With 10 years of cross-border legal knowledge, Tiffany Bayliss translates complex legal concepts into easy-to-understand action-plans. Having worked on legal content both internally within global law firms and externally as a legal content advisor, her work has been centred around one core belief: legal knowledge should be clear and accessible for everyone.
Tiffany Bayliss
With 10 years of cross-border legal knowledge, Tiffany Bayliss translates complex legal concepts into easy-to-understand action-plans. Having worked on legal content both internally within global law firms and externally as a legal content advisor, her work has been centred around one core belief: legal knowledge should be clear and accessible for everyone.
Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida.
After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Court judge. He researched and wrote legal precedent in published opinions on behalf of the Court.
He has been an editor, columnist and journalist at the Miami Herald, The Dallas Morning News, The Oregonian, Golf Digest, FindLaw.com and other media outlets.
He lived in Colombia and Argentina teaching legal English to attorneys and law students. He is also a Spanish-language subject matter expert.
An avid waterman, he surfs and scuba dives frequently.
Reviewed
Adam Ramirez, J.D.
Adam has resided at the intersection of legal and journalism for two decades. An award-winning journalist and legal strategist, he’s covered high-profile trials in Florida.
After law school, Adam and spent two years clerking for a U.S. District Court judge. He researched and wrote legal precedent in published opinions on behalf of the Court.
He has been an editor, columnist and journalist at the Miami Herald, The Dallas Morning News, The Oregonian, Golf Digest, FindLaw.com and other media outlets.
He lived in Colombia and Argentina teaching legal English to attorneys and law students. He is also a Spanish-language subject matter expert.
An avid waterman, he surfs and scuba dives frequently.
Editorial Note: We earn a commission from partner links on Forbes Advisor. Commissions do not affect our editors' opinions or evaluations.
They say everything is bigger in Texas—from the fortunes of multi-millionaires to the size of the state itself. As the second largest state in the U.S. spanning over 268,000 square miles, the roads are traversed by one of the largest vehicles people are likely to ever see—the 18-wheeler truck.
As these behemoths navigate San Antonio, the gateway to the Texas hill country, risks are inevitable and accidents are abundant. If you’ve been in an accident and need legal help, here are the best truck accident lawyers in San Antonio.
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Best Truck Accident Attorneys in San Antonio
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Filing a Truck Accident Lawsuit in Texas
Whether you choose to entrust your case with a San Antonio truck accident lawyer, or you prefer to take the reins and organize your own affairs, here are some key pillars of filing a truck accident lawsuit that you should be aware of in Texas.
Texas Statute of Limitations
We’ve all experienced trying to recall a distant memory, where the details are foggy and the accuracy may be clouded. This is exactly why the law has something called a statute of limitations. It’s a time limit in which people have the right to bring forward a claim, while the details are still crisp and the evidence is still reliable. This is especially important for truck accident injury cases.
In Texas, the statute of limitations for truck accidents is two years. This applies to all cases that involve an injury or death and where the parties involved wish to file a lawsuit.
Texas Laws for Truck Drivers
A San Antonio truck accident lawyer will tell you that there are many laws governing the rights and responsibilities of Texas truck drivers. There can be many causes of a truck accident. and such a heavy piece of machinery needs to be regulated harshly. That’s why they are required by law to follow Federal trucking regulations. As such, we can’t outline every single law in this one article, but here are three laws that you should know:
- Truck drivers are only allowed to drive for 11 consecutive hours, after 10 hours of rest. This means that if a truck driver has an accident in their 12th hour of driving, or only had a six-hour rest prior to driving, the odds of a court deciding in their favor are significantly reduced.
- Truck drivers in Texas are prohibited from using a handheld mobile device for any purpose.
- Truck drivers in Texas are required to have a commercial driver’s license (CDL). This means that their eligibility will be based on a strict review of any prior driving violations or a history of substance abuse.
Identifying Fault for a Truck Crash
It doesn’t matter if you’ve been in a single-car or multi-car accident, in the state of Texas, fault is determined through a calculation of comparative negligence. It is also referred to as “proportionate responsibility”. As this second name indicates, damages are awarded or reduced in reflection of how much an individual’s fault or negligence has impacted the accident.
Here is an example:
Michael had only rested for eight hours prior to going on the road with his 18-wheeler—two hours less than the legal requirement. A trailer-truck crashed into him as he turned on a part of the I-37 that overlaps with an interstate highway. Although the other driver was clearly at fault, the accident was 33% less likely to have happened if Michael had rested for 10 hours before going back on the road. The cost of the damage to his truck was $300,000. He is entitled to claim up to $200,000 after deducting the monetary amount of his fault contribution.
How Can an Attorney Help You?
An 18-wheeler accident lawyer in San Antonio does more than determine if you should be filing a claim or a lawsuit. In addition to litigating on your behalf should it find its way in court, these are the key steps an attorney will take when assessing your case:
- Determine who was at fault in the truck accident
- Manage the insurance claims and negotiating the best settlement
- Guide you through the process of statute limitations and documentation requirements
- Give you peace of mind that a professional with the legal know-how is working on your case
How to Find the Best Truck Accident Lawyer in San Antonio, Texas
It only takes a quick Google search to realize that there is a seemingly endless sea of options for auto accident attorneys in San Antonio. However, aside from the list that Forbes Advisor has carefully selected in this article, here are some additional features to help you narrow down your search even further:
- Hire a lawyer who understands both sides of the coin. It doesn’t matter if you are an insurance company, a trucking agency, or an individual. There are two or more parties to every claim, and the best advantage is having an attorney that understands how both sides operate. If you are an individual making a claim against an insurance company, you want a lawyer who can anticipate how the insurance company may try to refuse your claim.
- See if their charging structure is aligned with your financial situation. An accident can bring about tens of thousands of dollars in hospital bills or truck repair costs. Because of this most accident attorneys use a contingency fee structure where they only get paid if you win.
- Look at their results. You don’t want to file a large lawsuit with an attorney who has only ever played in the little leagues. You also don’t want to hire a lawyer who is only concerned with landmark settlements and will treat your small case as an afterthought. Many law firms and lawyers have a list of results or case reviews on their website. Read them and assess them based on the client feedback and the results they were able to achieve. If you feel that they have a track record with the type and size of lawsuit you are looking to pursue, they are more likely to be suited to your needs.
Methodology
To come up with the best truck accident lawyers in San Antonio 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)
How long does an 18-wheeler accident lawsuit take?
The time a truck accident lawsuit can take from the moment of filing is dependent on many factors such as the amount of parties involved, the severity of injuries, the ease in determining fault, the amount of insurance coverage involved and any negotiation that needs to take place. That being said, the average lawsuit can take anywhere between three months to one year.
What is the minimum truck settlement amount?
The minimum amount varies case by case and is determined by factors such as lost wages as a result of being unable to work, medical bills and truck repairs. This could range from a few thousand dollars, to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
What should I do after a truck accident?
An accident can be a traumatic experience and the first question that may come to your mind is “What do I do now?” It doesn’t matter what side of the incident you are on, here are a few steps you can take:
- Collect as much evidence as possible on the facts of the accident
- Write a play-by-play of the accident while your memory is still fresh
- Search for a truck accident lawyer in San Antonio to help you with the process before the statute of limitations expires
