A Corpus Christi truck accident lawyer looks first at the truck, the company that put it on the road and the records both must keep.
Zinda Law Group offers a free consultation about your truck accident at (800) 863-5312.
Article summary
Key things to know
- Covered carriers must keep hours-of-service records, repair records and driver qualification files.
- Texas generally allows two years to sue for a personal injury after a truck accident.
- Corpus Christi’s charter generally gives 180 days after an injury to notify the city of an injury claim.
- Texas bars a claimant more than 50 percent at fault, and other claimants may recover compensation reduced by their share of fault.
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Big rig crash on a Corpus Christi highway?
We explain which records matter and which deadline fits your claim.
What a Corpus Christi truck accident attorney does
Truck accident lawyers handle injury claims against the truck driver and the trucking company behind the driver.
Early in the legal process, a lawyer can ask the company to preserve critical evidence, such as available electronic logs and black box data. Insurance adjusters may make offers or dispute the claim. Our law firm’s legal team explains the legal options, and the client decides.
Early truck accident investigations start with the three records to secure from the carrier. Clients ask about steps after a truck accident and settlement timing.
Truck accidents in Corpus Christi, TX and Nueces County
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) counted 320 crashes involving a commercial motor vehicle in Nueces County in 2025. Two were fatal crashes in which 3 people died.
NHTSA says Texas had more large trucks in fatal crashes than any other state in 2024, at 699. In Texas, 720 people died in crashes involving large trucks, 511 of them occupants of other vehicles.
The Corpus Christi Metropolitan Planning Organization says trucks use all state routes in the region. TxDOT’s January 2025 district profile names I-37, I-69/US 77 and US 181 among its priority corridors.
Texas’s freight plan says truck-involved crashes concentrate especially in Houston, Dallas and San Antonio.
How truck accident cases differ from a car accident
A truck accident case can involve more defendants and more records than a car accident claim.
Corpus Christi 18-wheeler and semi truck crashes
Federal rules treat highway trucks in interstate commerce rated or weighing 10,001 pounds or more as commercial vehicles, among other tests. An 18-wheeler accident usually falls under these commercial vehicle rules.
Trucking regulations behind a Corpus Christi truck accident case
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) writes the trucking industry’s safety rules.
Driver fatigue and hours of service
An interstate truck driver of a property-carrying truck may generally drive at most 11 hours, inside a 14-hour window after 10 consecutive hours off duty.
In Texas, a truck driver in intrastate commerce may drive 12 hours after 8 consecutive hours off duty, within on-duty limits.
Logs, maintenance and insurance information
A carrier must inspect, repair and properly maintain its trucks. Truck accident lawyers need to understand complex trucking regulations.
| Federal rule | What it requires |
|---|---|
| Driver logs (hours of service) | Kept for at least six months |
| Driver qualification file | One for every driver |
| Maintenance records | 30-day control: one year, six months after control ends |
| Financial responsibility | At least $750,000 for interstate for-hire general freight in a truck rated 10,001 pounds or more |
What injury victims face after serious accidents
Truck accident victims can suffer serious injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and broken bones.
Some severe injuries are not visible injuries at first, so seek medical attention and follow the medical treatment plan.
Traumatic brain injuries and spinal injury after a crash can need years of care. Your lawyer can explain how PTSD affects case value. Clients ask about reducing medical bills. Pain and suffering claims apply in US Xpress truck accidents too.
Potentially responsible parties in a Corpus Christi case
A claim may name the trucking company for an employee’s negligence within the scope of employment, or for its own negligence. Distracted driving can show in phone records. NHTSA says 17.0 percent of large-truck drivers with known records in 2024 fatal crashes had a speeding conviction within five years.
A company that loaded the cargo or repaired the truck may also share fault. In multi-vehicle truck accidents, fault can spread across several drivers. Under the Texas modified comparative fault rule, the jury or judge assigns each responsible party a percentage.
Filing deadlines
Questions about how much time you have?
Deadlines after a truck accident in Corpus Christi
The Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code generally requires a personal injury lawsuit within two years of the day the claim accrues, and a wrongful death lawsuit within two years of the death. For a personal injury claim against the City of Corpus Christi, the charter sets 180 days after the injury to give written notice to the City Secretary. Texas Tort Claims Act claims generally need notice within six months of the incident, and city charters may shorten it.
A Texas truck accident injury lawsuit generally has a two-year deadline.
What you can recover after Texas truck accidents
Truck accident victims can pursue compensation and seek to recover money for what the crash cost them. Texas law calls these economic and noneconomic damages.
- Medical bills and future medical expenses
- Lost wages and other financial losses
- Physical pain, emotional distress and the limits serious injuries put on daily life
- Vehicle damage
Fatal truck accidents in Corpus Christi
A Texas wrongful death claim belongs to the surviving spouse, children and parents. A personal injury claim survives for the heirs, legal representatives and estate. The survival claim is separate from a family’s Corpus Christi wrongful death claim.
What to do after a truck accident in Corpus Christi
- Get medical attention. See a doctor promptly and keep your medical records.
- Call 911. A police report may identify the driver and the carrier.
- Gather insurance information. Photograph the vehicles, the road conditions and the name on the truck’s door, and get witness names to help preserve evidence.
- Wait on a recorded statement. Talk to a truck accident attorney before you give the insurance company one. A quick settlement from the trucking company can undervalue a claim before future costs are known.
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Zinda Law Group is a law firm with an office at 3205 Rodd Field Rd, Corpus Christi, TX 78414. The office also handles dog bites and other cases our Corpus Christi personal injury lawyers take on. We also handle San Antonio truck accident and Houston truck accident cases.
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.
