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  • Expertise Best Personal Injury Attorneys in Houston

Houston Truck Accident Lawyers

According to certain studies, a person is injured or killed in a truck accident in the United States every 16 minutes. It’s a fact that a larger number of people die in collisions with trucks than in crashes involving planes, trains, ships, and buses—combined. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 98% of the individuals killed in collisions involving a large truck and a passenger vehicle are the occupants of the passenger vehicle.

At The Ammons Law Firm LLP, our Houston truck accident attorneys have considerable experience working these kinds of cases. We understand the challenges victims of serious injuries and their families face, and we strive to recover the full, fair compensation they are owed.

If you or your loved one was involved in a truck accident, call us at (866) 808-0960 and request a free consultation today. Se habla español.

  • Bus Tragedy $22.1 Million

    Catastrophic and fatal injuries were sustained by passengers on a charter bus after an accident.

  • Auto Airbag Defect $7.5 Million

    Ammons Law Firm represented a client who sustained fatal injuries when the vehicle's airbag inflator canister exploded.

  • Auto Airbag Defect $6 Million

    Ammons Law Firm represented a client who was involved in a motor accident in which the airbag failed to deploy when the client’s vehicle was struck by a pickup driver who disregarded a stop sign.

  • Auto Defect $6 Million

    Ammons Law Firm represented a client who sustained multiple injuries after his crash safety systems failed to provide reasonable occupant protection.

  • Wrongful Death $4.55 Million

    Ammons represented clients who were passengers traveling in a vehicle when they were involved in a rollover event.

  • Auto Defect $4.5 Million

    The Ammons Law Firm’s clients were passengers in a truck when the vehicle rolled over.

  • Auto Defect $4.2 Million

    Ammons represented a Family and their infant who sustained severe injuries when their vehicle was rear-ended while traveling along a freeway.

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Serious Injuries Require Serious Representation

Our Featured Areas of Practice

Common Causes of Truck Accidents

Most trucking accidents occur when large trailers (10,000+ lbs.) collide with other vehicles or pedestrians. Around 500,000 trucking accidents occur every year in the United States. Out of these accidents, 5,000 trucking collisions result in fatalities. One out of every eight traffic fatalities involves a trucking collision.

Some of the most common causes of truck accidents include:

In the majority of the cases our trucking accident attorneys handle, most of the deaths and injuries involve the passengers of regular vehicles while the drivers of the tractor-trailers usually escape with little or no injuries. Due to the large size of trucks, an accident can greatly endanger the lives of those in other smaller vehicles.

As the commercial truck business expands and more emphasis is put on profit over safety, our nation’s motorists are increasingly vulnerable to unsafe 18-wheeler drivers. A recent report released from crash tests showed an 18-wheeler truck traveling at 70 miles per hour has twice as much energy as one traveling at 50 mph. An additional concern is that cars created under industry-standard Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards are designed to encounter like-size vehicles, not 80,000-pound trucks.

Added hazards can include failure to install rear and side bumpers and high front bumpers that punch into automobile passenger compartments in the event of an accident. All of these situations combined account for the high percentage of serious injuries and deaths in trucking and passenger vehicle crashes.

Despite these startling statistics, some trucking companies do very little to train or monitor their drivers. Often, personal injury attorneys working a case like this discover that, because many trucking companies choose to pay their drivers by the mile or by the load, drivers have a financial incentive to exceed the speed limit, drive when they are tired, and cut corners on safety.

Working With Ammons Law Firm

It’s a fact that the largest number of fatal truck accidents occur in rural areas (68%) during the daytime (66%) and on weekdays (78%). About 700 truck drivers and passengers in truck cabs die each year. It is estimated that 3,700 persons in cars and other passenger vehicles die annually in collisions with heavy trucks. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently released the startling facts that in crashes involving large trucks and other vehicles, 98% of the fatalities occur to the people in passenger vehicles.

If a victim of a truck accident is lucky enough to survive the impact, the injuries resulting from these accidents are often devastating. Our attorneys commonly see trauma that takes years of medically supervised therapy to recover from. That therapy and other ongoing treatment typically means incredibly expensive medical bills.

Some of the most common injuries resulting from truck accidents include but are not limited to:

If you or a loved one has been injured due to a truck accident, call The Ammons Law Firm LLP today for a free consultation.

What to Do after a Truck Accident

Many trucking companies and their insurance companies send out early response groups to the scene of a crash on the very day it occurs. This allows these individuals to collect evidence which may be used against the truck accident victim later. Our truck accident attorneys have years of experience that allows them to identify trucking company employees’ tactics right away. This, in turn, allows us to help preserve injured people’s rights.

It is critically important to have an experienced trucking accident lawyer on your side, protecting your interests as soon as possible after an accident. We always perform our own investigations independently of law enforcement and NTSB investigators. We work hard to immediately make sure the all evidence is recovered and preserved. Our “by the book” procedures can benefit your case in the future. Our experienced trucking accident attorneys immediately speak with the police officer and determine if the police report could have been influenced by any representative from the truck driver or trucking company.

It is advisable to seek legal assistance as soon as possible in order to determine whether you have grounds to file a claim for compensation. An experienced truck accident lawyer will be able to determine the viability of your case and can also discuss the various legal options available to you.

What To Do Following a Truck Accident

Common Suggestions From Our Seasoned Legal Professionals 

  • Q:Take Pictures

    A:It is crucial to take pictures of the accident site and of any and all damaged vehicles. These pictures can also be included in truck accident investigations.

  • Q:Interview Witnesses

    A:A significant portion of truck accident investigations is simply the observation of the scene of the accident and interviews with witnesses. While conducting an investigation, investigators will talk to everyone who may have seen, been involved in, or were nearby at the time of the accident. Investigators often record statements made by witnesses, as well as record pertinent information about the witness, which can include names and contact details. Investigators will often speak with police officers and other emergency personnel. Recording these individuals’ statements is important to ensure officials aren’t somehow influenced by any party.

  • Q:Accident Condition Report

    A:A proper recording of the time of the accident, weather conditions, and road conditions at the time of the accident is essential to help determine the cause and liability. The accident investigator will make note of the lighting and visibility at the time and place of the accident, whether the weather was influenced by driving conditions, road conditions, and so on. Investigators also can recover records that prove a driver’s negligence, such as cellphone records that show whether they were on the phone at the time of the accident or were texting or engaged in any other activity utilizing a digital device that diverted their attention.

  • Q:Vehicle Inspection

    A:All vehicles involved in the truck accident should be inspected thoroughly. Investigators look for seatbelt conditions, brake conditions, steering conditions, evidence of recent repairs to the vehicles, and wear of critical engine components that could have influenced driving safety. A thorough inspection of the interior and exterior of the vehicles is also typically done in truck accident investigations. Investigators stress that it is important not to move the truck or other vehicles after the accident, as this can interfere with the investigations.

What Makes Our Firm Different?

At The Ammons Law Firm LLP, we begin the investigation of every client’s accident by taking pictures and witness statements chronicling details of every single perspective and angle of the crash. Our experienced truck accident investigative team meticulously chronicles every skid mark, pieces of debris, vehicle parts and pieces, and any other evidence at the accident scene. Our attorneys employ the newest and most effective technology to evaluate the road conditions, weather patterns, and vehicle congestion at the time of the accident. We immediately take the necessary steps to file for temporary restraining orders that prevent trucking companies from destroying or concealing evidence, including truck inspections and driver log books.

Additionally, our attorneys gather every single scrap of documentation from the accident that helps our injured clients. That evidence could include gas station receipts, meal receipts, cell phone records, texting records, and other information to determine the times a driver was at specific locations. These records can often paint a very clear picture of speed and negligence.

Why Independent Truck Accident Investigations Matter

Independent truck accident investigations are absolutely critical. Only a thorough truck accident investigation can help reveal who the at-fault party was and can provide the proof required to establish the negligence of the at-fault party in the truck accident.

The trucking company involved in the truck accident will be requesting that their own investigators perform an investigation as well. This is usually done to prove accident victims were at fault for the truck accident, at least to some degree, so that they will have to pay lesser damages, if any at all.

Truck Driver Responsibilities

A professional truck driver typically makes their money driving a truck long distances, usually crossing interstate borders. The job involves hauling different types of cargoes from one place to another. Truck drivers spend most of their time on the road, but they don’t stop there; many duties include loading and unloading cargoes. This is of major importance if the payload is made up of special or delicate materials for which the driver may be the only one who has the required certifications to handle loading and unloading procedures.

Truck drivers also have the added responsibility of ensuring the truck’s safety and that of other people and motorists on the road. With that in mind, there are many trucking regulations to help truck drivers maintain road safety. From set routes to the way drivers are instructed to maneuver their trucks, many rules exist and it is part of the driver’s responsibility to follow them. One very important rule to keep in mind, for instance, instructs drivers to maintain logbooks that will record all pertinent events that transpired from loading to unloading of cargoes.

The rules that govern many of the responsibilities of a truck driver are ultimately for the good of the driver and, importantly, the other drivers on the road. The rules are set forth to require truck drivers to take enough breaks to help them avoid fatigue and regain mental alertness at any point in the hauling trip.

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Carrier Responsibilities

Each year, trucking companies make their living from moving goods, products, and materials from one place to another. Their bread and butter comes from a large fleet of transport vehicles and 18-wheelers that travel our nation’s roadways every single day. While these large trucks are essential to our nation’s economy, they are a constant threat to other drivers. Tire defects caused by a lack of owner maintenance can also cause catastrophic accidents.

If you or a loved one has been injured due to a trucking accident, call The Ammons Law Firm LLP to contact a truck accident attorney for a free consultation.

It is the responsibility of trucking company owners, and all of their employees, to ensure good hiring decisions are made, vehicle maintenance is duly performed, inspections are taken, and other essential duties are completed in order to avoid devastating accidents on the road. If a trucking company fails to protect others on the road, the business may be held liable for damage caused in an accident.

If the driver of a truck or 18-wheeler causes an accident that injures another person, the injured party may be eligible for compensation for medical expenses, pain, suffering, and other damages.

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