After an accident with a semi truck, injured Texans in College Station, Texas may face a truck driver’s employer and more than one insurer. To talk with a College Station truck accident lawyer, call (800) 863-5312.
Article summary
Key things to know
- Texas generally allows two years to file an injury lawsuit after a truck accident, and a claim against College Station itself can carry a separate notice deadline.
- Federal rules require covered carriers to keep a qualification file on each driver and repair records on trucks they control.
- Texas assigns fault by percentage, and that share changes what a claimant can recover.
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Struck by a semi on SH 6 or Texas Avenue?
A picture of the trailer’s license plate and the road helps the law firm name the carrier and its insurance companies and plan the records letter.
What a College Station truck accident attorney and legal team do
A College Station truck accident attorney investigates the crash, identifies the parties involved and deals with the insurance companies for the client. Insurance adjusters may call soon after the accident and push for a recorded statement or a settlement offer. The trucking company’s insurance adjuster represents the insurer, so the adjuster’s interests may differ from the injured person’s best interests.
College Station personal injury lawyers can take those calls for the injured person. Personal injury attorneys at the firm also track the filing deadlines for the injured person after the accident.
The preservation letter
A law firm that takes cases against trucking companies sends the carrier a preservation letter early in the case. The letter asks in writing that the carrier keep the truck, its electronic logs, its repair records and the driver’s file.
Insurance companies and the claim
More than one insurance company may be involved, and insurers may dispute their insureds’ responsibility or the coverage available. The lawyer collects the medical records, tracks the lost wages and answers the insurance companies. An injury lawyer can pursue compensation from the carrier, the driver and multiple parties whose negligence contributed, and a College Station personal injury lawyer can review each insurance policy first.
Truck accident figures for College Station
The Texas Department of Transportation counted 1,422 reportable crashes in the City of College Station in 2025. Four were fatal crashes with four deaths, and 43 people had a suspected serious injury. That table counts every kind of vehicle and has no truck column.
TxDOT publishes crashes involving a commercial motor vehicle by county. It counted 169 in Brazos County in both 2024 and 2025, and one was fatal each year. That is a county count and not a College Station count, and it does not decide fault in any crash.
SH 6 and the Bryan College Station corridor
Liability depends on the facts of the crash, so a crash on SH 6, Texas Avenue or University Drive in the Bryan College Station area raises the same questions about fault as any other.
Why truck accident cases can involve more parties than car accident cases
A car accident case involves its own drivers and insurance. Truck accidents involve a driver, a motor carrier and sometimes others. A truck accident case can be more complex because federal regulations and a two-phase trial can apply.
Texas law allows a lawsuit against a trucking company under respondeat superior for its driver’s negligence on the job. A company can also be named for its own negligence, such as poor repair work. The accident report and the carrier’s files help show the parties involved, and determining liability is the first legal challenge in the case.
Federal hours, logs and driver files
Commercial trucking is heavily regulated compared with ordinary auto driving, and Texas law directs the Department of Public Safety to adopt truck safety rules consistent with the federal regulations. Understanding commercial trucking regulations is essential for attorneys handling truck accident cases. Covered commercial drivers must comply with additional safety requirements, including applicable hours-of-service and fatigue rules.
Federal hours-of-service rules reach many truck accident cases. Under the general federal rule, a property-carrying driver may drive 11 hours during the 14 consecutive hours after coming on duty following at least 10 consecutive hours off duty. Exceptions and other limits apply. Covered drivers must generally record their hours on an electronic logging device, and a driver may not drive while fatigue or illness makes driving unsafe.
A carrier generally keeps a driver qualification file for each driver it employs and for three years after the driver leaves, though some contents may be removed earlier. Federal rules require cargo on a covered truck to be properly distributed and adequately secured. The cargo loaders’ records can help show how the load was secured. For a truck it controls for 30 consecutive days or more, it keeps inspection and repair records for one year, and for six months after the truck leaves its control.
How Texas law handles a trucking lawsuit
In a commercial vehicle lawsuit covered by Texas law, the court splits the trial into two phases on a defendant’s timely motion. Phase one generally decides liability and compensatory damages, and phase two generally decides exemplary damages.
In a Texas lawsuit, the judge or jury assigns a percentage of responsibility to each claimant, defendant, settling person and responsible third party. Someone who is 50 percent or less responsible can still recover, and the damages shrink by that share. Over 50 percent, a claimant cannot recover damages. Which Texas truck accident rules apply depends on the vehicle and the claims, and how fault is determined depends on the evidence.
Injuries and damages after a College Station truck accident
Injured truck accident victims can face serious injuries.
CDC says people commonly get traumatic brain injuries from motor vehicle crashes, and a brain injury can leave some people unable to return to the same work.
Severe injuries can call for rehabilitation, and NINDS lists physical therapists on the rehabilitation team for a severe brain injury. Motor vehicle crashes can cause spinal cord injuries. Broken bones, such as multiple rib fractures with a spine fracture, and internal injuries to the liver and spleen also follow serious crashes. A College Station personal injury lawyer can review the medical records for every injury.
What a personal injury claim can cover
In personal injury cases, Texas law separates economic damages, which compensate for actual pecuniary loss, from non-economic damages, which include physical pain and suffering and mental or emotional pain or anguish. A car accident claim lists the same kinds of losses, and truck accident victims can seek compensation for them.
- Medical bills, rehabilitation costs and future medical expenses, including care for severe injuries
- Lost wages and lost earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress and mental anguish
- Property damage and vehicle damage
Recovery of medical expenses incurred is limited to the amounts actually paid or incurred, and a claim can also list pain and suffering and emotional distress. Exemplary damages need clear and convincing proof of fraud, malice or gross negligence, and ordinary negligence does not meet that burden.
Wrongful death after a fatal truck crash
A wrongful death claim lets the surviving spouse, children and parents seek compensation, and a College Station wrongful death lawyer can explain who files.
Filing deadlines
Questions about how much time you have?
Deadlines for a College Station truck accident claim
| Claim | General deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Personal injury lawsuit | Two years from the day the claim accrues. | Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 16.003(a) |
| Wrongful death lawsuit | Two years from the death. | Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code 16.003(b) |
| Injury claim against College Station | Sworn written notice to the City Secretary within 90 days of the injury. | College Station City Charter, Section 120 |
A city claim follows its own legal process. The charter notice is much shorter than the lawsuit deadline in personal injury cases, and Texas law has an actual-notice exception, so a lawyer can confirm which period applies to a particular crash.
Which court hears the case
Four district courts and two county courts at law sit at the Brazos County Courthouse in Bryan. The county lies in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas. Venue and jurisdiction decide the court for a truck accident case in College Station, Texas, and a law firm can say which court and deadline apply.
Steps after a semi truck accident in College Station
- Get medical care. Truck accident victims should call 911 and seek medical attention even if they feel fine, and tell the doctor that a truck accident caused the injury.
- Report the truck accident. As with a car accident, ask the officer to put the truck driver and the motor carrier in the police report.
- Document the accident scene. Photograph the truck, the road and your injuries, and get witness contact details.
- Keep every record. Save records of medical attention and medical expenses, repair estimates and pay stubs that show lost wages.
- Call us before the adjuster. Talk to our law firm first, before you give a recorded statement to any of the insurance companies, and ask about any duties you owe your own insurer. College Station personal injury lawyers can handle those calls.
When you are ready
Talk through the next step.
Free consultation with a College Station truck accident lawyer
Zinda Law Group is a personal injury law firm. Its personal injury lawyers serve clients in College Station and Brazos County from the Bryan office at 1716 Briarcrest Drive, Suite 300, Bryan, TX 77802. A lawyer at the firm will explain the commercial trucking rules and the legal process to injured victims, and the free case evaluation form takes the details online. Personal injury attorneys at the firm can explain the legal process after the form arrives.
A passenger in a car hit by the truck may bring a car accident claim of their own, and our College Station car accident lawyers can review it.
The firm’s personal injury lawyers also take motorcycle accident and dog bite claims. The College Station personal injury team can review other claims from the same crash.
A truck crash at a job site can lead to a College Station workplace accident or an oil field injury claim. The firm also handles commercial vehicle accident and bus accident cases in College Station. The firm also takes Waco truck accident claims.
Our firm works on a contingency fee basis, so there is no out-of-pocket cost to secure the legal representation you need. That’s our No Win, No Fee Guarantee.
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.
