Truck Fire Near Pflugerville Closes SB Texas-130
During rush hour on January 7, 2019, two of the southbound lanes on SB Texas-130 were closed due to a semi-truck fire. While no one was injured, there was a minor fuel spill as a result of the accident, and as such, all lanes were closed for hours until the extent of the spillage could be verified. This crash did not harm anyone, but unfortunately, many truck fire-related accidents are more dangerous. If you are injured due to a truck or car fire after an accident, the damages you suffer can be quite severe.
Statistics Show Fatalities Rising
The overall number of traffic fatalities in Texas decreased just barely between 2016 and 2017, but the number of deaths due to truck accidents, particularly accidents involving large trucks, rose. Passenger car-related deaths made up roughly 34 percent of the total in 2017, but truck-related deaths made up 33 percent, and the percentage stemming from accidents involving large trucks held steady at 3 percent. This may not sound like a lot, but truck accidents were proportionally more likely to be fatal than any other type of auto crash. Given the size and relatively poor handling of most large trucks, it is sadly understandable.
It is worth noting that truck accidents carry one potential variable that most passenger car-related accidents do not, and that is the truck’s load. In other words, one can assume that a passenger car will hold people and their assorted belongings. An 18-wheeler may be hauling a load of something as innocuous as hay or textiles, or it can be hauling something as potentially combustible as fuel or as unpredictable as industrial chemicals. If an 18-wheeler is in an accident, the load may leak or explode, and more damages for both the trucker and any drivers that were hit will result.
If You Are Injured
If you are involved in a truck crash, especially if there is a fire involved, all you likely want to do is focus on healing. However, bringing suit – as difficult as it can be – can get your medical bills taken care of, as well as granting you lost wages and other damages for pain and suffering if your suit is successful. Most auto accident-related lawsuits are brought under a legal theory of negligence, and in Texas, that means that certain things must be established in order to prevail. You must be able to show that a duty to exercise reasonable care existed on the part of the defendant and that the defendant breached that duty (in other words, failed to exercise care). You must also be able to show, as the plaintiff, that you suffered harm directly because of the defendant’s actions, with no other superseding cause.
It is also important to keep in mind that Texas follows what is known as a comparative fault system. The doctrine of comparative fault holds that you may be held partially liable for your own injuries, but as long as you are not found to be more than 50 percent at fault, you are still able to recover, minus your percentage of fault. For example, if you are held to be 30 percent responsible for your own injuries, you would still be able to recover 70 percent of your costs. But if you are held to be 55 percent responsible, you would recover nothing.
Can a New Braunfels Truck Accident Attorney Help You?
Truck accidents can be deadly, but even if you make it through, your life can be changed. You need an experienced and dedicated attorney who will fight for you, and the dedicated New Braunfels truck accident lawyers at the Bettersworth Law Firm have the knowledge that we can put at your disposal. Contact our office today at 888-392-0039 to schedule a free consultation.
Sources:
https://www.statesman.com/news/20190107/update-southbound-texas-130-near-pflugerville-reopens-after-truck-fire
https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CP/htm/CP.33.htm
https://cdan.nhtsa.gov/SASStoredProcess/guest
