Truck Accident Lawyer Richardson TX | Personal Injury Lawyer

The Basics

What Counts as a Truck Accident Case in Richardson, TX

A truck accident case is an injury claim or wrongful death claim against the driver or owner of a commercial truck. A semi truck accident lawyer Richardson TX families hire looks at any large vehicle used for business, whatever its size or cargo.

• Tractor-trailers, tankers and flatbeds on US-75 and the Bush Turnpike
• Gravel haulers and dump trucks on construction jobs near CityLine
• Box trucks and delivery vans at office campuses in the Telecom Corridor
• Moving trucks, tow trucks, garbage trucks and City of Richardson service vehicles

If the vehicle was on the job when it hit you, the claim is probably a commercial truck accident claim, whether you were in a passenger car or on foot. A motorcycle accident with a delivery truck counts too. See our page on commercial truck accident claims. Not sure your crash qualifies? Ask us, or contact us.

Truck Injury Cases We Handle in Richardson

A typical Richardson car accident involves two drivers and two personal auto policies. Many car accident claims settle with one adjuster. A truck crash differs in three ways.

• Weight. A loaded tractor-trailer on the interstate system can weigh up to 80,000 pounds under federal rules (23 CFR 658.17). An ordinary car weighs a fraction of that, so even a slow collision can cause serious injuries.
• Defendants. Texas law can hold trucking companies responsible for the truck driver they employ. The insurance companies behind those carriers assign adjusters from the first day.
• Data. Interstate carriers follow Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules, and most trucks record speed, braking and driving hours electronically.

A car accident attorney usually works one car accident claim against one insurer. A car wreck between two sedans rarely needs engine data, and a car accident case often closes on photos alone. The cases we handle in Richardson are different. All personal injury cases we handle involve a commercial vehicle, and a truck accident lawyer Richardson crash victims hire needs truck records from the first day.

Who Investigates a Truck Accident in Richardson and Where the Case Is Filed

The Richardson Police Department investigates a crash inside Richardson city limits. Richardson has been a separate city since 1925. The investigating officer prepares a Texas Peace Officer Crash Report (Form CR-3) under Chapter 550 of the Texas Transportation Code.

City lines matter after a truck accident in Richardson. Nearby crashes may fall to Dallas, Plano or Garland police, and Bush Turnpike crashes may be worked by a different agency. A truck accident lawyer Richardson cases need confirms the agency first, because a records request sent to the wrong department wastes weeks.

Dallas County or Collin County?

About two-thirds of Richardson lies in Dallas County. The northern third lies in Collin County, whose district courts sit in McKinney. Under Chapter 15 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, a lawsuit is usually filed where the crash happened or where a defendant lives or keeps its principal office. So an accident in Richardson near Arapaho Road and one near Renner Road can lead to different courthouses. A truck accident lawyer Richardson families hire should settle venue before filing.

City Vehicles and Notice Deadlines

If a City of Richardson vehicle hit you, the claim falls under the Texas Tort Claims Act. Section 101.101 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code requires written notice within six months, and a city charter can set a shorter period.

What to request and from whom:

• CR-3 crash report: Richardson Police Department or the TxDOT online purchase system
• 911 audio and body camera video: the responding agency
• Carrier registration: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records

US-75 and the Bush Turnpike: 18-Wheeler Corridors in Richardson

TALDT handles 18-wheeler and commercial truck injury claims in and around Richardson, Texas, including crashes on US-75, the President George Bush Turnpike and the east-west roads that cross them. As an 18 wheeler accident attorney Richardson drivers can call, we start with road design, because it explains many truck collisions here.

The record on US-75 is documented. In August 2020, a fuel tanker heading south on US-75 veered through the median wall into the northbound lanes between Renner Road and the Bush Turnpike. The truck overturned and caught fire, and the 28-year-old driver died, according to Richardson police as reported by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth. No other vehicles were involved. A truck accident lawyer Richardson commuters hire needs that ramp and median layout before talking about fault.

Why Truck Wrecks Happen Around Richardson

The usual causes of a car accident, such as distraction and speed, apply to trucks too. A truck adds weight, blind spots and a delivery schedule. Common types of truck crashes on these roads trace back to:

• Fatigue from breaking federal hours-of-service limits on the Oklahoma run
• Phone use and unsafe lane changes near the interchange ramps
• Tire failure and tire debris, which federal equipment rules in 49 CFR Part 393 are meant to prevent
• Unsecured loads, wide right turns and rushed delivery windows

When a truck driver causes an 18-wheeler accident or a smaller truck wreck while working, the employer is usually part of the claim, and a truck accident lawyer Richardson families hire names both.

Dallas and Collin County Truck Accident Statistics

In 2024, TxDOT counted 3,857 crashes involving a commercial motor vehicle in Dallas County, with 29 deaths and 124 suspected serious injuries. Collin County, which holds northern Richardson, recorded 694 such crashes, 11 deaths and 29 suspected serious injuries (Texas Department of Transportation, Commercial Motor Vehicle Involved Crashes and Injuries by County, 2024). TxDOT does not publish a Richardson-only count in that table, so a truck accident lawyer Richardson readers can trust will not estimate one.

Richardson-Area Truck Crash Data: Dallas County, Collin County and Texas Statistics, 2024 and 2025

Every number below says where it came from. The figures come from the official crash records of the Texas Department of Transportation, compiled from Texas Peace Officer's Crash Reports (CR-3), and from federal crash data published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The "all vehicle types" rows count every reportable crash in the county. The CMV rows count commercial motor vehicle crashes only. TxDOT does not publish a separate commercial vehicle table for the City of Richardson, so Dallas County, which holds about two-thirds of the city, and Collin County, which holds the northern third, are shown as the closest official commercial vehicle measures.

Three figures in that table matter to anyone hurt in Richardson. Commercial vehicle crashes in Dallas County eased from 3,857 in 2024 to 3,778 in 2025, a drop of about 2%, yet deaths in those crashes rose from 29 to 37. In 2025, commercial vehicle crashes made up about 8.6% of all Dallas County crashes but about 13.5% of its traffic deaths. In Collin County, commercial vehicle crashes held nearly level at 694 and 684, and deaths in those crashes fell from 11 to 7. A truck accident lawyer Richardson drivers call uses these totals for context and still pulls the report for each crash.

These counts do not show who caused each crash. A truck being involved says nothing on its own about fault. That question gets answered in each case through evidence.

Figures are taken from published TxDOT and NHTSA data for the calendar years shown. TxDOT 2024 counts reflect CR-3 reports processed as of 9 April 2025, and 2025 counts reflect reports processed as of 7 April 2026. Percentages are our calculation from the published counts. Crash record totals are revised by the agencies over time, and no statistic describes the facts of any individual case or predicts the outcome of any claim.

When a Truck Hits a Stalled Car on US-75

Stalled vehicles on US-75 near the Bush Turnpike have led to deadly chain crashes. In November 2024, a stalled SUV in the southbound HOV lane was struck in a chain of collisions while its occupants stood outside, and three people died, according to CBS News Texas. No truck was involved, but the same setup becomes a major accident when the next vehicle weighs 80,000 pounds.

A loaded truck needs far more room to stop, and the driver still has a duty to keep a safe distance from a car broken down in a travel lane.

• Insurer argument. Insurers cite the "Steer It, Clear It" rule in Section 550.022 of the Transportation Code, which asks drivers to move a drivable car out of the lanes, to shift blame.
• Fault split. Under Chapter 33 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, your share of fault reduces a recovery, and more than 50% bars it.
• Proof. Engine data shows speed and braking, and camera footage shows following distance.

A truck accident lawyer Richardson families hire looks at those records before accepting any claim that the stall caused the crash.

Delivery, Campus and Commercial Vehicle Crashes in Richardson

Telecom Corridor campuses, UT Dallas and CityLine put box trucks and vans on busy roads with heavy foot traffic. As a commercial vehicle accident lawyer Richardson workers can reach, we see the same patterns often.

• A box truck double-parks outside an office campus and pulls out blind
• A last-mile van backs into a pedestrian on a residential street
• A construction truck swings wide leaving a job site near a transit station

Delivery companies often use contractors and leased vans, so the name on the van may not match the owner or employer. A truck accident lawyer Richardson office workers hire has to find the real owner before the records change hands. Find out who owns the vehicle that hit you.

What a Truck Accident Attorney Proves About Liability in Richardson

A truck accident attorney proves negligence and shows that it caused your injuries. In a freight case, that often means several companies, each with its own policy. A truck accident lawyer Richardson families retain will review the accident and decide which of these parties played a part.

• Truck driver: speeding, distraction, fatigue or unsafe lane changes
• Motor carrier: responsible for its employee driver under respondeat superior
• Broker: choosing an unsafe carrier
• Shipper or loader: the company responsible for loading the truck and securing cargo
• Delivery contractor: hiring and scheduling the driver of a van or box truck
• Owner or maintenance vendor: equipment condition, tires and brakes

Our page on trucking company liability covers each party in detail.

Direct Negligence by the Trucking Company

A carrier can be liable for its own choices, such as hiring a driver with a poor record, skipping training, ignoring hours limits and deferring maintenance. A truck accident lawyer Richardson crash survivors hire requests those records in writing early.

When the Driver Is an Owner-Operator

Many drivers own their tractors and lease onto a carrier that then calls them independent contractors. That label does not end the case. We check whose USDOT number was on the door and who controlled the load. A truck accident lawyer Richardson drivers work with should read the lease before accepting the label.

Texas Truck Insurance Minimums and Thin Coverage

How much insurance stands behind a truck depends on the operator type, which a truck accident lawyer Richardson residents hire checks first.

These are floors, and a local Texas-only hauler may carry far less. When coverage is thin, we look at the broker, shipper and contractor policies, any umbrella policy, the truck owner and your own uninsured motorist and personal injury protection coverage. Find out which policies apply to your crash.

Statute of Limitations After a Truck Accident in Richardson

The statute of limitations for most injury claims is two years from the crash under Section 16.003 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code. A wrongful death claim generally has two years from the date of death.

• Minors. Section 16.001 usually pauses the deadline until the child turns 18.
• Government vehicles. Tort Claims Act notice can be due in six months or less.

Opening a claim with an insurer does not stop the clock. Only filing a lawsuit does. A truck accident lawyer Richardson clients hire tracks both dates from day one.

Statutes and federal regulations cited here were current at the time of writing, and application depends on the facts of each matter.