Being involved in a rollover accident with a commercial truck can be traumatizing and devastating—and it often happens through no fault of the drivers of the smaller cars. If you or a loved one have been impacted by a commercial truck rollover accident in the Beaumont area, let Portner Bond, PLLC help you and your family get their lives back together.
With over 70 years of combined truck accident experience, including handling rollover accident lawsuits, there’s no one more qualified to help you win your case. Call (409) 838-4444 today for a free and confidential consultation with an experienced and compassionate attorney.
Why Do I Need a Lawyer to Handle My Rollover Accident Case?
Even in a tragedy as unexpected as a rollover accident, there are still several claims that need to be proven in order for you to receive compensation for your losses. For example, you, as the claimant, need to prove that the trucker owed you a duty of care, that they breached their duty, and that their breach caused your injuries.
Unfortunately for you, the trucking company and the insurance companies are trying to save money, so there are people trying to oppose you from getting as much money as you deserve. That’s why you need a rollover accident attorney on your side. The driving and accident laws of Texas are complex and difficult to navigate on your own. Without an experienced rollover accident attorney, you could make legal mistakes that might prevent you from recovering as much compensation as you could have otherwise.
Don’t wait. Evidence disappears, witnesses forget, and the time window to file a lawsuit might close faster than you think. Additionally, you might say something to an insurance agent that could work against you in a court of law.
You need a knowledgeable rollover accident attorney to guide you through the legal process as soon as possible after your accident, which you can do by calling Portner Bond, PLLC at (409) 838-4444 today.
Why Choose Portner Bond, PLLC to Defend Me?
You won’t find lawyers more qualified to handle your rollover accident case in the Beaumont area than the widely-acclaimed team at Portner Bond, PLLC. As members of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multi-Million Advocates Forum (two of the most prestigious groups of lawyers in the nation), Chris Portner and Trent Bond offer decades of experience in cases just like yours.
When disaster strikes and your life, family, and livelihood are in jeopardy, you don’t want just anyone fighting for your just compensation. Having seen and won thousands of cases over seven decades of experience, the attorneys at Portner Bond, PLLC not only understand the nuanced legal intricacies regarding your case, but they also understand the devastating effects of rollover accidents and will treat your case with empathetic, one-on-one care.
Types of Rollover Accident Cases We Handle
There are three types of rollover accidents in the state of Texas, and the attorneys at Portner Bond, PLLC are experienced at handling all of them.
The three most common classifications of rollover accidents are:
- Tripped rollovers – the truck rolls after hitting a tripping force like a curb, pothole, or the shoulder of the road. This is the most common cause of rollover accidents. In these types of rollovers, the driver or the agency in charge of road maintenance could be at fault.
- Untripped rollovers – the truck rolls without any tripping force. These types of rollovers are less common and can be caused by drastic steering maneuvers and/or top-heavy vehicles. Vehicles that are particularly tall or narrow are more likely to roll over. These types of rollovers are generally the fault of either the truck driver or the loaders of the vehicle.
Sometimes untripped rollovers are simply caused by poor weather conditions.
- Defective vehicle rollovers – the truck rolls due to some mechanical error with the truck, such as blowing a tire or failing brakes. These types of rollovers can be the fault of the driver, the trucking company, the truck manufacturer, or those responsible for inspecting and maintaining the truck.
After the rollover accident, the truck’s cargo might have caused additional damage if it did not stay in the container. Cargo can become a crash hazard by either hitting or blocking other cars, a health hazard if it contains toxic chemicals, or a fire hazard if the contents were flammable. Strewn cargo can also cause a pile-up of cars around the accident as well.
If the trucker was at fault, here are some possible causes for the accident:
- Distracted driving
- Driving under the influence
- Fatigue
- Speeding
- Lack of experience or insufficient training
If the trucker was not at fault, other causes could include:
- The truck was overloaded
- Brake failures
- Tire blowouts
- Difficult road conditions (like rain, fog, or snow) caused an increased chance of slipping
- Defective roads
- The truck did not meet height/width/weight specifications
After the rollover accident, you likely are left with some or all of the following:
- Medical costs (due to neck injury, muscle strain, burns, fractures and breaks, internal organ damage, spinal cord injury, paralysis, brain injury, or lacerations)
- Lost income
- Damage to your vehicle
- Compensation for “pain and suffering”
- Death
If you’ve suffered any of the above losses and were not mostly at fault for the rollover accident, you can file a lawsuit to receive compensation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do if I have been involved in a rollover accident?
- Get medical attention immediately, even if it doesn’t seem like you are hurt. If your injuries aren’t documented as soon as possible after the rollover accident, the insurance company may try to blame them on pre-existing conditions.
- Call the police to make sure a report is filed.
- Exchange insurance information with the truck driver.
- Take pictures of the vehicles, people, and any other important factors involved in the crash.
- Get the names and phone numbers of any witnesses.
How long do I have to file a lawsuit after my rollover accident?
According to the Texas statute of limitations, you have two years to file a lawsuit after the accident.
How much compensation will I be able to recover?
In Texas, the “modified comparative fault” rule determines how much you can be awarded. This rule calculates the total sum of damages caused to you, then reduces your compensation based on what percentage of the accident was your fault.
For example, if your total damages reached $300,000 and you were 30% at fault, you would receive 70% of the awarded compensation and walk away with $210,000.
According to Texas law, if you mostly at fault (more than 50% responsible), you receive nothing at all.
How much does it cost to hire an attorney from Portner Bond, PLLC?
Unless you win your case and are awarded compensation, we will charge you no fees. That’s our guarantee. After winning a case, we take a percentage of the compensation based on the amount of time we spent on your case.
A longer and more complicated case will result in a larger fee. However, you will most likely be able to secure more compensation in your case with the help of an attorney, so you have little to lose.
If you are concerned about the cost or time required for us to take on your case, we are more than happy to give you a free consultation. Call us today at (409) 838-4444 for a confidential meeting.
Practice Area Statistics
The Texas Department of Transportation provided the following statistics for the state of Texas in 2018:
- In 2018, there were 536 fatal crashes involving commercial vehicles.
- In those crashes, 611 people were killed.
- There were 37,515 total crashes involving commercial vehicles in 2018.
Jefferson County has one of the higher rates of truck accidents in Texas. In Jefferson County alone,
- There were 6 fatal crashes involving commercial vehicles in 2018.
- There were 9 fatalities from those 6 crashes.
- There were 460 total crashes involving commercial vehicles in 2018.
According to the statistics, living in Jefferson County makes you particularly at risk of being involved in a truck-related accident.
Contact a Rollover Accident Attorney in Beaumont
Were you or a loved one injured in a rollover accident in the Beaumont-Port Arthur Metropolitan area? Did you lose a loved one in a rollover accident? The accident itself might have been traumatic, but don’t let the proceeding legal affairs be traumatic for you as well.
You need a compassionate but savvy guide to help you navigate the complicated twists and turns of the legal system. And you need to find a legal representative soon because there’s a finite amount of time to file a lawsuit and receive compensation if you’ve been involved in a rollover accident.
Damages become more difficult to recover the longer you wait because the evidence will disappear, witnesses will forget, and the window of time in which you can legally file a lawsuit will close. Don’t take that chance.
Call Portner Bond, PLLC now to set up a free and confidential consultation with a qualified, competent, and caring legal professional. We have an excellent history of helping rollover accident victims recover losses and high customer satisfaction rates. You can reach us at (409) 838-4444 or online today to discuss your case.