Austin Truck Accident Lawyers
Hit by an 18-wheeler on I-35, SH-130 toll, US-290, or the freight corridor serving the Tesla Gigafactory or Samsung Taylor semiconductor plant? Patterson Law Group tries cases against the largest motor carriers in the country. We serve Austin from our San Antonio office.
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No Obligation — No Cost Unless We Win
How we serve Austin clients
Patterson Law Group does not maintain a brick-and-mortar office in Austin. We serve Austin-area clients from our San Antonio office (about 80 miles south on I-35) and our Fort Worth office. We know the FMCSR — electronic logging device data preservation, post-crash drug-and-alcohol testing under 49 CFR §382.303, the driver qualification file, MCS-90 endorsement requirements under 49 CFR §387.9. The initial case review is by phone or Zoom — at no cost — and our attorneys travel to Austin for depositions, mediations, hearings, and trial.
What to do after an Austin 18-wheeler crash
- Get medical care immediately. Austin has Dell Seton Medical Center at UT Austin (Level I, the only Level I in Central Texas), St. David's South Austin, Ascension Seton Medical Center Austin, and St. David's Round Rock.
- Report the crash and capture the truck's identifiers. Austin PD handles inside-city; Travis County Sheriff handles unincorporated; DPS handles state highways including SH-130. Photograph the truck's USDOT number, MC number, trailer plate, and company logos.
- Photograph everything. Vehicles, scene, debris pattern, skid marks, traffic controls, and visible injuries.
- Get witness contact info. Get a name and phone number before they leave.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the trucking company's insurer. 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.
Texas and federal trucking law — what Austin clients should know
Two-year statute of limitations
§16.003. Federal claims and government-defendant claims may have shorter deadlines.
Modified comparative fault (§33.001)
You can recover as long as you are 50% or less at fault. Recovery is reduced by your share.
Paid or incurred medicals (§41.0105)
Limits medical-damages recovery to amounts paid or incurred. Critical for Dell Seton trauma stays.
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations
Interstate and many intrastate commercial trucks must comply with 49 CFR Parts 350–399. A clear FMCSR violation can be negligence per se in Texas.
MCS-90 and federal minimum coverage (§387.9)
$750,000 general freight, $1,000,000–$5,000,000 hazmat. NAFTA I-35 carriers and Tesla/Samsung supply-chain operators frequently carry tens of millions in primary and excess.
Negligent hiring / retention / entrustment
A motor carrier can be directly liable under Texas common law. Negligent-onboarding claims open the carrier's training and safety-management files.
Exemplary damages (§41.003)
Available on clear and convincing evidence of gross negligence — falsified logs, FMCSR violations, DWI. §41.008 caps with statutory exceptions.
Hospital liens
Dell Seton and St. David's lien practice is routine. We negotiate liens down so more of the settlement ends up in the client's pocket.
Austin's commercial-trucking corridors
- I-35 (NAFTA Corridor). The single heaviest cross-border freight artery in the country. Trucks coming north from Laredo run I-35 through Austin to Dallas-Fort Worth. The Austin downtown stretch carries massive commercial-truck volume mixed with commuter traffic.
- SH-130 toll bypass. The east-side I-35 bypass. 85 mph speed limit in stretches (the highest in the U.S.) and heavy commercial-truck volume. Severe high-speed crashes.
- US-290. The east-west connector to Houston. Heavy freight to East Texas and Louisiana.
- US-183 / Research Boulevard. The northwest commuter route through the tech corridor.
- SH-71 (Ben White Boulevard / Bastrop Highway). East-west freight to Bastrop and the airport corridor.
- Tesla Gigafactory and Samsung Austin Semiconductor supply chain. Heavy commercial-truck volume serving the Tesla plant on SH-130 in southeast Travis County and the Samsung semiconductor plant in Taylor (Williamson County).
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) cargo. Air-freight trucks serving the AUS cargo terminals.
- Loop 360 (Capital of Texas Highway). Tight curves with commercial-truck traffic produce severe crashes.
Where Austin truck accident cases are heard
Travis County
Heman Marion Sweatt Travis County Courthouse, 1000 Guadalupe Street, Austin. 12 civil district courts handle the docket.
Williamson & Hays
Williamson County Justice Center, 405 MLK Jr Street, Georgetown (for Round Rock, Cedar Park, Taylor, Leander). Hays County Government Center, 712 S Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos.
Federal court (W.D. Tex.)
Trucking defendants frequently remove cases to federal court. The United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, Austin Division, sits at 501 W 5th Street.
Other Austin injury cases we handle
Common questions from Austin truck accident clients
What is the deadline to file an Austin truck accident lawsuit?
Why are commercial truck cases different from regular car accident cases?
What evidence has to be preserved after an Austin 18-wheeler crash?
Who else can be liable besides the truck driver?
What if I was partially at fault for the Austin truck crash?
Where will my Austin truck case be filed?
Does Patterson Law Group have an office in Austin?
How much does it cost to hire Patterson Law Group for an Austin truck case?
Hit by an 18-wheeler in Austin? Talk to a Texas trial lawyer today.
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