Houston Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

A vehicle traveling in one direction caught the crash on tape of a semi truck loaded with dirt as it came towards and then narrowly missed them. Much like a big screen film those who view the video can see the payload of the vehicle headed straight for them - and experience the heart-pounding shock and fear that it invokes in the other drivers.

Amazingly and thankfully, no one was hurt - however, viewers may feel no small amount of relief and a sense of 'there but for the grace of God go I'. Why?

Because on a seemingly uneventful afternoon - drivers all around the semi were put in harm's way.

So how does this story end? Simply that the driver of the semi truck was ticketed for reckless driving.

In other words, the accident and potential danger to unsuspecting drivers was totally preventable - and the fault lies squarely at the feet of the rig driver. Beyond the global charge we are not given specifics as to what the driver was doing when he lost control of his 18 wheeler. The trucker may have been texting, talking on the phone or otherwise distracted. He may have been driving drowsy or ingested medicine that affected his judgment and focus. He may have dividing his attention between eating or listening to the radio and keeping the semi on the road. Maybe he was driving too fast for the weather conditions.

Whatever the reason, a reckless driving ticket is a small price to pay for endangering innocent people and make no mistake when an 18-wheeler crashes into a passenger car serious personal injury usually is the result.

Continue reading "A Ticket is a Small Price to Pay for a Trucker" »

In recent weeks there have been several fatal accidents caused by a loose tire flying off a truck and striking other vehicles. Unfortunately, there are unforseen events that can lead to fatalities but THIS is NOT one of them.

Truck drivers and their respective semi truck companies have a responsibility to maintain their vehicles in a manner that ensures the highest possible standard of safety for themselves and the other drivers with whom they share the road.

The trucking industry must be required to demonstrate that they have met regular and rigorous safety inspections. In addition, drivers are expected to do a 'walk around' their vehicle each time they set off on a road trip. One of the things they are supposed to look for is wear and tear on tires that could lead to a tire blow out, injury or wrongful death.

Some federal oversight agencies have offered that nearly twenty percent of semi trucks on the roads today have some type of defect that could result in a crash.

This could be anything from faulty brake systems to worn engine components. Worse yet, these same government organizations admit that only TWO PERCENT of semi trucks ever undergo an annual inspections because the trucking companies are privy to inspection dates and deliberately keep faulty trucks off the road during the window of time that the inspections occur.

The best way to change the current atmosphere is to let your representatives know that you insist on more strict safety regulations across the board in the trucking industry.

In an era of anti-regulation you should know that the trucking regulations, if followed to the letter would save countless lives every year.

Continue reading "Tire Failure on 18-wheelers" »

According to a news report posted online today - there is snow in every state across the country except for Florida. January and semi truck accidents are as common as the flu in winter thanks to poor road conditions and what an inability to handle a vehicle on wet, slushy or icy roads. Consider the following accidents reported across the country over the past several days and you'll agree with me that the average person could probably benefit from a course in winter driving.

Icy roads led to a multi vehicle collision - including several trucks - in St. Louis. Although surprisingly no one was seriously injured - the accident covered 3 lanes of the highway which was closed for hours. The incident occurred at four in the morning - which compounds the problem because the roads tend to ice over at night even if they are only wet during the day.

The East Coast is getting pummeled this winter - and as a result a three vehicle collision between a compact car, dump truck and semi truck ended in the death of the car's driver. Although the accident occurred in broad daylight - road conditions were poor at best and highway driving was nothing short of treacherous.

The West Coast does not seem to be faring any better - and has been hit by storm after storm. Snow falling in the higher elevations attributed to a small pile up on a two lane highway as several vehicles - including a semi truck - lost control on an icy patch of road. Fortunately, again, there were no grave injuries but many drivers were incovenienced when they had to be rerouted.

In my opinion, when the weather turns bad people should turn off their ignitions. Semi truck drivers who think they'll make good time end up making problems for themselves and others. Additionally the trucking safety regulation prohibit driving in hazardous conditions. I have no doubt that those who were involved in the accidents regret their decision to attempt to travel - the better choice would have been to wait out the storm.

Continue reading "Winter Driving and Semi Truck Accidents" »

While all aspects of semi truck and automobile accidents are covered in this electronic journal - including such things as insurance, injuries and recovery, progressive safety technology and statistics - I have yet to provide a comprehensive list of organizations and websites that readers may refer to in order to stay abreast of the industry.

Unfortunately the parameters of this blog will allow me to only offer a few of the more important agenicies. If you have any interest in reading more extensively on rules, regulations and other topics then visit any of the websites that follow.

The United States Department of Labor - Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/trucking_industry/index.html

U.S. Customs - they oversee the entry of foreign goods into the United States and are one of several regulatory agencies.

Department of Transportation (DOT) - specifically the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a department within the DOT, sets and enforces the Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (MCSR) which set safety standards for the design, manufacture, and operation of transportation equipment. www.ai.volpe.dot.gov

Texas Department of Transportation.This site has many interesting and relevant links. http://www.txdot.gov/

Texas Department of Public Safety. http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/driverlicense/

Each of these websites has a tremendous amount of information specific to trucking as well as related topics. They are updated regularly and provide phone numbers and contact information should you have questions or the need for further direction

Continue reading "Local, State and Federal Trucking Agencies" »

The ongoing dispute over prohibiting Mexican semi truck drivers to haul over U.S. roadways is volate and unlikely to be settled definitively in the near future. It has been a long standing policy of this country to prevent Mexican trucks from operating in the United States - a ban that Mexico says patently violates the North American Free Trade Act of 1994. Mexico retaliated with some bans of their own which some claim have cost the country billions of dollars.

The current Secretary of Transportation has offered a concept document in an attempt to work towards a resolution. As one might expect - it has been met with an equal amount of opposition and support.

According to the proposal Mexican trucks would be allowed to cross the border if the drivers and companies are willing to meet certain insurance and safety standards. While that may be all well and good...there are genuine concerns.

First, the United States has multiple layers of local, state and federal organizations whose goal is to help to increase the safety of semi truck driving on our roadways. While many may feel we are still too lax in regulating the trucking business - it is likely that our regulation of the industry as a whole is set to a higher standard than that of our neighbor to the south.

In addition, training - while again perhaps not the most rigorous - ensures some level of competence before a person can obtain their CDL.

With the growing need for goods to be transported over the road - this is a question that will not go away anytime soon.

In an era of "no regulation" it is only civil justice afforded by our courts and regulatory entities like the DOT that protect American families.

Continue reading "The Continued Dispute Concerning Mexican Truck Drivers" »

Most likely every reader is familiar with the fact that data - or flight - recorders are required in airplanes. Now the National Transportation Safety Board is attempting to make them mandatory on semi trucks as well.

Just as information from the recorder is used to reconstruct airline accidents - so, too, does the NTSB want the ability to reconstruct semi truck accidents. They reason that this will allow them to develop further safety precautions and devices that may eventually reduce the number of semi truck accidents on our roadways.

So what type of data does a recorder collect anyway? To begin with they can keep an accurate account of such things as the number of hours the vehicle has been in service. In addition it will provide crash data such as the speed the truck was traveling at the time of the accident and/or braking information. All of this is useful to those charged with reconstruction of an accident.

Moreover, the current approach to maintaining any type of records is simply requiring the semi truck driver to keep a manual log in which he or she inputs the information by hand.

The temptation to falsify information or otherwise misrepresent the truth is almost too great for some defense interests after a semi truck accident. To my way of thinking it's well past time to require data recorders in all semi trucks.

Continue reading "Data Recorders on Semi Trucks" »

Suffering from an injury after a car accident should not be taken lightly. It is usually a good idea to consult with knowledgeable Los Angeles car accident lawyer before you talk to an insurance adjuster.

Car accident victims are often affected by their accident in a dramatic way. This can leave you permanently disabled and unable to work. If you have suffered from a serious personal injury accident, you want to recover a maximum settlement. A catastrophic injury accident can cause physical damages, medical expenses, loss of work, property destruction, pain, stress, and mental anguish.

After a car accident in California how do injured victims get the money they deserve? The key to receiving a fair settlement after your accident is to keep a detailed record of both your economic and non-economic damages.

One of the cruel realities of dealing with an insurance company is that you will be tested when you are at your weakest. In order to receive fair compensation from the insurance company you will need to be preparing your injury claim. The best way to do this is by recording all of your damages in great detail.

There will be two types of damages you can collect in a personal injury claim. The first is economic damages. Economic damages are any monetary costs that you have had to pay. This will include medical bills, loss wages, receipts for any purchases (including those paid for by the insurance company), and services that you are unable to perform because of your injuries, and any loss of property, and future loss wages.

The second type of damage you can collect are non-economic damages. Non-economic damages are not easily summed up with a monetary value. These can be opportunities you have lost out on, the pain and suffering you have endured, stress, mental anguish, and humiliation and loss of companionship.

Continue reading "The Secrete Behind Maximizing Your Los Angeles Car Accident Claim" »

Much time is devoted to all aspects of semi truck driving and accidents in this blog. But there may be simple little questions that could be nagging you...your queries and their responses follow.

Have you started your own company that requires transporting freight from one location to another and need to LEASE a semi truck? If you would like to lease a rig instead of buying one there are a number of companies who specialize in this business. In order to be accepted for a lease you must have at least two years of semi truck driving experience and a fairly high credit score. If approved, you may be required to make a down payment.

What are the average stats of a semi truck? For the most part the United States Department of Transportation sets the some of the statistics - and states set others.

For instance, state laws allow for the height of semi trucks to range between thirteen and a half to fourteen and a half feet, The federal government regulates semis may be no wider than eight and a half feet. (However, different expectations are imposed on what are termed 'wide loads'). They weigh in at 40 tons.

How many gallons of deisel fuel does the average semi truck hold? Many semis have dual gas tanks that are able to hold up to a little less than 140 gallons per tank. As far as the average miles per gallon an 18 wheeler can get - research shows that 6 1/2 miles per gallon is on the high end - usually they get somewhere between 5 and 6 miles per gallon - and this depends on a variety of factors.

Knowing that these huge vehicles are loaded down with nearly 300 gallons of fuel when the gas tanks are full - and their height and weight is similar to a small building - should give you reason to drive more cautiously around them.

Continue reading "Things You Might Not Know about Semi Trucks" »

Have you ever noticed that muscle cars and souped up trucks tend to be driven by persons who think that the only speed appropriate for such vehicles is - simply too fast?

While we tend to (over?) emphasize the fact that distracted and drunk driving account for a large number of injuries and fatalies in automobile and truck accidents - we often overlook speeding as another major factor in these same statistics.

Yet, according to some sources, speeding accounts for thousands of city and highway deaths each year - and it may be one of the simplest problems to cure.

Persons who have been pulled over by law enforcement for speeding continue to repeat the mantra that they 'didn't realize they were going so fast' or they didn't realize they were 'exceeding the legal speed limit'. This technology may further assist the driver by either offering a verbal warning (in that pleasant female voice to which we have all grown accustomed) or by engaging some type of braking system that will cause the vehicle to slow down to legal limits.

Ah, the wonders of technology - pretty soon the car will be doing all the driving for us.

Well, smart technology is now being developed that will actually communicate with the vehicle to let them know if they are traveling at a speed that exceeds the limits of the area. While many may not like such technology, it would be especially helpful for teen drivers.

Continue reading "What's Your Hurry?" »

Occasionally an accident is so horrific there can be no other term for it than gross negligence. When it involves a semi truck and driver whose behavior is so delinquent that it results in the death of holiday revelers - well, the consequences to the innocent lack the proper words for description.

Although the accident as reported took place in another state - the details are relevant to every driver. it seems that on an interstate highway after nightfall a semi truck was driving the WRONG way on the road with no lights on.

What else could come of a scenario such as this except that the semi ran into an automobile carrying four passengers who were returning from Christmas festivities with their family. One person died - and no further word was given on the extent of injuries to the other passengers. However, as is fairly natural when a semi truck runs head on into a passenger car - the extent of injuries IS PROBABLY widespread, long term and life altering.

No matter how often one is cautioned to take care on the roads and drive defensively - well, who could defend against this type of accident? Reports suggest that the driver was arrested on the spot and charged with a whole host of offenses...including, not surprisingly...suspicion of drunk driving.And here is where I make my point.

Even if a driver is charged with 20 counts of various offenses - and even if a truck driver is convicted of and sentenced to a long prison term - and even if a trucking company is sued in court and the family receives substantial civil damages- nothing can erase the horror and trauma of the experience...nor make it better.

Don't drink and drive - an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Continue reading "What Else Can it be Called but Gross Negligence" »

Now is a great time to make a resolution to practice PROACTIVE safety when driving around a semi truck on city streets, rural roads and highways. In the case of motoring near a semi truck the best offense is a good defense.

First, remember never to tailgate a semi truck. The reason for this is simple - if you can't see the semi truck driver then he cannot see you either. If he needs to stop quickly or move his vehicle suddenly he will not be aware of your presence - and you could end up slamming into (and sliding under) the back of the rig. This usually results in a fatality to the driver of the vehicle that is tailgating as well as his or her passengers.

Too, do not drive beside a semi truck for long periods of time. Either pass him or allow him to pass you. If you DO pass a semi truck be sure that you have allowed a safe distance to build up before getting in front of him. Do not put a semi truck driver in the position of having to slam on his brakes to prevent hitting you.

Finally, remember that semi truck drivers earn their living by driving - and if they are behaving unsafely in any way - either in a distracted or drowsy manner or through aggressive driving maneuvers - the companies for whom they are employed are posted on the sides of the truck - along with a number to call to inform the business about the driver's behavior. It's everyone's job to drive responsibly.

Continue reading "Driving Around an 18 Wheeler" »