Texas Truck Accident Lawyer

A serious truck crash can change a family in seconds. The trucking company may have investigators, insurance representatives, and lawyers working before the road is cleared. You deserve someone protecting your side just as quickly.

I am Greg Baumgartner. For more than 40 years, I have represented people and families after serious 18-wheeler and commercial vehicle crashes. My firm handles a limited number of serious cases across Texas so I can stay personally involved, preserve the right evidence, and prepare every case for the fight ahead.

We have never lost a commercial vehicle accident case. Our record includes many multimillion-dollar recoveries and a confidential truck accident settlement that was the largest amount the trucking company had ever paid. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome, but they show the level of case we are prepared to handle.

Call (281) 893-0760 or request a free, confidential consultation. You pay no attorney fee unless we recover money for you.

Written and legally reviewed by Greg Baumgartner, Texas attorney licensed since 1984. Updated August 2026.

Proven Results in Truck and Commercial Vehicle Cases

A truck case is not proven by a large demand letter. It is proven with evidence that can withstand the trucking company’s defenses. Our results reflect decades of work on serious injuries, disputed fault, multiple defendants, and wrongful death claims.

Review more Texas truck accident verdicts and settlements. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its facts, evidence, law, insurance coverage, and damages.

Why Experience in Truck Cases Matters

A truck crash is not simply a larger car accident. Commercial carriers operate under safety rules that do not apply to most drivers. The most important evidence is often controlled by the trucking company, its insurer, the truck owner, a maintenance vendor, a cargo company, or another business involved in the trip.

The defense may have a head start. That is why we focus first on the evidence that can disappear, be overwritten, or become difficult to obtain.

• Electronic data may show speed, braking, and engine activity. It may also show driver hours, GPS history, and communications before the crash.
• Company files may reveal unsafe hiring, poor training, false logs, or weak supervision. They may also show pressure to meet an unrealistic delivery schedule.
• Maintenance and inspection records may show brake, tire, steering, lighting, or trailer problems.
• Cargo records may explain a rollover, jackknife, shifting load, or loss of control.
• Serious injury and wrongful death claims require careful proof of future medical needs and lost earning capacity. They must also show the full effect on the family.

Our Texas trucking regulations guide explains how federal and state safety rules can affect a commercial vehicle case.

What We Do When We Are Hired

In my experience, the first few days after a serious truck crash can shape the entire case. We do not begin with slogans. We begin with the truck, the records, the people involved, and the decisions that led to the collision. – Greg Baumgartner

• Send preservation notices to the trucking company, insurer, vehicle owner, and others who may control evidence.
• Identify the driver, motor carrier, and tractor and trailer owners. We also identify cargo interests, maintenance companies, and available insurance coverage.
• Inspect the vehicles and crash scene when the facts require it.
• Seek ECM, event data recorder, electronic logging device, GPS, and telematics information. We also look for dashcam and onboard camera video.
• Obtain driver qualification, dispatch, hours-of-service, fuel, toll, and phone records. We also seek maintenance, inspection, and cargo records.
• Interview witnesses and work with qualified reconstruction, trucking safety, medical, and economic experts when needed.

The goal is not to collect every document a trucking company has ever created. The goal is to find the evidence tied to the cause of this crash and the harm it caused.

Who May Be Responsible for a Texas Truck Accident?

The evidence determines who should be held responsible. Not every case involves the same defendants, and naming every business connected to a shipment is not the same as proving liability.

Truck driver: A driver may be responsible for speeding, distraction, fatigue, or impairment. Unsafe turns, following too closely, and other driving errors may also support a claim.

Motor carrier or employer: A company may be responsible for a driver acting within the scope of work. It may also be directly responsible for unsafe hiring, training, supervision, scheduling, or safety practices.

Truck or trailer owner: Unsafe equipment, poor inspection, or failure to correct a known problem.

Maintenance contractor: A contractor may perform an inspection or repair carelessly. The work may involve brakes, tires, steering, lights, or other equipment.

Shipper, loader, or cargo company: Improper loading, securement, or weight distribution when that work contributed to the crash.

Manufacturer: A defective truck, trailer, tire, brake part, coupling system, or safety device.

Other motorists or businesses: A separate driver, construction company, property owner, or other business whose conduct helped cause the collision.

Learn more about who can be responsible for a truck accident and how negligent hiring by a trucking company can affect a claim.

Common Causes of 18-Wheeler Crashes

Truck crashes often have more than one cause. A driver’s mistake may be connected to company pressure, poor training, unsafe equipment, or a failure to enforce basic safety rules.

• Driver fatigue and hours-of-service violations.
• Distracted driving, including phone use, dispatch messages, and in-cab devices.
• Speeding, following too closely, or driving too fast for traffic or weather.
• Wide turns, unsafe lane changes, and failure to account for trailer off-tracking.
• Blind-spot collisions involving cars, motorcycles, bicycles, or pedestrians.
• Jackknife crashes involving braking, speed, road conditions, equipment, or cargo.
• Poor maintenance involving brakes, tires, steering, lights, or trailer components.
• Unsafe hiring, poor training, weak supervision, or pressure to meet an unrealistic schedule.
• Improper loading, overweight cargo, shifting loads, or failed cargo securement.
• Alcohol, drugs, medical problems, or another condition that makes the driver unsafe.

Federal hours-of-service rules limit driving and on-duty time for many commercial drivers. Several records may show whether a driver exceeded the limits. These can include logs, ELD data, dispatch messages, toll receipts, fuel records, and phone data.

When equipment failure is suspected, our review may include truck maintenance records, inspection reports, repair invoices, and data showing whether the motor carrier kept the truck in safe operating condition.

Compensation Available After a Texas Truck Crash

There is no honest statewide average that can value every truck accident claim. The value depends on the injuries, available insurance, strength of the liability evidence, future medical needs, lost income, and how the crash changed the person’s life.

• Past and future medical expenses.
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity.
• Physical pain and mental anguish.
• Physical impairment and disfigurement.
• Property damage and other accident-related expenses.
• Loss of consortium or household services when supported by the facts.
• Wrongful death and survival damages when a family member is killed.

In limited cases, exemplary damages may be available when clear and convincing evidence proves fraud, malice, or gross negligence. Whether those damages can be pursued depends on the facts and Texas law.

Texas Deadlines and Comparative Fault

How long do I have to file a truck accident lawsuit in Texas?

Texas generally requires a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit to be filed within two years. Some exceptions can change the deadline. The date should be reviewed for the specific case. See Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003 and our explanation of the Texas truck accident filing deadline.

The filing deadline is not the only reason to act. Video can be overwritten, vehicles can be repaired, and electronic records may be lost long before two years pass.

Can I recover if I was partly at fault?

Possibly. Under the Texas proportionate-responsibility rule, a claimant generally cannot recover if found more than 50% responsible. A claimant who is 50% or less responsible may still recover. The award is reduced by that percentage of fault. See Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 33.001.

Types of Commercial Vehicle Cases We Handle

Our firm focuses on serious injuries and fatal crashes involving commercial vehicles. That includes more than tractor-trailers.

• 18-wheelers and semi-trucks.
• Oilfield trucks and energy-service vehicles.
• Tanker trucks.
• Dump trucks.
• Tow trucks and wreckers.
• Jackknife truck accidents.
• Delivery trucks, box trucks, garbage trucks, buses, company vehicles, and other commercial fleets.

We also represent people with serious truck accident injuries, including brain injuries, spinal injuries, fractures, burns, amputations, permanent impairment, and fatal injuries.

Serving Truck Accident Victims Across Texas

Baumgartner Law Firm is based in Houston and accepts serious truck accident cases throughout Texas. We work with clients and referring attorneys across the state. Our cases come from Harris County, Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio, Beaumont, East Texas, Central Texas, West Texas, and communities along the state’s major freight corridors.

For local information, visit our pages for an Austin truck accident lawyer, Dallas truck accident lawyer, or San Antonio truck accident lawyer. If the crash occurred in the Houston area, our Houston truck accident lawyer page explains our local investigation process and Houston-area evidence sources.

Texas remains one of the country’s busiest freight states. Current statewide crash information is available from the Texas Department of Transportation’s annual crash statistics. Statistics show the size of the problem, but they do not decide an individual case. That requires evidence from the specific crash.

Why Clients and Lawyers Choose Greg Baumgartner

Credentials matter, but they are not a substitute for judgment, preparation, and personal service. Greg Baumgartner has practiced law for more than four decades. He holds a Juris Doctor and a Master of Laws degree. He is also a graduate of the Trial Lawyers College. He has received an AV Preeminent peer-review rating and has been selected to Super Lawyers.

Baumgartner Law Firm is not a high-volume settlement practice. We accept a limited number of serious cases so clients can speak directly with Greg and each case can receive the time, experts, and resources it needs.

One of the things I value most is that lawyers I have faced on the other side later refer their friends, family members, and clients to me. That trust is earned over years, not through advertising. – Greg Baumgartner

Read more about Greg Baumgartner’s background and approach.

What to Do After a Texas Truck Accident

Your health comes first. The following steps can also protect important evidence and reduce avoidable disputes with the insurance company.

1. Call 911 and ask for emergency medical help when needed.
2. Get medical care promptly, even if some symptoms appear later.
3. If it is safe, photograph the vehicles, roadway, debris, skid marks, traffic controls, company markings, and visible injuries.
4. Get witness names and contact information. Do not assume every witness will appear in the police report.
5. Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company’s insurer or sign broad medical releases before getting legal advice.
6. Keep medical bills, wage records, receipts, photographs, and every communication about the crash.
7. Speak with an experienced truck accident lawyer before vehicles are repaired or electronic records are lost.

Frequently Asked Questions About Texas Truck Accidents

How much does it cost to hire a Texas truck accident lawyer?

We handle accepted cases on a contingency fee. You do not pay an attorney fee up front. We are paid only if we recover money for you. We explain case expenses and the fee agreement before you sign anything.

Should I speak with the trucking company’s insurance adjuster?

You should be cautious. The adjuster may ask for a recorded statement or a broad medical authorization. The company may also offer an early settlement before the full harm is known. You may refer the adjuster to your attorney. Get legal advice before giving a statement or signing documents.

What is the black box on an 18-wheeler?

People often use “black box” as a general term for electronic truck data. Useful information may come from several systems. These can include the engine control module, event data recorder, electronic logging device, GPS, telematics, dashcam, or fleet-management system. No single device necessarily contains all of that information.

How long does a truck accident case take?

A clear case may resolve in months. A disputed or catastrophic-injury lawsuit may take two years or longer. The timeline depends on medical recovery, the number of defendants, expert work, insurance disputes, and court scheduling. It also depends on whether the insurer offers fair compensation.

Will my truck accident case go to trial?

Most civil cases resolve before a verdict, but preparation for trial still matters. A trucking company is more likely to take a claim seriously when the lawyer has preserved the evidence, hired the right experts, and prepared the case to be tried if necessary.

Can a trucking company be responsible for its driver?

Yes, depending on the facts. A motor carrier may be responsible for a driver acting within the scope of the job. It may also face direct claims for unsafe hiring, training, supervision, scheduling, maintenance, or safety practices when the evidence supports those claims.

What if my family member died in a truck crash?

A Texas wrongful death claim may allow a surviving spouse, child, or parent to pursue damages. A survival claim may also belong to the estate. These claims serve different purposes and should be evaluated promptly.

Do you handle cases outside Houston?

Yes. Baumgartner Law Firm accepts serious truck and commercial vehicle cases throughout Texas. The firm is based in Houston and works with clients, local counsel, investigators, and experts as needed across the state.

Talk With a Texas Truck Accident Lawyer

After a serious truck crash, you should not have to guess what the trucking company is doing or whether important evidence is disappearing. We will listen to what happened, explain the issues we see, and tell you honestly whether we believe we can help.

If we accept your case, Greg Baumgartner will stay personally involved. We will investigate the crash, identify the responsible parties, document the full harm, and prepare the case for trial when that is what full compensation requires.

Call (281) 893-0760 or contact our truck accident lawyer on line for a free, confidential consultation. There is no attorney fee unless we recover money for you.

Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. The information on this page is general and is not legal advice for a specific case.