Getting hit by a commercial truck in Irving is not like an ordinary car wreck. You are up against a trucking company, its insurer, and often a response team that starts protecting the company before you have even left the scene.
An Irving truck accident lawyer at Tate Law Offices meets that head start and levels the fight, with no fee unless we win. Call (903) 892-4440 around the clock for a free consultation.
Irving runs on freight. With DFW Airport at its doorstep and the warehouses and distribution centers of Las Colinas and the SH-183 corridor feeding a constant stream of trucks, this is one of the most truck-heavy patches of the metro.
An 18-wheeler can outweigh your car by twenty times or more, so when these crashes happen on the LBJ Freeway or SH-114, the people in the smaller vehicle pay the price. That imbalance, in size and in resources, is exactly what we work to correct.
Why Choose Tate Law Offices as Your Irving Truck Accident Lawyer
A truck case is won or lost in the first days, on decisions most injured people never realize they need to make. What hiring this firm changes is not a slogan, it is a set of concrete moves that start right away.
- A preservation letter goes out immediately, legally requiring the carrier to keep the logs, engine data, and video it would otherwise be free to erase.
- The truck gets inspected before it is repaired, so worn brakes or bald tires are documented instead of quietly fixed away.
- Every company in the chain gets named, from the carrier to the loader to the maintenance shop, because any of them may owe you money.
- The costs come out of our pocket, not yours, and we collect a fee only if you recover.
The Tate and Rehmet families run this firm and handle Irving truck cases personally, in the Dallas County courts where they are filed. The difference is not that we say we care more, it is that we move faster on the things that actually decide the case.
How Is a Truck Case Different from a Car Crash?
In almost every way that affects your recovery. A collision with a commercial truck brings bigger injuries, more defendants, and a web of federal rules that an ordinary fender bender never touches.
|
Feature |
Ordinary Car Crash |
Commercial Truck Crash |
|
Insurance available |
Low state-minimum limits |
Federal minimums of 750,000 dollars or more |
|
Who is responsible |
Usually one driver |
The driver plus the carrier and other companies |
|
Key evidence |
Statements and the crash report |
Electronic logs, engine data, inspection records |
|
Typical injuries |
Often moderate |
Frequently severe or catastrophic |
These differences are why a truck case cannot be handled like a routine car claim. The larger policies mean more is at stake, and the insurer defends accordingly, which is exactly why the evidence and the extra defendants have to be pinned down early.
Why Does Irving See So Many Truck Crashes?
Because it is a freight hub, plain and simple. The same infrastructure that makes Irving good for business puts thousands of heavy trucks on its roads every day.
- DFW Airport cargo traffic moving to and from the terminals.
- Las Colinas and warehouse distribution feeding constant delivery and freight runs.
- Major freight corridors like SH-183, SH-114, I-635, and the President George Bush Turnpike.
- Tight interchanges and merges where cars and trucks fight for the same space.
More trucks and more congestion mean more chances for a fatigued driver, an overloaded trailer, or a blown delivery schedule to turn into a serious crash. The volume is part of why Irving truck wrecks tend to be severe.
Who Can Be Held Responsible for an Irving Truck Crash?
Often more than just the driver, and finding every responsible party is where these cases are won. The company behind the wheel is only the starting point.
- The driver, for speeding, fatigue, distraction, or impairment.
- The trucking company, for pushing illegal hours, poor hiring, or weak training.
- The company that loaded the trailer, when cargo was overloaded or poorly secured.
- A maintenance provider, when bad brake or tire work led to the crash.
Each of these may carry its own insurance policy, so identifying all of them can be the difference between a settlement that covers your future care and one that runs out long before your treatment does.
What Is an Irving Truck Accident Claim Worth?
More than most car crash claims, because the injuries are usually worse and the insurance behind them is larger. There is no set figure, but truck cases tend to carry higher value for a handful of specific reasons.
- The severity of the injuries. The sheer force of an 18-wheeler tends to cause the kind of harm, spinal damage, brain injury, multiple fractures, that requires surgery and a long recovery.
- The cost of future care. In a serious truck case, the treatment still to come, from rehabilitation to lifelong care, is often the largest part of the claim and the easiest for an insurer to understate.
- Lost earning capacity. When an injury keeps you from returning to work, the claim can account for the income you will never earn, not only the paychecks you missed while healing.
- The size of the available policy. Because federal law requires far more coverage than a personal auto policy, there is often enough insurance to actually cover a life-altering injury, if the claim is built to reach it.
- The conduct behind the crash. When a carrier ignored safety rules or pushed a driver past legal limits, that can support additional damages meant to punish the conduct.
Putting an honest number on all of this, especially the future losses, takes medical and economic input, which is why we build the full picture before ever discussing settlement. An early offer from the carrier’s insurer almost never reflects it, and because our fee is a share of the result, getting the number right matters to us as much as it does to you.
What Texas and Federal Law Apply to Your Claim?
Texas holds the negligent party responsible for your damages, while federal rules add a second layer of duties that carriers must meet. Commercial trucking is governed by the safety regulations of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which cover driver hours, maintenance, and inspections, and those rules generate the records that often prove a case.
How Long Do You Have to File a Truck Accident Claim in Texas?
Two years from the date of the crash, under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003. Miss that deadline and the court will almost certainly dismiss your case no matter how clear the carrier’s fault was. You can read the statute on Texas Legislature Online. Because trucking evidence disappears on routine schedules, the practical deadline to act is far sooner than two years.
Can You Recover If You Were Partly at Fault?
Yes, as long as your share of the blame is 50 percent or less. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault and barred only if that share tops half, which is why a carrier’s insurer works to shift blame onto you. Solid evidence of what the driver and company did wrong is what keeps that from sticking.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions people ask most after a truck crash, and the answers help before you deal with the carrier’s insurer. None of this replaces advice on your specific case.
What should I do after an Irving truck crash?
Get medical care, request the crash report, and say nothing to the trucking company’s insurer. Carrier representatives often reach out early to lock you into a low value before your injuries are clear. Decline any recorded statement, and let a lawyer preserve the evidence while you focus on recovery.
Why does the evidence matter so much?
Because it is what proves the case, and it does not last. Electronic logs, the truck’s engine data, driver records, and maintenance files can all be overwritten or discarded within weeks, so a lawyer sends a preservation notice fast to force the carrier to hold them. Losing that data can quietly gut an otherwise strong claim.
How much does an Irving truck accident lawyer cost?
Nothing unless we win. Our fee is a percentage of the recovery, agreed in writing up front, and we advance the substantial costs a truck case requires. If the claim does not succeed, you owe no attorney fee.
Who pays, the driver or the trucking company?
Frequently the company, and sometimes several parties at once. A carrier is generally responsible for its drivers, and separate companies that loaded, owned, or serviced the truck may carry their own coverage. Identifying every one of them is often what makes a full recovery possible.
Will my case go to trial?
Usually not. Most truck claims settle once the evidence is locked down and liability is clear, though we prepare each case as if it will be tried. If a fair settlement never comes, we are ready to take it to a Dallas County jury.
What if a family member was killed in a truck crash?
You may have a wrongful death claim in addition to any injury claim. Texas allows a surviving spouse, children, and parents to recover for the loss of a loved one, and truck crashes, given their force, are tragically among the cases where this arises. We handle these claims with the care they require, and a private consultation is the place to start.
The trucking company’s insurer called me. Should I give a statement?
No, not before you talk to a lawyer. Carrier insurers move quickly to get a recorded statement while you are hurt and unrepresented, and they are trained to ask questions that draw out answers they can use to cut your claim. You are allowed to decline, tell them your attorney will be in touch, and end the call. Anything you need to communicate can be handled for you, on the record and on your terms, once we are involved.
Talk to an Irving Truck Accident Lawyer
If a commercial truck left you or someone you love injured in Irving, the clock is already working against you, because the carrier’s own records can be gone within weeks. The first step is free: a call that tells you where you stand and starts protecting your claim right away.
Call (903) 892-4440 whenever you are ready, day or night. The sooner we are involved, the more of the carrier’s evidence we can lock down before it disappears, and the harder it becomes for the company to rewrite what happened
