Houston Head-On Collision Lawyers

If you suffered injuries in a head-on collision with a commercial truck, you may be entitled to substantial compensation from the truck driver or their employer. Don’t hesitate to contact the Houston truck accident attorneys at Gibson Hill Personal Injury to learn about your legal rights and options. We will aggressively pursue the monetary award you deserve in an insurance claim or lawsuit.

Head-on accidents are serious, often devastating events, especially when they involve a large truck. Tractor-trailers are larger and weigh much more than passenger vehicles. The force of impact from a large truck in a head-on collision is strong enough to cause life-threatening injuries and fatalities. Victims of a head-on collision with a semi-truck are often left with long-term injuries and exorbitant medical expenses at the same time that they’re forced to miss work as they heal.

The Houston personal injury attorneys of Gibson Hill Personal Injury understand the challenges you are facing and how difficult it is to think about pursuing a legal case while you’re trying to recover. Our Houston head-on collision lawyers can take over and handle each step of your case, so you can focus on moving forward.

Call (713) 659-4000 today to find out more about our legal services at a free no-obligation consultation. We’ll listen to your story and answer all of your questions.

Types of Commercial Trucks in Houston

Commercial trucks include a variety of different vehicles. Some are larger than others, but all can cause severe injuries and fatalities if they collide with a smaller vehicle. Many carry cargo, such as consumer goods, toxic substances, and garbage from construction sites. Others transport oil to other parts of the country. This adds another level of danger in an accident if anything falls off the truck into the path of another driver.

The most common trucks you might see on Houston roadways include:

• Tractor-trailer
• 18-wheeler
• Dump/garbage truck
• Heavy hauler
• Refrigerator truck
• Heavy hauler
• Flatbed
• Cement mixer
• Logging truck
• Cargo tank
• Delivery vehicles

If you encounter any of these trucks, you should maintain as much distance as possible. It’s nearly impossible for a compact car to win the fight against an 80,000-pound truck. The smaller vehicle occupants often end up with injuries that require months or years of medical treatment. Some people are left with permanent disabilities that reduce their qualify of life and require lifelong care.

Why Do Head-On Truck Accidents Happen?

Driving a large truck is challenging. Drivers must pass testing, go through training, and obtain a special driver’s license to operate one of these vehicles. They should know how to maneuver it safely through traffic, react in an emergency, and perform inspections to ensure there isn’t any damage or issues that need to be addressed.

Head-on collisions are typically due to driver error or inattention. They caused approximately 29.5% of deaths compared to other types of accidents in 2018. It’s critical that the trucker focuses on the task at hand and doesn’t become distracted by their cell phone or something else while they’re behind the wheel. The most common reasons commercial trucks end up in a head-on accident include:

• Sharp curves and turns – When a driver is approaching a turn or curve in the road, they must prepare for it much sooner than someone driving a car. They should slow down and maneuver the vehicle, so it doesn’t veer into another lane.
• Driver fatigue – Truck drivers must follow federal regulations regarding the maximum amount of hours they’re allowed to be on the road. If they violate those regulations, they could fall asleep behind the wheel and cross over the centerline into oncoming traffic.
• Distracted driving – A cell phone, GPS, radio, and food could distract the trucker from the task at hand. If they’re not paying attention to the road ahead, they could end up driving the wrong way in another lane.
• Swerving – Distractions could also prevent drivers from noticing a large pothole, hazard, or other danger in the road. Without much warning, their knee-jerk reaction could be to swerve into the next lane without noticing another vehicle driving towards them.
• Driving under the influence – Alcohol and drugs impair a person’s driving abilities. They cause a slower reaction time, drowsiness, reduced motor skills, and poor judgment. If a drunk or drugged driver causes a head-on collision, they could face civil and criminal penalties.
• Improper passing – A truck driver who’s in a rush might attempt to pass another vehicle in a no-passing zone. They might not notice someone traveling towards them and crash into the front of their car.

Many other causes could result in a head-on truck accident. You can contact Gibson Hill Personal Injury to investigate your case and determine if the truck driver was at fault and should be held accountable for their careless actions.

Who’s Liable for a Head-On Collision?

After a head-on accident with a large truck, you might wonder who you can turn to for compensation. You were injured through no fault of your own and should not bear the financial burden of your expenses. There’s a fault system in Texas that determines who’s financially responsible after an accident. That means whoever was at fault becomes liable for the victim’s losses.

You may be able to recover different types of compensation for your losses in your head-on accident, such as:

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Lost earning capacity
• Mental anguish
• Disfigurement or physical impairment
• Property damage
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of consortium
• Wrongful death

You could attempt to compensate for these losses by filing a claim with the truck driver’s liability insurance company. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration requires trucking companies to purchase liability insurance for all drivers to cover losses if they end up causing an accident. There are various coverage options depending on the weight of the vehicle and the type of cargo it contains. These coverages range from $300,000 to $5 million.

If you discover that the truck driver doesn’t have the required liability insurance, you could file a claim with your auto insurance company if you have uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM) coverage. UM insurance provides compensation to accident victims when the at-fault driver doesn’t have liability coverage, high enough limits, or fled the scene of the crash before exchanging information.

When you file a UM claim, you may be able to recover the following types of compensation:

• Medical bills
• Property damage
• Pain and suffering
• Lost wages
• Lost earning capacity

In some situations, filing a lawsuit against the truck driver or trucking company might be necessary. There’s a two-year statute of limitations you must follow if you want to sue for compensation. This includes wrongful death lawsuits if you lose someone in a head-on truck accident.

The clock begins on the date of the accident. Once it passes, you won’t have the opportunity to pursue legal action in the civil court system. However, two main exceptions would allow you to delay the deadline:

• The defendant left Texas temporarily. Upon their return, the clock would start again, and their absence would not count towards the two-year statute.
• You were under 18 or of unsound mind at the time of the accident. The clock would not begin until you turn 18 years old or become mentally competent.

Why It’s Crucial to Seek Legal Representation

It doesn’t matter if you’re planning on filing an insurance claim or lawsuit. You should hire an experienced Houston head-on collision lawyer for assistance. For one, accident victims who pursue a case without legal representation typically end up with less money than if they chose to hire someone. Truck accident cases are complicated, and the insurance company will look for any excuse to issue a denial or offer a low amount that they hope you will immediately accept so they can close out your claim and move forward.

Gibson Hill Personal Injury knows the ins and outs of truck accident cases like yours. We’ve handled many numerous such cases since opening our firm in 2013. We will protect your rights and won’t allow anyone to take advantage of or treat you unfairly.

Once you retain our services, we will begin with an investigation. Evidence is critical in proving how the accident happened, who was at fault, and whether there were injuries. Some of the evidence we will collect include:

• Accident scene photos
• Video surveillance footage
• Crash report
• Truck driver’s licensing, driving history, and other background information
• Your medical records and medical bills
• Eyewitness statements
• Trucking company’s employee records and hiring practices
• All available insurance policies
• Repair estimates for all damaged vehicles involved in the accident

There are state laws, deadlines, paperwork, and various other components of a legal case that we can effectively navigate. Our Houston head-on collision lawyers work efficiently to obtain relevant evidence before it gets destroyed or lost and track down witnesses while the details of the accident are still fresh in their minds. While you’re focusing on attending your doctor’s appointments, you can count on us to handle all the legal aspects.

Schedule Your Free Consultation With Gibson Hill Personal Injury

We provide compassionate, aggressive, and dependable legal services to accident victims in Houston and the surrounding areas. We have the resources, knowledge, and experience to handle head-on collisions and other types of truck accidents. With our dedicated legal team on your side, you will get back on your feet before you know it.

If a truck driver caused your injuries in a head-on accident, call Gibson Hill Personal Injury immediately for a free consultation with one of our Houston head-on collision lawyers.