Fort Worth Truck Accident Attorneys With Experience

What are Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations?

Commercial trucking companies are regulated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a department created by Congress in an effort to reduce injuries and accidents caused by large trucks and buses. Generally, trucks weighing over 10,000 pounds are subject to FMCSA regulations.

One of these regulations limits the hours of driving per day. Under current FMCSA rules, commercial drivers can be behind the wheel up to 11 hours per day. Drivers must also take a 30-minute break after every eight hours of driving. Prospective truck drivers are also required mandatory training under these rules.

Failure to adhere to any FMCSA regulations, whether by the truck driver or the trucking company, can result in accidents and crashes that cause catastrophic or fatal injuries.

What are common injuries in Fort Worth semi-truck crashes?

With about 118,000 commercial truck accidents in 2019, 5,000 of them fatal, tractor-trailer collisions cause thousands of serious injuries each year. The forces involved in a large truck crash cause much more damage than a typical motor vehicle accident, putting the occupants in passenger cars at a heightened risk of injury or death.

Injuries from commercial truck collisions tend to be catastrophic, meaning they require hospitalization, surgery, and may cause long-term disability and pain. These can include spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, head and neck injuries, burn injuries, loss of limb and amputation, hearing and vision loss, and severe internal injuries.

Catastrophic injuries, common after serious traffic crashes, have life-altering consequences to a victim. The after-effects of these types of injuries can cause loss of ability to work, long-term physical therapy, medical treatments, assistive devices or prosthetics, multiple surgeries, or a lifetime of home assistance or care. In addition to the massive expenses involved, catastrophic injury survivors also experience emotional pain and suffering.

The attorneys at Slack Davis Sanger work to ensure the at-fault party (or parties) are held completely accountable for the harm they caused you or your loved one.

Who is liable in a tractor-trailer crash?

A collision involving a semi-truck can be complex due to the potential multiple parties involved. Because most truck drivers are on the job when an accident occurs, liable parties can include the:

Our team of attorneys works to investigate every aspect of your case to find all parties responsible for your accident and injuries. When you work with Slack Davis Sanger, you can rest assured that we will uncover every detail about what led up to the crash that injured you or your loved one.

What should I do after a Fort Worth truck accident?

If you’re involved in a crash with a semi-truck, take these steps to protect your safety:

Call 911 or the police immediately. Authorities can summon emergency vehicles to the scene, direct traffic away from the accident, and write a police report about the incident. You will need this report later for your insurance company as well as for any later legal claim. It will also contain valuable information about the other vehicle or vehicles involved in the wreck.

If possible, move your vehicle off the road. Texas law requires you to move damaged vehicles off the road – but only if you can do so without interfering with traffic or worsening your or someone else’s injuries. Your vehicle may also have suffered too much damage from the 18-wheeler to be moved. If you can move your vehicle, move it just to the shoulder or side of the road. Do not leave the scene.

Collect as much evidence as you can. If you are able, take as many photos as you can of the scene. This evidence will provide extremely valuable in court. Important pieces of evidence include: the license plate of the truck, damage to both vehicles, the overall accident scene, any skid marks or other notable features from the scene, your injuries, and contact information from witnesses.

Seek medical care. After any accident, but especially after one with a large truck, you should get evaluated by a medical professional as soon as possible. Because some injuries may not symptomize until later, especially brain and internal injuries, a physical exam can prevent existing injuries from worsening and increasing your chances of making a full recovery. Further, these medical records will help document your treatment for your legal claim.

Consult with experienced attorneys. The legal team at Slack Davis Sanger can consult you on your next steps, which includes notifying your insurance company and determining who is at fault for the accident and your injuries and losses. We protect you from lowball settlements from the trucking company’s insurance company, ensuring that the court understands the full extent of your injuries, pain, and suffering.