Zinda Law Group serves clients in Garland. You can reach our truck accident lawyers at (800) 863-5312.
Article summary
Key things to know
- Texas generally allows two years to file an injury or wrongful death lawsuit.
- The Garland city charter sets six months for written notice of an injury claim against the city.
- Federal rules require covered carriers to keep a qualification file on each driver.
- Texas bars recovery above 50 percent fault and reduces an injured person’s compensation by that share.
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Commercial truck hit your car in Garland?
After a car collision, call 911, photograph the scene if it is safe, and gather the police report and witness statements.
What a Garland truck accident lawyer does
Insurance adjusters may call soon after the wreck. They work for insurance companies, not in your best interests, so talk to an attorney before an insurance company asks for a recorded statement.
A Garland truck accident attorney asks the carrier in writing to keep the truck, its black box data, its hours-of-service logs and its repair records. That important evidence may show how the crash happened, and accident reconstruction experts can explain it.
Carriers must keep required duty status records for at least six months, which is why an attorney sends the preservation letter early. An attorney also checks the carrier’s logs against Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules.
Common factors in a truck accident in Garland, TX
Driver fatigue, distracted driving, high speeds, red light running, poor weather and loose cargo are early questions we check.
Hours of service and driver logs
A property-carrying driver may generally drive 11 hours within a 14-hour window that starts on coming on duty after 10 consecutive hours off. Driving is generally barred after 8 hours of driving time without at least a consecutive 30-minute interruption. A driver may not drive after 60 hours on duty in 7 days or 70 hours in 8 days, depending on the carrier’s schedule. An attorney compares the logs with those limits.
Federal regulations carve out exceptions, including short-haul and sleeper berth work.
A driver may not drive while fatigue or illness makes driving unsafe, even inside those limits. Covered carriers generally have drivers record duty status on an electronic logging device, and the carrier keeps those records with their supporting documents.
Driver files, repairs and cargo
Federal rules generally require covered drivers to be at least 21, properly licensed and able to operate the truck safely. No carrier may let an unqualified person drive. Each carrier keeps a driver qualification file for each driver while the driver works for it and for three years after, though some contents may be removed earlier. An attorney asks for that file early.
For a truck it controls for 30 consecutive days or more, the carrier keeps inspection, repair and maintenance records for one year, and for six months after the truck leaves its control. It also keeps required driver vehicle inspection reports and repair certifications for three months.
Cargo must be properly distributed and adequately secured, so loading records can show how a load left the dock. State law generally caps gross weight at 80,000 pounds, with lower axle limits and exceptions. Fatal public-road crashes in commerce generally require testing surviving drivers on safety-sensitive duty for covered trucks.
Traffic on I-635 and truck crash numbers
TxDOT reported in 2026 its I-635 East project rebuilt 11 miles of I-635 between US 75 and I-30, through Dallas, Garland and Mesquite. About 249,600 people live in Garland, by the Census Bureau’s estimate for July 2025.
TxDOT counted 2,810 crashes of all vehicles in the City of Garland in 2025 and 3,778 crashes involving a commercial motor vehicle in Dallas County. Neither count assigns fault.
TxDOT’s 2023 freight plan says truck-involved crashes concentrate in urban areas, especially Houston, Dallas and San Antonio. Those crashes are not necessarily caused by a truck driver.
NHTSA counted 699 large trucks in fatal crashes in Texas in 2024, more than in any other state. In the United States that year, 70 percent of the people killed in large truck crashes were in the other vehicles.
How truck accident cases differ from car accidents
An 18-wheeler case can be more complex than a Garland car accident case, because it can name the driver and the trucking company, and a cargo loader or repair shop. The company can answer for its driver’s negligence at work or for its own, such as poor maintenance.
A timely stipulation that the driver was an employee acting within the scope of employment generally limits the employer’s liability for the driver’s ordinary negligence to vicarious liability, with statutory exceptions. Negligent maintenance counts can still proceed. A defendant can also ask for a two-phase trial, with liability and compensatory damages decided first and exemplary damages second.
A for-hire carrier hauling nonhazardous freight across state lines in a truck rated 10,001 pounds or more needs at least $750,000 in financial responsibility. TxDMV lists $500,000 as the minimum liability insurance coverage for motor carriers in its All Others category above 26,000 pounds.
The federal trucking rules set the first figure, and Texas statutes address liability and damages in the lawsuit.
Serious injuries and compensation
Truck accident victims can suffer traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and broken bones. Internal organ damage and other catastrophic injuries can change a victim’s life, including working life. Medical care creates records that document injuries for a personal injury claim.
Rao’s 2014 crash study found chest injuries most common among moderate-to-severe nonspinal injuries alongside thoracic or lumbar spine injuries. Multiple rib fractures added to the instability of a thoracic spine fracture. Truck accident victims can pursue compensation for losses like these.
- Future medical expenses and medical bills actually paid or incurred
- Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
- Mental anguish and physical pain
- Car repairs or a replacement car and other property damage
Exemplary damages punish rather than compensate, need clear and convincing proof of fraud, malice or gross negligence, and legal limits apply.
Wrongful death actions after a fatal truck wreck benefit the surviving spouse, children and parents. The injured person’s own personal injury action survives for the heirs and the estate.
Filing deadlines
Questions about how much time you have?
Deadlines for a truck accident in Garland, TX
| Case | General deadline | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Injury lawsuit | File within two years after the claim accrues. | Section 16.003(a) |
| Wrongful death lawsuit | File within two years of the date of death. | Section 16.003(b) |
| Injury claim against Garland | Generally, written notice to the City Manager or City Secretary within six months after injury. | City Charter, Article XVII, Section 4 |
The charter notice gives the time, place and manner of the injury, its full extent and the amount of damages claimed. Garland’s own form tells claimants to file within six months of the injury.
Courts for a Garland truck accident lawsuit
Garland lies in Dallas, Collin and Rockwall Counties. Venue controls the county of filing.
Dallas County has 13 civil district courts in the George L. Allen, Sr. Courts Building in downtown Dallas, and five county courts at law that hear civil cases of any amount.
Federal courts near Garland
The Northern District of Texas has a Dallas Division covering Dallas and Rockwall Counties. For the Collin County part of Garland, federal law points to the Sherman Division of the Eastern District. An attorney can say which federal court fits a particular lawsuit.
When you are ready
Talk through the next step.
Free consultation with a Garland truck accident lawyer
Our legal team offers a free consultation, and the free case evaluation form takes your details online.
A motorcyclist hit by a semi may have a Garland motorcycle accident case, and a death in the crash may support a Garland wrongful death case for eligible family members. Other crash injuries go to a personal injury lawyer as a Garland personal injury case.
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.
