Joe Brad Brock – Aggressive Truck Accident Attorney in Corpus Christi, Texas

Were You Injured in a serious truck accident in Texas? Do you have any questions about your accident? Call Attorney Joe Brad Brock today for answers.

Large trucks and commercial vehicles make up a large portion of the vehicles on our Texas roads and highways. When accidents happen with these massive trucks, the damage to the trucks and the other passenger vehicles involved can be catastrophic due to the massive size of most big rig trucks. Commercial truck drivers have an increased risk of experiencing accidents because of their long work hours, driver fatigue, sleep deprivation, impaired visibility at night, and zoning out during nearly 12-hour long drives.

When a commercial truck accident happens in Corpus Christi, the damages are often extensive with an increased chance of life-threatening injuries and death. You may have suffered major injuries like spinal cord damage or a traumatic brain injury that will lead to lost wages and impairments that prevent you from ever working the same job again. Even if your injuries were not severe enough to cause lifelong disabilities, you may have endured injuries that require long term medical treatments.

After a serious truck accident, you may be dealing with the emotional trauma related to being injured in such a violent and unexpected accident. No one should have to go through these things without legal guidance.  Call attorney Joe Brad Brock, a skilled Corpus Christi truck accident lawyer with decades of experience in personal injury cases.  Call today to find out if you are eligible to receive compensation for medical costs, pain and suffering, and lost wages.

Your Go-To Guide After a Truck Accident

The very first thing you need to do after a major truck accident is to check yourself for serious injuries like bone fractures, spinal injuries, and head trauma. Make sure you are not bleeding out and if you are, apply pressure. Try to move out of harm’s way like oncoming traffic or fires but move cautiously if you suspect bone fractures or spinal cord damage. Moving the wrong way could worsen these injuries.

Call 911 as soon as you can. Once you have yourself in a safe position and if you can walk, check on anyone else at the scene. Do what you can without accidentally causing further damage while waiting for the paramedics and police to arrive. When they do arrive, explain what happened. Try to write down your recollection of the accident as soon as you are able. You will want to ask for a copy of the police report later on.

Seek medical attention!  Many accident injuries can go unnoticed for hours or days. When you find the opportunity, take pictures with your phone of your injuries, the accident scene, and any damages to your vehicle. This serves as vital evidence for your accident claim.

Call attorney Joe Brad Brock as soon as you are able to explore your legal options following a serious semi-truck accident. Attorney Joe Brad offers free consultations for people who have suffered injuries as a result of another person’s negligence.

Unique Legal Aspects of Commercial Truck Accidents

Commercial trucks come with additional legal factors to consider since they are regulated by trucking companies. For one, the trucking company employer may be held liable for what happened due to poor maintenance of the truck or inadequate work conditions for the truck driver. Common commercial truck employer liability problems include:

• A lack of federal safety guidelines for their drivers
• Pressuring or forcing truck drivers to drive longer hours
• Poor truck maintenance (can lead to faulty brakes, lights, and tires)
• Not having yearly inspections conducted
• Hiring untrained or inexperienced drivers

Truck drivers may be pushed to drive despite safety hazards. Anyone who is forced to drive over 12 hours runs the risk of being involved in an accident. Trucks that are not properly maintained will break down at the wrong time and could be dangerous. Being aware of all of this can help you target who to file the lawsuit against after the accident.

Attorney Joe Brad Brock can answer any questions that you have about your South Texas truck accident to determine whether the negligence of the truck driver or his employer can be held responsible for the injuries and damages you sustained as a result of your accident.  Call today to discuss the specifics surrounding your accident.

Types of Commercial Truck Driver Negligence in Texas

 There are also instances where the truck driver may act with negligence. Identifying the type of negligence that caused your auto accident is an important aspect of your claim. The most common types of Texas truck accident causes are listed below:

• Drowsy Driving (from long work hours, sleep deprivation, driving at night)
• Drugged Driving (alcohol, illicit drugs, prescription medications)
• Truck Malfunctions (defective parts, poor truck maintenance)
• Reckless Driving (tailgating, shifting lanes too quickly, turning too soon, speeding)
• Cargo Shifting
• Distracted Driving (texting, using an electronic device, eating, looking for something on floor)
• Tire Blowouts
• Traffic Law Violations (running red lights or stop signs, turning at the wrong time)
• Unsafe Driving during Bad Weather (rain, sleet, ice, snow)

Attorney Joe Brad Brock is prepared to analyze the accident to determine what negligent actions resulted in your injuries. The goal is to prove negligence on the part of the responsible parties through the collection of relevant evidence and documentation. This could mean a drug test for the truck driver, reports of long work hours, evidence of improper truck maintenance, or witnessing a traffic law violation.  Attorney Joe Brad Brock will leave no stone unturned as he works to build a rock-solid personal injury claim.

Types of Injuries Caused by Truck Accidents in South Texas

 The massive size of most semi-trucks can lead to severe injuries after an accident with one or more vehicles. Depending on the types of injuries you suffered and the severity of your injuries, you could be eligible for additional compensation. Some of the more common truck accident injuries are:

• Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)
• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Third-Degree Burns
• Bone Fractures
• Soft Tissue Injuries
• Internal Ruptures or Bleeding
• Whiplash
• Lacerations
• Disfigurement
• Traumatic Amputations
• Collapsed Lungs

Of all these injuries listed above, TBIs and spinal cord injuries are the most serious and are responsible for major life changes in victims who sustain those types of injuries. Since TBIs involve damage to the brain, people with this injury might have to live with a variety of complications for the rest of their life. TBIs can result in:

• Concentration problems
• Memory deficits
• Attention difficulties
• Impaired movement or sensation
• Changes in the mood like depression or anxiety
• Communication problems with speech or understanding speech
• Lost mental skills (i.e. math, reading)
• Major personality changes (can disrupt social relationships)

Spinal cord injuries may not come with as many possible symptoms, but they can cause significant disruptions in other areas:

• Loss of movement
• Loss of sensation
• Lost bladder or bowel control
• Unable to breathe on own

Complete spinal cord injuries come with a lower recovery rate and tend to result in a complete loss of movement, sensation, and function below the site of the injury. This can lead to a life of constant dependency on others for basic care needs. Going through this kind of ordeal may be one of the most distressful and challenging experiences to go through. Incomplete spinal cord injuries leave hope for partial recovery, but usually with years of intense medical interventions.
Whiplash, TBIs, and internal ruptures are common examples of injuries that often go unnoticed. Any of these may worsen without proper care. This is why seeking medical attention after the truck accident is important for your well-being. Do not hesitate to call attorney Joe Brad Brock today if you suffered any of these injuries in a serious truck accident.

Different Types of Truck Accidents in South Texas

 There are several different types of truck accidents to be aware of in Corpus Christi and throughout the state of Texas. Differentiating between these and the types of damages each accident can cause can help you further organize your accident claim:

• Rear-End Collisions: This accident happens when a truck crashes into the back of your vehicle. Considering how massive some trucks are, this can lead to serious vehicle damages and injuries. Whiplash is one of the most common injuries.
• Jackknife Accidents: When the trailer or semi-truck moves to the side due to a sudden stop or slippery road conditions and part of the truck collides with your vehicle. This may result in major damage to the side of your vehicle.
• Rollover Accidents: Trucks will often roll over to their side after losing control, which can smash several cars at once if any vehicles are on the side of the truck.
• Underride Accidents: If a truck suddenly hits the brakes in front of you, then you may not have enough time to stop. Many people in this situation find themselves losing control and sliding underneath the massive semi-truck. This runs a high risk of death.
• T-Bone Accidents: When a truck impacts you on the side after running a stop sign or red light.
• Front-End Collisions: When a truck veers into the wrong lane, a head-on collision is likely and often results in death.
• Merging Accidents: Since semi-trucks have multiple blind spots, there is a chance that they unknowingly side-swipe other cars while changing lanes. If this happens on an elevated highway or bridge, the side-swiped cars could be thrown down a hill or into a river.
• Underride Accidents: This type of accident involves a big-rig who must stop without warning, which causes the much smaller passenger vehicle or pickup truck to slide underneath the trailer of the massive truck. These accidents often result in death.

Truck Accident Statistics in Texas

Truck accidents are very common in Texas due to the high ratio of trucks to other vehicles on Texas roads. Here are some statistics for Texas truck accidents from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA):

• Around 694 traffic fatalities in 2017 from large truck accidents
• A total of 103 fatal single-vehicle accidents involving large trucks
• 453 multiple-vehicle accidents involving large trucks
• About 19.64 fatal large truck accidents per million Texas residents

The Texas Department of Transportation and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) listed other truck accident data in Texas:

• Serious Injuries from Commercial Truck Accidents: 1,376
• Commercial Vehicle Accident Fatalities: 536
• Large Truck Fatalities: 98
• SUV/Pickup Fatalities: 1,191
• Total Commercial Vehicle Accidents: 37,515

How Much Compensation Can I Receive After My South Texas Truck Accident?

 The amount of compensation you could receive after a truck accident depends on how severe your injuries and damages are. Injuries that cause you to miss work due to hospital treatments or at-home recovery may qualify you to attain compensation for lost wages. Compensation for pain and suffering is usually awarded when your injuries were severe, painful, and created significant distress in your life.

Medical bills and medication costs will determine how much you will be compensated for your medical expenses. If you lost a loved one to the truck accident, then you could be eligible for additional compensation to cover emotional distress and funeral costs. Property damages to your vehicle, including car repair costs, may also be covered.

Do I Need a Truck Accident Lawyer in Corpus Christi?

Auto insurance companies and trucking companies will often find any way they can to avoid paying you compensation. You do not have to stand for this. Let Joe Brad Brock help you construct a powerful truck accident claim that gives you the amount of compensation you need to fully recover.

Attorney Joe Brad Brock with the Law Office of Joe Brad Brock has helped countless clients in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, and other South Texas areas with personal injury claims since 1995. He will aggressively fight for your rights and can take your case to trial when third parties refuse to cooperate. Call (361) 884-1086 today to schedule a free consultation.