While West Lake Hills is somewhat separated from Interstate 35 and most of the major highways passing through and around the Austin area, it still sees a fair number of commercial tractor-trailers traveling along the Capital of Texas Highway or making deliveries to local businesses. Even at off-highway speeds, , collisions between commercial trucks and commuter cars tend to have devastating results for everyone involved.
If a negligent truck driver has left you with serious injuries and losses, working closely with a West Lake Hills truck accident lawyer can be vital to protecting your long-term best interests. In addition to helping identify who holds legal fault for your accident, a dedicated personal injury attorney can also ensure your claim accounts for all your past and future compensable losses.
Just like someone driving a commuter car or SUV, the trained professionals who operate semi-trucks are obligated to follow both federal and state-level traffic laws and act reasonably behind the wheel. In legal terms, this obligation is called a duty of care, and any trucker who causes a crash by doing something illegal or otherwise irresponsible has breached their duty.
If someone then suffers an injury as a direct result of that negligence, the trucker can likely be held financially liable for losses stemming from the wreck. However, it is key to understand that individual truck drivers are not the only parties who could possibly be at fault for a truck accident, nor do they generally have enough resources to cover all of an injured person’s damages by themselves.
Instead, it is often possible to hold the company that employed a negligent trucker vicariously liable for their employee’s misconduct, or even directly liable for negligent management of that employee. For example, forcing a trucker to violate federal laws and reach unreasonable quotas could turn blame to onto a commercial vehicle corporation. Other parties that a truck accident lawyer can likely build a claim against include manufacturers who made defective truck components, mechanics who provided subpar service to a truck, and even suppliers who did not properly secure cargo before a truck hit the road.
It can be challenging to figure out exactly who target, but our legal team in West Lake Hills understands the nuances of truck accident cases and can push for all the right parties to be held accountable.
Both economic and non-economic—as well as past and future—losses caused by a collision with a commercial truck could be worked into an ensuing settlement demand or lawsuit, including:
As a truck crash lawyer in West Lake Hills can explain, though, Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §16.003 usually allows just two years maximum after this sort of wreck occurs for any personal injury lawsuit based on it to begin, making it especially important to take action quickly after being hurt by a truck driver’s negligence.
Truck crashes can cause life-altering harm to multiple people at once and result in expensive property damage. Additionally, determining who to target and how much compensation you deserve through your claim can be a headache without dedicated legal representation at your side.
Therefore, support from a seasoned West Lake Hills truck accident lawyer could dramatically boost your chances of securing the compensation you need. Call today to get started on your case process.