What Common Injuries Do Semi-truck Accidents in San Antonio Cause?

An 18-wheeler accident can cause significant property damage and multiple injuries, which may be debilitating and catastrophic. If a car or motorcycle collides with a commercial vehicle at high speeds, the car might be totaled and unrecoverable. More devastating, though, are the severe physical injuries truck accident victims often experience.

Some of the most common injuries that happen in commercial truck accidents in San Antonio include:

• Head injuries: A traumatic brain injury can sometimes go unnoticed before becoming severe. A medical exam can help identify head injuries early on — even if you don’t have symptoms.
• Back and neck injuries: Injuries to the back and neck are often among the most serious. Whiplash and other neck injuries can lead to chronic pain, reduced mobility, long-term rehabilitation, and decreased quality of life.
• Spinal cord injuries: Damage to the central nervous system can lead to a loss of sensation or motor function (paralysis), significantly impacting the injured person’s quality of life.
• Broken bones: Medical procedures to repair fractures can sometimes include multiple surgeries and require physical therapy over months or years to rebuild strength.
• Lacerations and scarring: Large or deep cuts can lead to permanent scarring. Courts often award compensation for “disfigurement” to help the injured party reduce scarring and relieve their physical and emotional pain.
• Death: When a negligent truck driver kills your loved one in a truck crash, you can file a wrongful death lawsuit to recover compensation for funeral costs, loss of companionship, and loss of income.

What Damages Can a San Antonio 18-Wheeler Accident Attorney Help You Recover?

Some of the damages truck accident claims allow you to recover compensation for include:

• A disability: Trucking accidents often cause serious injuries, such as spinal cord damage, which may result in paralysis. A traumatic brain injury might also lead to long-term memory problems or difficulty communicating, while a laceration to your arms or legs may require amputation. If you suffer any of these injuries, you may be entitled to significant damages to compensate you for your suffering and help you cope financially.
• Related medical expenses and loss of income: Typical expenses include hospital and emergency room visits, doctor’s appointments, surgeries, and assistive medical devices, along with lost wages from being unable to work.
• Property loss or damage: A settlement or court-ordered payout can compensate you for external financial damages like repairs to your damaged vehicle.
• Pain and suffering: Many truck accident injuries cause significant pain and suffering. Pain may be emotional or physical and last from a few months to the rest of your life.
• Punitive damages: If a truck driver’s actions rise to gross negligence or intentional wrongdoing, a court might award additional compensation called punitive damages, intended to punish the wrongdoer and deter future similar acts.

Who Is Liable for Your Large Truck Accident?

Litigating a truck accident case is different from other personal injury cases, including other motor vehicle accidents. An experienced truck accident lawyer will need to gather extensive evidence, including the truck’s “black box” data and maintenance records.

Truck wreck claims also tend to involve multiple parties. These can include:

• Truck drivers: Truckers can be liable if they drive negligently, such as driving while distracted or intoxicated or violating federal trucking industry regulations that dictate how and when they can operate their vehicle.
• Truck companies: If a driver is acting as an employee when they cause an accident, the trucking company they work for might also be liable under the respondeat superior doctrine. Trucking companies can be liable if they encourage truck drivers to work longer than legally allowed, hire unqualified drivers, or fail to discipline truck drivers who violate driver safety or highway safety laws.
• Truck manufacturers: Seeking compensation against truck manufacturers is more common after a trucking accident than a conventional car accident. State and federal regulations provide strict requirements for truck manufacturers, so they may be liable if they fail to follow them.
• Governments: Local authorities might be liable for failing to maintain roads properly if a road defect or obstruction contributes to a truck accident. Your truck accident attorney in San Antonio might seek compensation from a government or its contractors if road conditions were a factor in your truck accident.

Steps to Take after a Texas Truck Accident

There are several steps you can take when you’re in a truck accident in San Antonio or elsewhere in Texas to stay safe, protect your legal rights, and lay the foundation for a personal injury claim:

1. Get to safety: Move to a safe location if possible, being aware of traffic congestion and potential hazards.
2. Call the police: Report the accident to emergency services. They will arrive at the scene, assess the situation, and create an official police report (also known as the Texas crash report).
3. Seek medical help: Check yourself and others for injuries and immediately call for an ambulance.
4. Document the scene: If it is safe, gather evidence by taking photos or videos of the accident scene. Capture the damaged vehicles, road conditions, skid marks, and any relevant details that may support your case later on.
5. Call an attorney: Consider seeking legal advice from an attorney. They can determine whether the truck driver, the trucking company, or another party is responsible and guide you through the legal process.
6. Follow your treatment plan: Follow all medical recommendations and attend follow-up appointments to document your injuries and progress and get treatment.
7. Gather evidence: Evidence for your claim can include photos and videos, medical records, police reports filed by law enforcement, and an injury journal.

Statute of Limitations to File a San Antonio 18-Wheeler Truck Accident Lawsuit

Each state has a time limit to file a personal injury lawsuit. The statute of limitations to file a truck accident claim in Texas is two years from the accident date. However, two years fly by quickly, and evidence can be harder to gather the longer you leave taking action.

Exceptions can also apply, so it’s always advisable to speak to a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible after your truck crash to discover your options for recovering compensation.