A Carrollton truck accident lawyer starts with the truck, the company that ran it and the records both must keep. Federal rules make covered carriers keep required driver logs, repair records and driver files that document the driver and the truck.
You pay nothing unless we win. Zinda Law Group offers a free consultation about a truck accident at (800) 863-5312.
Article summary
Key things to know
- Covered trucking companies must generally keep driver logs, repair records and a file on each driver.
- Texas generally gives you two years from the day a claim accrues to file a personal injury lawsuit.
- Carrollton sits in Dallas, Denton and Collin Counties, and venue rules decide the filing county.
- Carrollton generally requires written notice within six months after injury. Actual notice can excuse written notice.
- A share of fault cuts a Texas recovery, and a share over 50 percent ends it.
- The truck driver, the trucking company and others whose work caused the truck accident may each be named.
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Not sure which company owned the truck?
A Carrollton truck accident lawyer can help you learn which carrier ran the truck and which deadline controls your claim.
How Carrollton truck accident attorneys help injury victims
Carrollton truck accident attorneys handle claims against commercial truck drivers and the trucking companies that employ them. Insurance companies often stand behind both. Their insurance adjusters may ask for a recorded statement.
Because evidence can disappear quickly, a Carrollton truck accident lawyer can send a preservation letter asking the carrier in writing to keep the truck and its electronic logs. How long it takes to settle a truck accident claim depends on the records and the insurance companies involved.
Look for a truck accident lawyer whose legal team knows the federal trucking rules, is ready for trial and answers questions directly.
How truck crashes differ from car crashes
A truck accident case differs from a claim after car accidents in who can be sued and what records exist. One company may employ the truck driver, another may own the trailer and a third may have loaded the freight.
A TxDOT brochure on the Interstate 35E corridor from IH 635 to U.S. 380 calls the interstate an important truck corridor through Carrollton and Farmers Branch. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) says a loaded tractor-trailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, which raises the risk of severe injuries in a crash with passenger vehicles. Truck accident victims can suffer serious injuries in a car or truck accident.
Truck accidents in Carrollton, TX and its three counties
The city says Carrollton sits in three counties. TxDOT’s city table gives no separate truck count for Carrollton, TX.
In 2025, TxDOT counted 3,778 crashes involving a commercial motor vehicle in Dallas County. Denton County had 948. Collin County had 684. The figure counts crashes with commercial vehicles, not only 18-wheelers, and says nothing about fault.
For all motor vehicle accidents, TxDOT counted 2,395 reportable crashes in Carrollton in 2025. Texas led every state in 2024 with 699 large trucks in fatal crashes, by the count of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
18-wheeler and semi truck accidents in Carrollton
An 18-wheeler wreck, a semi truck accident and a big rig accident are all large truck accidents. Under federal safety rules, a commercial motor vehicle includes a truck carrying property in interstate commerce that is rated or weighs 10,001 pounds or more. A loaded rig in an 18-wheeler accident is well over that line.
Commercial vehicles include delivery trucks and tanker trucks. Passengers hurt in a Carrollton bus accident have their own page.
Federal regulations and traffic laws for truck drivers
Interstate trucking companies answer to FMCSA safety rules that do not apply to ordinary cars, and a truck accident lawyer checks them first. Every truck driver must also follow Texas traffic laws.
Driving hours and fatigue limits
Under federal rules, an interstate driver of a property-carrying truck may generally drive at most 11 hours inside a 14-hour window that starts after 10 consecutive hours off. Driving is generally not allowed after 8 hours of driving without a consecutive 30-minute break. Federal rules bar a driver from driving a commercial truck when driver fatigue or illness makes it unsafe to begin or keep driving.
Interstate carriers must generally have drivers record hours on an electronic logging device and keep the logs and supporting documents for at least six months.
Qualification files, drug tests and upkeep
A carrier must keep a driver qualification file on each driver it employs, generally while the driver works there and for three years after. It may not let an unqualified person drive. A crash on a public road that kills someone requires a carrier whose truck needs a commercial driver’s license to have the surviving driver tested for alcohol and drugs as soon as practicable.
Carriers must also inspect, repair and maintain their trucks. For a truck it controls for 30 consecutive days or more, a carrier keeps maintenance records for one year and for six months after the truck leaves its control.
A for-hire carrier hauling nonhazardous freight across state lines in a truck rated 10,001 pounds or more must maintain at least $750,000 in financial responsibility. The Texas minimum for an ordinary car is $30,000 for one person’s injury. The federal floor for a covered truck is far higher, and truck claims can involve higher coverage limits.
Serious injuries in truck accidents
Truck accident injuries can be severe injuries. Physical injuries can need long medical care. Catastrophic injuries can include traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries.
A prompt exam by medical professionals can create medical records of the injury, and later treatment notes become the medical documentation insurance companies may review.
Who may be liable for a truck accident in Carrollton
A truck accident in Carrollton can involve more than one responsible party. Truck accident attorneys determine liability by matching each failure to the party that owed the duty. At trial, the trier of fact can assign a share of responsibility to each party the evidence supports, including a settling person or designated responsible third party.
The truck driver and the company that ran the truck
Logs and police reports can show speeding, distracted driving and hours of service violations. Accident reconstruction experts may study the scene and truck data. The trucking company may also be named for an employee’s negligence within the scope of employment or for its own negligence, such as keeping negligent drivers on the road, within limits Texas law sets.
Cargo loaders, repair shops and parts makers
A cargo loader may share fault for bad loading. Equipment failures can cause crashes, so repair shops and parts manufacturers may share fault for poor work or a defect. Determining liability across several companies calls for legal counsel.
How shared fault works under Texas law
Texas law reduces a claimant’s damages by that person’s percentage of responsibility for the crash. A claimant 50 percent or less responsible can still recover compensation. A share above 50 percent bars recovery of damages. In a truck accident, logs, the crash report and witness accounts show how fault is determined for that percentage.
Filing deadlines
Questions about how much time you have?
Deadlines after a truck accident in Carrollton
The Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code governs wrongful death claims and injury suits, and the city charter adds notice for city claims.
| Claim | General deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Injury lawsuit | Two years after the claim accrues | Section 16.003(a) |
| Wrongful death lawsuit | Two years from the death | Section 16.003(b) |
| Injury claim against the City of Carrollton | Notice to the city within six months after the injury | Charter Section 10.05 |
Missing the truck accident filing deadline can bar the lawsuit. Minors are one exception to the two-year rule: for a person under 18 at accrual, the years before 18 generally do not count.
Without actual notice to the city, the written notice goes to the city manager or city secretary. It must state the time, place and manner of the injury, its full extent and the amount claimed. The two state limits in the table apply to any Texas truck accident claim, and a Carrollton truck accident lawyer can say which deadline fits.
Which court may hear a Carrollton truck accident case
Carrollton spans Dallas, Denton and Collin Counties, but venue rules, not the city line, decide which county hears the lawsuit. A Dallas County civil district court may hear a truck case from Carrollton. Truck accident attorneys and their legal team can say which county applies.
Damages in a truck accident case
Texas law lets truck accident victims seek economic and noneconomic damages from the responsible parties. A Carrollton truck accident lawyer can document each loss for the insurance companies.
- Medical expenses, including medical care you will need in the future
- Lost wages and lost income from reduced earning capacity
- Physical pain, mental anguish and the limits a serious injury places on daily life
- Property damage, including the vehicle and other personal property
For medical expenses already incurred, Texas limits recovery to the amount actually paid or incurred. Texas allows exemplary damages, often called punitive damages, only on clear and convincing evidence that the harm resulted from fraud, malice or gross negligence. No average settlement figure fits a Carrollton claim, because each one depends on the injuries, the proof and how fault is shared.
When a truck accident is fatal
A Carrollton wrongful death claim belongs under Texas law to the surviving spouse, children and parents of the person who died. The personal injury claim itself survives the injured person’s death and passes to the heirs, legal representatives and estate.
What to do after a truck accident in Carrollton
- Get medical care. Seek care promptly, even without pain.
- Call 911. The police report can record the truck, the driver and the carrier’s name.
- Document the accident scene. Photographs should show the spot the accident happened, the vehicles and the name on the truck’s door.
- Keep the records. Save mounting medical bills and repair estimates.
- Wait on recorded statements. Talk with a truck accident lawyer before giving one to the insurance companies.
These steps after a truck accident protect your health and the claim.
When you are ready
Talk through the next step.
Free consultation with a Carrollton personal injury lawyer
For legal support after the crash, the case evaluation page takes your details online. Once hired, a law firm’s legal team can gather the records and work to recover compensation from insurance companies.
Zinda Law Group is a personal injury law firm with a law office at 2340 E Trinity Mills Rd, Suite 300, Carrollton, TX 75006. A personal injury lawyer at that law office offers legal services to accident victims in Carrollton, TX. The firm’s Carrollton personal injury team can also review other personal injury cases from the same crash.
The firm also has law offices in Dallas and Plano. Dallas truck accidents and Plano truck accidents follow the same Texas limits.
Our firm works on a contingency fee basis, so there is no out-of-pocket cost to secure the legal representation you need.
Founder and CEO
John C. (Jack) Zinda
Jack founded Zinda Law Group and focuses his practice on catastrophic personal injury, 18-wheeler accidents and wrongful death.
