Beaumont Speeding Truck Accident Attorneys
If you or someone close to you has been severely injured in an accident involving a commercial vehicle traveling at unsafe speeds, you could be owed significant compensation. The Beaumont truck accident lawyers at Portner Bond, PLLC will be ready to help you hold the driver or the company that employs them accountable and ensure that you get the justice that you deserve.
According to the Federal Motor Safety Administration, there were 4,415 fatal truck accidents across the United States in 2018. Of those accidents, 1,042 involved speeds north of 70 miles per hour. Most speed limits for trucks are below what is posted for the average driver. As a result of the accidents caused by truck drivers speeding, there are over a thousand families whose lives were decimated by preventable circumstances.
Locally, in 2019, the Texas Department of Transportation reported 496 commercial vehicle accidents in Jefferson County. Because of those crashes with a commercial vehicle, 16 families were irreversibly altered due to serious injury or death.
When you have been injured, Portner Bond, PLLC will fight for you and your family. We are here to listen and discuss your rights and legal options. Call us at (409) 838-4444 or reach out to us online to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation right away. There’s never a fee to speak with us, and if you hire us, we won’t charge you anything until we win your case.
Why Do I Need a Speeding Truck Accident Lawyer?
There are countless devastating consequences that come from a serious accident. You need a clear idea of what to expect in the aftermath. Negotiating with an insurance company is difficult. They have experience and lawyers on their side. An experienced truck accident lawyer can help you through this challenging and complex time.
If you or someone you love were involved in a truck accident, you may find that agents and representatives of insurance companies will flock to the scene or your phone line. No matter how compassionate they seem, don’t agree to sign anything or give a recorded or written statement until after you have spoken with a lawyer. The insurance company’s job is to get this situation behind the trucking company as soon as possible, with as little expense as possible.
If the insurance company chooses to offer you a settlement, it is often well below the mark. It will likely ignore the emotional and financial consequences that you will have to deal with, even after their settlement money runs out. An experienced speeding truck attorney can help prevent that. Let us step in for you.
Do not sign anything or say anything until you have spoken with a lawyer. It could cost you and your family thousands, if not millions, of dollars.
What Do I Do After A Speeding Truck Accident?
Get as much information at the scene as you can. Collect information from the driver and any potential witnesses. Do your best to collect their insurance and contact information, and if possible, take as many pictures of the accident scene and the vehicles involved from as many angles as possible.
See your doctor immediately. Doing this gets you onto the road to recovery ASAP. Be sure that you follow your doctor’s recommendations and prescribed course of treatment precisely. This will limit the insurance company’s ability to deny your claim. If you delay in seeking treatment, the insurance company may claim that the injuries you have weren’t really related to the accident, or you’d have had them treated sooner.
Get copies of receipts and medical records. Keep the receipts for everything related to your medical care. Be intentional about keeping up with your appointments, keeping copies of your medical bills, and prescription costs. When you are given documentation by the doctor’s office regarding each appointment, save the papers. This gives us exactly what we need to build the foundation of a rock-solid case.
Gather estimates for your vehicle and other damaged property. If your car needs repair, get and keep copies of estimates for the repair or replacement of your vehicle. If you lost personal property in the accident, find copies of the purchase receipts or determine what it would cost to obtain replacements.
Who is Liable for a Speeding Truck Accident?
What makes a truck accident different from other collisions is the number of parties involved who may be responsible for the accident. In a single-car accident, the other driver may be responsible. In truck accidents, there may be several different truck and freight owners, maintenance companies, agencies, manufacturers, shipping entities, and cargo loading organizations, as well as other drivers that you will have to contend with. Any of these people or groups could be found liable for causing the wreck.
The complexity of determining liability is one reason it is absolutely necessary to get an experienced lawyer involved right away. We will use our extensive resources to collect evidence and determine who the responsible parties are in your case. Our team will go to every length to ensure you and your family are properly compensated by holding responsible parties accountable.
Is There a Time Element To My Claim?
Under the Texas statute of limitations, you will have two years to file a lawsuit based on the injuries from your accident. If you miss the statutory deadline, the court may dismiss your case. If that happens, you will lose the opportunity to seek compensation for your injuries through the court system.
The statute of limitations can be extended, or “tolled,” in three circumstances: if the injured person was under the age of 18; if they were under a legal mental disability; or if they were serving in the military. If the person was under the age of 18 when the accident occurred, they will have two years after their 18th birthday to file a lawsuit. If they were legally mentally disabled at the time but were subsequently deemed to be of “sound mind,” the statute begins to run on the date the person was found to be mentally competent. If the person served in the military, any time served overseas is exempted from the two-year count.
Given the relatively short period of time you have to file a court case, you and your lawyer will want to begin working with the insurance company right away. Our dedicated lawyers at Portner Bond, PLLC will help you provide the insurance company with all the documentation they need and will negotiate on your behalf for an appropriate settlement.
If a settlement cannot be reached, we will take your case to trial. In order to comply with the statute of limitations and file any lawsuit at the proper time, we need to begin to work with and negotiate with the insurance company right away. If negotiations break down, we will be prepared to file your lawsuit promptly to fight for the full and fair compensation you deserve.
What Compensation Can I Expect After My Speeding Truck Accident?
Texas law states that if the accident was not more than 50% your fault, you may still be entitled to recover compensation.
You might be eligible for compensation for the following:
- Emotional- there could be significant trauma, fear, or any other kind of disruption to your mental health, in addition to pain and suffering caused by the accident.
- Physical- common injuries accident victims may suffer include brain and spinal cord injuries, severe head trauma, broken bones, and lacerations. Some of these injuries may leave you with permanent damage, like impaired mobility or disfiguring scarring.
- Financial- there can be lost wages either due to missing work temporarily while recovering or due to a permanent disability that will not allow you to work at all. There will be medical expenses. You could also recoup the costs of fixing or replacing your vehicle.
Talk to a Beaumont Speeding Truck Accident Lawyer Today
If you or someone you love has been injured in a truck or commercial vehicle accident, you need a caring, compassionate, and seasoned lawyer on your side. If costs are a concern, please do not let that be an obstacle. Portner Bond, PLLC operates on a contingency-fee-basis, which means you only pay if we win compensation for you.
Our Beaumont truck accident attorneys will work to get the justice and compensation you deserve. Call us today at (409) 838-4444 or click here to set up a no-cost appointment with our team.