Head-on Collision with Tanker Truck Kills One, Injures Another
Aug 22, 2012
Austin, TX (Law Firm Newswire) August 21, 2012 – Not every accident is what it appears to be.
Big rigs are notorious for causing fatal accidents, but in some respects, that is automatically assuming a trucker is always at fault in any accident. That is not always the case, and it certainly was not in this collision. “This particular accident happened in the early morning hours, on Texas 36,” said Bobby Lee, an Austin personal injury attorney of Lee, Gober and Reyna in Austin, Texas. “On one side of the highway was an Exxon Mobile tanker. On the other side of 36, heading south, was a 2009 Ford pickup driven by a 31-year-old Temple man.”
At Brenham in Washington County, the Ford pickup drifted across the center line, right into the path of the tanker. The pickup driver was pronounced dead at the scene. The tanker driver was not injured. There was speculation that the driver who caused the accident may have been using a cell phone or may have fallen asleep at the wheel. The police have launched an investigation to determine the cause of the crash. They hope to find the dead man’s cell phone in the accident debris.
“While this accident may look like the pickup driver was doing something he should not have been, like falling asleep at the wheel of his vehicle or texting while driving, he could just as easily have had a mechanical defect that caused the truck to veer into the oncoming lane. Not every accident is what it appears to be, and this is one good reason to discuss a case with an experienced personal injury lawyer,” emphasized Lee.
Wrecks involving 18-wheelers never have good outcomes, and those that survive need the assistance of a competent injury lawyer who knows what to do to preserve evidence. It is not unusual to have evidence compromised or go missing in cases where the trucker is at fault. The trucking company has a battery of lawyers taking care of its legal needs, and often one of those lawyers as well as an insurance agent is at the scene almost before the dust settles.
“There is big money riding on personal injury lawsuits filed as a result of a trucking accident caused by the trucker,” Lee explained. “Often the firm’s insurance people are already trying to figure out ways to diminish the claims of the plaintiff, to reduce the scope of their liability in court. It is my job to make sure the evidence does not go missing and to keep insurance companies off your back.”
It is also an injury lawyer’s role to fight for their client’s rights, at settlement or in court. Many victims of semi crashes will never have a normal life again. In order to live somewhat normally, they may need expensive medical care on an on-going basis. If the trucking firm and the trucker are deemed at fault, they are to be held accountable for the plaintiff’s medical bills, among other things. Only a lawyer with the skills and knowledge to handle complex trucking injury cases is able to find justice for the victim.
To learn more, visit Austin personal injury lawyer and http://www.rwleelaw.com.
Lee, Gober and Reyna
11824 Jollyville Road, Suite 302
Austin, Texas 78759
Phone: 512.478.8080
