accident in Texas
If you’re remotely interested in filing a compensation claim after being involved in a truck accident in Houston, time is of the essence. The statute of limitations to file such a claim is two years. Also, Texas is an at-fault state, which means that the at-fault party is liable for all accident-related expenses to all injury victims involved in an accident. Also, multiple parties can potentially be at fault in a truck accident.
According to many FedEx Truck accident attorneys and even some USPS truck accident attorneys, it is not uncommon for an operator and trucking company to both be at fault for causing an accident. An example of this would be a trucking company not properly maintaining a vehicle and the driver operating it is speeding, driving while under the influence, or engaging in other dangerous behavior before a crash. Other parties that can be at fault in a truck accident, according to many Amazon and USPS truck accident lawyers, include the following:
- Any company that may have loaded the truck before it was involved in a crash
- Driver of another vehicle involved in the wreck
- Trucking component manufacturers
- Truck manufacturers
Can You File a Compensation Claim in Texas Without Hiring an Attorney?
While it is possible to file a personal injury claim in Texas without an attorney, doing so is not recommended. And there are several reasons why. Insurance companies have lawyers looking out for their best interests. Having an experienced and licensed personal injury attorney in your corner not only evens the playing field but also lowers your chances of making costly mistakes, such as not seeking medical attention after the accident, not gathering sufficient evidence, blindly accepting a settlement, and waiting too long to file a claim. Having a personal injury attorney also makes it less likely that an insurance company for the truck driver, trucking company, and other related parties will try to undervalue your claim. Long story short, the likelihood of getting the compensation you deserve increases significantly when you have a personal injury attorney in your corner.
In summary, sharing the roadways with large single-unit and combination trucks is a necessary evil for most of us. And sometimes, accidents happen. Bearing that in mind, if you have been in an accident with one of these vehicles, you should hire an attorney well-versed in personal injury law as soon as possible.