Austin Trucking Accident Attorney Joe Lopez
If you or a loved one has been injured in an 18 wheeler trucking accident, don't hesitate to contact 18 wheeler trucking accident attorney Joe Lopez for assistance in filing your claim. Austin personal injury attorney Joe Lopez is well experienced in handling 18 wheeler cases and understands the traumatic impact these cases have on you and your family. It is nothing more than a motor vehicle accident and has the potential to drastically change your life and your future. Contact our Austin office today for your initial free consultation.
Eagle Ford Shell (EFS) accident
Eagle Ford Shale (EFS) ranks as perhaps the largest single economic development in the history of the state of Texas and the largest oil and gas development in the world by invested capital. This 400-mile-long, 50-mile-wide oil and gas producing bacchanal stretches from Leon County, Texas, in the northeast to the Mexican border in the southwest. Workers in these oil-rich regions use the fracking process to extract oil and gas.
Fracking is the process of drilling a high-pressure water mixture into the earth before releasing the gas inside the rock. Water, sand, and chemicals are injected into the rock at high pressure to allow gas to flow to the wellhead.
Unfortunately, the oil boom brought more than economic prosperity to South Texas. Truck accidents, traffic and long commutes are now part of daily life in once-quiet McMullen County, about 60 miles south of San Antonio.
For six decades, highway deaths have steadily declined across the United States. But in Texas, all motor vehicle deaths and crashes involving commercial trucks have been on the upswing since the state's oil drilling and fracking boom began in 2008. Since then, Texas has led all states in motor vehicle deaths, surpassing California as the previous national leader, U.S. Department of Transportation records show.
More than a dozen counties have been inundated with traffic from the Eagle Ford shale energy boom, but McMullen County has seen the biggest uptick in commercial vehicle wrecks. Since the beginning of the boom, crashes involving commercial vehicles have increased more than tenfold, from four crashes in 2008 to 46 crashes in 2011, according to crash data compiled by the Texas Department of Transportation.
Records show that fatal accidents have increased in counties formed by the Permian Basin and in counties affected by the Burnett and Eagle Ford shale plays, where busy roads are regularly lined with tractor-trailers, tanker trucks and commercial vans carrying water, workers and supplies. at oil and natural gas well sites, as well as in urban counties that serve as centers of the oilfield industry.
Why are truck accidents happening in Eagle Shell Ford?
The Eagle Ford Shale lies south of San Antonio and is a major area of significant growth in oil and gas production. Along with growth, small towns saw their roads torn up and isolated. Tractor-trailers and oil tanker trucks began using remote, two-lane highways to transport crude oil across the shale, however, these highways were originally built for small trucks and farm equipment, not large semi trucks.
Work injuries and accidents in South Texas are often fatigue related. In the oil industry, truck drivers and other employees are expected to work 12-hour days with little rest, increasing the likelihood of a serious accident caused by a fatigued driver. Sleep-deprived truck drivers are a well-known hazard on the road and an increasing risk of injuries and accidents.
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report states that "sleepiness contributes to auto accidents because it impairs performance and can ultimately lead to the inability to prevent falling asleep at the wheel. Critical aspects of sleep-related driving impairment are reaction time, alertness, attention, and information. processing."
Fracking is hard work and involves heavy machinery, dangerous chemicals, potentially explosive mining techniques and more. Truck drivers can experience fatigue due to these and include long shifts, insufficient sleep, heavy physical labor, irregular sleep patterns, fatigue in extreme heat, lack of sleeping space on site and long commutes.
These tired truck drivers are creating a danger to themselves as well as to those with whom they share the Eagle Ford Shale road. As drivers try to meet deadlines, speeding, reckless driving and fatigued driving become greater threats to other motorists on the road.
Eagle Ford Shell Accident and Loss of Life
The number of traffic deaths in the Texas oil region increased in 2014, with 272 people killed in traffic accidents in Eagle Ford. That's a 13 percent increase over 2013, when 240 people were killed in the region, according to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).
Overall, there were 3,658 traffic accidents in Eagle Ford last year that killed or seriously injured people, compared to 3,446 the year before. This is a high percentage of the 8,600 accidents reported statewide.
Semi-truck accident
Motor vehicle crashes involving large trucks, including semi trucks, 18-wheelers, tractor-trailers, big rigs, and single unit trucks, can weigh more than 10,000 pounds and have a higher rate of fatal crashes per mile traveled than passenger cars and trucks. When a car and semi-truck collide, most likely, the occupant of the car will be the one who suffers serious injury, disability or death. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 98% of crashes where a semi-truck and a passenger vehicle collide, the victim is a passenger in the passenger vehicle.
Serious, debilitating and permanent injuries arising from auto accidents with trucks, tractor trailers, 18 wheelers and semi-trucks cause significant financial losses to the individuals involved and their families. However, the law gives an injured person the right to compensation from the responsible party.
Such damages include, but may not be limited to, medical expenses, lost wages, funeral expenses and other economic damages. Individuals are entitled to recovery for pain and suffering caused by their injuries and treatment. The spouse of the injured person is entitled to recover the loss of the consortium or his wife's services. While a financial recovery can never repair a person's losses, it can at least reduce the financial burden caused by a car accident.
An injury case involving an accident with a semi-truck or 18-wheeler will present some unique issues. Semi-truck operators must follow several federal and state regulations and carry insurance with higher limits than standard vehicle drivers. Additionally, parties other than the semi-truck driver may share the financial liability.
We want to help you during this difficult time.
If you or a loved one has been injured in Austin due to someone else's negligence or carelessness, Joe Lopez can help you. Many accidents, chronic injuries, and massive hospital bills have serious consequences. You may not know what to do now that you are injured and unable to work and provide for your family.
18 Wheeler Trucking Accident Incidents
18 wheelers are a modern marvel that allows companies to transport their goods across the country and in both urban and rural areas easily and quickly. The need for 18-wheelers soon arose after Henry Ford unveiled the Model T. Ford needed a way to transport all the cars across the country and developed an early type of 18 wheeler truck that could transport several cars to different locations. From that moment on, the industry changed as companies were able to use new motor vehicles to ship goods. However, 18 wheelers are not without their downsides. Motor vehicle accidents involving 18-wheelers are often quite serious and can even result in the death of the other driver. If you or a loved one has been involved in an 18-wheeler trucking accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Contact our experienced and dedicated 18 wheeler trucking accident attorneys today.
18 Wheeler Trucking Accidents
In Texas, 389 of the total statewide fatal crashes involved 18-wheel trucks. While this may seem like a small number compared to the total number of passenger cars involved in fatal crashes (1,500), it does not take into account other vehicles. Additionally, it is widely known that 18 wheeler accidents can be more often fatal than normal passenger car accidents.
18 wheeler trucks are designed to be able to carry large quantities of goods, but are often difficult to maneuver, especially in bad weather. 18 wheeler accidents can happen even on a normal day if they are driven by an inexperienced driver. Driving and maneuvering an 18 wheeler is difficult due to the different gears, truck size and lack of visibility. A novice driver may not see a vehicle in his blind spot and cause extreme damage to a vehicle. FMCSA maintains a complete snapshot of a trucking company's safety statistics.
18 Wheeler Trucking Injuries
Injuries in 18 wheeler trucking accidents are often serious and often include:
- broken bones
- Concussions
- burnt
- Internal organ damage
- brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- nerve damage
All of these injuries require long hospital stays that quickly become expensive. As a victim of an 18 wheeler trucking accident, you may be able to receive compensation for these injuries in the form of medical bills, lost wages, loss of future earnings, and pain and suffering.
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