Florida Trucking Company Pays After Its Driver Causes Texas Crash

The Ammons Law Firm settled a case involving an 18-wheeler that caused a crash in which a 62-year-old woman was seriously injured.

The driver of the tractor-trailer had negligently collided with another big rig on Interstate 10 in Reeves County, Texas, leaving his rig dangerously positioned across the traffic lanes of the highway. Shortly thereafter, the woman was driving her car on that stretch of highway and, upon coming over a hill, was unable to avoid striking the 18-wheeler that lay directly in her car’s path. Rob Ammons brought a lawsuit on the injured woman’s behalf against the trucking company and its driver.

In the lawsuit, allegations against the truck driver included that he was negligent in failing to control his speed, failing to timely apply his brakes, and failing to maintain his rig in a proper lane. It was also alleged that his failure to remove the 18-wheeler from the roadway to minimize interference with oncoming traffic was a direct cause of the subsequent collision involving Ammons’ client.

In addition to the trucking company being vicariously liable for the negligence of its commercial driver, the lawsuit also alleged that the company was independently liable. According to Ammons, the company did not have in place any policies regarding safe operation of its commercial vehicles. There was no designated safety officer or manager and it had provided no training to the driver involved in this crash.

“Trucking companies need to do a better job of ensuring that their vehicles are being operated only by competent, careful drivers,” says Ammons. “Incredibly, this company did not even make a determination as to whether the incident was preventable or not. It’s difficult to protect the motoring public who shares the roadways with these 18-wheelers when such little attention is given to safety.”

The Ammons Law Firm is located in Houston, Texas and practices personal injury law, including cases involving: tire defects, oil rig explosions, truck accidents, plant explosions, refinery accidents, wrongful death, post-collision fires, seat belt defects, seatback defects, airbag defects, SUV rollovers and workplace negligence.