Truck & Commercial Vehicle Accident Lawyer in Texas
18-wheelers, tankers, delivery vans, company pickups. On the I-35 corridor and the border, more than 30 years making carriers turn over what they'd rather hide.
A crash with an 18-wheeler or any company vehicle isn't just a bigger car crash: it's a case against a company, subject to federal safety rules, with driver logs, black-box data and maintenance records that prove what happened — and that the carrier can legally erase within weeks. Liability is almost always shared among the driver, the company and sometimes whoever loaded the cargo. You have 2 years; the evidence doesn't.
Eagle Pass, Laredo and the whole I-35 corridor move an enormous share of the country's freight. That means trucks at every hour, drivers with too many hours behind them, and carriers that already have a team ready for when something goes wrong.
That team arrives before anyone. While you're in the ER, the carrier's investigator is already at the scene taking their own photos and talking to the witnesses. It isn't paranoia: it's their job, and they do it very well.
And one clarification that changes many cases: it doesn't have to be an 18-wheeler. A delivery van, a water tanker, the pickup with a company logo, a bus — any vehicle operated by a business falls in the same category, with the same commercial insurance behind it.
Who is liable when a company vehicle hits you?
Unlike a crash between two private drivers, here there is almost never a single responsible party. Each has its own policy, and finding all of them is part of the work:
For speeding, distraction, fatigue, alcohol or plain carelessness. Federal rules cap hours behind the wheel precisely because fatigue is a documented cause of these crashes.
Liable for what its driver did on the job, and for its own conduct: hiring without checking a record, failing to train, pushing impossible schedules, or not maintaining the vehicle. Often the largest part of the case.
Poorly secured or badly distributed cargo rolls a trailer or makes it uncontrollable under braking. If another company loaded it, that company is liable.
Brakes that fail, a tire that blew, a defective hitch. If maintenance was done badly or the part was defective, there's yet another responsible party.
Companies that hire carriers to move goods are sometimes liable if they chose one with a poor safety record. A lesser-known route, and sometimes the one with the most coverage.
What the carrier's insurer will try
Commercial insurers handle these cases every day and know exactly what to do in the first 48 hours. This is the usual playbook:
They'll call fast and be friendly. Everything you say — how fast you were going, whether you were tired, whether it hurts — will be used. No recorded statement without a lawyer.
Trucks carry a black box (electronic control module) that records speed, braking and steering in the seconds before impact. That data contradicts or confirms the driver's version — but it has to be demanded before it's overwritten.
Injuries from a truck crash worsen weeks later. A quick offer aims to close before the real damage is known. Signing ends the case forever.
Federal rules require certain records to be kept only for a limited time; afterward they can be legally destroyed. If they were asked in writing to preserve them and destroyed them anyway, that's used against them. That's why the preservation letter goes out on day one.
A common argument for the company to wash its hands. It often doesn't hold — it depends on who controlled the routes, the hours and the vehicle — and even then there are usually other routes against the company.
The evidence that decides these cases
A truck crash leaves a data trail a car crash doesn't. Almost all of it is in the carrier's hands and almost all of it has an expiration date:
Speed, braking, acceleration and steering in the seconds before impact. The most objective proof that exists, and it can be overwritten as soon as the truck is back on the road.
How many hours they'd been driving, when they rested, whether they exceeded federal limits. Fatigue is one of the most frequent causes, and this is how it's proven.
Driving history, background check, drug tests, training, prior violations. All demanded in writing.
Brakes, tires, lights. Inspections are mandatory and their records show whether the vehicle should have been on the road at all.
Many trucks carry forward- and driver-facing cameras. Nearby gas stations and businesses do too. All of it erases itself within days.
On the highway Texas DPS responds and its report matters. But in serious crashes, reconstructing the accident from pavement marks and final positions is what completes the case.
What to do after a crash with a company vehicle
The carrier has already started. This is what puts you on equal footing:
- 1Call 911 and wait for the report. On the highway DPS responds; its report is the foundation of everything.
- 2Photograph the truck: the company name, the USDOT number and the plates on both the cab and the trailer. That's how the real company is identified — not always the one on the logo.
- 3Photograph the cargo, if visible. How it was secured, or how it ended up scattered, says a lot.
- 4Get medical care the same day, even if you can walk. Injuries from these crashes show up later.
- 5Don't talk to the carrier's insurer. Not recorded, not "informally." Tell them your lawyer will be in touch.
- 6Don't repair or dispose of your vehicle until it's documented. It's evidence too.
- 7Write down witnesses — on the highway they're gone in minutes.
- 8Call a lawyer today. The letter to preserve the black box and the logs has to go out before the truck is back on the road.
What can be claimed
Commercial policies are far larger than a private car's, precisely because the harm these vehicles cause is greater. Every case is different and nobody serious quotes a number up front, but generally the claim can include:
- Past and future medical expenses, including surgery and rehabilitation
- Lost wages and loss of earning capacity
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Physical impairment or disfigurement
- Damage to your vehicle
- In a fatal crash: the family's wrongful death claim
How long do I have?
In Texas you generally have 2 years from the date of the crash to file an injury lawsuit.
But in a truck case the legal deadline is almost irrelevant next to the other one: federal rules allow the carrier to destroy certain records after a limited time, the black box is overwritten once the truck returns to service, and roadside video lasts days. A case opened at six months has already lost half its proof.
Why people call us for truck cases
We demand the black box, the logs, the driver's file and the video in writing before they can be destroyed. It's the difference between having the proof and having the driver's word.
Eagle Pass, Laredo, I-35, US-57, US-83. More than 30 years of truck crashes on the border and in the oilfield.
Driver, carrier, loader, shop, broker. Each with its own policy. A single defendant rarely covers the harm these crashes cause.
No health insurance? We connect you with doctors who treat you now and get paid at the end of your case.
Nothing out of your pocket. We only get paid if we win your case.
Your case is handled in your language, by the people actually handling it — and your immigration status doesn't affect your right to file.
Frequently asked questions
I was hit by a delivery van, not an 18-wheeler. Does this apply?+
Yes. Any vehicle operated by a business on the job carries commercial insurance and has a company behind it. The vehicle's size isn't what defines the case; who was operating it is.
The carrier is from another state or from Mexico. Can I file?+
Yes. If the crash happened in Texas, the case proceeds under Texas law, and carriers that cross state lines or the border are also bound by federal safety rules.
The driver already admitted fault at the scene. Do I need a lawyer?+
Yes. What he said at the scene doesn't bind his insurer, which will say something else later. And the real fight in these cases isn't fault — it's how much harm there was and what records the company preserves.
What is the black box and why does it matter so much?+
It's an electronic module that records speed, braking and steering in the seconds before impact. It's the most objective proof in the case, and it can be overwritten as soon as the truck returns to service — which is why it has to be demanded immediately.
What does it cost to have my case reviewed?+
Nothing. The consultation is free and confidential, and we only get paid if we win.
Hit by a truck or a company vehicle? Let's talk today.
Free, confidential consultation. No fee unless we win. The carrier has already started working — the letter to preserve the black box and the logs has to go out today.
We cover the I-35 corridor and the border highways from Eagle Pass, and we come to you. If your crash was near one of these cities, here's which highways and agencies apply:
Guides that may help you
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every case is different; past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Reading this content does not create an attorney-client relationship.