How Long Does It Take to Settle an 18-Wheeler Accident Case?

Semi-trucks, also called 18-wheelers, get into about 141,000 traffic crashes each year. Many of these crashes cause only property damage. But the danger of a heavy truck accident is that a fully loaded, 40-ton 18-wheeler can hit multiple vehicles and cause catastrophic injuries in all of them.

Victims injured in these crashes wonder, “How long does it take to settle an 18-wheeler accident case?” Unfortunately, there is no standard time to resolve these cases in Houston, TX, because many factors influence settlements. 

Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers can stand up to a trucking company and its insurers to keep a case moving toward settlement. Contact our law office at (888) 603-3636 for a free initial consultation with an undefeated Houston truck accident attorney.

Table of Contents

• How Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers Can Help You After an 18-Wheeler Accident in Houston, TX
• How Many Truck Crashes Happen in Texas?
• Factors That Influence Truck Accident Settlement Times
• Schedule a Free Case Consultation With Our Undefeated Houston Truck Accident Lawyers – Call 888-603-3636

How Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers Can Help You After an 18-Wheeler Accident in Houston, TX

Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers has helped injured clients in Houston, Texas, recover over $1 billion in compensation from at-fault parties and insurers. Our Houston truck accident lawyers have been undefeated in court since the firm’s founding in 2006.

If you suffer an injury caused by the negligent or wrongful acts of others, our firm can provide the following legal services:

• Listening to your story and explaining your legal options
• Investigating the truck crash and gathering evidence
• Filing insurance claims and negotiating with insurers for fair settlements
• Litigating aggressively against at-fault parties and insurers that do not settle

Collisions involving 18-wheelers can cause catastrophic or even fatal injuries. Contact our Houston personal injury attorneys for a free consultation to discuss your truck accident injuries and your options for pursuing compensation.

How Many Truck Crashes Happen in Texas?

Texas had 38,621 accidents involving commercial motor vehicles in 2022. Not all of these crashes involved 18-wheelers. According to the definition of a federal commercial motor vehicle (CMV), buses, garbage trucks, and construction equipment also qualify as CMVs.

Statewide CMV crashes in 2022 included:

• 612 fatal crashes
• 1,293 serious injury crashes
• 3,834 minor injury crashes
• 4,678 possible injury crashes

These crashes caused:

• 716 fatalities
• 1,643 serious injuries that required an ambulance
• 5,339 minor injuries that were visible but did not require an ambulance
• 7,549 possible injuries that produced complaints of pain or other symptoms

Harris County saw the highest number of truck crashes of any Texas county in 2022. Roads in the Houston metro area had over 6,200 truck crashes, causing 48 deaths and 2,361 injuries.

Factors That Influence Truck Accident Settlement Times

Under federal law, trucking companies that operate in interstate commerce must carry at least $750,000 in insurance and surety bonds to cover injuries, property damage, and environmental damage caused by truck accidents. This number goes up to $5 million if the trucking company transports hazardous materials.

Insurance policies are contracts between insurers and policyholders. If the policyholder incurs liability due to a covered event, the insurer pays the liability for them. Thus, a truck policy pays accident victims injured in a crash when the trucking company or its driver is at fault.

Surety bonds are like insurance policies. The surety agrees to pay the bonded company’s liabilities that fall within the terms of the bond. Unlike insurance policies, the trucking company must repay the surety. Thus, the trucking company must reimburse the surety $100,000 if the surety pays victims $100,000.

Both insurers and sureties use claims adjusters to ensure they only pay claims they are legally obligated to pay. The adjuster investigates the claim and decides whether to pay or deny it. If the adjuster accepts the claim, your truck accident lawyer negotiates with them for a settlement. If the adjuster denies the claim, you may need to file a lawsuit to keep the claim going.

Several factors influence how quickly this process happens.

Injury Severity

The compensation you can seek will include your economic and non-economic losses. More severe injuries will include more complicated losses. For example, you can seek both past and future medical expenses. But for some injuries, your doctor might not know for certain what future medical treatment you may need.

Similarly, your compensation can include future lost income due to long-term disabilities. The adjuster might dispute how quickly you could recover and, thus, how much income you will lose.

Your truck crash lawyer will often use expert witnesses to calculate your future losses in a verifiable way. This helps prove the value of your case to an adjuster.

Evidence of Liability

Adjusters will only settle claims when your lawyer has proven the trucking company’s liability. This usually means you must have evidence that the driver or company acted negligently. 

You can prove negligence in many ways, including:

• The truck driver failed to exercise reasonable care while driving
• The company loaded the truck or trailer in violation of safety regulations
• The trucks were not maintained or repaired with reasonable care

Unfortunately, the trucking company might have logbooks and other evidence you need to prove negligence. Your settlement may be delayed while your lawyer files a lawsuit and obtains the evidence through discovery.

Schedule a Free Case Consultation With Our Undefeated Houston Truck Accident Lawyers – Call 888-603-3636

Truck crashes can cause injuries that disable or even kill accident victims. Contact Zehl & Associates Injury & Accident Lawyers for a free consultation to discuss your injuries and how we can help pursue compensation under Texas law. Our record-setting Houston personal injury lawyers are standing by 24/7 to assist.