Have You Been Injured in a Truck Accident?
Helping Innocent Victims of San Antonio Truck Accidents Obtain Monetary Compensation for Personal Injuries and Damages
There are upwards of four high-speed highways and byways in the greater San Antonio region. Large trucks, big rigs, and tractor-trailers use these highways every day. When truck drivers operate their vehicles in a hurried or distracted manner—or while under the influence of drugs or alcohol—they can cause serious accidents and injuries. When a high-speed truck or tractor-trailer collides with a smaller motor vehicle, the smaller vehicle usually does not stand a chance, causing serious injuries and damages.
The experienced San Antonio truck accident law team at Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, understands the pain and inconvenience that comes along with serious truck accident injuries. Our team of lawyers and legal professionals makes it their business to advocate for accident victims every step of the way and pursue their legal rights to fair and just monetary compensation. The intake department at Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, is available for your free consultation, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 800-898-4877, or you may contact us now by CLICKING HERE.
Types of San Antonio Truck Accidents
Truck accidents can occur anywhere from high-speed interstates to rural country roads. The sheer force and impact of a truck accident can cause an accident victim’s body to move about inside the vehicle and sustain serious injuries. The accident victim’s body may also come into direct contact with the vehicle, including the steering wheel, armrest, headrest, or dashboard, and even airbags, depending upon the force of the collision. Some of the most common types of truck accidents that result in injuries include the following:
- Rear-end collisions – When truck drivers are not paying attention to the road in front of them or misjudge their stopping distance, the front end of their trucks can directly impact the rear end of another vehicle. The extent of the injuries in these types of accidents depends largely upon the speed of the truck—and whether the other vehicle was stopped or moving at the time of impact. Whiplash injuries are common, as are soft-tissue neck and back injuries.
- Head-on collisions – These accidents occur when a truck or tractor-trailer collides with the front of another vehicle, which is moving in the opposite direction. These types of accidents are more common on dual roadways with one lane in each direction. Accidents like this can occur if the truck driver is not paying attention, if he or she falls asleep at the wheel, or if the truck driver is under the influence of drugs or alcohol, all of which causing them to veer across the double line. A head-on collision usually results in serious property damage and equally serious injuries, including death, in some cases.
- T-bone accidents – A T-bone collision occurs when the front of one vehicle comes into contact with the side of another vehicle. These accidents are common at traffic intersections, where truck drivers speed through a yellow or red light or disregard a stop sign or yield sign.
- Sideswipes – Trucks and tractor-trailers are especially long vehicles. These accidents can occur at traffic intersections where a tractor-trailer driver misjudges the turn radius of his or her vehicle. Consequently, as the tractor-trailer rounds the bend, it may sideswipe another vehicle waiting at the intersection.
- Jackknife accidents – A truck jackknife accident occurs when an 18-wheeler or semi-tractor trailer skids, a movement that causes the trailer to swing out and to one side. These accidents are called jackknife accidents because the angle between the tractor and the trailer resembles that of a jackknife. Even when a semi-truck or tractor-trailer jackknifes at a relatively slow speed, there is still a good chance that it will roll over in the roadway, leading to serious accidents and injuries. Truck jackknife accidents are sometimes caused by slippery road conditions, as well as truck driver negligence.
If one of these types of trucking accidents has caused you personal injury and damages, the San Antonio lawyers and legal professionals at Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, can investigate your accident case and may be able to file a personal injury claim or lawsuit on your behalf.
National Trucking Accident Attorney Stewart J. Guss discusses trucking safety on national news with Mike Papantonio on America’s Lawyer
Personal Injuries Sustained in Truck Accident Cases
Truck accidents can result in serious injuries and damages. Some of the most common injuries include the following:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Fractures
- Soft tissue injuries
- Back and spinal cord injuries
- Death
Filing a Claim for Personal Injuries
If you have suffered personal injuries and damages in a truck accident in the San Antonio area, you may be eligible to file a claim or lawsuit to recover monetary compensation. Specifically, you may be able to file a claim against the negligent truck driver and/or the trucking company. To hold a truck driver liable for negligence, you must show that the driver violated a traffic law or otherwise behaved unreasonably under the circumstances. Moreover, this violation must have led to the accident and injuries you sustained.
In some cases the insurance company will place an initial offer on the table. These initial offers are usually very low, and insurance companies make them in an attempt to try and settle a case quickly and cheaply. If the case still does not settle after several rounds of settlement negotiations, you or your law firm may need to file a lawsuit against the responsible person or persons.
The skilled legal team at the office of Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, understands that trucking companies have powerful insurance companies and legal teams on their side advocating for their interests. Our team of San Antonio truck accident attorneys and legal professionals knows how to combat the insurance company’s scare tactics and can help you to maximize the value of your personal injury case.
Product Liability Claims in Truck Accident Cases
In some cases, trucking accidents can occur as a result of defective trucking equipment and parts. When this equipment is manufactured or designed defectively, and a serious accident results, the manufacturer or designer may be deemed liable. Some common examples of defective truck equipment and parts that can lead to serious roadway accidents include the following:
- Truck braking systems – Large trucks and tractor-trailers regularly travel up and down grades at various rates of speed. Consequently, they need to have reliable braking systems in place. When truck brakes are improperly manufactured, the truck’s brakes can fail while on the road, leading to a collision with another vehicle.
- Warning lights and undercarriage lights – Many large trucks and tractor-trailers are equipped with red and orange warning lights that illuminate the vehicle at night. These lights are often placed on the cab and around the undercarriage of the trailer. When a manufacturing defect prevents these lights from working, it can make the truck invisible, leading to a serious accident.
- Turn signals – Given their large sizes and fast speeds, drivers of large trucks and tractor-trailers must be able to make clear their intention to turn or switch lanes. If the turn signal on the tractor or trailer is defective, it can result in the truck inadvertently cutting off another vehicle, leading to a serious collision.
- Truck tires – When truck tires are defectively manufactured or designed, it can lead to a blowout on the highway or roadway. This, in turn, can lead to a serious accident with another vehicle.
Negligent Repair Work
In addition to filing a claim or lawsuit for the aforementioned injured accident victim may also be able to take legal action against a negligent repair facility. Large trucks, big rigs, semis, and tractor-trailers—like all motor vehicles—require consistent maintenance in order to keep them in good working order.
When a repair facility is negligent in providing quality repairs and, it can be deemed liable for any accidents, injuries, or damages that result. For example, if a truck’s braking system was recently repaired, the truck went back to work on the road immediately, and an accident occurred, the accident victim may assert a claim against the repair facility.
The firm of Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, can review the circumstances of your accident and ensure that all potentially responsible parties are named as defendants in your case.
Recovering Monetary Damages
To recover monetary damages in a truck accident case, you must be able to show that the accident was the direct cause of your injuries. It is no secret that healthcare costs are steadily rising. However, even if your private health insurer, Medicare, or Medicaid pays for all or a portion of your medical treatment, you may still be able to recover monetary compensation for that treatment as part of your personal injury case.
Victims of serious accidents often have to miss time from work due to their pain. They may also need to take time off work in order to attend medical or physical therapy appointments. In addition to recovering the costs of medical bills, physical therapy, and future treatment costs, you may also be able to recover lost wages for the time you missed from work due to your accident.
In addition to these economic costs, San Antonio truck accident victims may also be able to recover compensation for emotional distress, mental anguish, psychological or psychiatric harm, lost earning capacity, loss of enjoyment of life, or loss of use of a body part.
In the unfortunate event that the accident victim dies as a result of the truck accident, the decedent accident victim’s surviving family members may be able to file a claim or lawsuit for wrongful death. As part of a wrongful death claim, the surviving family members may be able to recover the funeral costs of the decedent’s death, as well as pain and suffering damages. These damages are meant to compensate the accident victim for all of the pain and suffering experienced up until the time of his or her death.
Proving damages in a truck accident case can sometimes be difficult. This is because the trucking company’s insurer will likely dispute the nature and amount of the damages claimed in a personal injury case. They may allege, for example, that the accident victim was not seriously injured in the accident, or that he or she had a pre-existing injury or medical condition that was the real cause of the present symptoms.
You need an aggressive law firm that will help you fight damage disputes raised by the trucking company and its insurer. Our team of lawyers and legal professionals will zealously advocate for your rights, and work tirelessly to the monetary return you deserve.
Call a San Antonio Truck Accident Injury Law Firm Today to Discuss Your Case
No one asks to sustain injuries in a motor vehicle accident involving a large truck. Trucking companies and their drivers must be held accountable for their negligent actions. The same holds true for truck part manufacturers, and distributors and truck repair facilities.
The team of truck accident attorneys and legal professionals of Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, are nationally recognized for protecting the rights of injured victims for more than 20 years. If you were injured in a San Antonio truck accident, call our office right now for your free consultation! Because we take all of our personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, you will not owe us a DIME unless we win your case. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so call us today at 800-898-4877 or contact us now by CLICKING HERE.
See what past clients have to say:
Review: 5/5
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“As a relatively new resident of Houston, I did not know of an attorney to contact for a personal injury suit. I randomly went through the yellow pages contacting two attorneys that had rejected my case prior to me contacting Stewart Guss. Stewart took my case on and settled for far more than I had anticipated. The silver lining of this is that I will now have enough money to go back to school for retraining, so I will be able to reenter the workforce in a new capacity. The paralegal, Angela, was kind and supportive throughout the process. If I did not understand the legal jargon, I did not hesitate to ask, and was never once made to feel that I was incompetent. Thank you Stewart and Angela for giving me a new lease on live.”
-Sally T.
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