Houston Truck Accident Lawyer Blog

A Texas jury has sent a truck driver to prison in the manslaughter conviction over a truck accident. The truck driver was convicted of manslaughter on Friday and sentenced to 7 years today.

The widow of the victim wept in court and clutched a photograph of the love she lost. The victim, died when his pickup truck was rear ended by the 18 wheeler while he was stopped at a construction zone on FM 523 near Angleton, Texas.

An off duty officer was also seriously injured in the 18 wheeler wreck but lived.

The prosecution in the criminal trial attempted to offer blood samples showing cocaine, according to reports.

The victim impact statement was especially emotional with a passionate statement by the widow of the victim and followed by the statement of the family of the injured officer.

It took the jury 2 hours to establish the punishment. The truck driver could have been sentenced to as much as 20 years over the fatal truck accident.

A Brazoria County jury has found a trucker guilty of manslaughter in connection with a truck accident in 2008.

The case involved accusations that the truck driver used cocaine prior to the wreck but according to reports, the jury for procedural reasons, did not hear evidence related to analysis of blood samples.

The wreck happened when the 18-wheeler hit 2 vehicles stopped at a construction zone near Angleton. The tractor-trailer hit a pickup and killed one person and injured an off duty officer who was directing traffic, it was reported.

The punishment phase of the trial was scheduled to begin today.

Two people were injured in an 18-wheeler accident on US 290 yesterday. The truck was carrying chlorine at the time of the crash. Both injured victims were taken to Brackenridge Hospital and the extent of their injuries unknown at this time.

The truck accident caused local school busses to be rerouted and many students had to be pickup up by their parents in lieu of riding the bus home.

Trucks caring hazardous substances like chemicals are subject to heightened responsibility to protect the public in the event of a truck accidents.

An 18-wheeler accident involving hazardous materials subjects the truck driver and the trucking company to additional regulatory requirements in reporting the accident.

The motor carrier must report an incident involving hazardous materials at the earliest practice time when hauling hazardous substances and someone is injured in the truck crash and is hospitalized, or if certain substances are spilled, fire breaks out or other specified events occur.

The notice required of truck companies (motor carriers) is by telephone to the DOT or in some cases to the CDC for etiologic agent spills.

For trucking company regulation, "hazardous materials" have 9 different classes or categories. Truck drivers and others who handle or load the hazardous material are required to have specialized safety training.

Additionally, truck drivers and trucking companies must undergo security training for haz mat transportation to be aware of security risks associated with transporting such material.

Criminal charges are pending stemming from an accident with a big truck on Friday. The driver of a car ran a light and struck the truck with great force according to police.

Officers indicated that the truck driver stopped not far from the accident scene but soon drove away. The truck driver was charged with leaving the scene and the driver of the car is reportedly charged with a drunk driving accident.

Passengers of the automobile had to be cut from the car with the Jaws of Life, and one of the passengers in the accident is listed in critical condition at a local hospital.

Given the sheer size and weight truck accidents are much more likely to result in serious injury or wrongful death.

In 2008 the United States had more than 4300 fatal accidents with 18 wheelers and buses, and 145,000 truck accidents with nonfatal injury.

In this truck accident the truck driver allegedly left the scene but the police indicate that the drunk driver caused the accident.

Texas leads the nation in alcohol related fatal accidents with more than 1,800 alcohol related deaths in car accidents last year, and a whopping 25,000 people injured by a drunk driver in Texas.

Continue reading "Jaws of life cut passengers out of truck wreck on Highway 59" »

An 18 wheeler was involved in an accident with a mini van and the truck driver was injured while a mother and small child in the mini van escaped injury.

Troopers are investigating the cause of the wreck and it is suspected either the mini van or the truck made an unsafe lane change. The truck accident turned serious for the truck driver when the cab of his rig hit a bridge column splitting the cab in two and flipping the tractor-trailer.

In 2008 alone, Texas had over 14,000 large trucks and busses involved in non-fatal crashes and over 420, fatal accidents. The vast majority of the injuries and fatalities were to persons other than the trucker.

Due mainly to the size and weight of the tractor trailers the truck drivers most often escape serious injury. That is not always the case, and we do see truckers seriously injured particularly where a big truck jackknifes and the truck driver loses any control of the vehicle.

Continue reading "Truck driver injured in crash with mini van" »

A trucker lost his load on a Houston highway today causing a massive traffic jamb. The truck accident shut the entire freeway down for 45 minutes.

The 18 wheeler was carrying steel that ended up completely blocking the highway, according to reports; the truck driver was cited for failing to secure his load, a violation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (which Texas has adopted).

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations provides that no person shall drive a commercial motor vehicle and a motor carrier shall not require or permit a person to drive a commercial motor vehicle unless the motor vehicles cargo is properly distributed and adequately secured as provided in the regulations.

Not only is a truck driver legally responsible for his load his employer (the trucking company) is also legally responsible for insuring the load is properly secured.

If a Houston auto accident is caused by a truck losing a load the truck driver and his company may be held accountable in a car accident injury claim.

In the times where the load of a truck contributes to an accident, the companies who actually loaded the rig are potential responsible parties in a truck accident injury lawsuit.
The regulations are very specific as to the duties of the driver, the truck company and those who load the rig.

Not only is the public at risk for an improperly loaded commercial vehicle, but the truck drivers themselves can be seriously injured or killed due to an improperly secured load.

Two people were injured in an accident with a tractor-trailer due to an unsafe lane change according to reports.

State troopers indicated a 2009 Peterbilt semi truck made an unsafe lane change striking a pickup on the drivers side and causing the driver to lose control, hit a median and flip over. The accident snarled traffic for an hour and a half while the wreck was cleared.

The two occupants of the pickup were taken to the hospital and it is unknown at this time the status of their injures.

It is extremely common in 18 wheeler accidents in Houston, that do to the size of the rig, the truck driver does not see another vehicle when changing lanes.

Reports indicate that a Trace Adkins tour bus on the way to Shreveport hit another vehicle head on leaving two people dead.

The bus accident happened on Highway 71 northbound in Louisiana, and according to reports, investigators believe the pickup truck crossed the centerline and hit the bus head on, with witnesses observing reckless driving prior to the truck wreck.

The two occupants of a pickup were both killed and several band members had minor injures.

bus crash

A Texas man was killed after his semi truck slammed into an overpass on US highway 50 outside of Hutchinson Kansas. The one truck accident happened about 12:30 on Thursday.

For unknown reasons the semi crashed in to a concrete column of the overpass killing the man. It took over an hour for rescue workers to get the man out of the truck.

The semi truck accident is still under investigation by the Kansas highway patrol. The Kansas Highway Patrol's Critical Accident Response team was dispatched to the accident site and was still on the scene 6 hours after the wreck. The Kansas Department of Transportation was also called to the scene.

The semi truck was from a Texas trucking company.

Continue reading "Texas trucker killed in tractor trailer accident" »

The LBJ freeway was a mess when a big truck accident blocked the westbound lanes. The 18 wheeler was hauling a load of paper and when the truck accident happened, the truck flipped, spilling out some diesel fuel onto the highway according to Dallas morning news.

Due to the diesel on the highway Haz-Mat crews were dispatched to clean up the fuel. Fuel on the roadway is extremely dangerous because it is slippery and can cause unsuspecting motorists who hit a patch of fuel on the road to lose control of their vehicles, similar to hitting an ice patch (for those of you who have driven up north).

When fuel is spilled on the roadway crews shut the roadway down until it can be cleaned up due to the increased danger.

In another report today, an 18 wheeler flipped on Texas Highway 44 spilling an estimated 25 gallons of fuel on the roadway shutting down the lane of traffic for 4 hours.

Continue reading "Dallas highway traffic stalled by 18 wheeler accident" »

It has been a very tragic weekend in Houston when 10 people died in car accidents in less than one day.

The death toll started with a suspected street race between two trucks, with both trucks losing control and hitting light poles on the feeder road to the Gulf Freeway. That truck wreck claimed 3 lives with a forth person was injured and taken to Ben Taub Hospital.

In another accident, on the Southwest Freeway, a driver going the wrong way was killed and the other driver was seriously injured. Police officers are currently investigating the crash.

A Houston area pedestrian was struck and killed while walking in a lane of traffic, it is reported.

An elderly man died when his vehicle a Toyota Camry left the roadway and struck a tree.

These stories should serve as a wake up call to all Houstonians to be extra cautious when driving at night, and to understand that sometimes things beyond your control may well put you in an emergency situation. Be ready and drive safety.

NHTSA has published a study on drowsy driving that asserts that the largest category of sleepy drivers are young males, ages 16 to 29, shift workers who work at night and people with sleep problems.

While the study provides many statistics, the findings boil down to good old common sense. If you are tired don't drive, if you have sleep problems seek help from a qualified medical provider, and do not drink

Continue reading "Houston area traffic accidents claim 10 lives in 24 hours" »

A truck driver hauling logs died in a crash after running off the road. The 49-year-old man lost control going around a curve and went down an embankment.

The logs shifted forward during the truck accident breaching the cab of the truck

Continue reading "Trucker killed in big rig accident" »

The plaintiff, a 39 year old woman who sustained fractures to her ankle; hip and knee sued a truck driver and his company over a truck accident that happened in 2008 when she hit the side of the truck. The woman argued that the truck made too wide a turn and also that the truck driver did not pay proper attention to the other traffic on the roadway.

The jury returned a verdict in the amount of $925,000 but that amount will be reduced by the judge because the jury found part of the fault rested with the plaintiff. The defense argued that the woman did not pay proper attention to traffic and failed to apply her brakes timely.

Driver inattention is the number one allegation in auto and truck accidents in Texas. And inattention is particularly important for professional drivers due to the sheer size of the tractor trailers.

Continue reading "Verdict against trucker in Brazoria County lawsuit" »

A Beaumont woman survived a wheel from an 18 wheeler smashing through her windshield on Interstate 10 outside of Houston.

Folks reported seeing a wobbly wheel on a tanker truck that came off, bounced around, then struck the woman's car going in the opposite direction. The accident totaled the car.

The trucker pulled over and was interviewed by police. The woman was taken to the hospital for tests and was visibly shaken up according to reports.

As previously reported, truck drivers and their companies are legally responsible for the dangerous condition of a rig, like a wheel coming off, that causes a truck accident. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations are designed to protect the public and improve truck safety by imposing minimum safety standards truck drivers and trucking companies must follow.

Continue reading "Wheel comes off truck on I -10 and totals car" »

The first fatality occurred when a car accident in Houston between a car and a pickup disabled the vehicles on the Eastex Freeway and a semi truck traveling over the overpass did not stop in time and hit the car, killing the woman driver and injuring a passenger who was transported to the hospital.

In another tragedy, a Conroe man's car apparently because disabled on the highway and he was attempting to flag down help when he was run over by the semi truck. Another driver had stopped to help and his vehicle was struck from the rear by an 18 wheeler which continued on to run over the Conroe man. The vehicles were traveling on I 37 outside of San Antonio.

Do to the sheer size of an 18 wheeler, stopping can take quite a bit longer than the typical passenger car and can be a factor in the investigation of a truck accident. Additionally, the condition of the brakes on the big rigs can be an important issue in wrongful death cases where truck braking is an issue in the lawsuit.