18-wheeler accidents happen often in the city of San Antonio. In fact, Bexar County recorded over 2600 commercial vehicle crashes in 2024. Commercial motor vehicles (or CMVs) are larger than standard automobiles, with common types including vans, buses, box trucks, trailers, and more. But 18-wheelers, also known as big rigs or semi-trucks, tower above all other CMVs as the largest on the road.
Getting into an accident with an 18-wheeler can have life-altering consequences. Common trucking accident injuries can include traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries that cause permanent disability. Severe collisions can even be fatal.
18-wheelers, their drivers, and trucking companies all face heavy restrictions and regulations due to the substantial risk for injury. Federal and state law subjects these vehicles to strict weight limits, size limits, frequent maintenance checks, special licensing, and more. Anyone involved in owning, maintaining, or operating an 18-wheeler must carefully abide by these policies.
Sadly, our San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers have seen trucking companies and their employees show flagrant disregard for these rules.
We have seen 18-wheeler truckers ignore safety checks, drive recklessly, and speed way over the legal limit. Moreover, we’ve seen trucking companies turn a blind eye or even encourage these practices so they can meet tight deadlines. When trucking companies and their drivers prioritize speed and profit over road safety, tragic accidents become inevitable.
If a truck driver’s negligence permanently injured you or someone you know, consider seeking legal advice. A San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyer will know how to prove your injuries were preventable and recover financial compensation.
Contact 18-Wheeler Accident Lawyers
(214) 987-0005
Our San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers have spent the past 25 years representing victims of commercial trucking accidents. Over this time, we’ve won over $1 Billion in settlements for victims and families mourning their loved one’s wrongful death.
Our dedicated San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers are prepared to aggressively fight for your right to financial compensation. We have gone up against some of the largest trucking and insurance companies in the United States—and won. We will move quickly to gather crucial evidence that proves these companies or their employees are at fault for negligence.
If you suffered preventable injuries from an 18-wheeler accident, consider reaching out to our offices today. We will provide legal representation you can trust with a track record of victories that speaks for itself.
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An 18-Wheeler was traveling through South Central Texas to drop off its load and hit our clients on Interstate 35. Our top rated 18-Wheeler attorneys held the trucking company responsible for deaths of 2 people from Mexico.
Texas' 10 Most Dangerous Highways
An 18-wheeler, also known as a semi-truck or big rig, is a large type of commercial motor vehicle. Nearly 200,000 drivers across Texas operate these vehicles, carrying and transporting heavy loads of goods and merchandise across the country.
An 18-wheeler has two main parts:
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the entity that regulates 18-wheelers and other commercial motor vehicles. They set firm restrictions on different aspects of the truck, including:
These seemingly small details can become very important when assessing the causes of an 18-wheeler accident. Our San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers understand these limits and why they are necessary for promoting road safety. This helps us with pinpointing corporate responsibility for commercial trucking accidents and proving it in court.
In recent years, San Antonio has seen a record number of deadly crashes, including 18-wheeler accidents. According to the police and traffic investigators, a vast majority of these accidents are preventable. Some of the most dangerous roads and intersections in San Antonio with a high risk of 18-wheeler accidents include:
Each commercial truck accident is unique in its own ways. 18-wheelers in particular have a number of common accident types that each come with their own risks to passenger cars. These 18-wheeler accidents are the ones our San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers see most frequently in their cases:
An 18-wheeler driver can lose control of their vehicle when they excessively speed on road curves. The truck’s higher center of gravity gives drivers less leverage, causing it to roll over onto other vehicles. Other factors, such as improperly loaded cargo, distracted driving, and truck driver’s fatigue may also contribute to 18-wheeler rollover accidents.
Head-on collisions occur when one vehicle T-bones into another, directly ramming into the vehicle’s side at full force. When the 18-wheeler crashes into the side of a passenger car head-on, it commonly results in fatalities. Major causes of head-on collisions include:
An 18-wheeler requires about 40 to 50% more space than a passenger car to reach a complete stop. A slight lack of alertness, whether it’s from distractions or trucker’s fatigue, can cause drivers to follow too closely behind.
An 18-wheeler ramming into the back of a vehicle at full force can cause serious pileups on the highway. Depending on how hard the truck rear-ends the car in front of them, multiple people may sustain injuries.
When a passenger car rear-ends an 18-wheeler, they may get stuck underneath the back of the truck. While most 18-wheelers have rear guards to prevent this, underride accidents can still occur if the guards are too weak.
Passenger cars may also get stuck under the 18-wheeler if they hit the moving truck from the side. In these cases, the 18-wheeler can drag the crushed vehicle along the road underneath it and cause further catastrophic injuries. Underride crashes are the type of commercial trucking accident that most commonly results in fatalities.
Trucking Industry Continues to Ignore Side Underride Guards
Because of the high fatality rate of underride accidents, the FMCSA has mandated rear underride guards for all U.S. 18-wheelers. However, despite the known risks, no such mandate exists for side underride guards. Since the law doesn’t force them, many trucking companies refuse to implement these safety guards, citing high costs.
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The American Truckers Association publicly scrutinized a 2019 bill proposing to enforce side underride guard installation on all 18-wheelers. They cast doubt on these guards in an open letter to Congress, calling them “expensive and unproven collision mitigation equipment.”
But other groups have a different opinion. The Institute for Highway Safety (IHS) still advocates for side underride guards with published research to back up their claims. The dispute over their need is currently ongoing; federal law still does not yet require side underride guards for semi-trucks.
Icy road conditions, sudden braking, or abrupt turns can make the 18-wheeler driver lose control of their vehicle’s back half. This can cause the trailer to skid and slide into walls, guard rails, or other lanes of traffic.
People call these “jackknife” accidents because of how the 18-wheeler’s trailer stops at a 90-degree angle with the cab. The resulting accident configuration looks similar to an open folding pocketknife blade.
Oncoming vehicles can crash into this angle, creating dangerous and even potentially fatal traffic obstructions.
With 18 tires in a single vehicle, these big rigs have a higher risk of a tire blowout. Tire blowouts are especially dangerous when the 18-wheeler is travelling at full speed on a highway. A blowout can make the driver lose control of the vehicle as it rolls over or swerves into nearby cars.
Common causes for 18-wheeler tire blowouts include underinflation, overheating, or unnoticed punctures. Trucking companies have a corporate responsibility to catch issues like worn-out or underinflated tires during routine maintenance checks. When they fail to properly upkeep the trucks in their fleet, they may be legally liable for accidents like blowouts.
Each of these commercial trucking accidents presents different risks to Our experienced San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers have in-depth knowledge of the different types of accidents that can occur. We can help analyze the type of collision that injured you and investigate why and how it happened.
18-wheeler accidents have a higher risk for catastrophic injuries and fatalities due to the vehicle’s sheer size and power. The following are the most common catastrophic trucking accident injuries our San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers encounter in these cases:
What qualifies as a catastrophic trucking injury?
A catastrophic injury critically impairs the victim, leaving them with long-term or even permanent health complications. This can include injuries that result in nerve damage, paralysis, chronic pain, or disfigurement. Catastrophic injuries prevent the victim from living the life they lived prior to the accident. Attorneys will consider factors like lost income or long-term medical care when determining recoverable damages for a client’s catastrophic injuries.
The inertia from 18-wheeler impacts can thrust a victim’s head against the wheel, airbag, or window. If they hit their head hard enough, the driver or passenger may sustain serious brain injuries.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) can cause subtle symptoms at first like headaches, concentration loss, and memory problems. But these injuries can worsen over time and cause more severe symptoms that impact the senses. Victims of TBIs may lose their sense of sight, hearing, or smell. They may also develop long-term conditions like vertigo (sense of spinning while still) or ear ringing (tinnitus).
Brain damage isn’t always immediately visible after an 18-wheeler accident. Victims who have taken a blow to the head should always go to the hospital, even when they feel fine.
Traumatic Brain Injury: Our client suffered a serious traumatic brain injury after an 18-wheeler crash ejected him from his vehicle. The insurance company initially claimed zero responsibility for the accident. But when we announced our intentions of taking the case to trial, they suddenly changed their position. The company ultimately decided to pay our client $4,250,000 as compensation for his injuries.
An 18-wheeler accident can twist and contort the victim’s body into unnatural positions. Especially dangerous collisions like head-on crashes or underride accidents can bend, twist, or crush the victim’s spine.
The spine serves as the central axis for body movement. Spinal cord injuries can partially or even fully paralyze a person in various areas of the body.
18-wheeler accident victims with spinal cord injuries typically require surgery and complex rehabilitation. But even with surgery and therapy, these injuries can unfortunately have lifetime effects on their overall range of motion.
A person may experience severe damage to their internal organs if an 18-wheeler collision crushes them inside their car. Common internal injuries damage the victim’s lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, spleen, or bladder. Like with spinal cord injuries, internal organ injuries are most common in underride accidents and T-bone pileups.
Injuries to a patient’s internal organs are difficult to operate on and can be life-threatening. Victims may need complex and expensive organ transplants for their best chance of survival and rehabilitation.
In severe 18-wheeler accidents, a victim may get their limb crushed between two parts of the vehicle. This can cause irreversible damage to the tissues and necessitate amputation.
The most commonly amputated extremities are in the lower limbs, including the toes, feet, and legs below the knee.
Amputation is always the last resort when doctors know they cannot repair the limb. They may also amputate a limb when the injury poses a risk to the victim’s life, such as uncontrollable bleeding. This decision is not always immediate, like with cases of infection setting into the limb and spreading.
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Our client suffered severe damage to her vascular system after a water transport truck hit her vehicle head-on. This damage from the crash later compromised the blood flow in her lower leg. Doctors made the difficult decision to amputate her leg after gangrene (severe tissue death from infection) set in.
18-wheelers often transport flammable materials like oil and chemicals. Additionally, these vehicles carry much more fuel than the average passenger car. These factors increase the risk of fires and explosions when a large commercial truck gets into a collision.
Victims can sustain second or third degree burns in the aftermath of an 18-wheeler collision. They may not survive burns covering large percentages of their body, which can happen if they cannot escape their car.
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Burn Injuries: An 18-wheeler driver slammed into the back of our client’s car after attempting to read an email. The collision went up in flames, critically burning our client. We later discovered that the trucking company knowingly disabled a lock-out device preventing drivers from using their on-board computers. Days before trial, the trucking company and its insurance companies paid the family of our client $6,000,000. Afterward, they announced they would be locking out thousands of truck computers from use to curb distracted driving.
18-wheeler accidents can also cause injuries that are serious but not life-threatening. These frequently include:
Sadly, truck accident fatalities can be another unfortunate result of these crashes. Data from the city of San Antonio indicates that 143 traffic fatalities occurred in 2023.
If you or someone you know lost their life or endured any of these catastrophic injuries, consider contacting an attorney. Speaking with one of our San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers can get you closer to recovering compensation for your losses.
Getting hit by an 18-wheeler may very well be the most traumatic point in your life. It can be hard to see and think clearly in the moments afterward, especially if the crash injured you.
But if you find yourself in this unthinkable situation, here’s what our San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers recommend doing first:
Remember to prioritize the health and safety of you and any passengers in the car with you. Call 911 immediately so they can quickly arrive to assess the crash. Do not flee the scene.
Tell first responders what happened to the best of your memory. Do not make statements that could imply you were at fault, such as apologizing.
Emergency services will immediately check for any critical injuries upon arrival at the scene. They should check you for concussions and ask if you feel any noticeable pain anywhere in your body.
If they tell you to see a doctor, listen to them; they might be saving your life. It can take hours, days, or even weeks for symptoms of a trucking accident injury to appear. Allowing medical professionals to assess your injuries increases your chances of making a full recovery.
Evidence collection for an 18-wheeler accident case starts within seconds after the actual crash occurs. Our San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers recommend collecting the following pieces of evidence for building the strongest possible case:
If you are too injured to collect this evidence yourself, see if someone can do so on your behalf.
These pieces of evidence will help our San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers hit the ground running when building your case. Always remember that trucking insurance companies will not delay in building their defense case.
Many trucking companies are quick to deploy their “crash response teams” who will immediately start doing damage control. They will work fast to coach the driver, secure electronic data from the truck, and obtain statements that minimize liability.
Gathering evidence from the beginning protects you against insurance companies who attempt to misrepresent what happened.
San Antonio Insurance Companies Aren’t on Your Side
At your most vulnerable state after the 18-wheeler crash, it’s easy to fall prey to an insurance company’s tactics. Use caution when speaking on the record; they can and will use anything you say against you.
Our attorneys have watched insurance companies attempt to extract out-of-context statements from victims to spin the blame on them. We have also seen them use unfair surveillance tactics to manipulate the victim into thinking they are at fault. If you feel anxious or unsure, don’t hesitate to consult our San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers with any questions.
We can help reassure you when these companies use their tactics to downplay the accident or deflect blame.
Operating an 18-wheeler in San Antonio comes with strict rules and regulations from both state and federal agencies. Drivers and trucking companies must follow these guidelines for both their safety and the safety of everyone on the road.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is the governing agency that oversees all trucking operations in the country. The FMCSA sets and enforces important safety standards to regulate the commercial motor vehicle industry. Key regulations include:
Truck driver’s fatigue (driving while exhausted) causes many serious 18-wheeler accidents each year. Unfortunately, many truck drivers keep fraudulent logbooks so they can drive more hours than the law allows. We have seen trucking companies turn a blind eye to these practices so their employees can meet tighter deadlines.
To make matters worse, the law only requires these companies to keep Hours-of-Service logs for a limited time. Without them, it can be difficult to prove when a trucker’s fatigue causes your wreck. This is just one reason why quickly contacting a San Antonio 18-wheeler accident attorney greatly helps your case. As soon as you reach out, we can work to secure these logs before they suddenly “disappear.”
The law requires trucking companies to carry minimum liability insurance coverage on every vehicle in their fleet. The exact amount of each policy will depend on each vehicle’s weight and load type. Heavier vehicles with hazardous materials will need the most expensive coverage due to the increased risks.
18-wheeler drivers must carefully abide by all local and state laws on roads and highways to prevent trucking accident injuries. With vehicles of this size, even common traffic errors can cause catastrophic or fatal crashes. Common errors that can result in tragedy include:
Trucking companies and insurance companies have a corporate responsibility to ensure their drivers adhere to all state and FMCSA regulations. The San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers at our firm can help prove when they breach the rules of the road.
An 18-wheeler collision can stem from more than one cause. In some cases, the trucker isn’t always the only party at fault for the accident. Potentially liable parties can include:
Can be at fault for: Reckless driving, speeding, driving distracted, falling asleep at the wheel, driving under the influence.
Evidence to prove liability: dashcam footage, witness testimony, logs from the vehicle’s electronic control module (ECM), empty alcoholic beverages
Can be at fault for: negligent hiring practices, failing to maintain fleet, keeping fraudulent logbooks, ignoring FMCSA regulations, failing to remove unfit drivers, pressuring drivers to violate Hours of Service logs
Evidence to prove liability: Dispatch logs, driver qualification files, maintenance records, fraudulent Hours of Service logs
Can be at fault for: overloading cargo, improperly securing cargo, unevenly distributing the load weight
Evidence to prove liability: load manifests, photos of shifted or unsecured loads, expert testimony from accident reconstructionist
Can be at fault for: defective tires, brake failure, steering system failure, design defects, manufacturing defects, or other vehicle defects
Evidence to prove liability: internal manufacturing records, expert testimony from engineers, physical evidence of failed parts
Can be at fault for: improper or faulty inspections, improper repairs, missed or insufficient maintenance
Evidence to prove liability: maintenance logs, repair logs, expert testimony from mechanics, diagnostic trouble codes, engine performance data
Can be at fault for: hazardous conditions, improper signage, inadequate lighting, misaligned lane markers, debris in the road
Evidence to prove liability: damaged construction equipment, work-zone traffic plans, permits and safety audits, evidence caught on camera
Uncovering all causes and liable parties requires a careful review of the events leading up to the accident. Our top rated San Antonio 18-Wheeler Accident Lawyers will leave no stone unturned when investigating into your case.
Our firm never charges you anything upfront. You do not have to pay us a dime until we successfully recover compensation for you. If we win your case, we will only charge a pre-agreed percentage as fee from your settlement or jury award.
It is never wise to immediately accept a sum of money from these companies without consulting legal expertise. Insurance companies will commonly lowball victims with seemingly large amounts, but your 18-wheeler injury claim may be worth much more. Consider speaking with a San Antonio 18-wheeler accident attorney before signing any agreements or accepting settlement sums.
If you were the victim of an 18-wheeler accident, you are under no legal obligation to provide a statement. Refusing to give a statement will not jeopardize your claim. Our San Antonio 18-wheeler accident attorneys are more than happy to represent you and provide any necessary documentation on your behalf.
Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 4defines eligible parties for claiming wrongful death damages. According to the statute, the surviving spouse, child, or parents of the decedent may file claims either individually or collectively. A representative of the estate can file on their behalf if no one files one within three months.
The length of each 18-wheeler case will differ based on the circumstances. If your case has strong evidence, it’s likely the trucking and insurance companies will settle instead of going to court. Most of our commercial trucking accident cases settle within six months. But if companies refuse to offer a fair settlement, we will not hesitate to take your case to trial. Trial cases take multiple months to a year to conclude. Additionally, there will be a waiting period between the initial verdict and the payout.
Settlement payouts will depend on multiple factors, primarily on the injury’s severity and your projected future costs. High payouts usually mean you will suffer from the effects of the accident for the rest of your life. Common recoverable economic damages include property damage to your vehicle, lost wages, and future medical treatment. Recoverable non-economic damages include pain, suffering, emotional distress, or loss of enjoyment of life. Our San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers have recovered millions in damages in many of our previous cases.
Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003 allows claims up to two years from the date of the accident. The same time limit applies in cases of wrongful death, giving claimants two years after the date of the death.
For minors injured in an 18-wheeler accident, you have until the child’s 18th birthday before the clock starts ticking. This means that you may generally file a valid claim up to the child’s 20th birthday.
However, timelines may look different if the 18-wheeler is a government-owned vehicle. In these cases, you may need to file under the Texas Tort Claims Act. These cases require plaintiffs to file an additional notice of claim within 6 months of the accident.
By quickly contacting our San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers after the accident, we can immediately spring into action. We will help you stay on top of legal timelines and ensure you don’t miss any important filing deadlines.
Your life may never be the same after a devastating 18-wheeler accident. In what may be the most traumatic event of your life, having competent legal support that you trust is crucial.
Our team of San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers has sought justice and financial compensation for victims for over 30 years. If we believe negligent practices caused the truck wreck, we will secure evidence to prove it in court. Our goal is to recover compensation that you and your family can use to afford:
Trucking and insurance agencies often attempt to escape blame for these accidents. But over the years, we have learned how to beat them at their own game.
We will immediately deploy our in-house private investigator, attorneys, and accident reconstructionist to gather important evidence to support your claims. While you and your family focus on recovering, our team will focus on building the strongest possible case.
We will move aggressively to obtain truck data recorder evidence, driver logs, witness information, and evidence from the crash site.
If you sustained injuries in a preventable truck wreck, contact one of our top San Antonio 18-wheeler accident lawyers today. We offer free consultations and case reviews, and you won’t receive a single legal fee until we win your case.
We are available for questions and to schedule free consultations at (214) 987-0005. You can also reach out to us through our online request form.
Miller Weisbrod Olesky's Personal Injury Lawyers help individuals and families nationwide pursue real financial recovery after another's negligence causes an accident or medical mistake that results in serious personal injury or wrongful death.
Call our offices today at (888) 987-0005 for experienced assistance in a free consultation.
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