Why Truck Accident Cases Are More Complicated Than Car Accident

A collision involving an 18-wheeler may look like an ordinary traffic accident: one driver makes a mistake, another person gets hurt, and an insurance claim follows.

But commercial truck cases can become much more complicated than typical car accident claims.

The difference is not simply that trucks are larger. Commercial transportation involves drivers, trucking companies, equipment owners, maintenance providers, freight brokers, cargo companies, federal safety rules, electronic records, and potentially several layers of insurance and contractual relationships.

Not every truck accident involves all of these issues. But after a serious commercial-vehicle crash, a careful investigation usually needs to look beyond the police report and the person sitting behind the wheel.

There May Be More Than One Responsible Company

In an ordinary two-car collision, the central liability question may be whether one driver failed to use reasonable care.

A truck case may involve additional questions.

Was the driver employed by the trucking company? Who owned the tractor? Who owned the trailer? Who maintained the equipment? Who loaded the cargo? Was a freight broker involved in selecting the motor carrier? Did another company control some part of the transportation operation?

The answer can matter because the conduct of several different people or businesses may have contributed to the same crash.

Texas law allows responsibility in many tort cases to be allocated among multiple defendants and other responsible persons.

Learn more about shared responsibility in Texas personal injury cases.

Commercial Trucking Is Heavily Regulated

Many commercial motor carriers and drivers operate under federal motor-carrier safety regulations in addition to ordinary Texas traffic laws.

Depending on the operation, those rules can address matters such as driver qualifications, hours of service, vehicle inspection and maintenance, cargo securement, and drug and alcohol testing.

For example, federal hours-of-service regulations limit how long many property-carrying commercial drivers may drive before required rest periods.

A violation does not automatically establish liability for every crash. But when a safety rule relates to how the collision occurred, the company's compliance—or noncompliance—can become an important part of the investigation.

Trucks Can Generate Evidence That Passenger Cars Do Not

A serious commercial vehicle case may involve evidence such as electronic logging-device records, fleet GPS data, engine-control-module information, dispatch communications, driver qualification files, maintenance histories, cargo documents, onboard cameras, and company safety policies.

Some of these records are subject to regulatory retention periods.

For example, federal regulations generally require motor carriers to retain drivers' records of duty status and supporting documents for at least six months. Driver qualification files can contain employment applications, motor-vehicle records, road-test information, and medical-certification information.

That creates both an opportunity and a challenge: a commercial truck case may contain more evidence than an ordinary car crash, but someone has to identify that evidence and obtain it.

Learn more about evidence that may matter in a Texas truck accident case.

The Injuries Can Be More Serious

The forces involved when a large commercial vehicle collides with a passenger car can produce catastrophic injuries.

A serious truck case may involve surgery, prolonged rehabilitation, permanent physical limitations, traumatic brain injury, spinal injury, lost earning capacity, or future medical treatment.

That can make the damages investigation significantly more complicated.

It is not enough to collect the first emergency-room bill. A properly developed claim may require understanding the injured person's prognosis, future treatment needs, employment consequences, and how the injuries affect ordinary activities over time.

Texas Has Special Procedural Rules for Some Commercial-Vehicle Cases

Texas law also contains provisions specifically governing lawsuits arising from certain commercial-motor-vehicle collisions.

Among other things, Chapter 72 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code permits a defendant to obtain a bifurcated trial in covered commercial-vehicle cases if the statutory requirements are met. The statute also affects how certain claims against a driver's employer may be presented when the employer makes specified stipulations.

These rules are another reason a serious truck lawsuit may develop differently from a routine passenger-car case.

A Truck Case Requires Looking Beyond the Collision Itself

The most important question after a commercial truck crash is often not simply:

“What did the driver do wrong?”

A complete investigation may also ask:

Who put that driver on the road? Was the truck properly maintained? How long had the driver been working? What does the electronic data show? Who selected the carrier? Who controlled the cargo? What evidence exists, and how long will it remain available?

The answers determine whether the case is really about one driver's mistake—or part of a larger failure involving several people or companies.

Injured in a Houston Truck Accident?

Lyman Law represents people injured in 18-wheeler and commercial-vehicle crashes in Houston and the surrounding area.

If you have questions about who may be responsible or what evidence should be preserved, you can contact us for a free case review.