Truck Accidents on I-635: What Dallas Drivers Should Know
Interstate 635 (LBJ Freeway) is a major route for commuters and commercial traffic in Dallas, Texas. Passenger vehicles regularly share crowded lanes with large trucks, and crashes can cause serious injuries, including broken bones, brain injuries, spinal injuries, burns, and internal injuries.
Truck accident claims can also be more complicated than ordinary car accident cases because trucking companies and other businesses may be involved. An experienced attorney can investigate the crash, identify liable parties, and help you pursue compensation under Texas law.
Why Are I-635 Truck Accidents Different From Ordinary Car Accidents?
At first, a truck crash may look like any other traffic accident. One vehicle made a mistake, a collision happened, and someone was injured.
However, commercial trucking cases often involve additional parties and evidence. The truck driver may have caused the collision by speeding, following too closely, or making an unsafe lane change. The driver’s employer may also be responsible for the crash. Maintenance companies, loading contractors, and manufacturers can potentially become relevant depending on what went wrong.
Determining how the crash happened and who may be responsible is an important part of developing a truck accident claim.
Who Can Be Responsible for a Truck Accident?
The truck driver is an obvious starting point, but not necessarily the end of the investigation. Parties who may have legal liability include:
- The truck driver
- A trucking company
- A truck owner
- A maintenance contractor
- A cargo-loading company
- A parts manufacturer
- Another driver
- Other businesses involved in the transportation operation
Identifying every responsible party can be especially important when catastrophic injuries create damages that exceed the limits of one insurance policy.
How Do You Prove Negligence After an I-635 Truck Accident?
Most truck accident cases involve negligence. Generally, an injured person must establish that the defendant owed a duty, breached that duty, and caused injuries and damages as a result.
Examples of truck driver negligence can include:
- Speeding
- Following too closely
- Distracted driving
- Driving while fatigued
- Unsafe lane changes
- Failure to yield
- Driving under the influence
- Ignoring road or weather conditions
- Improper braking
Questions can arise about hiring practices, supervision, maintenance, scheduling, or other business practices depending on the circumstances. The stronger the evidence connecting wrongful conduct to the collision, the stronger your position may be during negotiations or litigation.
What Evidence Can Be Useful in a Truck Accident Case?
Truck accident cases can involve a substantial amount of evidence. Start with evidence from the accident scene. Photographs may show vehicle positions, impact points, debris, road conditions, and damage. Witnesses can describe what they saw before the collision.
Other valuable evidence may include:
- Police reports
- Traffic or surveillance footage
- Dashcam video
- Witness statements
- Cell phone records
- Electronic logging device records
- GPS information
- Truck inspection records
- Maintenance records
- Dispatch communications
- Cargo information
- Medical records
Electronic logging information can be especially relevant when driver fatigue is suspected. Hours-of-service regulations limit driving and on-duty time for covered commercial drivers, and electronic logging devices are used to record duty status.
How Is the Value of an I-635 Truck Accident Determined?
There is no average value for a Dallas truck accident claim. Case value depends on the losses suffered by a particular victim. Cases should not have similar values simply because a commercial truck is involved.
Factors that can affect the value of your claim may include:
- The severity and permanence of your injuries
- The extent of past and anticipated future medical treatment
- How long your injuries prevent you from working
- Whether your injuries affect your ability to work or earn income in the future
- The extent of your physical and emotional suffering
- Whether you have permanent scarring, disfigurement, or disability
- The strength of the liability evidence
- Your percentage of responsibility for the crash
- The amount of available insurance coverage
- The number of parties who may share liability
A serious case should account for both past and future losses. Your attorney will work to determine the scope of your losses and pursue both economic and non-economic damages.
Contact Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers To Schedule a Free Consultation With a Dallas Truck Accident Attorney
A truck accident on I-635 in Dallas, TX, can leave you dealing with much more than vehicle damage. Serious injuries can produce hospital bills, missed work, future treatment, and pain that impacts every part of your life. Determining who is responsible is the first step.
If you were injured in a commercial truck accident on I-635, don’t wait to get help. Contact Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers for a free consultation with a Dallas truck accident lawyer. We will investigate your accident, preserve evidence, calculate damages, and help you pursue the compensation available under the law.
We proudly serve in Dallas County and its surrounding areas:
Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers
1825 Market Center Blvd # 350, Dallas, TX 75207
Phone: (214) 556-8321
Hours Open: 24/7
Our firm is located near you. We have an office in Dallas.
Find us with our GeoCoordinates: 32.7950252,-96.8241861
About the Author
Jeff BentonJeff Benton is the founder of Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers in Dallas. He represents clients in claims involving truck accidents, car accidents, wrongful death, workplace accidents, and other forms of negligence. Jeff is known for taking on difficult cases that other firms decline and for fighting aggressively against powerful insurance companies and corporate defendants. He was honored with the Dallas Trial Lawyers Association’s John Howie Award for his pursuit of justice and remains committed to helping injured individuals and families throughout Texas. Click here to see some of his notable case results.
