Monday morning around 8, two 18-wheelers and three passenger vehicles were involved in a serious crash on Highway 146 near FM 518 in Kemah. The 5-vehicle pileup resulted in closure of all northbound and southbound lanes. One of the vehicles rolled over after striking one of the big rigs. An account of the pileup mentioned that 6 people were hospitalized with injuries, at least one of them in critical condition.
The hearts and prayers of our Harris County truck accident injury lawyers are with the victims of this serious wreck in Kemah. Their lives have been changed by possibly severe injuries and destroyed vehicles, and now they face the long process of recovery as well as uphill battles to obtain the financial compensation they need to pay medical expenses and replace their wrecked cars and trucks.
When you or your loved ones are injured in a serious crash with one of the big rigs, you not only face the pain of serious injuries and mounting medical bills, you might also face aggressive opposition to your claim for financial compensation from the trucker and trucking company at fault for the accident.
Because of the massive damage that can result when an 80,000-pound cargo truck crashes, trucking companies by federal law must carry high dollar liability insurance policies. Those policies might be worth more than 50 times the value of your passenger vehicle policy. Some of the trucking companies meet the federal requirement by self-insuring their trucks. Basically, they file some forms, and then set aside a portion of their assets and/or buy a surety bond to provide a sufficient amount of coverage.
When you face a self-insured trucking company, your road to financial recovery after a serious accident becomes a challenging obstacle course. The Harris County truck accident injury lawyers at Denena Points, PC emphasize that any compensation you receive has to come out of the company’s assets, rather than from an insurance company. The company and its employees have strong incentives to resist your valid claim: any compensation payments to you could cut into profits, bonuses, pay increases, and amenities of the job. If the financial liability is large enough, the company might even have to make layoffs to remain financially viable.
The trucking company employees therefore have all the motivation they need to stall your claim, lose or alter evidence, harass you, threaten you, threaten witnesses, and work to find ways to shift the blame for the accident onto you to deter you from your claim. And the types of ethics rules that govern the insurance industry in handling claims don’t bind the trucking company employees one iota.
To win your claim against a self-insured trucking company, you’ll need the able help of an aggressive and experienced Harris County truck accident injury lawyer who can protect your rights and interests. Your attorney can shield you by handling all contacts with the trucking company for you. And your attorney can begin legal action against the company if it initially refuses to negotiate fairly and responsibly regarding your claim.
We have 14 years of experience successfully resolving complex accident injury and wrongful death claims against trucking companies and also against the big insurance companies. One of our Board Certified attorneys has a background in the trucking industry that gives us an inside edge in knowing how truck accident cases and the trucking companies work.
Call us for a FREE initial legal consultation at 713-807-9500 or just fill out our online contact form to schedule your free consult. Put our experience and dedication to work for your benefit.