Arlington Truck Accident Lawyers
Hit by an 18-wheeler on I-20, SH-360, or a Pioneer Parkway intersection? Patterson Law Group tries cases against the largest motor carriers in the country. Local Arlington office on I-20. Free consultation, no fee unless we win.
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No Obligation — No Cost Unless We Win
Super Lawyers®
2026
Settlement
TX · 2024
Top Attorneys
2026
Arlington office — local attorneys with federal-trucking experience
Our Arlington office at 2310 W I-20 Suite 100 handles Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulation (FMCSR) cases regularly. We know electronic logging device data preservation, post-crash drug-and-alcohol testing under 49 CFR §382.303, the driver qualification file, and the corporate-deposition moves that expose whether a motor carrier's safety culture caused the crash. When you cannot come to the office, we come to you — at the hospital, at home, by phone, or by Zoom.
Why injured Arlington clients choose Patterson Law Group
Real trial lawyers
We try cases. Three decades of trial practice across Texas courts. Every Arlington truck case is built for the courthouse from day one — preservation letters, ECM downloads, expert workups, and depositions of the carrier's corporate safety director.
$100 Million+ recovered
Three decades of trial-tested results for Texas families, including the highest Wrongful Death Settlement in Texas in 2024 — an 8-figure recovery.
No fee unless we win
Free consultation. No obligation. Available 24/7. The firm advances investigation, expert, and litigation costs out of pocket until the case resolves.
What to do after an Arlington 18-wheeler crash
Truck crashes destroy evidence faster than passenger-car crashes. The first 48 hours matter more than almost any other point in the case:
- Get medical care immediately. Arlington has Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital (Level III trauma) and Medical City Arlington. JPS Health Network (Tarrant County's Level I trauma center) is 15 minutes west on I-30. Truck-crash injuries routinely involve internal bleeding and traumatic brain injury — a documented medical visit creates a record the carrier cannot dispute.
- Report the crash and capture the truck's identifiers. Arlington PD handles inside-city crashes; DPS handles I-20, I-30, and SH-360. Photograph the truck's USDOT number, MC number, trailer plate, company logos, and any visible damage. These numbers tie the truck back to the motor carrier and its insurance.
- Photograph everything. The vehicles, the scene, debris pattern, skid marks, traffic controls, and any visible injuries.
- Get witness contact info. Independent witnesses can decide a case. Get a name and phone number before they leave the scene.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurer. Their adjusters call within hours and they are trained to get statements that limit your recovery. You are not required to talk to them. Refer them to us.
- Call a lawyer before you sign anything. We send preservation-of-evidence letters within hours so ECM data, ELD logs, dashcam, and driver qualification files are locked down before the routine destruction window passes.
Texas and federal trucking law — what Arlington clients should know
Two-year statute of limitations
Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code §16.003 gives you two years from the date of the crash to file most personal injury and wrongful death claims. Federal claims and government-defendant claims may have shorter deadlines.
Modified comparative fault
Under §33.001, Texas follows a 51% bar rule. You can recover as long as you are 50% or less at fault. Recovery is reduced by your share. Trucking-defense lawyers push that percentage hard — we push back with reconstruction evidence and ECM data.
Paid or incurred medicals
§41.0105 limits medical-damages recovery to amounts actually paid or incurred. Careful paid-or-incurred documentation matters for clients treated at Texas Health Arlington Memorial, Medical City Arlington, or transferred to JPS.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
Interstate (and many intrastate) commercial trucks must comply with 49 CFR Parts 350–399, the FMCSR. The regulations govern driver qualification, hours-of-service, drug-and-alcohol testing, vehicle maintenance, and post-crash procedures. A clear FMCSR violation can be negligence per se in Texas.
MCS-90 and federal minimum coverage
Under 49 CFR §387.9, interstate motor carriers must carry minimum financial responsibility of $750,000 for general freight and $1,000,000 to $5,000,000 for hazmat. The MCS-90 endorsement on the carrier's policy guarantees payment to the public — even when the named insured disputes coverage.
Negligent hiring / retention / entrustment
A motor carrier can be directly liable under Texas common law for hiring a driver with a poor safety record, retaining a driver after a known violation, or entrusting a commercial vehicle to an unqualified operator. These claims open access to the carrier's training, hiring, and safety-management files — and support exemplary damages.
Exemplary damages
§41.003 permits exemplary damages on clear and convincing evidence of gross negligence. Falsified driver logs, knowing service of an unsafe driver, DWI, and repeated FMCSR violations support gross-negligence pleadings. §41.008 caps exemplary damages with statutory exceptions.
Hospital liens and subrogation
Texas hospitals can attach liens to settlements under the Texas Hospital and Emergency Services Lien Act. Health insurers and federal payers have subrogation rights. We negotiate liens down so more of the settlement ends up in your pocket.
Arlington's commercial-trucking corridors
Arlington sits between Fort Worth and Dallas with heavy freight movement on every major corridor. The routes below produce most of our Arlington truck case files:
- I-20 east-west through south Arlington. Long-haul commercial trucks crossing north Texas. The single highest-volume commercial-truck corridor in the city.
- I-30 across the Entertainment District. Mixed commercial traffic with the surge volume of AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field event traffic.
- SH-360 north-south distribution spine. Lined with warehouses, fulfillment centers, and freight terminals. Heavy commercial-truck volume between DFW Airport and the I-20 corridor.
- US-287 (Mansfield Highway). Through-freight from Fort Worth to East Texas brushing southern Arlington and Mansfield.
- BNSF Hercules rail yard. Drayage trucks moving cargo between the rail yard and surrounding industrial parks. Access-road and intersection crashes are routine.
- DFW Airport access via SH-360 and Spur 303. Air-cargo trucks serving the freight terminals at DFW.
- Pioneer Parkway and Division Street. Busy east-west arterials with concentrated commercial-vehicle traffic and signal-controlled intersection crashes.
- Six Flags / Hurricane Harbor service routes. Theme-park delivery and supply-chain truck traffic.
Where Arlington truck accident cases are heard
Tarrant County
Civil personal injury cases in Tarrant County are heard at the Tom Vandergriff Civil Courts Building, 100 N. Calhoun Street, downtown Fort Worth. The 17th, 48th, 67th, 96th, 141st, 153rd, 236th, 322nd, 325th, 342nd, 348th, 352nd, 360th, 393rd, and 432nd District Courts handle the civil docket.
Surrounding counties
Cases involving Dallas County defendants (Grand Prairie, parts of DFW Airport) are heard at the George L. Allen Sr. Courts Building, 600 Commerce Street, Dallas. Johnson County (Mansfield, Cleburne) cases go to the Johnson County Guinn Justice Center.
Federal court (N.D. Tex.)
Trucking defendants frequently remove cases to federal court. The United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Fort Worth Division, sits at the Eldon B. Mahon Federal Building, 501 W 10th Street. We litigate in both state and federal court.
Most truck cases settle and never see a courtroom — but we file in the proper venue and build every case as if it will, which is part of why insurance companies settle them fairly.
Common questions from Arlington truck accident clients
What is the deadline to file an Arlington truck accident lawsuit?
Why are commercial truck cases different from regular car accident cases?
What evidence has to be preserved after an Arlington 18-wheeler crash?
Who else can be liable besides the truck driver?
What if I was partially at fault for the Arlington truck crash?
Where will my Arlington truck accident case be filed?
What kinds of damages are available in an Arlington truck case?
How much does it cost to hire Patterson Law Group for an Arlington truck case?
Hit by an 18-wheeler in Arlington? Talk to a Texas trial lawyer today.
Local Arlington office on I-20 · Free consultation · No fee unless we win · Available 24/7 · Se habla español