Injured in a Commercial Truck Accident? We Can Help You Seek Just Compensation
Interstate 35 passing through Laredo is one of the busiest trucking routes not just in Texas, but in the entire country. In fact, Texas as a whole has more trucking volume than any other state in the nation with the exception of California, and it leads the nation by far in annual truck accident fatalities. With more than 500 fatal truck accidents each year, Texas sees hundreds more truck accident fatalities than any other state in the country.
Of course, not all commercial truck accidents are fatal. Each year, more than 100,000 people are non-fatally injured in accidents involving 18-wheelers and other large trucks. The vast majority of these injury victims are occupants of passenger vehicles. From broken bones to traumatic spinal cord and brain injuries, drivers and passengers injured in truck accidents will often face lifelong consequences including permanent disabilities, chronic pain, and loss of enjoyment of life.
If you were injured or a loved one was killed in a truck accident, you may be entitled to financial compensation. Each year, trucking companies and insurance companies face millions of dollars in liability for serious and fatal injuries resulting from accidents that could – and in most cases should – have been avoided. At the Law Offices of Ronald A. Ramos, P.C., we bring decades of experience to representing truck accident victims and their families in Laredo, TX. If you are entitled to a financial recovery, we will fight to win the compensation you deserve.
Get in Touch With a Lawyer Now
Delaying could hurt your case.
We Have Experience With Common Causes of Commercial Truck Accidents
At highway speeds and with enormous cargo loads, even minor issues can lead to devastating truck accidents. Off of the highway, driving mistakes and other factors can lead to potentially-serious accidents as well. Some of the most common factors involved in commercial truck accidents include:
- Distracted Driving – Distracted driving is among the leading causes of all vehicle crashes, including truck accidents. Communicating with dispatch, navigating, sending and reading text messages, using social media, and eating behind the wheel are all common examples of driving distractions that can lead to commercial trucking collisions.
- Impaired Driving – Alcohol and drug impairment are also leading causes of truck accidents. Unfortunately, many truckers choose to drive under the influence of alcohol and illegal drugs, and over-the-counter sleep medications have been blamed for several truck accidents as well.
- Fatigued Driving – Driver fatigue is a persistent issue in the commercial trucking industry. Federal regulations allow truckers to drive long hours, and it is well-documented that many truck drivers spend more time behind the wheel than the law allows. Fatigue can cause impairments similar to intoxication, while falling asleep behind the wheel of a commercial truck will almost always have devastating consequences.
- Lack of Training or Experience – Driving a truck with a 53-foot trailer (if not multiple trailers) and with a total weight of up to 80,000 pounds is not easy. Truck drivers must undergo training in order to obtain their commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs), and they must have substantial experience behind the wheel in order to avoid endangering others on the road. Lack of driver training or experience can easily lead to an injurious or fatal collision.
- Driving Errors – Even experienced truck drivers make mistakes. From merging errors to waiting too long to brake, the consequences of driving errors are magnified when the vehicle involved is a large commercial truck.
- Aggressive Driving – Speeding, following too closely (tailgating), running red lights, weaving through traffic, and other forms of aggressive driving are all common factors in commercial truck accidents.
- Cargo Loading Errors – There are right ways and wrong ways to load tons of cargo onto a commercial truck. Cargo loads must be properly balanced and secured, and tanks must be pressurized in order to reduce the risk of shifting or sloshing cargo causing an accident. Overloading can lead to jackknifes, rollovers, and tire blowouts as well.
- Truck Defects and Maintenance Issues – Faulty brakes, tires, tie downs, and other tractor and trailer parts can all play a role in causing serious truck accidents, as can faulty maintenance and repair work on brakes, engines, transmissions, and other truck components.
- Safety Violations – Along with hour restrictions and licensing requirements, trucking companies and truck drivers are subject to numerous other state and federal safety standards as well. If your accident was the result of a safety violation, we can use this to help prove your claim for compensation.
When you hire us for your case, one of our first steps will be to conduct a thorough investigation. In order to recover just compensation, we need to know what happened, and we need to know who is responsible. Once we identify the factor (or factors) that caused the accident, we will then use the evidence from our investigation to seek a financial recovery as quickly as possible.
Truck Accident Cases We Handle
We represent individuals and families in all types of commercial truck accident cases throughout South Texas, including accidents in and around Laredo on I-35, I-69 West, and Routes 20, 59, and 359. We have the experience and resources necessary to take on the major trucking and insurance companies in cases involving:
- Rollover accidents
- Jackknife accidents
- Underride accidents
- Rear-end collisions
- Merging accidents
- Other highway and roadway truck collisions
Attorney Ronald A. Ramos has been representing accident victims and family members who have lost loved ones in fatal truck accidents for decades. No matter what happened, if you are entitled to financial compensation, Ron will help you understand your situation and use the unique details of your case to seek maximum compensation for your losses. To find out more about your rights after a truck accident in Laredo, contact our offices for a free consultation.
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Consultations are free and there is no fee unless we win your case.
Schedule a Free Truck Accident Consultation in Laredo, TX
If you would like to speak with an attorney about your truck accident in Laredo or the surrounding areas, please contact us to arrange a free initial consultation. You can call us 24/7 at (956) 725-7537, or send us your information online and we will be in touch shortly.