An Abilene truck accident lawyer at the Law Offices of David M. White represents people injured in collisions with commercial trucks on I-20 and throughout Taylor County. We pursue claims against trucking companies, their insurers, and other liable parties.
Truck wreck cases involve federal regulations, multiple insurance policies, and corporate legal teams that a standard car accident claim never touches. That complexity is exactly why hiring a truck accident attorney in Abilene matters. Call 325-437-3311 to discuss your case.
Why Our Firm Handles Truck Accident Claims Differently
Truck wreck cases require a different approach than crashes between passenger vehicles.
After a collision, the trucking company and its insurer may begin building their defense within hours, sometimes sending response teams to the scene while you are still getting medical care.
Our firm moves with the same urgency to protect your claim and preserve important evidence.
What We Do in the First 72 Hours
Attorney David M. White and our team act quickly after a commercial truck crash in the Abilene area.
We send preservation letters to the trucking company demanding that it retain key evidence, including electronic logging device (ELD) data, driver qualification files, inspection reports, and onboard camera footage.
These records can become harder to obtain over time, and some electronic data may be overwritten if preservation is not demanded promptly.
Our approach to truck accident cases in Taylor County starts with securing the evidence needed to evaluate liability before critical records are lost or destroyed.
Contingency Fees for Truck Wreck Cases
We take truck accident cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we recover money for you. That fee structure removes the financial barrier to going up against a trucking company backed by a well-funded corporate insurer.
What Makes a Truck Accident Case Harder Than a Car Accident Case?
Truck accident claims involve layers of regulation, multiple potentially liable parties, and insurance policies far larger than standard auto coverage. A car accident claim typically involves two drivers and two personal auto policies.
A commercial truck wreck may involve the driver, the trucking company, the cargo loader, a maintenance contractor, and a vehicle manufacturer, each with separate insurance coverage and separate legal representation.
Federal Regulations That Apply to Every Commercial Truck
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulates commercial trucking across the United States. Those regulations create a paper trail that either supports or undermines a truck accident claim.
Key FMCSA rules that commonly factor into truck wreck litigation include the following.
- Hours of service limits under 49 CFR Part 395, which cap driving time at 11 hours per shift and total on-duty time at 14 hours
- Drug and alcohol testing requirements under 49 CFR Part 382, including mandatory post-accident testing
- Driver qualification standards under 49 CFR Part 391, covering medical fitness, licensing, and background checks
- Vehicle inspection and maintenance requirements under 49 CFR Part 396, which mandate regular checks on brakes, tires, lights, and coupling devices
Violations of any of these regulations may serve as evidence of negligence in a truck accident lawsuit. An Abilene truck accident attorney who knows where to look in a carrier's compliance records often finds the proof that builds the case.
Who May Be Liable After a Truck Accident in Abilene?
Multiple parties may be liable after a truck accident in Abilene, including the truck driver, the trucking company, the cargo loader, a maintenance contractor, and even a parts manufacturer.
Texas law allows injured people to bring claims against every party whose negligence contributed to the crash. Identifying all liable parties matters because it opens additional insurance coverage to pay the claim.
Potentially Liable Parties in a Truck Crash
The following parties may bear some or all of the responsibility for a commercial truck accident in Taylor County.
- The truck driver, for speeding, fatigue, distracted driving, impairment, or other traffic violations
- The trucking company, for negligent hiring, inadequate training, pressuring drivers to exceed hours of service limits, or failing to maintain vehicles
- The cargo loading company, for improperly secured or overweight loads that caused a shift, rollover, or brake failure
- A maintenance contractor, for defective repairs or missed safety inspections
- A parts or vehicle manufacturer, if a mechanical defect such as a tire blowout or brake failure contributed to the crash
Each liable party carries its own insurance coverage. A truck accident lawyer in Abilene, TX, identifies every source of coverage available to maximize the potential recovery.
Missing even one liable party may leave significant compensation on the table.
What Types of Truck Accidents Happen on I-20 Near Abilene?
Rear-end collisions, jackknife wrecks, underride crashes, rollovers, and wide-turn accidents are the most common types of truck accidents near Abilene.
I-20 carries a heavy volume of commercial truck traffic between Dallas-Fort Worth and West Texas, and the corridor's construction zones, high crosswinds, and speed transitions contribute to each of these crash types.
Common Truck Crash Scenarios in Taylor County
The types of truck wrecks we see in the Abilene area tend to follow patterns tied to the local driving environment.
| Crash Type | Common Causes |
| Rear-end collisions | Fatigued or distracted truck drivers failing to stop in time for slower traffic, especially in construction zones on I-20 |
| Jackknife accidents | Hard braking on wet roads or worn brake components causing the trailer to swing out of alignment |
| Underride crashes | Passenger vehicles sliding beneath the rear or side of a trailer, often at intersections or during lane changes |
| Rollover wrecks | Overloaded trailers, improperly secured cargo, or high crosswinds on the open stretches of I-20 west of Abilene |
| Wide-turn accidents | Large trucks cutting turns too tight in urban areas, striking vehicles in adjacent lanes near intersections on US-83 or Loop 322 |
Each crash type produces different injury patterns and raises different liability questions.
An 18-wheeler accident lawyer in Abilene evaluates the physical evidence, the truck's data, and the regulatory compliance records to determine exactly what went wrong and who is responsible.
What Damages May You Recover After a Truck Accident in Texas?
Texas personal injury law allows truck accident victims to seek compensation for both economic losses and non-economic harm caused by another party's negligence. Truck accidents tend to produce more severe injuries than passenger vehicle crashes, and the damages reflect that severity.
Economic and Non-Economic Damages
Economic damages cover the financial losses you have already incurred and those you may face in the future. Non-economic damages address the pain, suffering, and quality-of-life impact that no receipt or invoice captures.
- Past and future medical expenses, including emergency treatment, surgeries, rehabilitation, assistive devices, and long-term care
- Lost wages and reduced earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from returning to work or limit the type of work you perform
- Property damage, including your vehicle and any personal property destroyed in the crash
- Physical pain and suffering tied to the injuries themselves and the recovery process
- Mental anguish, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life
Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule under Section 33.001 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code.
If you share some fault for the accident, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of responsibility. If your share exceeds 50%, Texas law bars recovery entirely.
Trucking companies and their insurers frequently try to shift blame to the injured driver, which makes building a solid liability case from the start that much more important.
How Long Do You Have to File a Truck Accident Lawsuit in Texas?
Texas gives you two years from the date of the truck accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. Section 16.003 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code sets that deadline.
If someone died in the crash, the wrongful death statute of limitations also runs two years from the date of death under Section 71.004 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code.
Why Timing Matters More in Truck Cases
Two years sounds like a long window, but truck accident evidence has a much shorter shelf life. ELD data, dashcam footage, GPS records, and dispatch logs may all be overwritten or destroyed within weeks unless a preservation demand goes out immediately.
Waiting months to contact a truck accident attorney in Abilene risks losing the very evidence that proves the trucking company's negligence. The sooner we get involved, the more evidence we preserve.
Ask the Law Offices of David M. White
Do I need a truck accident lawyer or just a regular injury lawyer?
Truck accident cases involve federal FMCSA regulations, multiple liable parties, and corporate defense teams that standard car accident claims do not.
An attorney who handles commercial truck crash cases knows how to obtain and interpret electronic logging data, driver qualification files, and maintenance records that prove negligence.
A general personal injury attorney may not have experience with those specific evidence sources.
What if the trucking company's insurance adjuster already contacted me?
Do not give a recorded statement or sign anything. The adjuster works for the trucking company's insurer and is looking for information to reduce or deny your claim.
Tell the adjuster you have retained an attorney, or contact our firm first so we handle all communication going forward. Anything you say to an adjuster may be used against you later.
How much is my truck accident case worth?
The value depends on the severity of your injuries, your medical costs, lost income, and the impact on your daily life.
Truck accident claims tend to involve higher damages than car accident cases because the injuries are typically more severe. We evaluate the full scope of losses before advising you on what your claim may be worth.
FAQs for Abilene Truck Accident Lawyers
What evidence does a truck accident lawyer look for that a regular lawyer might miss?
Electronic logging device data, driver qualification files, hours of service records, post-accident drug and alcohol test results, vehicle inspection reports, and dispatch communications.
These records are specific to FMCSA-regulated carriers and require a preservation demand sent to the trucking company before the data is overwritten or destroyed.
What if the truck driver was an independent contractor and not a company employee?
Trucking companies sometimes classify drivers as independent contractors to limit liability. Texas courts look at the actual working relationship, not just the label. If the trucking company controlled the driver's routes, schedules, or equipment, the company may still face liability regardless of the contractor designation.
What is a black box on a commercial truck?
Most commercial trucks carry an event data recorder, often called a black box, that captures speed, braking, throttle position, and other data in the seconds before and during a crash.
This data provides objective evidence of what the truck was doing at the moment of impact. Securing it quickly is a priority because it may be overwritten.
How long do truck accident cases take to resolve?
It depends on the complexity. A straightforward liability case with clear injuries may settle in several months.
Cases involving disputed fault, catastrophic injuries, or multiple defendants often take a year or longer, especially if the case proceeds to litigation in Taylor County District Court.
What if a truck accident killed my family member?
You may have a wrongful death claim under Texas law. Surviving spouses, children, and parents may file a wrongful death lawsuit within two years of the date of death.
These claims seek compensation for lost financial support, lost companionship, mental anguish, and funeral and burial expenses.
Truck Accident Resources
Get an Abilene Truck Accident Lawyer Reviewing Your Case Now
The trucking company's defense team started working on your case the day of the wreck. Every day you wait gives them more time to build their version of events while the evidence that supports yours degrades.
An Abilene truck accident lawyer at the Law Offices of David M. White locks down ELD data, driver records, and maintenance logs before they disappear, and we build a claim that holds up against corporate legal teams and their insurers.
You pay nothing unless we win. Call 325-437-3311 now and let us start preserving the evidence that matters most.