When you’re involved in an accident caused by a reckless truck driver, the consequences can be catastrophic. Truck accidents are some of the worst accidents on the road, and collecting compensation for the pain and suffering, medical bills, and other harm you’ve suffered can be difficult and overwhelming. The Odessa truck accident lawyers at Braker White are ready to fight for you like real West Texas lawyers should. Whether you were injured in an accident with a semi-truck, tractor trailer, commercial truck, box truck, or 18-wheeler, we can help you fight for the compensation you need and deserve. Get in touch with us, and get your free case review today.
Were You Hurt in a Truck Accident?
You may be entitled to significant compensation, and an experienced Odessa truck accident attorney is ready to hear your case and fight for you.
We Make It Easy
Getting help is easy and fast. You don’t even have to get up off the couch. Just call us at 432-580-5421 and we’ll start reviewing your case right away.
You're Entitled to Compensation
If you’ve been seriously hurt due to a careless truck driver, you deserve the compensation you need to get well again. Braker White will fight for your rights.
You Don't Pay If We Don't Win
Braker White works on a contingency fee basis. That means there’s no upfront fee, and you won’t owe a thing if we don’t win you compensation.
We Understand What You’re Going Through
Truck accidents are some of the most devastating on the road. Big commercial vehicles can cause life-changing damage that can rob us of loved ones. They can cause financially crippling bills to pile up, and the insurance company will likely try to bully you into accepting less compensation than you deserve. There are no words for the pain you’re facing, and we understand all you want to do is get better.
That’s why our Odessa, TX, truck accident lawyers are here. Our law firm cares deeply about our clients and suffers with you. The attorneys at Braker White are the “real” West Texas lawyers who will fight for your rights and help you focus on getting well again, even in the face of the pain and suffering you may be dealing with.
Were You in a Commercial Vehicle Accident?
At the law offices of Braker White, we’ve been representing personal injury cases for over three decades. We’ve won significant awards for our clients, and we know how to hold reckless truck drivers accountable for their actions. It’s important to understand that truck accidents don’t just involve big rigs. They can also involve:
- Box trucks
- Freight trucks
- Buses
- Commercial vans
- Even certain taxis
If you’ve been involved in an accident with one of these vehicles, you may be entitled to significant compensation. Our Odessa, TX, truck accident lawyers are ready to fight for you.
Who Is at Fault for a Truck Accident?
One of the things that make truck accident cases so complex is that there are a lot of parties that can share responsibility. Just a few of the parties that may be at fault include:
- The truck driver
- The trucking company
- The trucking company or driver’s insurance carrier
- The loading or shipping company
- The maintenance crew
- The owners of the truck
- The manufacturers of safety equipment or truck parts that are defective
Each of these parties might have a powerful legal team backing them up, and they’ll do their best to shift the blame to each other, or back onto you. Our legal team is here to cut through the arguments and hold the responsible parties accountable.
Do You Need Representation After a Truck Accident?
If you’ve been hurt by a careless truck driver, contact Braker White at 432-580-5421 today.
Do I Have a Case?
Did you suffer severe injuries in a truck accident? Wondering if you have grounds for a personal injury claim? Here are some of the things our experienced Odessa, TX, truck accident lawyers will review in your free case review to determine if you have a case.
Here are some of the most common injuries our clients suffer from when they come to us for help with their truck accident claim:
- Traumatic brain injury or concussion
- Back and neck injuries, including herniated discs or spinal cord
injury - Limb amputation
- Broken bones
- Or any other type of serious injury, especially one that required long-term medical treatment
Truck accidents can occur for a variety of reasons. These are some of the most common causes of trucking accidents:
- Distracted driving
- Shifting load accidents
- Drunk driving
- Drowsy Driving
- Speeding
- Ignoring the rules of the road
The statute of limitations is a time limit the state puts on how long a person has to file a truck accident claim. In Texas, you have two years from the date of your accident to begin the process of filing your claim. Talk to one of our experienced attorneys about potential exceptions to the statute of limitations and how they may apply to you.
If someone else caused your truck accident and you believe that you have grounds for a claim, even if your accident does not fit within these exact criteria, you may be entitled to significant compensation. Braker White can help determine whether you have a claim and fight for the maximum settlement amount you’re owed.
Explaining Compensation
Do you have questions about the losses you could recover? In Texas, even if you contributed to the conditions that led to your accident, as long as you contributed less than 51%, you may have grounds for a claim. You may be able to recover:
Medical expenses include any costs you faced as a result of the medical treatment you needed for your injuries. You may choose to seek compensation for all related medical expenses, such as emergency transport, surgery, physical and occupational therapy, and durable medical equipment needed to help treat your injuries.
Did you have to miss time at work due to your injuries? You may have the right to seek compensation for those lost hours and the income you lost as a result.
Truck accidents are traumatic events. Braker White can help you seek compensation for the emotional stress you faced and may still suffer from.
If your injuries will require physical or psychological therapy, or if they will prevent you from returning to the job you were once able to do, you can seek compensation for your potential future earnings and other future potential costs related to your accident.
How Can a Lawyer Help?
Filing a truck accident claim can be incredibly confusing. If you try to face the insurance company on your own, you may miss out on compensation you didn’t even know you were entitled to. An attorney can take care of everything related to your claim, including compiling evidence, putting together a compelling case, and fighting for maximum compensation so that you can pay your bills. If you were injured in a truck accident, Braker White is on your side. We’ll take care of everything, seeking the maximum settlement possible on your behalf while you focus on recovering.
What Comes Next?
After you call us, here’s what you can expect.
You can choose an online or in-person case review depending on your needs. During the case review, your attorney will go over your claim and help you understand your rights.
Your attorney will work to collect and compile evidence regarding your claim and put together a strong case for the compensation you deserve.
Braker White will be a fierce advocate for your compensation as we negotiate on your behalf for the settlement amount you’re owed.
Most of the time, truck accident claims settle out of court. In some cases, however, your attorney may need to represent you in court to get the compensation you deserve. Our team will prepare you for court and fiercely defend your rights. We will be with you every step of the way.
Once a fair settlement is offered and agreed upon by both parties, your attorney will get your check to you as soon as it reaches our office.
Truck Accident FAQs
The right semi-truck accident attorney can give you the best chance at compensation for your injuries. They have experience and knowledge that will benefit your case and counter the arguments of the insurance company.
Negligence is the legal term for careless actions or responsibility in an accident. At its most basic, it means someone acted in a careless or reckless way. To prove negligence, your trucking accident attorney has to establish three facts. First, that the other driver violated a duty of care to operate the truck in a responsible way. Second, that this irresponsibility caused the accident. Third, that you were hurt as a direct result of the accident.
Texas uses what is called modified comparative negligence. That means your settlement will be reduced by the percentage of fault you are found to carry. If it’s more than 50%, you can’t collect compensation at all.
Our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. That means you won’t owe us a penny unless we secure compensation for you.
You really don’t have to talk to the insurance adjuster. You can tell them to speak to your lawyer, and you should never sign or agree to anything without talking to a truck accident attorney first.
You most likely will not have to go to court. Most cases are resolved through negotiation, which is better for all involved. Sometimes, however, negotiations stall or the insurance company refuses to offer a fair amount and a trial becomes necessary. In the negotiation stage and the courtroom, our Odessa, TX, truck accident lawyers will fight hard to get you justice every step of the way.
After a big truck accident, time is of the essence. Evidence that can grant you compensation for your losses has a shelf life, so it’s important to get an experienced truck accident attorney on your case right away to ensure they can begin collecting the necessary evidence as soon as possible. Braker White is ready to get started on your case right now, and they are just a phone call away.
The ways a commercial truck driver can contribute to an accident are broader than a passenger car accident. Commercial truck drivers have more duties and requirements than non-commercial drivers. Some examples of ways a truck driver can be at fault include failing to clear a roadway in a timely manner, failing to use proper hazard devices, such as flashing lights and cones, and failing to take breaks at the appropriate intervals required by law.
Commercial truck drivers also have a duty to secure their cargo load properly and may be liable if their cargo became loose and contributed to the collision. Braker White understands the laws surrounding trucking accidents and what duties a commercial truck driver has and can help you determine who was at fault for your accident.
Insurance is required for all commercial trucking companies by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations. The minimum coverage required for vehicles over 10,001 pounds is $750,000 per accident, but it may be higher depending on the type of freight the vehicle has. When you work with Braker White, we will seek the maximum possible compensation for your injuries from all at-fault parties.
In most cases, both the truck driver and the trucking company are at fault for an accident. The truck driver may have caused the accident, but the trucking company may be responsible for its driver’s failure to act with care. Trucking companies may also be responsible for any lapse in training, retaining a driver with a poor driving record, or pushing the driver to meet deadlines by violating the hours of service regulations about driving time.
Other possible at-fault parties may include the freight company, the truck owner, or the local government body that maintains the roadway, depending on the circumstances of the accident. Braker White will seek compensation from all the at-fault parties involved in your accident.
A strict timeline, otherwise known as a statute of limitations, applies in truck accident lawsuits, but that doesn’t mean you should wait until the deadline to begin the process of seeking the compensation you deserve. Truck companies don’t have a duty to preserve evidence on their vehicle for any period of time unless it’s requested, so the sooner you get a claim started, the more evidence you’re likely to have.
Braker White will help you preserve critical evidence regarding factors that may have contributed to your accident, such as black box data from the truck or marks on your vehicle that help to reconstruct the accident circumstances.
After a trucking accident, the trucking company will call on a team of attorneys and their insurance company to come up with a defense. The trucking company will likely hire experts and investigators to reconstruct the accident’s circumstances. Because of this, it’s important to have a lawyer to represent you and protect your rights. Our experienced Odessa, TX, truck accident lawyers at Braker White have experience handling truck accident claims and working with trucking companies and their attorneys to seek compensation for those injured in accidents.
Trucks are much larger and heavier than passenger cars, often weighing upwards of 70,000 pounds compared to the few thousand pounds of a passenger vehicle. The considerable difference in size means that the passenger car’s occupants are more likely to experience severe or fatal injuries when these vehicles collide. In many cases, a truck accident results in life-altering or permanent injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries, which is why it’s so important to contact an experienced truck accident attorney at Braker White. Braker White can ensure you seek the maximum amount of compensation for all of your accident-related expenses.
Truck accidents can involve many types of private and commercial trucks besides big rigs and semi-trucks. Accidents may include garbage trucks, recreational vehicles, tow trucks, flatbed trucks, and tanker trucks, all of which are more likely to cause damage than a passenger car or passenger truck. If you’ve been involved in an accident with any of these types of trucks, be sure to contact an attorney at Braker White for help in seeking the compensation you deserve for your losses.
Truck drivers have to follow many federal and state regulations, including traffic laws like the speed limit and height maximums on roadways. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and Department of Transportation regulations also have regulations for how long a driver can be on the road. An experienced truck accident lawyer can investigate and uncover any potential rules that have been violated and caused the accident.
Depending on the circumstances of the accident, a truck driver may be fired by their employers if they were involved in an accident. This is usually if the accident’s circumstances involve reckless behavior. Truck drivers are expected to be licensed, follow their hours of service regulations, take breaks when necessary, and operate their vehicles with care. However, some truck accidents are caused by safety violations or poor safety policies in the trucking company that are revealed through an investigation. If this happens, the trucking company may be forced to make changes that improve the safety standards company-wide. With so much at stake, having an attorney on your side is vital to ensuring the case is fully investigated.
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