Truck Accident Lawyers Serving Injured Victims in Corpus Christi
When hiring a Corpus Christi truck accident lawyer:
You want someone who is experienced - At Webb, Cason & Manning, we have over 120 years of combined experience and we use it to advocate for the rights of semi-truck and 18 wheeler accident victims.
You want a lawyer who has the financial resources to develop your case properly - Webb, Cason & Manning has a war chest to battle insurance companies and major corporations through trial and appeals. Once we’ve decided to take a case, we pay for all necessary advances and expenses.
You want a lawyer who can take your call any time of the day or night - We are here to help you whenever you need it, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
You need to secure your financial future - At Webb, Cason & Manning, we understand how difficult it is when you have been injured by an 18-wheeler or other commercial vehicle. We can advance money for living and medical expenses. Our fee is simple. If we don’t win your case, you don’t pay us anything. Until we win, we work for free. Under no circumstances, will you ever be out of pocket.
Why Choose Us?
We are a local firm in Corpus Christi. We will maximize our efforts into building substantial cases for our clients. We have conducted numerous field inspections of 18 wheelers, retained accident reconstruction & trucking experts, sent spoliation letters to preserve evidence, and more. Our core values are the standard to which we are accountable in how we interact with clients and in all situations:
Experience
We have decades of litigation experience, allowing us to supply clients with prompt, efficient and effective legal representation.
Integrity
We are dedicated to maintaining the highest moral standards in our decision-making, actions, and communications.
Results
We thoroughly investigate every case and provide the most optimal means of obtaining the best possible outcome.
Just some of our results from 18 wheeler accidents:
$3,000,000.00
South Texas: Crash involving 18-wheeler. Liability was heavily contested. We resolved the case within 14 months. Clients received $1,650,411.31. Fees and expenses were $1,295,300.28.
$1,450,000.00
South Texas: Wreck involving 18-wheeler. Client Received $874,955.94, Litigation Expense $22,981.27, Attorney Fees $552,062.79
$1,000,000.00
South Texas: Wreck involving 18-wheeler. Client received $562,707.31, which includes an annuity guaranteeing additional benefits, Litigation Expenses $37,292.69, Attorney Fees $400,000.00
Common Factors in Texas Truck Accidents
To meet strict delivery deadlines, commercial truck drivers are constantly on the road. This leads to an increased risk of:
Driver fatigue
Speeding
Distracted driving
Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
Driving in dangerous conditions (bad weather / seriously ill)
Improper truck maintenance (brake pads need replacement, tire blow-outs, inattentive to transmission)
Improperly loaded truck (cargo weight not distributed evenly)
Defective truck parts and equipment
Truck Accident Liability
Liability in a commercial truck accident is determined by which parties are found to be at fault. Determining fault will require a thorough investigation, which an Corpus Christi personal injury attorney experienced in truck accident claims can help with.
There are federal laws in place that regulate how truck drivers and trucking companies must operate, established by the US Department of Transportation and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). They contain strict rules regarding:
The requirement of thorough background checks on drivers
Limiting the number of hours a truck driver can operate his or her vehicle
Restricting a driver’s ability to operate a vehicle when ill or fatigued
Regular maintenance and inspections of semi trucks and other commercial vehicles
Set rules about logbooks, document retention, and other procedures
A truck driver or trucking company can be found negligent if proven that they failed to operate within the federal guidelines and would then be liable for the damages caused by the accident.
Legal Rights of Victims
In Texas, the statute of limitations for personal injury cases gives you two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit in the state’s civil court system. (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code, Title 2 section 16.003.)
Don’t Wait to Get Help and Hire a Corpus Christi Truck Accident Attorney
Truck Accident facts
In 2017, 4,889 large trucks and buses were involved in fatal crashes, a 9-percent increase from 2016. Although the number of large trucks and buses in fatal crashes has increased by 42 percent from its low of 3,432 in 2009, the 2017 number is still 7 percent lower than the 21st-century peak of 5,231 in 2005.
From 2016 to 2017, large truck and bus fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled by all motor vehicles increased by 6.8 percent, from 0.146 to 0.156.
There was a 34-percent decrease in the number of fatal crashes involving large trucks or buses between 2005 and 2009, followed by an increase of 40 percent between 2009 and 2017. From 2016 to 2017, the number of fatal crashes involving large trucks or buses increased by 8 percent.
The number of injury crashes involving large trucks or buses decreased steadily from 102,000 in 2002 to 60,000 in 2009 (a decline of 41 percent). From 2009 to 2015, injury crashes increased 62 percent to 97,000 (based on GES data). From 2016 to 2017, according to NHTSA's CRSS data, large truck and bus injury crashes increased 4 percent (from 112,000 in 2016 to 116,000 in 2017).
On average, from 2007 to 2017, intercity buses accounted for 13 percent, and school buses and transit buses accounted for 40 percent and 35 percent, respectively, of all buses involved in fatal crashes.
In 2017, there were 73 school buses and 13 intercity buses involved in fatal crashes, the lowest numbers recorded since FARS began in 1975.
Over the past year (from 2016 to 2017):
The number of large trucks involved in fatal crashes increased 10 percent, from 4,251 to 4,657, and the large truck involvement rate (large trucks involved in fatal crashes per 100 million miles traveled by large trucks) increased 6 percent, from 1.48 to 1.56.
The number of large trucks involved in injury crashes increased by 5 percent, from 102,000 to 107,000.
The number of large trucks involved in property damage only crashes increased by 3 percent, from 351,000 to 363,000.
The number of buses involved in fatal crashes decreased from 234 to 232, a decrease of 1 percent.
Fatal Crashes Involving Large Trucks or Buses 1976 - 2016
Of the approximately 450,000 police-reported crashes involving large trucks in 2017, there were 4,237 (1 percent) fatal crashes and 344,000 (23 percent) injury crashes.
Single-vehicle crashes (including crashes that involved a bicyclist, pedestrian, nonmotorized vehicle, etc.) made up 20 percent of all fatal crashes, 15 percent of all injury crashes, and 23 percent of all property damage only crashes involving large trucks in 2017. The majority (63 percent) of fatal large truck crashes involved two vehicles.
Fatal crashes involving large trucks often occur in rural areas and on Interstate highways. Approximately 57 percent of all fatal crashes involving large trucks occurred in rural areas, 27 percent occurred on Interstate highways, and 13 percent fell into both categories by occurring on rural Interstate highways.
Thirty-five percent of all fatal crashes, 22 percent of all injury crashes, and 20 percent of all property damage only crashes involving large trucks occurred at night (6:00 pm to 6:00 am).
The vast majority of fatal crashes (83 percent) and nonfatal crashes (88 percent) involving large trucks occurred on weekdays (Monday through Friday).
Collision with a vehicle in transport was the first harmful event (the first event during a crash that resulted in injury or property damage) in 74 percent of fatal crashes involving large trucks, 81 percent of injury crashes involving large trucks, and 76 percent of property damage only crashes involving large trucks.
Overturn (rollover) was the first harmful event in 4 percent of all fatal crashes involving large trucks and 3 percent of all nonfatal crashes involving large trucks.
In 2017, 30 percent of work zone fatal crashes and 12 percent of work zone injury crashes involved at least one large truck.
There were 13.0 fatal large truck crashes per million people in the United States in 2017, a 23-percent increase from 10.6 in 2010.
In 2017, on average, there were 1.12 fatalities in fatal crashes involving large trucks. In 91 percent of those crashes, there was only one fatality. The majority, 82 percent, of fatalities were not occupants of the large truck.
In 2017, 4,657 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes. According to MCMIS, 56,422 large trucks were involved in injury crashes, and 102,973 were involved in towaway crashes.
Hazardous materials (HM) cargo was present on 3 percent of the large trucks involved in fatal crashes and 2 percent of those in nonfatal crashes. HM was released from the cargo compartments of 16 percent of the placarded trucks in fatal and nonfatal crashes. Flammable liquids (gasoline, fuel oil, etc.) accounted for 63 percent of the HM releases from cargo compartments in fatal crashes and 45 percent of the HM releases in nonfatal crashes.
"Collision with vehicle in transport" was recorded as the most harmful event for 75 percent of the large trucks involved in fatal crashes and for 77 percent of the large trucks involved in nonfatal crashes.
The critical precrash event for 73 percent of the large trucks in fatal crashes was another vehicle, person, animal, or object in the large truck’s lane or encroaching into it. Twently-three percent of the large trucks in fatal crashes had critical precrash events of their own movement or loss of control.
Singles (truck tractors pulling a single semi-trailer) accounted for 59 percent of the large trucks involved in fatal crashes in 2017; doubles (tractors pulling two trailers) made up 2 percent of the large trucks involved in fatal crashes; and triples (tractors pulling three trailers) accounted for 0.3 percent of all large trucks involved in fatal crashes.
Vehicle-related factors were coded for 5 percent of the large trucks involved in fatal crashes and 3 percent of the passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes. "Other Working Vehicle" and "Tires" were the most common vehicle-related factors for large trucks in fatal crashes, at 2 percent and 1 percent, respectively. "Tires" was the most frequently coded vehicle-related factor for passenger vehicles in fatal crashes, at 1 percent.
From 2015 to 2017:
The number of large trucks in fatal crashes weighing 10,001 to 14,000 pounds increased 225 percent, from 144 to 468.
The number of medium/heavy pickup trucks in fatal crashes increased 151 percent, from 133 to 334.
The number of large trucks with no issuing authority in fatal crashes increased 95 percent, from 295 to 574.
Of the 4,600 drivers of large trucks involved in fatal crashes in 2017, 270 (6 percent) were 25 years of age or younger, and 299 (6 percent) were 66 years of age or older. In comparison, 3 (1 percent) of the 230 drivers of buses in fatal crashes were 25 years of age or younger, and 33 (14 percent) were 66 years of age or older.
In 2017, 13 percent (713) of large truck occupants in fatal crashes were not wearing a safety belt, of which 322 (45 percent) were killed in the crash. In contrast, only 378 (9 percent) of the 4,310 large truck occupants wearing safety belts in fatal crashes were killed. Nine percent of the 4,600 drivers of large trucks involved in fatal crashes (434) were not wearing a safety belt at the time of the crash.
In 2017, 252 of the 4,600 large truck drivers in fatal crashes (5 percent) tested positive for at least one drug, although 59 percent of them were not tested. Conversely, 7,694 of the 25,918 drivers of all vehicles in fatal crashes (15 percent) tested positive for at least one drug, although 50 percent of them were not tested. A driver is more likely to be tested for drugs if there is information from the crash indicating that drugs may have been a factor.
In 2017, at least one driver-related factor was recorded for 32 percent of the large truck drivers in fatal crashes, compared to 54 percent of the passenger vehicle drivers in fatal crashes. "Speeding of Any Kind" was the most frequent driver-related factor for drivers of both vehicle types; "Distraction/Inattention" was the second most common for large truck drivers, and "Impairment (Fatigue, Alcohol, Illness, etc.)" was the second most common for passenger vehicle drivers.
There were 841 large truck occupant fatalities in 2017, a 16-percent increase from the 725 fatalities in 2016. In 2017, 85 percent of these occupant fatalities were drivers of large trucks, and 15 percent were passengers in large trucks.