An 18-wheeler collision can leave your family facing catastrophic injuries while the trucking company begins protecting itself. Its investigators, insurance representatives, and defense attorneys may start gathering evidence before you leave the hospital.
Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock represents people injured in commercial vehicle crashes throughout Bryan, Brazos County, and the Brazos Valley. Our Bryan truck accident lawyers preserve evidence, investigate every responsible company, and prepare serious cases for trial from the beginning.
Known as The Trucking Trial Lawyers, we handle cases involving 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, delivery trucks, tankers, dump trucks, and other commercial vehicles. Clients speak directly with an attorney and receive clear updates throughout the case.
Call Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock at (210) 941-1301 for a free consultation. We are available 24/7, and there is No Cost to You unless we win.
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Why Are Truck Accident Claims More Complex?
Truck accident claims often involve federal safety rules, corporate defendants, commercial insurance policies, and technical records controlled by the trucking company. A standard car accident investigation may not uncover the evidence needed to prove why a commercial truck crashed.
| Issue | Car Accident Claim | Truck Accident Claim |
| Potential defendants | Drivers and vehicle owners | Driver, carrier, broker, shipper, loader, maintenance company, and manufacturer |
| Important evidence | Police report, photographs, witnesses, and vehicle data | Electronic logs, dispatch messages, qualification files, inspections, cargo records, and in-cab video |
| Safety duties | Texas traffic laws | Texas law and applicable federal motor carrier regulations |
| Defense response | Personal auto insurer | Commercial insurer, corporate investigators, safety personnel, and defense attorneys |
| Case preparation | Often focuses on one driver | May examine company practices, delivery demands, maintenance, loading, and driver supervision |
Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock investigates the entire transportation operation rather than stopping with the name printed on the tractor or trailer.
What Evidence Can Prove a Truck Accident Claim?
Truck accident claims depend on evidence showing what the driver, truck, and carrier were doing before the collision. The strongest case usually combines electronic records, physical evidence, company files, and witness testimony.
Important evidence may include:
- Electronic logging device data
- Engine control module information
- Event data recorder information
- GPS and route history
- In-cab and outward-facing camera footage
- Driver qualification files
- Training and employment records
- Hours-of-service logs
- Dispatch messages
- Cell phone records
- Inspection and maintenance files
- Repair invoices
- Bills of lading
- Cargo and weight records
- Drug and alcohol testing records
- Company safety policies
- Photographs and surveillance video
Written Preservation Demands
Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock can send written notices directing the carrier and other parties to preserve vehicles, electronic data, company records, video, and physical evidence.
These demands are important because electronic logs and camera recordings may be overwritten through routine business practices.
An Independent Investigation
A police report can provide useful starting information, but it does not decide a civil injury claim. Officers may not obtain the carrier’s internal records, inspect every vehicle component, or examine the driver’s complete safety history.
Our attorneys conduct an independent investigation and compare the company’s account with electronic data, physical evidence, and witness statements.
How Can Driver Fatigue Cause a Truck Accident?
Fatigue can reduce a driver’s awareness, reaction time, judgment, and ability to remain in the proper lane. A tired truck driver may fail to brake, drift across traffic, overlook a smaller vehicle, or lose control.
Federal Driving Limits
The FMCSA hours-of-service rules generally limit a property-carrying driver to 11 hours of driving after 10 consecutive hours off duty. The rules also generally prohibit driving beyond the 14th consecutive hour after coming on duty and require a qualifying break after eight cumulative hours of driving.
Records That May Reveal Fatigue
Electronic logs should be compared with other records, including:
- Fuel receipts
- Toll records
- GPS data
- Delivery times
- Bills of lading
- Dispatch communications
- Phone activity
- Inspection reports
- Hotel and rest-stop receipts
Conflicts between these records may show that a driver stayed on the road longer than reported or entered inaccurate information in an electronic log.
The Carrier’s Safety Systems
The investigation should also examine whether the motor carrier reviewed driving records, addressed repeated violations, and used realistic delivery schedules.
Federal guidance states that carriers may be responsible for hours-of-service violations when they had or should have had the means to detect them.
What Other Trucking Violations May Support My Claim?
A safety violation does not automatically decide liability, but it may help explain how the driver or company failed to protect other road users. The violation must be connected to the cause of the crash.
Driver Qualification Problems
The investigation may examine:
- Commercial driver’s license status
- Prior crashes and traffic violations
- Medical qualification
- Employment history
- Road-test records
- Training documents
- Drug and alcohol testing
- Previous safety complaints
Inspection and Maintenance Failures
Maintenance records may reveal:
- Worn or poorly adjusted brakes
- Unsafe tires
- Steering problems
- Defective lights
- Coupling failures
- Unresolved warning indicators
- Repeated inspection violations
- Repairs that were delayed or never completed
Unsafe Cargo Practices
Overloaded, unbalanced, or unsecured cargo can make a truck difficult to steer or stop. It can also cause a rollover, jackknife, or cargo spill.
Weight tickets, bills of lading, photographs, loading records, and inspection documents may identify the company responsible for the unsafe load.
What Compensation Can a Truck Accident Claim Include?
A Bryan truck accident claim may seek compensation for the financial and personal harm caused by the collision. The value depends on the injuries, future medical needs, ability to work, available insurance, and strength of the liability evidence.
| Type of Loss | What It May Include |
| Medical expenses | Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, medication, therapy, rehabilitation, and future treatment |
| Long-term care | Medical equipment, home modifications, prosthetics, nursing care, and daily assistance |
| Lost income | Missed wages, business income, bonuses, and employment benefits |
| Reduced earning ability | Future income lost because the injury limits work or career options |
| Personal losses | Physical pain, mental anguish, impairment, and disfigurement |
| Wrongful death losses | Lost financial support, companionship, mental anguish, and qualifying estate claims |
Future Medical Care
A catastrophic injury may require treatment for years or for the rest of the person’s life. Medical professionals and life-care planners may be needed to identify future treatment, equipment, therapy, and assistance.
Lost Income and Earning Ability
A claim may include wages or business income already lost. It may also account for reduced earning capacity when an injury prevents someone from returning to the same career or working for the expected number of years.
Pain and Changes to Daily Life
Physical pain, mental anguish, impairment, and disfigurement do not come with invoices. Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock uses medical evidence, photographs, personal accounts, and witness testimony to show how the injuries changed the client’s independence and daily life.
Can I Recover Money If I Was Partly at Fault?
You may recover compensation in Texas when your percentage of responsibility is not greater than 50 percent. Your recovery is reduced by your assigned percentage, and you cannot recover if you are found more than 50 percent responsible.
The trucking company may claim that you:
- Entered the truck’s blind spot.
- Changed lanes too closely.
- Followed the truck too closely.
- Drove too fast for the conditions.
- Failed to react quickly enough.
- Stopped without warning.
- Contributed to a multi-vehicle crash.
Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock tests those accusations against video, electronic data, vehicle damage, sight lines, witness accounts, and reconstruction findings.
How Long Do I Have to File a Texas Truck Accident Lawsuit?
Texas generally requires personal injury lawsuits to be filed within two years after the claim accrues. A wrongful death action is also generally subject to a two-year filing period measured from the date of death.
The general deadline appears in Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003. Exceptions and shorter notice requirements may apply to some cases.
Evidence may disappear much sooner. Early action gives the legal team time to:
- Inspect the truck and other vehicles.
- Preserve electronic data and video.
- Obtain driver and company records.
- Locate witnesses.
- Identify every carrier, contractor, and insurer.
- Investigate maintenance and cargo practices.
- Document medical care and future needs.
The two-year period is a final filing deadline, not a reason to delay the investigation.
Call us at (210) 941-1306 for a free consultation or contact us below. No cost to you unless we win.
Why Choose Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock?
Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock is built to handle catastrophic truck accident cases. The firm combines commercial vehicle litigation experience, courtroom preparation, direct attorney access, and the resources needed to challenge national carriers and insurers.
The Trucking Trial Lawyers
Michael Cowen is Board Certified in Truck Accident Law and Personal Injury Trial Law. He has nearly three decades of experience, has tried more than 120 jury cases, and wrote Big Rig Justice. He also founded Cowen’s Big Rig Boot Camp to teach other attorneys trucking litigation methods.
Seven- and Eight-Figure Trucking Results
Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock has published numerous seven- and eight-figure trucking and commercial vehicle results, including several recoveries exceeding $10 million. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Direct Communication With an Attorney
Clients speak directly with a lawyer who explains:
- What evidence has been preserved
- Which companies may be responsible
- What the carrier is arguing
- What decisions need to be made
- How the case is progressing
- Whether settlement or trial serves the client’s interests
Trial Preparation From the Start
The firm develops serious cases around admissible evidence, credible witnesses, clear damages presentations, and the questions a jury may decide.
This approach shows carriers and insurers that an inadequate settlement offer will not end the case.
Representation for Bryan and the Brazos Valley
Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock represents injured people throughout Bryan, Brazos County, and the surrounding Brazos Valley.
Truck crashes in Bryan may occur along:
- State Highway 6
- State Highway 21
- Texas Avenue
- William J. Bryan Parkway
- Harvey Mitchell Parkway
- Boonville Road
- Other routes used by freight and delivery vehicles
The crash location may lead investigators to nearby businesses, cameras, witnesses, traffic records, and physical evidence.
How Much Does a Bryan Truck Accident Lawyer Cost?
Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock handles truck accident cases on a contingency fee. You pay no upfront attorney fee, and the firm receives a fee only if it obtains compensation for you.
Your free consultation can address:
- How the collision occurred
- Your injuries and treatment
- Companies that may be responsible
- Evidence requiring immediate preservation
- Available insurance coverage
- The legal process
- Contingency fees and case costs
There is No Cost to You unless we win. Call (210) 941-1301 at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I Speak With the Trucking Company’s Insurance Adjuster?
You should speak with an attorney before giving a recorded statement or signing insurance documents. The adjuster may seek statements about fault, prior medical conditions, treatment gaps, or the severity of your injuries.
What If the Truck Driver Did Not Receive a Ticket?
A traffic ticket is not required for a civil injury claim. The police may not have reviewed electronic logs, maintenance files, company policies, phone records, or all available video.
Should I Accept a Quick Settlement Offer?
You should not accept an offer until your future medical needs, earning losses, and other damages have been evaluated. Signing a release generally ends the claim, even if additional injuries or expenses appear later.
How Long Will My Truck Accident Case Take?
The timeline depends on the injuries, number of defendants, evidence disputes, available insurance, and whether trial becomes necessary. A catastrophic injury case should not be rushed before future losses can be documented.
Will My Truck Accident Case Go to Trial?
Many claims resolve before a jury verdict, but every serious truck accident case should be prepared for trial. Strong preparation can expose weak defenses and create pressure for a fair settlement.
Speak With Our Bryan Truck Accident Lawyers
Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock is ready to investigate the driver, carrier, truck, cargo, and company decisions behind the collision. You can focus on your health and family while The Trucking Trial Lawyers handle the legal fight.
When you contact the firm, you receive:
- A free consultation
- Direct communication with an attorney
- Immediate attention to evidence preservation
- A detailed investigation
- Trial-ready representation
- 24/7 availability
- No upfront attorney fee
- No Cost to You unless we win
Call Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock at (210) 941-1301 for a free consultation. We are ready and willing to go to trial to pursue justice and settlements the size of Texas.
Schedule A Free Case Consultation
Cowen Law - Texas Office
Address: 809 E. Univ., Ste. 210-B, College Station, TX 77845
Contact No: (979) 551-8894