We Make It Easy
Getting help is easy and fast. You don’t even have to get up off the couch. Just reach out to us 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.
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A Firm Rooted in the Permian Basin
We are part of the West Texas community, and that shows up in how a case gets handled rather than in how it gets advertised. Our attorneys have longstanding ties to the region and understand the local courts, hospitals, and roads where these accidents happen.
Families throughout the Permian Basin choose our firm for reasons they can see firsthand:
Past results in heavy truck cases: Our recoveries include a $4,500,000 big truck accident result and a $1,003,554 big truck accident result.
Feedback from hundreds of neighbors: More than 235 Google reviews and a 4.6 rating come from people who lived through these claims with us.
Nothing out of pocket: We work on contingency, which means our fee comes out of the recovery, and you owe us no fee if we lose.
Texas-raised counsel: Robert White and Greta Braker grew up in this state and handle cases under laws they have worked with their whole careers.
Direct access to our team: You talk with the people building your claim, not a rotating desk of strangers.
Courtroom geography matters more than most people realize. Cases we file in Odessa move through the Ector County district courts, and we know how those dockets run, which settings tend to slip, and how long a jury trial realistically takes to reach. Sit down with us at no cost and hear an honest read on where your claim stands.
What Do Federal Trucking Rules Mean for Your Claim?
Commercial trucking is governed by federal safety regulations that generate records rarely found in an ordinary car accident. Trucking companies operating in West Texas must comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations, and Texas Transportation Code § 644.051 adopts many of those same standards for carriers operating within the state.
Driver qualification files, hours-of-service records, inspection reports, and maintenance histories can all become important evidence as soon as a truck accident claim begins. Our commercial truck accident attorney team pursues proof that a passenger vehicle case would never involve:
- Electronic logging device (ELD) records and engine control module downloads
- Driver qualification files and commercial driver's license (CDL) history
- Pre-trip and post-trip inspection reports
- Dispatch notes, bills of lading, and load weight tickets
- Post-collision drug and alcohol testing results
Most of that material sits on servers the carrier controls, so we send written preservation demands within days of taking a case.
Who Is Responsible When a Loaded Rig Causes a Wreck?
More than one company usually shares responsibility in a serious truck crash, and that matters because a single policy rarely covers a catastrophic injury. Specifically, we look at who controlled the load, the schedule, and the equipment on the day of the collision.
Depending on what the investigation turns up, our truck accident attorneys may bring claims against several parties:
- The driver behind the wheel
- The motor carrier that hired, trained, and dispatched that driver
- The shipper or crew that loaded and secured the cargo
- The maintenance contractor that serviced brakes, tires, or lights
- The manufacturer of a component that failed
Every additional liable party may provide access to another layer of insurance coverage, increasing the resources available to compensate you for your injuries. Identifying every responsible defendant is especially important in catastrophic truck accident cases, where the full value of the claim can exceed a single insurance policy.
Our West Texas truck accident attorneys investigate every potential source of liability from the beginning, rather than stopping with the truck driver alone. Ask us who may be legally responsible for the crash that injured you.
Evidence Our Investigators Chase in the First Days
Trucking companies send rapid response teams to a crash scene, sometimes before the wrecker arrives. Our West Texas truck accident lawyer team works the same way, putting investigators on the roadway while skid marks, debris fields, and gouge patterns are still readable.
In Odessa truck accident cases, that can mean photographing a US 385 intersection before crews clear it, and in Midland truck accident claims, it often means running down dashcam video from other drivers along Loop 250. The proof that carries the most weight in a serious wreck usually includes the following:
- Black box speed, braking, and throttle readings
- Scene measurements and crash reconstruction modeling
- Phone records showing distraction at the moment of impact
- Complete medical records and billing from every provider involved
- Statements from drivers who watched the rig before it hit
The black box, formally an event data recorder, often tells a cleaner story than any witness can. We pair those readings with treating physicians who explain, in plain words, what the months ahead will require. Ask what your case already has and what we can still track down.
Does Sharing Some of the Blame End Your Case?
No, not in Texas, as long as your share stays at 50% or below. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.001, you can still recover money unless your responsibility passes that line, and whatever a jury awards gets reduced by your percentage. That rule is why the question of who did what in the last few seconds gets contested so heavily.
Fault gets argued hard in oilfield country, where two work trucks and a tractor-trailer can meet at the same intersection at shift change. We do not build a case out of opinions. Our 18-wheeler accident lawyer team answers those arguments with physical proof, including what the truck's own data recorder captured in the final seconds.
Get a free case review before you accept anyone's version of what happened.
What Is an 18-Wheeler Claim Worth?
Any honest answer depends on your medical record, and the figures floating around online for an average 18-wheeler settlement say almost nothing about a specific injury. Value comes from what the crash has already cost you and what it will keep costing.
When we build a demand package, we account for losses, including the following:
- Emergency care and hospital charges
- Care that your physicians expect you will still need after the claim closes
- Long-term care, assistive equipment, and home modifications
- Lost paychecks and reduced ability to earn a living
- Vehicle repair or replacement costs
- Physical pain, mental anguish, and lost enjoyment of daily life
- Disfigurement, scarring, and permanent impairment
- Loss of consortium, meaning the harm to a marriage when a spouse is seriously injured
Severe brain and spinal cord injuries can require support for decades, and a first offer almost never reflects that horizon. When a family loses someone in a fatal truck collision, a wrongful death claim also covers burial costs and the income and support that are lost overnight.
We bring in life care planners and economists so the number on the table matches the real cost of the harm. Find out what your case may be worth.
The Two-Year Deadline on a Texas Truck Accident Claim
Texas generally gives you two years from the date of a truck accident to file suit, under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003. Waiting never benefits a claim because evidence disappears, witnesses become harder to locate, and memories fade. If a government-owned vehicle or public entity is involved, much shorter notice deadlines may apply, making it important to act quickly.
The practical record shifts as months pass, too. Trailers get repaired and repainted, electronic logs cycle out on a set schedule, and drivers move on to carriers in other states. Bring your questions to us while the file is still whole, and we will tell you exactly where your deadlines stand.
Watch Out for Unsolicited Calls After a Crash
Strangers sometimes call injured people within hours of a wreck, offering to sign them up on the spot. Texas treats that kind of unlawful solicitation as barratry, and Texas Government Code § 82.0651 gives the person who was contacted a civil claim against whoever did it. In plain terms, someone who chases you for your case may owe you money for making that call.
We built our practice on referrals from neighbors and past clients, not on cold calls from a scanner. If someone you never contacted reaches out about your crash, save the number and tell us. Our attorneys will walk you through what to do next, at no charge.
FAQs: West Texas Truck Accident Lawyer
Injured persons commonly want answers following a West Texas commercial truck collision. We field these questions frequently once someone is ready to move a claim forward.
What Should I Bring to My First Meeting About the Wreck?
Whatever you already have helps, and nothing is required. Useful items include the crash report, photos from the scene, insurance letters, discharge paperwork, and any card the trucking company's representative left behind. If you have none of it, we can request the records ourselves.
Can You Take My Case if I Already Provided a Recorded Statement to the Insurer?
Yes. People give statements before they understand how hurt they are, and we work with that situation regularly. Once you hire us, every call from the carrier and its insurer comes to our office instead of your phone.
What if the Truck That Hit Me Was an Oilfield Company Vehicle?
We do not handle workers' compensation claims, though many oilfield crashes involve a company other than your employer. When a negligent third party, such as a hauling contractor, an equipment maker, or a subcontractor, caused the wreck, our team can pursue a separate injury claim against them.
Can I Still Have a Case if the Truck Driver Was Not Ticketed?
Yes. A citation helps a civil claim but does not decide it, and officers working a chaotic scene sometimes write none at all. We prove fault through physical evidence, carrier records, and reconstruction work, and we have built strong cases where no ticket was ever issued.
Will My Truck Accident Case Have to Go to Trial?
Most claims resolve without a jury, though we prepare every file as though a trial setting is coming. Carriers pay closer attention when the other side has done the work, and that preparation often shapes the offer long before a courtroom date arrives. If a fair settlement is not offered, our trial-tested attorneys are prepared to present the evidence in court.
How Long Does a Truck Accident Claim Usually Take in West Texas?
Timing depends mostly on your medical treatment, since no one can value a claim before doctors know where your recovery will end. Straightforward cases can wrap up in months, while catastrophic injury claims with several defendants run longer. We give you a realistic timeline early instead of a hopeful one.
Do I Have to Come to Your Odessa Office to Get Started?
No. Our office sits at 230 W 3rd St in Odessa, but we meet clients at home, in the hospital, or by phone and video when travel is not realistic. Serious injuries make driving hard, so we come to you across the region.
Get a West Texas Truck Accident Lawyer Working on Your Case
Early offers often arrive before anyone has added up what a lifetime of care actually costs. Braker White will do that math before you decide anything, and our West Texas truck accident lawyers will tell you straight what your options look like. Call 432-580-5421 for a 100% free consultation, and we will start work today.