Texas Tractor-Trailer Accident Lawyer

Texas Tractor-Trailer Accident Attorney

Have You Been In a Tractor-Trailer Accident in Texas?

Tractor-trailers are known by a myriad of names, including semis, big rigs, and 18-wheelers. No matter what name they go by, they are a force to be reckoned with on Texas roadways – and really interstates across the country. The average tractor-trailer, when fully loaded, weighs approximately 80,000 pounds, while the average car weighs a little over 4,000 pounds.

When the two collide, that’s a huge difference which typically results in the driver and passengers of the car suffering catastrophic injuries. If this has happened to you, contact our Texas tractor-trailer accident lawyers at (713) 535-7051.

Injuries Common In A Tractor-Trailer Accident in Texas

While there are a number of injuries that can result from a tractor-trailer accident, some of the more common injuries seen by our Texas tractor-trailer accident lawyer include:

Spinal Cord Injuries

The spinal cord is basically a bundle of nerves that goes down the center of the back. These nerves transmit information from your brain to the rest of the body. The nerves are surrounded by bone to protect them from any type of damage.

However, when there is severe trauma to the spinal cord, such as the trauma caused by an accident involving a tractor-trailer, the bone covering may not be enough to protect the nerves. The result is typically a form of paralysis. Which form is decided by where on the spinal cord the injury occurs, and whether or not the injury causes a partial or complete break in the nerves. There may be loss of motion and feeling in one or all limbs.

Brain Injuries

Brain injuries range in severity, and can cause a full range of symptoms. In many brain injuries that occur in tractor-trailer accidents, the injury occurs when the impact of the collision causes the brain to bounce around inside the skull. The brain can suffer bruising and swelling caused by its impact with the skull.

Burn Injuries

Tractor-trailer’s require a massive amount of fuel to operate, and that fuel is kept in large tanks. Tractor-trailers are also used to transport flammable materials. For these reasons, when there is a collision involving a tractor-trailer in Texas, the impact may cause the victims of the crash to suffer burns. Burns can range in severity from a superficial wound to a third-degree wound requiring skin grafts and causing disfigurement.

Amputations

A limb may be severed from the body during the actual tractor-trailer crash or later, when the victim is receiving medical care, and it becomes obvious that it is necessary to amputate it. Amputations are typically necessary because the limb was crushed in the accident and is unable to be repaired, or because the limb has become infected and the amputation is necessary to prevent the infection from spreading.

Disfigurement

Disfigurement is a catch-all term used to describe injuries that affect a person’s outward appearance. It can be a scar from a burn, or a missing limb from an amputation. A person that has been disfigured in a tractor-trailer accident typically has psychological and emotional issues from the disfigurement.

Fractures & Broken Bones

The force of impact in an accident with a tractor-trailer often results in fractures and broken bones, including bones that are not easy to break, such as thigh bones and hip bones. Such breaks and fractures can cause life-long complications.

Wrongful Death

Sometimes, the accident was just too severe, and the person involved in the accident with the tractor-trailer succumbs to their injuries. When their death was caused by the negligence of another entity, their loss of life may be considered a wrongful death, and their surviving loved ones may be able to seek financial compensation for their loss. If this has happened to your family member, and you are considering a wrongful death action, you need the guidance of a Texas truck accident lawyer at the Merritt & Merritt Law Firm.

Types of Tractor-Trailer Accidents in Texas

Some of the most common types of tractor-trailer accidents seen by our Texas tractor-trailer accident lawyers include:

Rollover Accidents

With a high center of gravity, and loads that are often not stable, tractor-trailer rollover accidents occur far too often. Direct causes of rollover accidents can be anything that causes one side of the vehicle to rise, or drop, suddenly. Examples include high winds and turning too quickly. Improperly loaded cargo is also a major contributor to these types of accidents.

Jackknife Accidents

A tractor-trailer is made up of two parts, the tractor unit and the semi-trailer it pulls. Sometimes, the trailer part does not stop when the tractor part does, and instead it swings outward. This causes the tractor unit and the trailer unit to turn in on themselves at a 90 degree angle. Brake failure, traveling at a high rate of speed, and bad road conditions are leading causes of tractor-trailer jackknifing accidents.

Underride Accidents

When a tractor-trailer is forced to quickly come to a stop, the driver of the vehicle following the truck may hit it in the rear. Thankfully, many tractor-trailers have guards on the back to prevent the car from going completely under the truck, but even so, the car can easily drive partially under the tractor-trailer.

Override Accidents

Tractor-trailers cannot stop on a dime. When an emergency situation occurs where the driver of a tractor-trailer needs to stop quickly, if they are following too closely behind the vehicle in front of them, they will likely rear-end that vehicle. This is known as an override accident, and the tractor-trailer often ends up driving over the back of the vehicle in front of them.

A Texas Tractor-Trailer Accident Lawyer At Merritt & Merritt Law Firm Is There When You Need Them

When you have been injured in an accident with a tractor-trailer, or lost a loved one in an accident involving a tractor-trailer, you need a Texas tractor-trailer accident lawyer who is there when you need them.

At the Merritt & Merritt Law Firm, we pride ourselves on providing our clients with the availability to have their questions answered and their concerns addressed. We may be reached by calling (713) 535-7051 or via our contact page.

Texas Commercial Truck Accident Resources

• Texas Truck Accident Statistics
• Texas Commercial Truck Insurance Requirements
• How Is Fault Determined in a Texas Truck Accident Case?