Texas Head-On Truck Accident Injury Lawyers

When you’ve been injured in a crash with a commercial truck that wasn’t your fault, you might be eligible for compensation from the at-fault party. You are probably dealing with your pain and the medical costs associated with your treatment, and you are concerned with how you can make ends meet now with the additional expenses, especially since you have had to take time off of work to recover.

Unfortunately, head-on collisions involving semi-trucks and other large commercial vehicles happen all too often throughout the United States. Many of these accidents cause catastrophic or fatal injuries to victims in smaller passenger vehicles simply due to the truck’s large size and heavy weight.

Our Texas truck accident attorneys have obtained substantial compensation for injured victims and their families. We understand the complexities involved with negligent truck accident claims, and we will fight tirelessly to help you get the full amount of damages you need.

If you were hurt in a head-on collision with a tractor-trailer caused by someone else, you could contact Gibson Hill Personal Injury at (713) 659-4000 for a free consultation to discuss your options for obtaining compensation.

What Is a Head-On Truck Accident?

Merriam-Webster defines a head-on collision as “a crash of two vehicles that are moving directly toward each other.” The collision itself can occur in the dead center of each vehicle’s front or slightly off-center, affecting mostly one side of the front of the vehicles. Regardless, these types of collisions can be especially devastating to the vehicles’ occupants because of the sudden and complete stop of the vehicle that may have been traveling at or close to highway speeds.

While head-on collisions are devastating between two passenger vehicles, the devastation to a passenger vehicle is significantly increased in a head-on collision with a large commercial truck.

A fully loaded semi can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, according to JD Power, and most regular passenger vehicles only weigh around 4,000-6,000 pounds. Just the semi-truck cab itself can weigh up to 25,000 pounds, and an unloaded trailer alone can weigh around 10,000 pounds. So even if the truck is not carrying a load but pulling a trailer, it can still weigh about 35,000 pounds.

Not only that, but a tractor-trailer does not have the ability to maneuver quickly to avoid a collision and traveling at highway speeds, a truck can require the length of two football fields (or about 600 feet) to stop. A regular passenger car under similar conditions can stop in half that length.

Causes of Head-On Truck Accidents

For the most part, the reasons for head-on collisions involving commercial trucks and cars are the same as the reasons for many head-on collisions between passenger vehicles. Some of the causes of head-on collisions with commercial trucks include the following:

• Driver distraction – Drivers who text and check messages while driving are engaged in distracted driving. Distracted driving is one of the most pervasive reasons for all types of vehicle accidents. However, truck drivers also have other technologies and instruments in their rigs that they must check and attend to as part of their jobs. The instrument panel of a large truck contains dozens of gauges, dials, switches, lights, and so on, and the driver also has the use of CB radio, GPS, and other logistic and communications technologies. Anything that takes the truck driver’s hands, eyes, or focus off the task of driving qualifies as a distraction.
• Driver intoxication – Truck drivers who choose to operate their massive machines under the influence of alcohol or drugs put everyone on the road at risk. Ingesting alcohol or drugs to the point of impairment causes issues with decision-making and greatly affects reaction time.
• Driver fatigue – Truck drivers usually drive for long hours and for many miles, despite the federal Hours of Service Regulations designed to prevent fatigued trucking. Numerous head-on accidents happen because a truck driver fell asleep behind the wheel or was so tired they let their truck drift into oncoming lanes of traffic. Fatigued driving has many of the same effects as intoxicated driving.
• Speeding and reckless or aggressive driving – Sometimes, truck drivers may be pushing to meet their delivery deadlines to arrive on schedule. Other truck drivers may feel slighted for being cut off in traffic or feel the need to drive recklessly and weave across lanes. Truck drivers are not immune to road rage, either. Whatever the cause, if a truck driver speeds or tries to pass a vehicle in front of them, they can easily cause a serious or fatal head-on crash.
• Inexperienced drivers – Most new drivers do not have experience in dealing with certain situations that may arise on the road. Despite the fact that new commercial truck drivers are now required to undergo training before they receive their commercial driver’s license, they will still not have many hours of experience behind the wheel. An inexperienced truck driver may not know the proper techniques for avoiding road hazards and taking effective evasive action. They may also misjudge a curve or their lane clearance. This can cause them to cross into opposing lanes of travel and cause a head-on collision.

Injuries Caused by Head-On Truck Collisions

All types of head-on motor vehicle accidents can cause serious injuries, but injuries sustained in head-on collisions involving commercial trucks can be especially devastating. Not only can a semi weigh 80,000 pounds, but if it is carrying a load on its trailer, that material can come loose and contribute to the damage as well, since it can be thrown forward after a sudden stop.

The occupants of passenger vehicles can suffer catastrophic injuries in a head-on crash that could include:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Paralysis
• Whiplash
• Broken bones
• Head and neck injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Internal injuries
• Lacerations
• Burns
• Road rash
• Facial and dental injuries
• Limb loss
• Wrongful death

Contact Gibson Hill Personal Injury Today for Help

The Texas truck accident attorneys of Gibson Hill Personal Injury are here for you following a head-on collision with a large, commercial truck that wasn’t your fault. Our attorneys have years of experience dealing with these types of complex personal injury claims, and have helped many accident injury victims obtain the compensation they deserve. To speak with us at no cost, you can contact us at (713) 659-4000 or schedule a consultation through our website’s contact page.