Missouri City Truck Accident Lawyer

Serving Houston, Missouri City, Sugar Land, Pearland, Stafford & Surrounding Areas

With ten refineries in Missouri City processing 2.6 million barrels of crude oil per day, every day (making up 45% of the state’s oil production and 14% of the nation’s total output), the supply of big rig oil tankers moving in and out of the city is non-stop. Add in Missouri City’s chemical facilities, logging industry, and the materials it takes to supply the biggest and most populous city in Texas, and the 18-wheeler truck traffic in the city grows exponentially. On top of all that, Missouri City is intersected by Interstate 10 with tractor-trailers carrying cargo nationwide from Los Angeles, California, to Jacksonville, Florida, and I-45 linking Missouri City to Dallas in one direction and the Gulf of Mexico at Galveston in the other.

Many truck drivers are well-trained, experienced and conscientious drivers, and many trucking company fleets are well maintained. Unfortunately, a large number of drivers are untrained, inexperienced and even unlicensed, and far too many 18-wheelers are on the road right now with bad tires, bad brakes, malfunctioning coupling devices and broken signal lights. Tractor-trailers in Texas can be 60 feet long and weigh as much as 80,000 pounds, about 20 times heavier than the average passenger vehicle. Trucks can collide with cars with immense destructive force and the potential to cause catastrophic or fatal injuries to the occupants of the lighter, smaller vehicle. Through compassion and personalized representation, the attorney and legal team at Henrietta Ezeoke Law Firm work to help truck accident victims and their families get the highest possible amount of compensation for their injury and loss. Regardless of the size or complexity of your case, our firm is here to help you through a difficult time with the care and compensation you need to see it through. Contact our experienced Missouri City truck accident lawyer today.

Handling Truck Accident Claims in Missouri City

Truck accidents are not like car accidents. They are more complex, they are costlier, and they are defended more fiercely. They must be investigated and litigated differently as well. With over 20 years of legal experience, Missouri City injury attorney Henrietta Ezeoke and her team are confident in taking on truck accident cases and the well-funded trucking companies and their insurers. We know how to investigate trucking accidents, including gathering and interpreting trucking logbooks and electronic records that provide a wealth of information regarding how long the driver was on duty before the crash, whether they were well-rested or not, what condition the vehicle was in, and more. We’ll look at the accident itself as well as the history of the driver, the truck, and the trucking company to determine what factor or factors led to the accident.

In addition, we know how to deal with trucking companies and their insurers. Large trucking companies often have their own adjusters in addition to the ones hired by the insurance company. Many trucking companies have a “self-insured retention” policy that makes them liable for a sizeable amount of damages before any insurance kicks in. This makes trucking companies act aggressively and intimidating when dealing with injury victims to protect their financial interests at your expense. The Henrietta Ezeoke Law Firm is aggressive too. We are passionate about helping our clients and work vigorously to prepare and present a strong case for maximum compensation, even if we are going up against the largest trucking companies or insurance companies.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Missouri City

Truck drivers can cause wrecks by engaging in the same negligent driving behaviors that any inattentive or careless driver can be guilty of, including speeding, following too close, making unsafe lane changes, texting while driving, and drinking and driving. The difference is that the stakes are much higher when the driver is behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound complex machine. Additionally, many aspects of trucking create additional dangers for traffic accidents that car drivers don’t have to deal with. These include the following common reasons for truck accidents in Missouri City:

• Fatigued or Drowsy Truck Drivers – Driving a tractor-trailer for a living can be physically exhausting and mentally fatiguing, especially cross-country long-haul trucking like you will find on Interstate 10 through Missouri City. Truckers are lawfully allowed to put in 11 hours of driving during a 14-hour workday, with as little as 30 minutes rest after driving for eight hours straight. They can also legally put in 60 hours over a seven-day week or 70 hours over eight consecutive days before they have to take a 32-hour rest to restart a new week of driving. Many truckers are paid by the mile or by the haul, and the faster they finish their trip, the more money they make and the more money the trucking company makes. These factors put a lot of pressure on truck drivers to drive longer than is safe, even when they are drowsy and in need of rest.
• Negligent Truck Maintenance – Annual, pre-announced, roadside inspections every year result in government agencies pulling one in five trucks inspected off the road and placing them out of service because of serious safety violations. The leading violations are related to unsafe tires and brakes, but other prominent safety problems include defective signals or coupling devices and a lack of safety equipment. With the same results occurring year after year, these statistics prove the existence of thousands of trucks on the road right now in North America that are not in a safe drivable condition. These same inspections turn up a large number of unlicensed drivers as well.
• Negligent Cargo Loading – Loading a trailer is a critical duty that must be done safely to keep a truck from being overloaded or unbalanced. Load the trailer too heavily, and the tires or brakes will fail. Load it too high, and the truck is in danger of a rollover accident. If the load is unbalanced or improperly secured so that it becomes unbalanced during transit, the tractor-trailer is susceptible to a jackknife truck accident or spilling its contents on the highway.

Contact Henrietta Ezeoke Law Firm Today

The Henrietta Ezeoke Law Firm has over 20 years of experience handling personal injury and wrongful death cases involving all types of motor vehicle accidents, including catastrophic and fatal tractor-trailer crashes. Let our firm help you and your family get the care and compensation you need after a disastrous 18-wheeler crash. Call our experienced Missouri City truck accident lawyer today.