When you’ve been injured in a truck accident, you don’t have time to wait and see how things pan out—you need help now. At Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm, it is our job to make sure you receive a full and fair settlement for your damages and that your rights are respected and upheld throughout this legal process. When you work closely with a San Antonio truck accident lawyer from our law office, you will have access to unrivaled legal representation and guidance.
We are an accomplished personal injury law firm with experience handling a wide array of injury cases. Our truck accident attorneys have the knowledge and legal background required to successfully navigate the complex world of truck accident cases while also treating each and every client with the care and respect they deserve.
Your compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, and property damage is on the line. Contact our law office today to schedule your free consultation. We’ll match you with one of our truck accident lawyers for a no-obligation, one-on-one meeting.
Texas Truck Accident Statistics
With ten sea ports, 16 interstates, and trade routes with our southern neighbor of Mexico, Texas is a major hub of commerce in the United States. On a typical day, you may share the road with many different tractor-trailer drivers. There is the potential for a truck wreck any time that you are traveling on the same road as big commercial vehicles.
According to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) San Antonio is home to eight of the 100 most congested roads in the state of Texas. Looking at statistics from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), we can see the impact of sharing the road with all these semi-trucks in Bexar County. Let’s look at the 2021 data for commercial truck accidents in our county:
- 16 fatalities
- 36 suspected serious injuries
- 2,210 total trucking accidents
Semi-truck accidents are far from uncommon in San Antonio, Bexar County, and the surrounding area. What is uncommon is finding a personal injury lawyer who will provide vigorous legal guidance with a compassionate touch. At Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm, all of our truck accident attorneys have the knowledge, background, and empathy that is necessary to hold a trucking company responsible for its actions.
Are Truck Safety Regulations Helpful?
The trucking industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the United States. Despite this, trucking companies routinely find new and innovative ways to disregard, ignore, and purposely violate regulations intended to protect truck drivers and lower the risk of causing an accident.
For example, the hours-of-service regulations set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) are intended to prevent driver fatigue by limiting the number of hours truck drivers can be behind the wheel. When employers disregard these regulations and create unreasonable delivery schedules, drivers are often forced to drive for longer periods than is safe.
Some of the most commonly violated FMCSA regulations include:
- Incomplete driver qualification (including incorrect endorsement or no CDL)
- Insufficient tire tread depth (less than 2/32 of an inch)
- Turn signal not working
- Oil and grease leaks
- Poor truck maintenance
- Mechanical failures
San Antonio truck companies have a vested interest in denying liability for motor vehicle accidents. If you’ve been injured in an 18-wheeler accident, your legal team needs to include an experienced truck accident lawyer who knows all the tricks and tactics these companies use to hide wrongdoing.
At Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm, we demystify truck accident claims by pushing for transparency from the trucking company and its insurer.
Truck Driver Errors
Drivers of tractor-trailers are responsible for maintaining safe speeds, following the rules of the road, and keeping their vehicles under control. Any disregard for the safety of the other vehicles around them could ultimately result in a large truck accident.
A commercial vehicle driver who engages in any of the following behaviors is putting you and everyone else on the road at risk for being involved in a serious truck accident:
- Distracted driving
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Speeding
- Driving too fast for conditions
- Following too closely (tailgating)
- Aggressive or reckless driving
- Improper or unsafe lane changes
- Failure to yield the right of way
Truck drivers who fail to properly secure their loads, do not conduct pre- and post-trip inspections, and regularly use their phones behind the wheel are more likely to cause life-altering injuries in an 18-wheeler accident. If an act of truck driver negligence caused your crash, you are owed fair compensation for your resulting injuries and damages.
What Makes Commercial Trucks Dangerous?
When fully loaded, large trucks can weigh up to 80,000 pounds—as much as 30 times the weight of a standard passenger vehicle. In an 18-wheeler accident, the extreme weight difference between these two vehicles creates a greater force exerted on the smaller vehicle.
In short, passenger vehicles are no match for large trucks.
Types of Truck Accident Injuries
An accident involving a large tractor-trailer has the potential to cause catastrophic injuries. A catastrophic injury is considered especially severe and typically affects the brain, spine, and spinal cord. These types of injuries may require months, years, or even a lifetime of medical treatment and care.
If you’ve been involved in an 18-wheeler accident, it is imperative that you seek medical attention as soon as possible. While still at the accident scene, call 911 and request an ambulance. Allow emergency responders to evaluate your condition and, if necessary, transport you to the nearest hospital.
Do not let a fear of medical bills hold you back from seeking potentially life-saving care. Emergency room bills, surgery fees, and co-pays are all compensable in a truck accident claim.
To learn more about your legal right to financial compensation, speak with a San Antonio truck accident lawyer today.
Who Pays for My Damages?
Truck drivers who drive commercial motor vehicles on behalf of their San Antonio employers are generally not the party liable for paying damages in the event of an accident. Instead, it is the employer (the trucking company) and their insurance company who are legally responsible for paying compensation to accident victims.
Unfortunately, both trucking companies and their insurers are profit-oriented businesses with a shared interest in lowering accident settlements to boost their own bottom lines. Even in cases when liability is clear, such as jackknife accidents involving distracted drivers, the insurance company will do everything in its power to limit your right to a fair settlement.
We don’t let that happen.
Your San Antonio truck accident lawyer will correctly identify all liable parties, including the trucking company, the owner of the truck, and auto part manufacturers, to ensure that you receive the total sum to which you are legally entitled. The insurance company will know that you mean business when you partner with Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm.
What Is My Truck Accident Claim Worth?
How much you are owed for your truck accident injuries will vary depending on a number of factors, such as the type and extent of your injuries, how badly your vehicle was damaged, and whether you are unable to work.
However, if you were hit and injured by a truck driver in San Antonio, know that you are typically entitled to compensation for two different types of damages: economic and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Any financial losses resulting from your truck collision fall under the category of economic losses. This may include your:
- Lost wages
- Medical expenses
- Property damage
Keep track of all medical bills and auto repair quotes you receive. Bring these along with copies of your last paystubs and evidence of missed paychecks (such as bank statements) when you meet with one of our San Antonio truck accident lawyers for your free consultation.
Non-Economic Damages
Financial losses are just one component of how your life was affected after a car accident. If an accident in San Antonio, TX impacted your life either temporarily or permanently, you are entitled to compensation. These non-monetary losses are called non-economic damages and may include:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental and emotional anguish
- Loss of enjoyment in life
Correctly valuing the worth of your non-economic losses can be challenging, but Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm has never backed down from a challenge. An accident in San Antonio, TX can permanently upend your life. We’ll put our legal expertise to work for you, ensuring that you receive maximum compensation for both your economic and non-economic damages.
Can I Afford To Hire a Truck Accident Attorney?
The cost of hiring a truck accident attorney should never prevent an injury victim from taking legal action. If you’ve been injured in an 18-wheeler accident, we invite you to schedule a free consultation with our personal injury law firm.
During this no-cost meeting, we’ll go over your legal options for financial recovery as well as our payment structure. In order to provide rigorous legal representation regardless of financial resources, we work with most clients on a contingency fee basis. This payment structure means that we do not require any type of upfront payment. Instead, we only get paid if (and when) we win your San Antonio truck crash case.
Will My Truck Accident Case Go to Court?
Most personal injury claims involving truck accidents are negotiated and settled outside of the courtroom. It is our goal to negotiate the best possible settlement in a reasonable amount of time for our clients so that they can access the funds they need as soon as possible.
However, in a small number of cases, trucking companies and their insurers refuse to pay what our clients are owed. When this happens, your 18-wheeler accident lawyer will already be prepared. Even as we strive to settle, our top-rated trial lawyers prepare for the possibility of going to court. This approach allows us to be prepared for whatever path your case takes.
We Are San Antonio Truck Accident Lawyers Protecting the Rights of the Injured
Your trucking accident attorney must be willing to fight for maximum compensation on your behalf. Only work with an attorney who understands the importance of demanding what you are owed after a serious truck accident.
At Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm, our proactive approach to accident cases involving tractor-trailers makes us the right choice for your injury claim. We are knowledgeable in all state and federal laws that govern the trucking industry, and we will apply that knowledge to:
- Investigating your claim. We’ll collect evidence like the police report, dash cam footage, and the trucks’ black box data to determine what caused your accident and who was responsible. We’ll also correct any factual errors contained within the police report.
- Determine how much you are owed. Once you agree to a settlement, there’s no second chance to go back and ask for more money. We correctly value the total worth of your truck accident claim the first time.
- Dealing with the insurance company. The insurer is banking on your lack of knowledge of semi-trucks and your right to bully you out of the compensation you are rightfully owed. When you work with us, we’ll handle the insurance company on your behalf.
Your San Antonio truck accident attorney from Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm will not rest until the at-fault parties are held responsible for your injuries.
Fighting for Truck Accident Victims for 23 Years
For nearly two decades, Buckingham Barrera Vega Law Firm has been fighting for victims of semi-truck accidents. We don’t allow trucking companies to make excuses for bad truck driver behavior.
A San Antonio truck accident lawyer is standing by. Contact our law office today to schedule your free consultation. We’ll strive to answer all of your questions as clearly and honestly as possible, and there is never any obligation to continue working with our law firm in the future.
