Earlier this week in a tragic accident in north Fort Worth, a man lost his life when he was involved in a fatal accident with a semi-truck. According to a report by the Dallas Morning News, the collision occurred on I-35 near Meacham Road around 12:30 a.m. A small Toyota sedan was traveling southbound on the highway when a semi-truck entering the highway from a construction zone suddenly pulled in front of the driver.
The sedan crashed into the rear end of the 18 wheeler, wedging it underneath the flat-bed trailer. The driver of the Toyota was tragically pronounced dead at the scene.
Determining Fault in Fort Worth Truck Accidents
This unfortunate accident is a good example of how unclear it can be as to which driver is liable for causing a crash. While the general rule for rear-end accidents is that the driver in the rear is typically to blame for the crash, that is not always the case.
Furthermore, when vehicles are merging from an on-ramp or changing lanes, the driver is required to yield to the vehicles on the freeway. The Texas Transportation Code, Section 545.061, provides that a driver on a road that is divided into three or more lanes must yield to traffic coming from the left when entering a lane from the right. This is a common site for collisions as both vehicles jostle for position at a high rate of speed at the entry point.
The fact that the collision happened in a construction zone impacts liability. Furthermore, one or both of the drivers may have been using cell phones, distracted, or tired. We see so many collisions caused by these three factors. An immediate accident reconstruction must be conducted to determine what happened.
Determining Civil Liability in Shared Fault Accidents
Texas compares the fault of all drivers in determining liability and allows an accident victim to recover damages even if he is partially at fault as long as a driver is not found to more than 50% liable.
Have You Been Involved in a Serious or Fatal Fort Worth Truck Accident?
If you or a loved one has been involved in a serious Fort Worth truck accident, you should speak to an experienced Fort Worth truck accident attorney in order to understand what issues affect your case. In many cases the semi-truck driver is either totally at fault or should have done more to avoid the accident and must pay the accident victim for his or her damages including medical bills, lost wages, impairment, and pain and suffering.
The Berenson Law Office has successfully handled a variety of tractor-trailer collision cases. We have represented clients who were rear-ended by 18 wheelers, crashed into by tractor trailers merging onto interstates, waiting to turn, and in numerous other situations.
We are fully committed to helping the victims of accidents get all the medical care and compensation they need so they can rebuild their lives.
Our law firm immediately investigates the collision, photographs the vehicles and takes measurements, and interviews the drivers and witnesses so that we can prove the negligence of the responsible parties.
To learn more about the laws in Texas that allow for truck accident victims to recover for their injuries, click here, or call 817-885-8000 today to schedule your free first consultation.
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