Miriam Robin is a legal editor at LexisNexis, where she writes newsletters focusing on securities and financial regulation, corporate governance, ESG, cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, and artificial intelligence. Miriam also writes about federal and state court decisions on a wide variety of practice areas for the New York Law Journal, and has worked as a legal marketing and communications writer at large international law firms including Sullivan & Cromwell and Paul Hastings. Miriam received her law degree from St. John's University School of Law and was a recipient of the Brandeis Scholarship for excellence in legal studies.
Miriam Robin, J.D.
Miriam Robin is a legal editor at LexisNexis, where she writes newsletters focusing on securities and financial regulation, corporate governance, ESG, cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, and artificial intelligence. Miriam also writes about federal and state court decisions on a wide variety of practice areas for the New York Law Journal, and has worked as a legal marketing and communications writer at large international law firms including Sullivan & Cromwell and Paul Hastings. Miriam received her law degree from St. John's University School of Law and was a recipient of the Brandeis Scholarship for excellence in legal studies.
Jeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or as interesting as possible).
Reviewed
Jeffrey Johnson, J.D.
Jeffrey Johnson has written novels and movies in addition to legal analyses of eminent domain and immigration law. His experience in writing engaging fiction makes him uniquely capable of making the most dry and academic legal topics interesting (or as interesting as possible).
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
Fort Worth, the 13th-largest city in the country, is famous for having the world’s first and largest indoor rodeo, top-notch museums and a hearty local arts scene. But did you know that Fort Worth also has some of the top truck accident lawyers in Texas?
If you are injured in a truck accident, you want to hire an attorney to advocate on your behalf but it can be overwhelming to find the right one. Forbes Advisor has done the work for you, using a detailed methodology to find the top 10 truck accident lawyers in Fort Worth.
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Best Truck Accident Attorneys in Fort Worth
Compare Top Truck Accident Attorneys
Filing a Truck Accident Lawsuit in Texas
With over 30 million residents, Texas is the second-largest state in the country both by area and population. Texas has also built the country’s largest highway systems, so it’s inevitable that a large portion of truck accidents in the U.S. occur in Texas.
Texas Statute of Limitations
The statute of limitations for filing a personal injury action in Texas is two years from the date of the accident or, where the personal injury action is brought on behalf of a person who died from their injuries, two years from their date of death. If you don’t bring your personal injury case within two years, you will not be able to recover for your injuries at all.
If your accident occurred as a result of the negligence of a government employee, you must submit a notice of your claim against the governmental agency no later than six months after the date of the accident, describing the damage or injury claimed; the time and place of the incident; and the incident itself.
TX Laws for Truck Drivers
Because trucks can cause such serious accidents, Texas has laws in place to establish safety guidelines.
- Driving time: Truck drivers may only drive for 14 hours at a time, with 11 of those hours in interstate driving. Within the state, drivers can drive up to 12 hours.
- English requirement: Texas requires interstate truck drivers to be able to communicate in English well enough to speak to the general public, to respond to police and safety, to keep records, and to read and understand road and traffic signs.
- Records: Truck drivers are required to have registration papers with them that include details about the weight of the truck and how much it can haul. They also must comply with log requirements to track their drive times.
- Background check: Trucking companies are required to do background checks on truck drivers including their experience, licensing, accidents, suspensions, and previous employment.
Meanwhile, under Texas state law, truck drivers operating in intrastate transportation cannot continue to drive after they have worked and/or driven for 70 hours in any consecutive seven-day period.
The Texas Department of Public Safety regulates licensing and safety issues regarding commercial motor vehicles. Some of those regulations include:
Carrying Extended Loads
Commercial trucks cannot carry a load that extends over three feet beyond the truck’s front or, except in certain circumstances, over four feet beyond the truck’s rear.
Identifying Fault for a Truck Crash
Texas is an at-fault state, which means that whoever is at fault for the accident must pay for damages that arise from the accident. This fault-based system is contrary to no-fault systems followed by other states, where truck drivers can seek compensation from their insurance companies regardless of who actually caused the accident.
However, Texas also uses a modified comparative fault rule, which limits an at-fault driver’s ability to recover damages. Specifically, under this rule, an at-fault driver cannot recover damages if their percentage of responsibility is more than 50%.
How Can an Attorney Help You?
An attorney can help you with your truck accident case by identifying all of the parties who were at fault and, as a result, get you the maximum compensation to which you’re entitled.
Truck accident attorneys have the resources and experience to collect relevant evidence connected to your truck accident case, assist you in understanding all of your legal rights arising from your truck accident case, and help you conduct an investigation into your truck accident in an effort to determine exactly what happened and effectively work as an advocate on your behalf.
How to Find the Best Truck Accident Lawyer in Fort Worth, TX
There are many truck accident lawyers in Fort Worth, TX so it can be daunting to try to find the right one for you. Here are some things that you can look for when seeking a truck accident lawyer:
- Find an attorney who has specific experience in truck accidents. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of personal injury lawyers who have experience in different areas of personal injury law. However, not all of those personal injury lawyers have actual experience working with truck accident cases. Lawyers who do have that experience are already well-versed in what’s needed to be done to obtain the maximum compensation for their clients.
- Find a lawyer who has obtained strong verdicts or settlements for their truck accident clients. When you look at truck accident attorneys’ websites, check out whether they list their favorable results, whether through verdicts or settlements.
Methodology
To come up with the Best Truck Accident Lawyers in Fort Worth in 2024, Forbes Advisor considered many factors. Forbes Advisor’s mathematical module considers and weighs the information collected to calculate a specific rating and reviews these results to find the best attorneys in a given practice area.
Within the model, we take into account factors that legal professionals and consumers value in an attorney’s qualifications. After assigning weighted scores to hundreds of data points, we narrowed the field down to our top choices based on:
Legal experience
Special licenses & certifications
Ethics and bar disciplinary measures
Legal thought leadership
Education & employment background
Scholarly lectures & writings
Awards & Honors
Forbes Advisor collects public data from a variety of sources, including state bar associations, court records and other published sources on the internet. This information should not be considered comprehensive, however. It might not include additional relevant information on an attorney’s legal skills and experience.
Each lawyer listed here has their own merits. Bear in mind that our list relates to these lawyers’ legal backgrounds, but does not evaluate their personalities or their knowledge of the law. One attorney may be more suitable than another for your specific legal situation.
One thing that can’t be quantified, though, is the rapport you establish with your attorney. Personality goes a long way when teaming up with an attorney, especially when going through a potentially difficult legal situation. These rankings should serve as a reference and potential starting point in your search for the right lawyer for you and your legal concerns.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I sue a trucking company if I’m involved in an accident with a truck?
Yes, it’s possible that you could seek compensation from a trucking company after you’ve been involved in an accident with a truck if you are able to show that the trucking company inadequately trained or supervised the truck driver, was negligent in hiring the truck driver or failed to conduct a background check or properly screen the truck driver.
What is the most common cause of a truck accident?
Most truck accidents are caused by truck driver negligence. This happens because so many truck drivers work very long hours and become tired. They may become distracted when they talk on the phone. Other causes of truck accidents include driving at an unsafe speed in inclement weather, driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs or insufficient maintenance of the truck itself.
What sort of compensation can I receive after my truck accident?
If your accident was caused by the negligence of the truck driver or trucking company, you are entitled to monetary compensation for any medical expenses that are related to your injuries. You can also seek compensation for lost wages, pain and suffering or loss of consortium.
