Plano Truck Accident Lawyer Near Me [Top Rated]

Whether you travel on the Dallas Parkway on the way back from The Shops at Willow Bend or head down U.S. Highway 75, you cannot miss the big rigs traveling from the area. Too often, unsuspecting drivers quickly learn that truckers are at as much, or more, risk of being involved in an accident than we like to think about. If you are one of the more than 500 drivers involved in a truck accident, you have questions that need to be answered. Chances are, since a car is so much smaller than a truck, you must deal with a severe injury as well. Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers can help you sort out the complex situation you find yourself in and make sure whoever is responsible for your injury and damages is held accountable. We are a national law firm based in Houston with multiple offices around the country. We also work with affiliate law firms in most states that share our focus and dedication to excellence. No matter where you are located, we may be able to help you, so call or contact us now. We are open, for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 800-898-4877, or you may contact us now by clicking here to submit your case for review. [lwptoc title="Plano Injury Accident Guide" skipHeadingLevel="h1,h4"]

The right Plano truck accident lawyer

Experience matters when you are in an accident and need help getting reimbursed for the damage to your vehicle and compensation for the losses you suffered because of your injury. Every case is different, but having a lawyer with a proven track record can make a difference. Everyone is aware that past results are not a good indication of future results. However, when you know you have someone who has worked hard to get compensation for their clients, you can feel confident you are working with someone who has the needed experience to work hard for your benefit.

Plano truck accident injuries

Make no mistake about it, regardless of how safely you drive, the best airbags and seatbelts will not be enough to prevent you from suffering severe injuries if you are in a truck accident. Keep something in mind: a fully packed car weighs around 6,000 pounds. A fully packed truck weighs approximately 80,000 pounds. One is no match for the other. When you add in speed, the outcome can be deadly, and if not deadly, you can expect serious injury. Some of the common injuries truck accident victims face include:

Broken bones - a broken bone may sound like it is not a big deal. After all, the bone gets set, and you heal in about six to eight weeks. However, do not get lulled into thinking a broken bone is no big deal because it is a big deal. When you are in a truck accident, you could suffer multiple broken bones or compound fractures requiring surgical intervention.
Serious burns - if a fuel truck strikes you, a fireball could burn you. Burn injuries are extremely painful and often cause months of treatment, reconstruction, and serious infections.
Head and neck trauma - few things are more frightening than head injuries. They can mean months of learning how to do basic tasks like feeding themselves, dressing, or even taking care of their personal hygiene needs as if they have never done them before. Head trauma can also affect a victim’s personality. Some victims never recover fully following a traumatic brain injury.

These are only some of the possible injuries victims of a truck accident could face. Other injuries, including internal damage, broken ribs, and punctured lungs, can also result from a truck accident. At the offices of Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, we can help you determine what legal options you have open to you to hold the responsible parties accountable for their negligent actions.

Determining fault for a Plano truck accident

Car accidents often involve only two cars, making determining fault slightly easier. When you are in a collision involving a truck, however, you may need more information to establish fault. Here are some of the potentially liable parties:

Truck driver - when there is a clear issue such as a driver under the influence, ignoring legal speed limits, or running red lights, the driver may bear all of the fault.
Driver’s employer - in some instances, the trucker’s employer could be partially to blame for the driver’s accident. For example, they may have hired an unqualified driver to travel on Plano roads. They could have advised the driver to ignore required rules about hours of service, or they may have failed to maintain the vehicle properly. The result could mean the driver, as well as their employer, are responsible for your losses.
Party responsible for loading - an off-balance truck can tip over, or a driver can have difficulty controlling the truck if it is improperly loaded. In these cases, the company responsible for loading a truck could be partially responsible for the damages caused. If a truck accident occurs because the driver lost control of the truck because of a load shift, both parties could be held accountable.

Truck accident claims are complicated, particularly if it is not immediately evident who is at fault for the accident. Working with a Plano truck accident attorney is even more important if more than one party is involved because the last thing you want is to deal with multiple insurance company adjusters. Remember, each insurer aims to avoid paying any more than necessary against a claim. Even when multiple parties are involved, there will be squabbling back and forth about who bears how much responsibility.

Recovering financially following a Plano truck accident

If you were involved in a Plano truck accident, chances are you are still at home recovering. Many victims take weeks, if not months, to fully recover from their injuries. During that recovery, your family will likely feel your finances stretch. This is why you need to know what you can demand for a settlement when you place a claim. Some of the potential areas of financial recovery you can request include:

Medical expenses - unless you have a top-tier health insurance plan, you are likely to be forced to make copayments for certain services, pay for prescription painkillers or antibiotics, or you must pay a substantial deductible. You should not have to bear these additional expenses when your injury was because another person or party acted negligently. Your out-of-pocket medical costs could be included in any compensation claim.
Lost wages and benefits - the best disability plan does not kick in immediately. Chances are, if you have a disability plan, you first had to use vacation days, personal days, or sick days before those benefits started instead of at your discretion. Additionally, you may include the difference between your typical paycheck and your disability payments. Talk to your truck accident injury attorney further about lost wages and benefits because you can include these substantial losses in a claim.
Personal property damage - your car, clothing, items in your vehicle, including cell phones, tablets, and other electronics damaged in an accident, may also be included in your claim. These items will not replace themselves, and you should not have to bear these additional expenses on your own.
Unexpected household expenses - truck accident victims who were seriously injured often need household help to complete tasks they would have done themselves had they been physically capable of doing so. Housekeeping, nursing, or landscaping help may be necessary while recovering. However, normally, you may not have needed this assistance, and if that is the case, you may have the right to include these unexpected expenses in your claim.
Home modification expenses - depending on the severity of your injuries, you may need some home modifications. Ramps, handicap bars, and other similar modifications cost money. When you had no intention of making these modifications, there is the potential of including these in your truck accident injury claim.

Talk to the Plano truck accident lawyer handling your case because you may pursue other areas of compensation, depending on your specific case.

Dealing with insurance following a Plano truck accident

In 43 Texas Administration Code (TAC) §218.16(a), there is an explanation about what type of coverage a trucker must maintain. Keep in mind that, unlike a standard automobile, the minimum amount of coverage depends on numerous factors, including the truck’s size. There are also additional coverage requirements for trucks that haul hazardous materials. None of this means that an insurance company will treat anyone filing a claim fairly. Remember, their goal is simple: Keep the payment of claims to a minimum to improve their bottom line. When an insurance company receives a claim, it may deflect blame no matter what. They may blame the victim, another driver, the carrier, the town, or any other party they think might be involved. Remember, this is merely to help them keep the claim amount down. Truck accident victims should keep the following in mind:

Never participate in recorded statements - insurance company adjusters may ask you to provide a recorded statement. This is never a good idea. The insurance company will try to trap you into accepting responsibility for the accident. Sometimes adjusters will ask the same question in multiple ways to see if they can force you into making a mistake. This is why we always encourage victims to let their attorneys speak for them.
Never sign anything mailed to you without legal review - truck accident victims are often sent numerous forms and documents for their signature. These forms may contain language that affects your legal rights. Before you sign anything received from the insurance company, have your lawyer review it first.
Never accept the first offer made - insurance adjusters will often contact you shortly after an accident and offer a quick settlement. They may tell you this will be their “best offer.” Do not get fooled by this one. They know you are out of work, that your finances are stretched, and you are hoping for some resolution to your financial challenges. This is not their best offer, and if you accept the offer, they are off the hook financially. They want you to accept the offer for that reason.

Insurance companies are not on your side. They have a legal team on their side, helping them navigate every claim they receive, and they hope to settle quickly and for as little as possible. At Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, we can work for you, the victim. We hold insurers to a different standard, and we know what tactics they will use to avoid making a reasonable settlement offer.

Costs of hiring a Plano truck accident lawyer

We understand your hesitation regarding hiring a lawyer. After all, the last thing you need while recovering from your injuries is a mounting legal bill. But, we have good news. First, we offer a free case evaluation. That means we will take a look at all of the circumstances of your accident and help you determine the best way forward. Additionally, should you decide that it is in your best interest to move forward with Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, we work on a contingency fee basis. This means that we will not collect our legal fees from you unless and until we are successful in collecting a settlement on your behalf.

Dangerous intersections in Plano

Across Texas, there were nearly 40,000 collisions involving trucks in one recent year, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. These accidents resulted in more than 500 lives lost and more than 1,000 serious injuries. This does not account for other injuries, damage to vehicles, and overall trauma victims of truck accidents may have suffered With more than 200,000 people in the Plano area who are of driving age, it should come as no surprise we have congested roadways. Some of the most dangerous intersections in Plano, as reported by Flag Towing, who monitored accidents at intersections included:

Custer Road and West Parker Road - 45 accidents reported
Dallas Parkway and Legacy Drive - 39 accidents reported
Dallas Parkway and West Parker Road - 37 accidents reported
Dallas Parkway and Headquarters Drive - 32 accidents reported
Intersections off Coit Road - more than 125 accidents

Traveling around Plano is dangerous. If you are a victim of a truck accident on Plano roadways, you may have questions about your legal options and rights. To help ensure you are getting the best possible answers, you should contact the truck accident attorneys at Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, as soon as possible. Why you should contact an accident injury lawyer after a truck accident? Truck accidents are complicated. Keep in mind when there is a car accident involving two vehicles, that in many cases, there is a clear indication as to who is at fault. If you are a car accident victim, you file a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance company for your damage and losses. However, when a truck is involved, multiple parties can be held liable for the losses you have suffered. Some of these parties include:

Truck driver
Employer of the truck driver
Owner of the truck (even when not the driver or employer)
Another driver on the roadway
Manufacturer of truck, tires, or airbags
Company or persons responsible for truck maintenance
Company or persons responsible for loading the truck

As you can see, having multiple parties potentially liable for the damage resulting from a Plano truck accident can complicate the claims process. Insurance companies are aware of the complex nature of a truck accident. First, victims are likely to suffer severe injuries in a truck accident. After all, tractor-trailers outweigh cars by more than ten times even when empty. The danger multiplies when you factor in speed (for example, Dallas Parkway speed limits are 40 to 45 miles per hour). A truck traveling 45 miles per hour needs approximately two seconds for every 10 feet to stop safely. Imagine being struck from behind by a fully loaded tractor-trailer traveling 40 miles per hour—the damage is unthinkable, and the potential for injuries is very serious. Having an attorney who has experience dealing with truck accidents is important because victims often face serious challenges from insurance company adjusters who simply want the claim to get resolved as quickly as possible. At Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, we have experience dealing with insurers interested in paying as little as possible as quickly as possible. We know that once you accept a settlement offer, even one that is insufficient to ensure you are financially whole after an accident when you were not at fault, the insurer is off the hook for all of your losses. This can leave your family in a financially precarious position because, unless you have fully recovered from your injuries, you could continue to rack up medical bills and lose time from work.

Getting the maximum compensation for your injury and damages

Often, accident victims get an offer from the responsible party’s insurance company, which tells them that it is the “best” one they will receive. This is seldom the case. When calculating your losses, some of the compensation you could collect includes:

Medical expenses - any expense associated with the treatment of an injury you received in a Plano truck accident. This means you can include medical devices such as crutches, braces, or wheelchairs, which insurance may not cover, in your claim. Regardless of how long your recovery will take, you may include all of your follow-up care for the injury. Your Plano truck accident attorney can help you calculate the costs associated with your care because they know how to reach out to experts who can help calculate the cost of future medical care for specific injuries.
Lost income - many victims think they can only collect the wages they lose when recovering from a truck accident injury. The facts are slightly different, but the insurance company will not tell you that. Keep in mind, insurance companies are committed to paying as little for an accident claim as possible, and they may take every legal step possible to achieve that goal. This is particularly important if you have suffered a life-altering injury such as a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
Pain and suffering - this may sound like an obtuse area for compensation. After all, how does one value pain and suffering? However, an experienced attorney who knows how personal injury claim cases work can help you put a dollar value acceptable to the insurer and, when warranted, to a judge or jury.

Make sure you talk to your attorney about all possible avenues of compensation. You may include damage to your vehicle, property loss during the crash (electronics, damage to the vehicle’s contents, etc.), and other expenses such as home modifications in a claim for damages following a Plano truck accident.

Taking on insurers without an attorney

Some accident victims think they can tackle dealing with an insurer on their own. This is seldom a good idea. One of the concerns many victims have following a truck accident is the time it takes to settle a claim. While this is understandable, you should understand why you must determine your level of healing from your injuries following a Plano truck accident you have reached before filing a claim. One reason why you may need to wait until you are at maximum recovery for your injury is liability. Some truck accident victims may suffer permanent injury due to an accident. Without a firm understanding of the extent you will have to live with the injuries you received in a Plano truck accident, it is impossible to ensure you get a fair settlement. Insurance companies know if they pressure you while you are under financial stress, they have a better chance of getting you to accept a settlement offer for less than what you might otherwise be able to secure. Remember, the insurer is off the hook once you accept any settlement, regardless of what additional losses you may face. At Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, we know it can be frustrating waiting for your case to get resolved. However, our goal is always to get you the best possible financial outcome. Your physical health should be your primary focus. Let us focus on securing you a financial settlement for your injuries and damage, and we can keep you informed about the timeline of an injury case.

Outcomes following Plano truck accidents

No lawyer can guarantee you the outcome of settlement negotiations. That is simply a fact. Numerous variables come into play during the settlement negotiation process regardless of how experienced an attorney is, how aggressively they pursue compensation on your behalf, or how serious your injury is. However, Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, is fully committed to doing everything possible to see your case through from beginning to end. We will work tirelessly to ensure that discussing your case with insurers is our primary focus. We do not back down until we get you the justice you deserve. We believe in helping those who feel powerless against these insurers who are determined to pay as little as possible for a legitimate claim. They have an army of lawyers on their side. Our team is on your side from the beginning of the process, and all the while, you remain firmly in control of how we proceed.

Lawyers and settlement offers made by insurers

Your attorney cannot reject a settlement offer without your consent. We are legally and morally obligated to advise you of any offers. No matter what happens, we can tell you what the pros and cons are of every settlement offer, and you would make the final decision as to whether to accept or reject the offer. When you contact us for a free consultation, you can expect our honesty about the potential outcomes for your specific case. We do not want to set unreasonable expectations, so we are committed to making sure you understand the hurdles we need to overcome to present your case to an insurer. We can advise you of the potential legal options you have as well and, whatever your decision is, that is the track your case will follow. If you decide to hire the team at Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, we will take your case on a contingency fee basis. If we do not win the case on your behalf, we do not get paid. You must pay for the expenses of your case, but we will not charge you for legal fees. We will advise you about estimated fees, but these fees are often smaller since most cases will not result in a lawsuit. We are here to help you after a Plano truck accident. We understand that any accident creates great confusion. If you have a loved one who suffered injuries in a Plano truck accident and they can't seek assistance from a truck accident attorney on their own, please contact our offices. We know in some cases, victims have suffered injuries that can leave them unable to communicate. We are happy to discuss the particulars of an accident with a family member who has questions about what legal options are available to them or their family members. We have more than two decades of experience handling personal injury cases all across Texas, and if you need help, we are here to provide that assistance. Even if you are uncertain whether you want to hire a lawyer, call us for a free consultation and let us explain to you what legal options are open to you. The best way to decide how to proceed is to have complete information about these options.

Contact Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers for a free consultation

When you or a loved one is injured in a Plano truck accident, contact Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, immediately. We are here to help victims understand their rights and represent them when needed. We are committed to making sure you and your family get the justice they deserve and to make sure the party responsible for your pain and suffering is held accountable for their negligent actions. Call our offices today for your free consultation. We will evaluate your case and make sure you understand your legal rights and options.

Contact an experienced Plano truck accident attorney today

We know the last thing you need is constant calls from insurance adjusters. We also know you have questions and concerns, and we’re here for you. The legal team of Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, is nationally recognized for protecting the rights of injured victims for more than 20 years. If a Plano truck accident injured you, call our office right now for a free consultation! Because we take all of our truck accident cases on a contingency fee basis, you will not owe us a dime unless we win your case. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so call us today at 800-898-4877 or contact us now by clicking here.

See what past clients have to say:

Review: 5/5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"As a relatively new resident of Houston, I did not know of an attorney to contact for a personal injury suit. I randomly went through the yellow pages contacting two attorneys that had rejected my case prior to me contacting Stewart Guss. Stewart took my case on and settled for far more than I had anticipated. The silver lining of this is that I will now have enough money to go back to school for retraining, so I will be able to reenter the workforce in a new capacity. The paralegal, Angela, was kind and supportive throughout the process. If I did not understand the legal jargon, I did not hesitate to ask, and was never once made to feel that I was incompetent. Thank you Stewart and Angela for giving me a new lease on live."

-Sally T.