Houston Truck Accident Lawyer

Steps to Take After a Truck Wreck

Unfortunately, as a truck wreck victim, you become saddled with the burden of having to think and act fast. Mostyn Law strategically designed its legal operation to take that burden off of you.

If you have just been involved in an accident, you can call us immediately and get the help you need in real-time. Mostyn Law’s Houston truck accident lawyers assist you in the face of even the most severely devastating accidents. In addition, there are a few things you should do as soon as possible after an accident to make it easier for you to heal.

Our experienced attorneys are committed to helping you navigate the complexities of your case and secure the compensation you deserve.

1) Call emergency services

The police report is often the most important part of any truck wreck case since it provides the basis for facts in a courtroom. That’s why we want you to be as equipped as possible so we can fight for justice, and why you should call emergency services immediately upon experiencing a truck wreck.

2) Call Mostyn Law to engage with a truck accident attorney

After you’ve contacted emergency services, call us. After a wreck, the trucking company has a team of experts investigating the wreck trying to find a way to place the blame on you. When you call Mostyn Law, we’ll immediately deploy our Rapid Response Team – our own team of experts who will start gathering evidence, talking to witnesses, and building a strong case that will help us maximize your settlement. Let us take on that burden for you, so you can focus on your recovery and getting back to the business of life.

3) Take pictures and videos

If you’re able to safely take pictures and video before the wreck is cleared – do it! Be sure to get pictures of all vehicles involved, especially the truck. Get photographic and video documentation of the truck’s Department of Transportation (DOT) number, the truck license plate, the driver’s commercial license, any logos or signage, and the wreckage. These forms of visual proof are persuasive in a legal battle, and it’s easier to gather evidence now rather than trying to reconstruct what happened later.

Be sure to take pictures of the accident from multiple angles: head-on, the back, and both sides of your vehicle and the truck involved in the collision. If you notice anything specific, such as skid marks indicating the path of travel for either vehicle or evidence of a collision with other barriers such as walls, debris, or other objects, take pictures of that as well.

If you see something you believe may be useful to help your Houston truck accident attorney advocate for you and strengthen your case, take a picture. We will sort through your photos later to determine how we can use them.

4) Get medical attention

Your health comes first. If you have just been in a truck wreck, no matter how big or how small, it is vital to get a medical opinion from a doctor or emergency room personnel in the case of a critical injury. You may feel fine, but the rush of adrenaline can sometimes mask injuries.

Not only is it important for you to get checked out for your own well-being, but getting checked out by a health professional will play a role later on by showing the court and insurance companies how you were affected by this accident. Whether or not you seek medical attention after a wreck can affect the likelihood of a better outcome in the courtroom, including the amount of compensation you receive as a result of the truck wreck.

If you need a referral to a medical professional, Mostyn Law can refer you to high-quality doctors.

What Compensation Can I Get for a Truck Accident?

A truck accident could leave you dealing with more than vehicle damage. Many people are faced with emergency medical care, missed work, ongoing treatment, and fear, anxiety, and uncertainty about their finances while trying to recover. In a serious crash involving a commercial truck, the impact often reaches every part of daily life.

At Mostyn Law, we believe you deserve a clear understanding of what compensation may be available after a truck accident in Houston. Every case is different, but compensation is generally meant to address both the financial losses tied to the collision and the personal impact the injuries have had on your life.

Medical Expenses

Medical expenses are often one of the largest parts of a claim. Compensation may include emergency treatment, hospital stays, surgeries, physical therapy, medications, follow-up appointments, and future medical care tied to the accident. Truck crashes frequently cause injuries that take months or years to fully heal, and some individuals require long-term support or rehabilitation.

Lost Income

Lost income is another major concern. Some injured people miss weeks of work, while others are unable to return to the same type of job they held before the crash. A truck accident claim may account for both lost wages and reduced future earning ability if the injuries affect long-term employment.

Non-Economic Damages

There are also damages that are harder to measure on paper but still very real. Pain, physical limitations, emotional distress, and the disruption caused to family and everyday life can all become part of a claim. In severe truck accident cases, these effects can continue long after the visible injuries begin to heal.

Proving Liability for a Truck Crash

Truck accident claims are often more complex than standard car accident cases because multiple insurance policies and companies may be involved. A trucking company, driver, maintenance provider, or cargo company may all play a role in the events leading up to the collision. Mostyn Law will investigate the crash thoroughly and identify every available source of compensation instead of settling for the most obvious answer.

Insurance companies move quickly after truck accidents, especially when catastrophic injuries are involved. Their goal is often to limit exposure early before the full impact of the injuries is understood. That is why documenting treatment, preserving evidence, and getting legal guidance early can make a significant difference in the strength of a claim.

At Mostyn Law, our Houston truck accident attorneys prepare cases with the understanding that these crashes can permanently alter someone’s future. We do not walk away from difficult cases, and we will continue pushing forward when insurance companies try to minimize what you have been through.

Mostyn Law Will Take Care Of You

Our level of care sets us apart. Mostyn Law attorneys strive to take the burden off of you and the people you love by listening, holding to our values, and taking action.

A truck wreck is already stressful. It introduces a whole new chapter into your life that you never planned for and adds extra stress you never signed up to take on. Mostyn Law reduces that stress by connecting you with an advocate who will be in your corner. Our Houston commercial truck accident attorneys collaborate with dedicated staff to help design a winning plan for people like you.
We specialize in personal injury and truck wreck cases, and we are experienced litigators and warriors for justice in the courtroom. Your case is not our first or our last, but we will give you and every client we work with the utmost time, assistance, and legal support necessary to handle your case. We fight for you and treat every case as unique, just as every life is precious.

How much is hiring a Houston truck accident lawyer going to cost me?

There is no upfront cost to you. You don’t pay a thing unless and until we successfully resolve your case. Mostyn Law will never charge you upfront or throughout the progression of your claim.
We only take a cut out of the settlement after we successfully complete your case.
And, if for some reason we are unsuccessful, you owe nothing.

More Facts About Truck Wrecks

There are two types of truck wrecks: commercial and noncommercial truck wrecks. The two types of wrecks differ based on types of insurance, who is accountable for liabilities, and the legal process for resolving the claim. Commercial trucks must abide by federal regulations. You need a lawyer who understands the rules and can hold trucking companies accountable when they break the law.

No matter what kind of truck accident you are involved in, Mostyn Law’s Houston semi-truck wreck attorneys can help guide you or a loved one towards a better resolution.

Commercial Truck Wrecks

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, there were 704 non-pickup or commercial truck wrecks last year.

The analysis by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS-HLDI) describes the growth of truck wreck fatalities through the decades:

Occupants in passenger vehicles are killed at a far higher rate than truck operators.
In 2020, 15% of truck drivers died, 68% of deaths were drivers of other vehicles, and 16% were passengers.
Those numbers are much higher than recorded in 2009: the number of people who died in truck accidents increased by 28%, and the number of truck driver fatalities rose by 35%.

Commercial truck wrecks have included accidents involving

Amazon commercial trucks and other consumer delivery vehicles
Private mail carrier trucks, such as those owned by UPS, FedEx, and other companies
Shipping trucks or industrial work trucks, such as 18-wheelers

Personal Truck Wrecks

Pickup trucks or trucks with trailers are commonly involved in personal truck wrecks. According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT), there were 1,588 pickup truck fatalities in 2021.

If you are involved in an accident with a truck owned by an individual as opposed to a commercial entity, we are here to help you navigate that, too.

Common Reasons for Trucks Accidents

Truck accidents can occur for a wide variety of reasons. Some of the most common causes our Houston truck accident attorneys see include:

Driver Fatigue

When someone doesn’t get enough sleep, it can lead to impaired driving through driver fatigue, similar to alcohol. The government prevents truck drivers from driving more than 11 hours at a time within a 14-hour span, though evidence shows many do it anyway, significantly increasing overall crash risk.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), fatigue accounts for 13% of commercial truck wrecks. When commercial truck drivers or their companies pressure them to drive longer to the point of fatigue, they contribute to a dangerous threat to drivers’ lives and well-being. That loss of life cannot be overstated.

Unsafe Backing Up

You might not think backing up is a leading danger, but truck drivers that back up unsafely and do not see where they are going endanger the people around them by pushing a several-ton object in a dangerous direction. According to the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI), backover accidents claimed about 200 fatalities annually and caused more than 12,000 injuries in 2019.

All of those people tragically taken away or injured in backup accidents would be alive or unscathed if the truck drivers backed up with more attention or slowed down while backing up.

Poor Brake Maintenance

Trucks travel long distances and brakes get worn down over time, which is why drivers should take preventive steps. Drivers should check the brakes every 10,000 miles and replace the brake pad every 30,000 miles at a bare minimum. Defective brakes, brake parts, and poor brake maintenance can lead to a catastrophic brake-related truck wreck.

For example, in 2019, a brake malfunction in a semi-truck caused a 28-car pileup in Colorado responsible for killing four, injuring six, and leading to an explosion.

Overweight Trucks

Overloaded trucks can cause a truck wreck in several scenarios due to an excess of cargo, including speeding down a hill, blowing out the tires, tilting over from a road bump, rolling over, and more. A successful lawsuit usually holds the truck driver, truck company, or third-party-loader accountable.

Greed, incompetence, and illegal activity are motivating factors for overloaded truck wrecks because those drivers want to get someplace in one trip, usually in a hurry.

Under-loaded Trucks

Just like overloading a truck can cause an imbalance, having too little cargo can become dangerous, especially when hauling liquid, because it moves side to side, making an imbalance more likely and increasing the risk of an accident.

Rollovers

In 2018, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reported 239 rollover crashes, showing that:

A large, overturned commercial vehicle is a recipe for highway wreckage.
Rollovers occur frequently on ramps and freeways when trucks switch lanes.
Fatigue plays a significant factor, as do brakes, size of the load, and road conditions.

Mechanical Failures

Individual parts or whole systems of a truck can lead to mechanical failures, causing a chain reaction that leads to a dangerous wreck. Just as brakes can wear out, so can the rest of the vehicle, like the transmission, suspension, tires, and more. Wear and tear in one part can lead to wear and tear in another, which is why regular maintenance is necessary.

Jackknifing

When the trailer attached to the truck swings ahead of that truck, commonly referred to as jackknifing, it can cause damage and lead to severe accidents.

There are types of fatigue brought on by poor sleeping or drowsiness, which become exacerbated by long stretches on the road:

One fatigue form is sleep inertia. Truck drivers are significantly more likely to cause a wreck during their first hour awake. Additionally, the driver is more likely to become fatigued by the eighth hour driving, even though they are allowed to drive for 11 hours at a time.
Fatigue is also more likely to cause an accident at certain hours of the day than others. The body naturally reacts to the hours between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. with drowsiness, which directly impedes driver alertness. According to the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (VDMV), after midnight, drivers are more likely to lose control and cause a wreck.

Reckless Driving

Negligent driving is a leading cause of truck wrecks. Going too fast, cutting off other drivers, and ignoring signals – in addition to alcohol and drug abuse – are some of the ways that recklessness can occur on the road.

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving led to 3,142 lives lost in 2020, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). If you are the victim of a distracted driver, be sure to mention to the authorities that the driver was distracted, so it shows up on your crash report.

Drivers may think that texting only takes a few seconds, but when driving at a speed of 55 mph or more, those few seconds can be deadly and far-reaching. Other forms of distracted driving include chatting, drinking, and listening to music.

Weather Conditions

Weather conditions like rain, snow, ice, fog, wind and extreme heat or cold can impede vision and can easily cause a truck wreck.

Lack of Training

Drivers who lack proper experience or have a poor driving record can, unfortunately, cause a truck wreck through their negligence. But the negligence of their trucking company or even trucking school could also be involved. Inadequate training is responsible for 27% of truck accidents.

Lack of Sleep

A nearly-sleeping driver is dangerous on the road. According to the NHTSA, drowsy driving killed 633 people in 2020. While you drive, watch out for trucks that are swerving, hitting rumble strips, not braking, or doing any other unusual/negligent activities. They could be falling asleep at the wheel.

Alcohol & Drug Abuse

Some fatal truck wrecks share a devastating connection with alcohol and drug intoxication, threatening the lives of everyone else long before any collision actually occurs. It’s up to the trucking companies not to hire drivers with past driving offenses that involve drinking or drugs, and they can be held liable. If you’re dealing with a DUI or DWI-related truck wreck, we can help.

Failure to Yield Right of Way

Yielding to the vehicle to the right of you, or the first one that got to the intersection is a part of the rules of the road. Failure to yield the right of way can lead to fatal collisions, especially if the person failing to yield is in a much larger vehicle.

Forced Deployment

Recalls and counterfeit airbags can cause forced deployment and trigger a wreck. Liability can be on the driver, company, and manufacturer. Drivers should check if their trucks have recalled OEM airbags before going on the road. Or if their trucks have had “new” airbags installed at an auto-repair shop, they should have them reexamined within three months.

Kinds of Injuries from Truck Accidents

There are seven primary categories of truck wreck injuries:

Back and neck-related trauma

When truck wrecks aren’t fatal, the people who live through them may go on to deal with long-term back and neck trauma. Pains include muscle strains, tendon or ligament injuries, and damage to other soft tissues of the back and neck, including discs between the spine and vertebrae, requiring surgical action.

Brain and head damage

Traumatic brain injuries are common and potentially deadly in a truck wreck, leaving victims with blunt head trauma and concussions, which may not be immediately noticeable. Truck accidents can also cause more visible forms like gashes on the back of your head, front of your face, and scalp. All truck wreck accidents can lead to long-term damage, but brain and head injuries in particular can cause several long-lasting issues.

Bone fractures

Repairing bones can be painful and tedious. Truck wrecks can lead to different bone fractures (displaced, non-displaced, or compound) that may require surgery. Surgeries may involve pins, screws, and rods. Bone fractures can also cause permanent disfigurement, nerve trauma, infection, and internal hemorrhaging if they are not treated fast.

Burn wounds

There are several ways a truck wreck can cause burns, including from explosions or fires caused by head-on collisions with trailers. Wrecks can also lead to friction burns, which victims can obtain from scraping the vehicle interior or the pavement. Some burns can lead to infections, and sometimes surgery is necessary.

Lacerations and punctures

Truck wrecks can cause gashes and cuts from various directions. Cuts may be caused by everything from glass to sharp metal, resulting in permanent disfigurement and even emotional damage. According to the British Medical Association, survivors can often suffer from mental illness symptoms like PTSD, depression, and anxiety as a result of serious truck wrecks. The combination of physical and mental injury can be doubly difficult to deal with, but we are here to support you.

Spinal cord damage

Spinal cord injuries are one of the worst truck wreck injuries because they can directly cause permanent damage to the central nervous system. Damage to the spinal cord can lead to partial or total paralysis and even quadriplegia, where the person loses control of the hands and feet and possibly speech.

Wrongful death compensation

Large commercial vehicles cause many highway deaths annually, leaving surviving families to fight for their loved ones with wrongful death suits. The settlement helps with all funeral, medical, job loss, and emotional fees but requires more court dates and beating insurance companies who fight hard to avoid paying.

Nothing can bring someone back, and nothing can make up for wrongful deaths of someone we care about. If you are filing for wrongful death compensation, we can’t imagine what you’re going through or struggling with right now, but we can pursue justice to honor your loved one who was wrongfully killed.

Contact Mostyn Law After a Houston Truck Accident

Truck accident cases can become overwhelming quickly. While you are trying to recover physically, trucking companies and insurers may already be building their defense. You should not have to manage that pressure alone.

At Mostyn Law, we take pride in standing by our clients from beginning to end. That includes investigating the crash, preserving evidence, communicating with insurers, and fighting for compensation that reflects the true impact of the accident. Our team understands how disruptive a serious truck collision can be, and we will work to make the legal process more manageable while keeping you informed about what comes next.

If you or someone you love was injured in a truck accident, contact a Houston truck accident lawyer from Mostyn Law today. We will listen to your story, explain your options clearly, and help you decide on the best path forward for your situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

After a truck accident in Houston, you should call 911, seek medical attention, document the scene with photos and videos, gather witness information, and contact a Houston truck accident lawyer as soon as possible. Trucking companies often begin investigating immediately after a crash, so preserving evidence early is important.

Several parties may be responsible for a truck accident, including the truck driver, trucking company, maintenance provider, cargo loading company, or vehicle manufacturer. Determining liability often requires a detailed investigation into driver logs, maintenance records, and federal trucking regulations.

Truck accident cases are typically more complex because commercial trucks are subject to federal regulations and often involve multiple insurance policies and corporate entities. Injuries are also usually more severe due to the size and weight of commercial trucks.

Truck accident victims may be entitled to compensation for medical bills, lost wages, future medical treatment, pain and suffering, emotional distress, property damage, and reduced earning capacity. In fatal accidents, surviving family members may also pursue wrongful death compensation.

Most Houston truck accident lawyers, including Mostyn Law, work on a contingency fee basis. This means there are no upfront legal fees, and you only pay attorney fees if compensation is successfully recovered in your case.

Common causes of truck accidents include driver fatigue, distracted driving, speeding, poor truck maintenance, overloaded cargo, impaired driving, unsafe lane changes, and violations of federal trucking regulations. Weather and poor road conditions can also contribute to serious truck crashes.

In Texas, the statute of limitations for most truck accident lawsuits is generally two years from the date of the accident. However, certain circumstances may affect the timeline, so it is important to speak with a truck accident attorney as soon as possible.

Evidence in truck accident cases can disappear quickly. Black box data, driver logs, maintenance records, dash cam footage, and trucking company communications may all play a role in proving liability. Acting quickly allows your attorney to preserve critical evidence before it is lost or destroyed.