Texas Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

More than 1,700 trucks were taken out of commission due to safety violations during the three-day Roadcheck 2010 operation conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Over the three day operation, which ran from June 8 to June 10, DPS troopers checked 6,909 commercial vehicles statewide and 1,738 were taken out of service because safety violations were discovered that required immediate repairs, officials said.

In addition to the trucks, 160 drivers' licenses were suspended for violations, including not properly tracking hours, and driving with suspended or expired driver licenses.

In just three days officers wrote citations for the following citations to 18-wheeler and other commercial truck drivers:

900 brakes out of adjustment;
702 brake system problems;
322 light malfunctions;
283 tire or wheel issues; and
5 tickets for seat belt violations.

Trucking companies know that their trucks are in violation and pose a danger to other motorists, but to save money, they let them drive anyway. I applaud the DPS officers who participated in this operation to help keep everyone safe, and I sponsor the Truck Safety Coalition in their efforts as well.

Based on the findings in this study, more than one out of every ten commercial vehicles in Texas is driving with faulty brakes. If you have to stop suddenly while driving in front of an 18-wheeler, theres a one in ten chance his brakes will have problems and putting you or your family at risk of severe injuries or death.

If someone is towing 80,000 pounds behind me, I want to know that they will be able to stop without hitting me. Huge tractor trailers are hard to stop even with perfect brakes. When they have bad brakes they're a threat to everyone.

I represented a woman who was rear ended by a water truck after hitting her brakes to avoid rear ended a stopped car parked in her lane. I sued the trucking company and in the driver's deposition got him to admit that he was looking down to adjust his radio, and that his truck was 5,000 miles past a required inspection. The case settled for a lot of money shortly after the depositions.

An 18-wheeler accidentally became a 10-wheeler early Tuesday morning when the back wheel assembly came completely off the trailer! The trailer was resting at a 45-degree angle on the northbound lanes of I-35E near the Laureland exit. Thankfully no one was hurt in the accident, but the 18 wheeler blocked rush hour traffic for several hours.

Accidents such as this are often due to the lack of proper truck maintenance. Drivers and the owners of the trucks are supposed to inspect their rigs regularly but they often don't. The authorities have not yet released why the trailer lost 8 wheels, but I'm sure the accident could of been avoided if the owner of the truck would of practiced preventative maintenance.

Many semi trucks now come equipped with what is know as the "black box." The black box is essentially an electronic data recorder that monitors and reports information when certain things happen.

Typically, in the event of a sudden change in velocity or impact a black box will record some or all of the following information: brake application, RPM, truck speed, gear, and other important accident reconstruction information.
Not all trucks are equipped with a black box. An experienced truck accident lawyer will know which 18-wheelers have the event recorders and which do not.

It takes a special technician to download the crash data from the black box or event recorder. It's important to hire an experienced truck accident lawyer soon after your accident because the trucking company may try and delete the material before you can gain access to it. The data in the black box can help explain what happened in the accident and give us concrete data to show the insurance company.

If you or a family member has been seriously injured in an 18-wheeler accident, obtaining the black box information can be critical to the success of your case. The driver of the 18-wheeler may try and lie about the wreck, but the black box data will help us recreate the accident and prove what really happened.

Call me at (817) 885-8000 and I will further explain the ways in which we can help you recover the maximum amount for your injuries.

Last Friday in Houston, a tanker truck carrying almost 9000 gallons of fuel exploded as it headed west on a service road of the North Sam Houston Tollway. As the tanker truck was driving, a car ran a red light and forced the truck to swerve. When the tanker veered it crashed into a passenger van. The impact of the truck accident caused the semi tanker to rollover on its side and burst into flames. Fuel poured from the tanker, feeding the fire and spilling into the drains of the sewer system.

The fire burned so hot that It took firemen almost an hour to put the blaze out. The driver of the car that ran the red light and caused the collision was treated and stabilized at the scene before being transported to a Houston Hospital. The driver of the tanker truck was thankfully unharmed.

If you have been involved in an 18-wheeler accident, it's imperative that you hire an attorney with experience handling truck accidents. I've been handling truck accident cases for over 30 years and work hard to get my clients all the money they deserve.

I was able to obtain a $1,500,000.00 aggregate gross settlement for the family of Robert Walters, a wonderful young commercial tow truck driver who was tragically killed in 2005 as he was underneath a stalled 18 wheeler on 135 north of Denton.

Contact me at 817-885-8000 if you have been involved in a truck accident and I will explain the different ways you can be compensated for your injuries.

I am deeply saddened and angered by the news that three more innocent people have been lost because of the negligent driving of an 18-wheeler driver.

Three people in a Toyota 4Runner SUV were killed when their vehicle burst into flames after being rear-ended by an 18-wheeler in Kaufman County. Two of the people killed in the horrific event were on their way to a family reunion for the memorial day weekend.
The driver of the 18-wheeler could of stopped if he was paying attention and could have prevented this tragedy.

I recently took a case in which my client was negligently side swiped by an 18-wheeler. My clients truck got wedged between the trailer and the cab of the big rig and my client was drug for more than 900 feet before the truck driver finally stopped! The 18-wheeler driver then tried to flee the scene, thankfully he was caught. My client sustained serious back injuries, lost his job, and had to have several surgeries as a result of the wreck.

18-wheelers are dangerous vehicles if driven negligently. I support the Truck Safety Coalition, an organization that lobby's for new laws that will make the roads safer by cracking down on negligent truck drivers. The Coalition sponsors laws that outlaw truckers from texting and driving.

Hopefully this tragic accident accident will serve as reminder to truck drivers everywhere that they need to pay attention and stay alert when they drive.