If you have suffered injuries after a truck accident, you may be eligible to recover damages from the negligent party. A truck accident lawyer in Fort Worth can help you establish liability and build a compelling case against the person responsible for the accident. The liable party could be the truck driver, trucking company, shipping company, truck manufacturer, another motorist, government agency, etc.
At Heller Law Office, we help truck accident victims in Fort Worth seek justice for personal injuries and property damage suffered from the crashes. If you got injured in an 18-wheeler truck accident along one of our roads and are unsure of your legal options, contact us for a free consultation.
Why Heller Law Office for your truck accident lawyer in Fort Worth?
While every Fort Worth truck accident lawyer might be able to take up your case and represent you, it is always advisable to ensure you have a good rapport with the personal injury attorney you retain. At Heller Law Office, we are empathic and client-focused. Having worked with many truck accident victims and their families, we understand how overwhelming dealing with crash aftermath can get. Hence, we are committed to easing the burden for you by owning the legal process so you can concentrate on your recovery.
Some benefits of hiring an experienced truck accident lawyer from Heller Law include the following:
Accessible Justice
Mounting medical bills and potential loss of income due to absence from work can quickly drain one’s resources, causing one to shy away from seeking legal representation. At the Heller Law Office, we make justice accessible to all by eliminating financial barriers that may stand in their way.
Thanks to our free consultation, all a client needs to do is brief us on their case details, and then we advise them on their legal options. Should we take up the case, we provide our services on a contingency basis, meaning you pay nothing unless we get you paid.
Client-Focused Services
We understand the physical and emotional turmoil victims of truck accidents and their families go through. However, when you add the complexities of a legal process, the resulting burden can be overwhelming.
At the Heller Law Office, we are dedicated to helping our clients cope with their unfortunate situations; hence we prioritize their needs above earning a fee. Our main goal is to support your recovery journey by fighting for your financial reinstatement. Once you contact us, we take time to listen and understand your needs, then build a compelling case to prove the at-fault party’s negligence.
Experienced Legal Team
Having represented many truck accident victims and their families, we are experienced in negotiating settlements and litigating cases. We are knowledgeable in the relevant laws and understand how to negotiate effectively with insurance companies. Travis Heller has represented hundreds of people in situations similar to yours and is a member of many legal organizations, such as the Texas Young Lawyers Association, Tarrant Trial Lawyers Association, and Texas Trial lawyers.
Proven Track Record
Our passion and commitment to providing aggressive representation to personal injury victims and their families have seen us win settlements for many clients. Since beginning his legal career, Travis Heller has helped clients recover millions of dollars in settlement.
Overview of Truck Accidents
Truck accidents often cause devastating injuries. The average passenger vehicle weighs only a fraction of an 18-wheeler truck. When the two crash, the impact is enormous as the smaller vehicle takes in all the commercial vehicles’ weight. Difficult maneuverability is another risk associated with 18-wheelers as they require more time to stop than a passenger vehicle. They also have large blind spots, making them susceptible to sideswipes and rear-end collisions. Owing to these factors, a trucking accident is one of the most dangerous and injurious road crashes.
Running stop signs, distracted/drunk/fatigued driving, failing to drive in a single lane, unsafe changing of lanes, speeding, etc., are common causes of truck accidents in Fort Worth and across Texas. As a result, thousands of deaths occur on Texas roads yearly, while hundreds of thousands sustain injuries. For instance, out of the 4,489 crash-caused deaths in Texas in 2021, 130 happened in Fort Worth. According to the statistics, a serious truck crash in Fort Worth in 2021 was 432, while minor crashes were 1,835. These resulted in 534 serious injuries and 2,488 minor injuries.
Average Settlement for an 18-Wheeler Truck Accident in Texas
A question on most people’s minds when pursuing compensation for an 18-wheeler truck wreck in Texas is what the average settlement is. It would be misleading to provide an average estimate since the damages vary widely depending on several conditions.
Texas applies the modified comparative negligence rule, meaning your damages can be reduced if you were partly responsible for the accident by up to 50%. You cannot recover damages if you are more than 50% responsible for the truck crash. For instance, assuming you were 20% responsible for the accident and the damages awarded amount to $50,000, you would only be entitled to $40,000, i.e., (50,000 – (20% x 50,000)).
Other factors that may affect the average settlement amount include:
- Impact of the accident and severity of injuries
- Medical treatment required
- Days of work missed
- Effect of the injuries on your life
- Projected recovery time
- Defendant’s policy limit
Mainly, a fair settlement should reinstate you to the position you would be in financially if the accident had not occurred. Once you establish liability of the at-fault party, you are eligible for all damages suffered (economic and non-economic), including:
- Medical costs – Current and future medical expenses resulting from your injuries, such as the cost of emergency room service, hospitalization, doctor visits, prescription, tests, surgery, nursing care, rehabilitation, psychological therapy, assistive devices, etc.
- Lost wages – Compensation for wages lost during hospitalization and recovery. This may also include lost earning capacity if you are unable to do the work you used to do before the injuries. If you suffer permanent disability and cannot work, you are eligible for compensation for the wages lost for the remaining years to retirement.
- Home modification – If you suffer injuries requiring using a wheelchair or other assistive devices, you can claim the expenses for any home modification to accommodate your disability.
- Property damage – If the truck hit your car, you are eligible for compensation for the cost of repair or replacement (in case it was totaled).
- Pain and suffering – In addition to the above economic damages, you may pursue non-economic (or pain and suffering) damages to compensate for physical pain, emotional distress, disfigurement, loss of quality of life, anxiety, depression, permanent disability, embarrassment, etc.
Family members (surviving spouse, children, or parents) who lost loved ones in a truck accident can also claim wrongful death damages such as medical expenses if the deceased was hospitalized before death, their lost wages during the hospitalization, funeral, and burial expenses, and pain and suffering damages (for the family members).
Statute of Limitations for Truck Accidents in Texas
The law has set a deadline for a personal injury victim to bring action against the party responsible for the accident. In legal terms, this is known as the statute of limitations. If you got injured in a truck accident in Texas, you may sue the at-fault party within two years from the injury date.
If you file a claim with the defendant’s insurance company and they fail to settle fairly, you must commence a lawsuit before the deadline; otherwise, the court will dismiss it. The only exemption is in the case of a minor or mentally incapacitated victim. The statute of limitation does not kick in until the minor reaches 18 or the person becomes mentally stable. Also, where the defendant is out of the state, the law holds the deadline until the person returns.
How Truck Accident Lawyers Can Help Your Case
While you can pursue compensation for truck accident injuries sustained alone, it is never in your best interests to do so. Insurance companies priority is to protect their interests by settling for the smallest amount possible, notwithstanding your damages and obvious emotional and physical pain.
To achieve their objective, they assign the most experienced adjusters to negotiate, especially high-stake commercial truck accident cases. Facing them alone can be significantly disadvantageous as you might not know the tricks they use to minimize their liability or shift the blame to you. Instead, you should hire a lawyer since they are equally experienced in negotiating similar cases and can caution you on potential legal pitfalls that would compromise the case.
If you’re a truck driver, a truck accident lawyer can help you:
- Determine liability – Trucking accidents are often complicated as there may be multiple liable parties (commercial truck drivers, trucking companies, shipping companies, manufacturers, etc.) A lawyer can investigate the case to determine all the parties liable for the accident and secure the maximum settlement possible.
- Calculate damages – The lawyer can leverage their experience and connections to get an accurate estimate of the current and possible future losses.
- Handle complex negotiations – Truck accident claim negotiations can become complex, especially with multiple defendants. A lawyer has the necessary experience to handle the negotiations in a truck accident lawsuit to ensure you receive a fair settlement.
- Provide legal strategy – Being knowledgeable in the applicable laws and potential challenges, a Fort Worth truck accident attorney can develop the best legal strategy to build a compelling case.
- Prove negligence – To receive compensation, your claim must satisfy the four elements of negligence (duty of care, breach of duty, causation, and damages). A lawyer can gather the necessary evidence to demonstrate the negligence of the at-fault party/parties.
- File a lawsuit – If the insurance company fails to settle fairly following your truck accident and the lawyer believes your case merits going to trial, they can file the lawsuit and prepare to represent you during the court proceedings.
In a nutshell, a knowledgeable truck accident attorney provides professional and aggressive representation to get you the compensation you deserve.
Get Help for Your Fort Worth Truck Accident Case from Heller Law Office
If you got injured in a truck accident in Fort Worth and the surrounding areas or lost a loved one after colliding with an 18-wheeler, we are here to help you explore your legal options. Contact the Heller Law Office today, and brief us on your case, and an experienced truck accident lawyer Fort Worth will advise you on the best way forward.