Personal Injury: Trucking Accidents

Personal Injury Attorney • Austin, Texas • Experienced Legal Team

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After a Trucking Accident …

Trucking accident injury claims usually involve significant damages. Because of that, it is even more important to have experienced, proven legal representation working for you as soon as possible. Keep in mind that lawyers and highly trained professionals, who daily deal with limiting liability for insurance companies and other businesses, are probably working diligently right now to either minimize the amount you can recover or prevent you from recovering anything.

The more serious a trucking accident injury claim, the harder the insurance company and those responsible for the damage will work to protect their interests at your expense.

Don’t give them a greater head start. Contact us today for a free consultation.

At the Law Office of Chris Dorbandt, our attorneys handle trucking accident injury and wrongful death claims on behalf of people in Austin, Travis, Williamson or Hays Counties and throughout Central Texas. Our experienced legal team includes respected attorneys, a full-time claims manager with 40 years of personal injury experience, and a staff of highly trained, friendly professionals who are here to support you, answer your questions, and provide the legal help you need to recover.

Truck accident causes include:

• Fatigued drivers or those who fall asleep at the wheel
• Drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs
• Reckless driving
• Mechanical failure or brake failure
• Improperly loaded or secured cargo

No matter the cause of the truck or tractor-trailer accident, your case deserves immediate attention. Evidence can become stale or lost; witnesses become difficult to locate and their memories can often fade. Acting immediately, within a few days if possible, will increase your chances of receiving a fair and expeditious resolution of your case.

Injured in a Semi Truck Wreck? The Solution to Call Is 512.407.9700. Free Consultation — Se Habla Español

If you have suffered a serious injury or the loss of a loved one as the result of trucking accident, contact us online or call our Austin law offices toll-free from anywhere in the United States for a free consultation. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, and we regularly accommodate clients’ needs for evening, weekend and off-site meetings.

You pay no attorney’s fees unless we are able to obtain compensation on your behalf.

What is an underride accident?  When a car or small truck goes under a semi or trailer, it is called an underride accident. These can be some of the most serious crashes involving large trucks because the smaller vehicle’s passenger compartment is often crushed or its top is torn off completely. Underride accidents are almost always fatal for occupants of the smaller vehicle.

They can occur in several ways:

• Poor visibility at night or in the rain can make it difficult to see exactly where the truck is (the technical term for this is conspicuity, meaning how conspicuous or visible the truck is). Poor visibility can also be caused by negligent maintenance of the trailer or improper lighting.
• A car driver may fail to see the truck turning across lanes until it’s too late.
• A truck may not see a smaller vehicle in the lane next to it and may change lanes and run over the small vehicle.
• A vehicle involved in a multicar crash may get pushed under a truck in front of it.

If a loved one was hurt or died in a truck collision, contact Chris Dorbandt & Associates for a free case evaluation. Our personal injury lawyers have a proven record of success in securing top-dollar verdicts for our clients in wrongful death suits.

Investigating Truck Safety Failures

Federal regulations require the use of multiple caution lights and reflective devices to increase a truck’s visibility. Reflective paint and reflective tape help other drivers see where the truck and trailer bed are in the dark, and they must be kept clean at all times. Reflective hazard signage must be used when trucks are pulled over to the side of the road so motorists don’t drive into the rear of the parked vehicle.

Truck guards lower the rear bumper of the truck and/or trailer to prevent cars from going underneath, crushing the car or tearing off its roof. This one piece of safety equipment can be the key to preventing an underride and yet many trucks have not been equipped with a guard. That one failure can turn a relatively minor accident into a fatal crash.

We have experience in holding negligent trucking companies and truck drivers accountable for failing to follow federal regulations regarding reflective devices and proper lighting. We work with investigative experts and witnesses to determine how the accident occurred and whether safety equipment was missing.