The trucking company's rapid response team often reaches the crash scene before the ambulance leaves. They are not there to check on you. They are there to protect the company.
Within hours, they photograph the scene, gather witness statements, coach the driver, and put defense lawyers on standby. Meanwhile, you are in surgery, in the ICU, or in a room hearing phrases like traumatic brain injury and spinal fusion. The freight industry knows exactly what to do after a catastrophic crash. Most victims do not. That gap is where cases get lost.
Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock, The Trucking Trial Lawyers, built the firm around one mission. We hold trucking companies accountable for the harm their drivers cause on Texas highways. When a carrier and its insurer undervalue your case, we prepare it for trial from day one.
Call (210) 941-1301 for a free consultation.
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Key Takeaways
- Truck crashes are industrial events, not big car wrecks.
- Trucking companies destroy evidence fast, so speed matters.
- Liability often reaches beyond the driver to the company and others.
- Federal regulations create powerful grounds for liability.
- Trial readiness drives stronger settlement offers.
- No fee applies unless the firm recovers money for you.
What does a Texas truck accident lawyer do for injured victims?
A Texas truck accident lawyer investigates the crash, preserves the trucking company's evidence before it disappears, identifies every liable party, and pursues full compensation for your injuries. The right firm prepares the case for trial from the start, which pushes insurers toward stronger settlement offers.
Why Choose Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock for Your Texas Truck Accident Case
Truck crashes are not big car wrecks. They are industrial events. Federal regulations, corporate safety policies, and a complex paper trail govern them. Most plaintiff firms have never learned to read that trail. Our firm was built for this work.
- The Trucking Trial Lawyers: Malorie Peacock holds Board Certification in Truck Accident Law from the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Michael Cowen is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Few Texas attorneys carry either credential.
- Results that move insurers: The firm has secured a $10.5 million judgment in a catastrophic injury case and a $4 million jury verdict in a commercial vehicle crash.
- Rapid evidence preservation: We send spoliation letters within hours of being retained. When needed, we pay to secure the tractor and trailer so our engineers can inspect them before the carrier scraps them.
- Direct attorney access: You work with a lawyer, not a case manager reading from a script. We answer calls, we listen, and we keep you informed from intake to verdict.
- Trial-ready from day one: We love the courtroom, and trucking defense firms know it. That reputation produces stronger settlement offers long before a jury is seated.
- No fee unless we recover: You pay nothing out of pocket. Our fee comes only from what we bring in for you.
When the trucking industry's defense machinery lines up against you, you need a firm that has walked into this fight before and walked out with a verdict.
Challenges Texas Truck Accident Victims Face and How We Solve Them
Commercial trucking crashes carry problems you will not find in a standard auto case. The stakes run higher. The opponents are more sophisticated. The clock moves faster on critical evidence.
- Rapid evidence destruction: ELD data, onboard camera footage, and driver qualification files can be overwritten within weeks. We move immediately to lock down every category before it vanishes.
- Driver log falsification: Hours-of-service violations cause many fatigue crashes. We audit ELD records against fuel receipts, bills of lading, GPS pings, and weigh station logs to catch drivers who lied about their rest.
- Layered corporate defendants: Motor carriers, brokers, shippers, maintenance vendors, parts manufacturers, and cargo loaders may all share fault. Identifying every defendant expands recovery beyond a single policy.
- Federal regulation complexity: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations run hundreds of pages. We use FMCSA violations as independent grounds for liability.
- Aggressive early offers: Trucking insurers extend fast, low offers, hoping you sign before your injuries are fully known. We reject premature offers and build the case that shows your real losses.
- Injury severity: Truck crashes cause brain injuries, spinal damage, crush injuries, and permanent disability. We work with life care planners, economists, and treating physicians to document every future cost.
Each obstacle has a legal counter. Our firm applies them from the first week forward.
Who Qualifies for Legal Help After a Texas Truck Accident
You may have a valid Texas truck accident claim if any of these apply:
- Drivers and passengers struck by a commercial truck: An 18-wheeler, box truck, delivery van, tanker, or other commercial vehicle hit your vehicle.
- Catastrophic injury survivors: You suffered a traumatic brain injury, spinal cord damage, amputation, severe burns, multiple fractures, or permanent disability.
- Wrongful death families: You lost a spouse, parent, or child in a fatal commercial vehicle crash.
- Injured commercial passengers: You were a passenger in a bus, shuttle, or other commercial vehicle at the time of the crash.
- Pedestrians struck by a truck: A truck driver hit you at an intersection, in a loading zone, or on a roadway.
Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003 gives most truck crash victims two years to file suit. Evidence, however, starts disappearing in days.
Types of Texas Truck Accident Cases We Handle
Our firm takes on the full range of commercial vehicle crashes on Texas highways and city streets:
- 18-wheeler and tractor-trailer crashes: High-speed impacts along I-10, I-35, I-20, I-27, I-37, I-45, and US 281.
- Delivery and distribution truck crashes: Amazon, UPS, FedEx, and other last-mile delivery wrecks, including in residential neighborhoods.
- Tanker truck and hazardous materials incidents: Crashes involving fuel haulers, chemical tankers, and other hazardous cargo carriers.
- Oilfield and energy sector truck crashes: Water haulers, crude haulers, and frac sand trucks running Permian Basin and Eagle Ford routes.
- Dump truck and heavy vehicle collisions: Crashes tied to overweight loads and unsecured cargo.
- Rear-end and underride collisions: Crashes where smaller vehicles are rear-ended or pushed under a trailer, among the deadliest crash types on Texas roads.
- Jackknife, rollover, and override crashes: Loss-of-control collisions often tied to fatigue, speeding, improper braking, or cargo shift.
- Wrongful death claims: Fatal commercial vehicle crashes brought under the Texas Wrongful Death Act.
The facts vary, but the core questions stay the same. Who was responsible? What regulations did they break? What coverage applies? We answer all three.
Compensation Available in a Texas Truck Accident Claim
Commercial trucking crashes often cause life-altering injuries. The compensation must cover decades of future care. Texas law allows recovery across three damage categories, and our firm pursues the full value of each.
Economic Damages
Economic damages cover measurable financial losses:
- Medical expenses: Emergency care, surgeries, ICU stays, rehabilitation, assistive devices, and lifetime future treatment.
- Lost wages: Income missed during recovery, including overtime and self-employment earnings.
- Loss of earning capacity: Reduced ability to work in your profession or any profession going forward.
- Property damage: Replacement of your vehicle and personal belongings.
- Ongoing care costs: Physical therapy, counseling, home modifications, and adaptive equipment.
Documenting these losses often requires testimony from life care planners and economists. Our firm retains them at no upfront cost to you.
Noneconomic Damages
Noneconomic damages cover the human toll of the crash:
- Physical pain and suffering: Chronic pain and permanent physical limitations.
- Mental anguish: PTSD, anxiety, depression, and emotional trauma.
- Disfigurement and impairment: Scarring, amputation, and permanent loss of function.
- Loss of consortium: Harm to the relationship between you and your spouse.
Exemplary Damages
Exemplary damages may also be available under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 41. These apply when a trucking company or driver acted with gross negligence. Examples include operating while intoxicated, falsifying logs across hundreds of hours, or ignoring known mechanical defects.
Federal law requires most interstate motor carriers to carry at least $750,000 in liability coverage under 49 CFR 387.9. Many carry $1 million or more through umbrella policies. Identifying every available policy is the difference between partial recovery and a full settlement.
Call us at (210) 941-1306 for a free consultation or contact us below. No cost to you unless we win.
FAQs About Texas Truck Accident Claims
Who is liable when an 18-wheeler causes a crash in Texas?
Liability often reaches beyond the driver. The motor carrier may be responsible under respondeat superior and under direct theories like negligent hiring, training, or supervision. Cargo loaders, maintenance contractors, freight brokers, and parts manufacturers may also share fault, depending on the crash.
How quickly does evidence disappear after a Texas truck crash?
ELD data, dashcam footage, and inspection reports can be destroyed within 30 to 90 days under standard carrier retention policies. Some companies dispose of evidence even faster. That is why preservation letters must go out within hours of the crash.
What is the statute of limitations on a Texas truck accident lawsuit?
Most commercial vehicle injury claims carry a two-year filing deadline under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003. Wrongful death claims and cases against governmental entities may follow different timelines. Some claims require written notice within months of the crash.
What if I was partly at fault for the truck crash?
Texas follows modified comparative fault under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 33. You can recover as long as your share of fault is 50 percent or less, with your award reduced by that percentage. In most truck crashes, the fault lies with the driver or the company. We work to keep fault where it belongs.
How much is my Texas truck accident case worth?
Case value depends on the injuries, medical costs, lost earning capacity, available insurance, and the conduct of the trucking company. Catastrophic cases can reach seven and eight figures when liability is clear and the future damages are fully proven. Any firm that promises a number before investigating is overselling.
Do I have to prove the trucking company broke a federal regulation?
Proving an FMCSA violation strengthens the case, but it is not always required. Ordinary negligence, like speeding or distraction, can also support a verdict. A regulation violation often turns an ordinary case into one involving gross negligence, which opens the door to exemplary damages.
How much does it cost to hire Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock for a truck accident case?
The firm works on contingency. No retainer, no hourly billing, and no fee unless we recover money for you.
What If the At-Fault Driver Came From Another State for the Game?
An out-of-state driver can still be held responsible for a crash that occurs in College Station. The claim usually proceeds under Texas liability law because the collision happened in Texas, even when the driver’s vehicle and insurance policy were issued elsewhere.
Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock communicates with the out-of-state insurer, examines the policy limits, and takes legal action in the proper court when the carrier refuses to pay fair compensation.
Who Pays If a College Student Was Driving a Parent’s Car?
The driver’s negligence usually creates the claim, but the vehicle owner’s insurance may provide coverage when a student had permission to use the car. Additional coverage could exist through the driver’s own policy, the household policy, or another responsible party.
Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock reviews vehicle ownership, permission, residency, policy language, and every available source of insurance before determining how the claim should proceed.
Speak With a Texas Truck Accident Lawyer Today
The trucking industry has a head start the moment the crash happens. Adjusters, investigators, and defense firms begin working against your claim before the tow truck leaves. You need a firm that moves just as fast, knows the regulations just as well, and fears the courtroom even less than they do.
Cowen | Rodriguez | Peacock prepares every case for trial from day one, and the trucking carriers on the other side know it. We audit driver logs, preserve ELD data, identify every liable party, and build your case for a Texas courtroom.
From your first call, you speak directly with an attorney, not a case manager or paralegal. Consultations are free and available 24/7. No fee applies unless we recover money for you.
If a commercial truck injured you or a loved one in Texas, call (210) 941-1301 to talk through what happened.
Schedule A Free Case Consultation
Cowen Law - Texas Office
Address: 6243 I-10 #801, San Antonio, TX 78201
Contact No: (210) 941-1306