San Antonio Semi-Truck Accident Lawyers

• Practices Areas
• 18-Wheeler Accident
• San Antonio Semi-Truck Accident Lawyers

San Antonio Semi Truck Accidents

Semi-truck accidents cause numerous injuries and fatalities annually in San Antonio. Recent reports from the American Trucking Association indicate that the trucking industry is thriving in cities like San Antonio, with thousands of semi-trucks vying for a share of the profits.

Unfortunately, this intense competition and the substantial sums of money involved often lead trucking companies to compromise on hiring and training of drivers and ignoring safety practices in order to overcome staffing shortages and meet the growing delivery demands. Consequently, it's no surprise that semi-truck crashes are a common occurrence in San Antonio.

Click the Number Below to Call
San Antonio Semi Truck Accident Attorneys

(888) 987-0005

Our Truck Accident attorneys are led by Clay Miller who is Board-Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law. Less than 3% of all Texas attorneys have achieved board certification and less than that have a personal injury trial law board certification which required numerous jury trials and the passing a rigorous exam in the specialty.

Our law firm has recovered more than $1.3 Billion in settlements for clients in all kinds of personal injury, wrongful death, car accident cases, truck accidents, construction accidents and even medical malpractice lawsuits.

At Miller Weisbrod Olesky, our experienced San Antonio semi-truck accident lawyers are well aware of the business tactics employed by trucking companies, brokers, freight handlers, and cargo loaders that may contribute to accidents and injuries. Equipped with strong legal skills and resources, we are prepared to take on large carriers and insurance companies to help you obtain the maximum compensation you deserve.

Different Forms of Negligence in San Antonio Semi-Truck Accidents

Several types of negligence on the part of truckers, semi-truck companies, and third parties may have resulted in your injuries or the wrongful death of a family member in San Antonio. These include:

Negligent Actions of Overworked Drivers

Semi-truck drivers in San Antonio may engage in various dangerous driving behaviors, including:

• Drowsy driving
• Fatigued driving
• Distracted driving
• Aggressive driving
• Driving while intoxicated
• Speeding

Given the immense weight of loaded semi-trucks, such negligent driving can lead to serious accidents. When drivers are underpaid, overworked, or pressured by their employers to serve unrealistic business demands, the likelihood of these deadly behaviors increases.

Hours of Service (HOS) Violations

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has established specific Hours of Service limits for semi-trucks and other commercial motor vehicles in San Antonio, which include:

• Semi-truck operators may drive for a maximum of 11 hours after staying off-duty for at least 10 consecutive hours.
• They must not drive beyond the 14th hour in a single stretch (this includes hours spent off-duty).
• They must not exceed 60 hours on duty in a 7-day workweek or 70 hours in an 8-day workweek.
• The next workweek can only begin after the driver has been off-duty for at least 34 consecutive hours.
• Semi-truck drivers are required to take an uninterrupted break of 30 minutes or more after driving for eight cumulative hours.

Truck drivers in San Antonio may sometimes surpass these FMCSA imposed Hours of Service rules due to pressure to meet tough delivery deadlines, while the trucking company turns a blind eye. Our leading San Antonio semi-truck accident lawyers at Miller Weisbrod Olesky will prove these violations to hold the defendants accountable for your injuries and losses.

Other Types of Negligent Actions of the Trucking Company and Third Parties

In addition to the negligence of trucking companies, semi-truck accidents and injuries in San Antonio may also be caused by the negligence of certain third parties, such as:

• Failure of the trucking company to conduct proper background checks when hiring a semi-truck driver.
• Inadequate safety training provided by the trucking company to semi-truck operators.
• Communication issues between the driver and the employer or the use of distracting trucking technology while driving.
• Negligence by cargo loading companies, such as unsecured cargo or overloading.
• Negligence by semi-truck component or tire manufacturers, providing defective parts or tires.
• Failure of the semi-truck repair and maintenance provider to properly inspect, repair, or maintain the truck.
• Negligence by brokers responsible for cargo delivery, hiring the wrong trucking company.
• Negligence by construction companies resulting in semi-truck accidents in construction zones in San Antonio.
• Negligence by government agencies responsible for road design and maintenance, resulting in accidents.

Minimum Liability Insurance for Semi-Trucks in San Antonio

At Miller Weisbrod Olesky, our San Antonio semi-truck accident lawyers understand that trucking companies will carry significant liability insurance for financial protection. Therefore, we do what it takes to investigate your case, collect strong evidence, and establish the trucking company's liability, ensuring that you receive your rightful damages.

The minimum insurance coverage requirements for semi-trucks in San Antonio are as follows:

• Minimum $750,000 Insurance: Applies to commercial vehicles weighing 10,001 pounds or more that do not transport hazardous materials.
• Minimum $1,000,000 Insurance: Applies to commercial vehicles weighing 10,001 pounds or more that transport oil, hazardous waste, or other dangerous goods.
• Minimum $5,000,000 Insurance: Applies to commercial vehicles weighing 10,001 pounds or more that transport hazardous materials.

If the semi-truck operator in San Antonio is an employee of the trucking company, they are typically covered by their employer's insurance. Moreover, if the truck driver is an independent contractor, they are required to obtain their own liability insurance coverage. Sometimes the trucking company may have a self-insured retention policy, necessitating negotiation with their legal department for a portion of the settlement.

The Significance of Semi-Truck's Event Data Recorder (EDR)

In the event of a semi-truck accident, we urge you to reach out to our San Antonio semi-truck accident attorneys as soon as you can so that we can preserve and download critical data from the truck's black box, which is technically known as the event data recorder (EDR).

A key component of the black box is the Engine Control Module (ECM), which can provide valuable information, including the semi-truck's hours of operation, GPS location, braking intensity leading up to the accident, speed, use of cruise control, and communication between the semi-truck operator and the trucking company’s back-office.

Our in-house video team, along with accident reconstruction experts, will gather all available evidence from the scene of accident, involved vehicles, driver's logbook, employer records, and eyewitness testimonies to prove liability. Our extensive evidence gathering and trial preparation and our impressive track record in successfully handling semi-truck accidents often persuade even the most formidable defendants to agree to a satisfactory settlement.

What Causes Side Underride Collisions In San Antonio?

A few moments on the road are as unnerving as when a semi-truck abruptly merges into your lane, seemingly oblivious to your presence, or makes a turn in front of you without acknowledging your vehicle's existence. In that split second, it becomes evident that the semi-truck driver has failed to notice your presence, and stopping is out of the question.

Although a few car drivers manage to react swiftly by slowing down or changing lanes, others are not as fortunate and face a potentially fatal truck wreck. Side underride truck wreck collisions in San Antonio take place when a smaller vehicle collides with the side of a large semi-truck, leading to the car sliding underneath the truck due to the force of the impact. These types of truck accidents are particularly hazardous as the top of the car can be sheared off, jeopardizing the lives of its occupants.

Sometimes occurring at night when semi-trucks attempt to cross or turn onto roads or highways in San Antonio, these accidents can also unfold when a truck unexpectedly changes lanes, trapping a car beneath its body. Notably, side underride accidents, even at low speeds, have the potential to claim lives or cause catastrophic injuries such as traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury.

You Need a San Antonio Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer with Expertise in Side Underride Injury Claims

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, several hundred individuals lose their lives each year when their cars become lodged beneath tractor-trailers in side truck accident collisions. This is an unacceptable reality, especially considering that many of these truck accidents could be averted if semi-trucks were equipped with side guards—protective panels affixed to the lower section of a truck's trailer. These guards would effectively prevent cars from sliding beneath the truck, thereby safeguarding the driver and passengers when a truck crash occurs.

In the aftermath of a semi-truck accident in San Antonio, it is vital not to delay contacting a lawyer with expertise in side impact underride collisions. Trucking companies, together with their insurance providers and defense lawyers, will swiftly begin their own evidence collection and look for ways to avoid their liability.

If you have sustained injuries in a side underride truck accident, you require a tenacious and knowledgeable San Antonio semi-truck accident lawyer from Miller Weisbrod Olesky specializing in side underride accident cases who can advocate for your rights and get you the compensation you are entitled to.

Our dedicated semi-truck injury lawyers will work with automotive engineers, accident reconstructionists and professional side guard design experts and safety advocates to present compelling evidence of responsibility of the negligent parties. We will tirelessly champion your cause until you obtain the rightful personal injury or wrongful death damages you deserve for your current and future medical expenses, lost income, and the immense pain and suffering endured or the loss of a loved one.

Statute of Limitations for Truck Wreck Claims in San Antonio

According to the Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code Section 16.003, you have two years from the date of your accident and injury or two years from the date of wrongful death of a loved one to file your claim. Time is of essence in these cases because evidence may disappear, get diluted, distorted, or tampered with if you too much time passes.

The goal of our San Antonio semi truck accident lawyers at Miller Weisbrod Olesky is to seize the advantage over the defendants and build rock-solid evidence to get you the financial compensation you rightful deserve for your injuries and losses. Call us for a free, no-obligations consultation. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay anything unless we obtain for you the compensation you deserve.

Click the Number Below to Call
San Antonio Semi Truck Accident Attorneys

(888) 987-0005

Protect Your Right to Financial Compensation

Our San Antonio Semi Truck Accident Attorneys will explore every possibility to increase your financial compensation and hold all the negligent parties liable for damages. Once you have us on your side, we will move aggressively to obtain truck data recorder evidence, driver logs, witness information, and evidence from the crash site in order to build a strong claim for damages, while you and your family can focus on your recovery.

We will fight to make sure you get all financial compensation you deserve through settlement against the responsible trucking company and their insurers or take your case to trial with through preparation of evidence and a winning legal strategy if they fail to pay you the money you are owed. Schedule your free consultation with our legal team today. Our proven record of success in obtaining substantial settlements and verdicts for our injured clients speaks for itself.

If you were hurt or a loved one was severely injured or tragically killed in a trucking accident, immediate investigation and concerted legal action may be necessary to protect your right to seek maximum recovery. Contact our San Antonio Semi Truck Accident Attorneys for a free consultation.

Meet The Leader In Truck Accident Litigation

With a 30-year history heading the Truck Accident Department of Miller Weisbrod Olesky, firm partner Clay Miller has a proven record of holding trucking companies accountable and achieving multi-million dollar settlements and court verdicts for his clients. Clay has been consistently listed in Super Lawyers as one of the Best Lawyers in Texas, published in Texas Monthly, for over 15 years.

Clay is regularly invited to speak to Trial Lawyer Groups around Houston and across the state of Texas on the topics of trucking laws, trial tactics and techniques, and how to prepare evidence and a winning legal strategy in Truck Accident Cases throughout Texas. Clay was the featured speaker for the Texas Trial Lawyers Association on the new changes to trucking laws passed by the state of Texas.

Our truck accident legal team includes Josh Birmingham, who is currently on the Dallas Trial Lawyers Board of Directors and served as the president of the Mesquite Bar Association for four years. Josh was named Thomson Reuters | Texas Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2016 and 2017.

We also have on our team Michael Orth, a board certified personal injury trial lawyer who has spent the last decade representing injured Texans and their families. Michael’s success in scores of personal injury cases across federal and state courtrooms has earned him the coveted Board Certification in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Led by a formidable legal team with an extraordinary record of court verdicts and settlements in truck accident cases, Miller Weisbrod Olesky is regularly recognized by the US News and World Report as one of the top injury law firms in the United States.

Miller Weisbrod Olesky San Antonio Semi Truck Accident Attorneys