Been in a Truck Accident in Dallas–Fort Worth?

Truck accidents are violent. The size and weight difference between a commercial truck and a passenger vehicle means injuries are almost always severe — traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, crushed limbs, internal organ damage, and burns are common. If you can move, get yourself and your passengers away from the wreckage and call 911 immediately.

Dallas–Fort Worth sits at the intersection of three major freight interstates: I-35E and I-35W carry north-south traffic between Mexico, Central Texas, and points north; I-30 runs east-west between Fort Worth, Arlington, and Dallas; and I-20 crosses the southern portion of the Metroplex connecting to West Texas. These corridors carry tens of thousands of commercial vehicles daily. Add in US-287, SH-114, SH-121, and the DFW Connector, and the Metroplex has one of the densest concentrations of truck traffic in the country.

Dallas County recorded 3,857 truck crashes in 2024, including 29 fatalities — making it one of the deadliest counties in Texas for commercial vehicle collisions. Tarrant County logged 1,716 truck crashes in the same year, with 19 deaths. Texas law requires reporting any accident involving injury, death, or property damage exceeding $1,000.

Truck accident scenes contain critical evidence — tire marks, debris fields, cargo spills, fluid leaks, and vehicle positions tell a story about how the crash happened. If it's safe to leave the vehicles where they are, do so until law enforcement arrives. If the vehicles are blocking a highway and creating immediate danger, move to the shoulder if possible, but photograph the scene first.

On DFW's high-volume freeways — particularly I-35E through Dallas, I-35W through Fort Worth, and I-30 through Arlington — a truck accident can shut down traffic for hours. I-35W through Fort Worth was the site of a catastrophic 133-vehicle pileup during an ice storm in February 2021, killing 6 people and injuring dozens. If the truck was carrying hazardous materials, stay upwind and at least 300 feet away from any spill. DFW's industrial corridors along I-20, US-287, and SH-121 move significant quantities of petroleum, chemical, and construction materials.

Emergency responders will manage the scene and traffic. Your immediate priority is your safety and the safety of your passengers.

If you are physically able, photograph every detail of the scene: the truck and all vehicles involved from multiple angles, the truck's DOT number and company markings on the cab and trailer, license plates, the road and weather conditions, skid marks, debris, cargo spills, and any visible injuries.

Write down or photograph the truck's USDOT number (usually displayed on the cab door) and the motor carrier (MC) number. These numbers identify the trucking company and allow your attorney to pull federal safety records, inspection history, and prior violations from the FMCSA's SAFER database.

Get the truck driver's name, employer, insurance information, and driver's license number. If there are witnesses, collect their names and phone numbers. Truck accident liability is often shared among the driver, the trucking company, the cargo loader, the truck manufacturer, or a maintenance contractor — witness statements help establish what happened.

Do not discuss fault with anyone at the scene. Do not apologize. Fault in a truck accident is a legal and regulatory question that can take months to fully investigate.

This is the single biggest difference between a truck accident and a car accident: critical evidence is destroyed quickly, and the trucking company knows it.

Federal law requires commercial truck drivers to use electronic logging devices (ELDs) that record driving hours, breaks, and on-duty time. But ELD data can be overwritten in as little as 6 months if not preserved. Driver qualification files, drug and alcohol test results, vehicle inspection reports, and GPS data can also be lost or altered. Under federal regulations (49 CFR Parts 390–399), trucking companies are required to retain these records, but without a legal preservation letter (spoliation notice), they may be "routinely purged."

Large trucking companies and their insurers often dispatch rapid-response teams to accident scenes within hours. These teams photograph the scene, interview witnesses, and begin building the company's defense before you've even been discharged from the hospital. This is why engaging an attorney quickly is critical in truck accident cases — your attorney can send a spoliation letter to preserve evidence and begin an independent investigation.

Truck accident injuries are often catastrophic, but adrenaline can mask even severe pain. See a doctor within 24 hours of the crash, even if you feel okay. Internal bleeding, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal compression injuries often don't produce symptoms immediately but can be life-threatening if untreated.

The DFW metro has outstanding trauma infrastructure. Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas is a Level I trauma center and one of the busiest public hospitals in the nation, treating over 800 trauma patients per month. Baylor University Medical Center, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, and Methodist Dallas Medical Center are also Level I trauma centers. In Fort Worth, JPS Health Network (John Peter Smith Hospital) and Texas Health Harris Methodist Fort Worth are Level I trauma centers. Children's Medical Center Dallas provides Level I pediatric trauma care. For crashes along the I-30 corridor between Dallas and Fort Worth, Arlington has Medical City Arlington with emergency and trauma services.

Keep every receipt, every doctor's note, and every prescription. Your medical records create the documented link between the accident and your injuries. Without them, the trucking company's insurer will argue your injuries were pre-existing or unrelated.

The trucking company's insurer will contact you quickly. Their adjusters are experienced, well-trained, and working to protect the company — not you. Do not give a recorded statement. Do not sign any documents. Do not accept any early settlement offer.

Commercial truck insurance policies typically range from $1 million to $5 million or more, which means there is significant money at stake and the company will fight hard to minimize your payout. Early settlement offers are almost always a fraction of the claim's true value, especially before the full extent of your injuries is known.

Texas is an at-fault state with modified comparative negligence (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 33.001). The trucking company's defense team will aggressively try to assign you a percentage of fault — because if they can get you to 51%, you recover nothing. This is why having your own attorney is critical: they level the playing field against the trucking company's legal and investigative resources.

Under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. But truck accident cases are far more complex than standard car accident claims — they involve federal regulations, multiple potentially liable parties, and evidence that must be preserved immediately.

Your case may be filed in Dallas County or Tarrant County depending on where the crash occurred. Dallas County civil cases go through the George Allen Sr. Courts Building; Tarrant County cases are heard in the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center complex in Fort Worth. Both counties carry heavy dockets, and filing early gives your attorney more leverage.

If the truck was owned or operated by a government entity, the notice deadline is much shorter: Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 101.101 requires formal written notice within 6 months. Missing this deadline can bar your claim entirely.

Truck accident cases require specialized knowledge of federal trucking regulations (49 CFR Parts 390–399), hours-of-service rules, electronic logging devices, carrier safety ratings, and the corporate structures of trucking companies. A general personal injury attorney may not have this expertise.

An experienced DFW truck accident attorney can identify all liable parties (the driver, the carrier, the cargo loader, the maintenance company, the truck or parts manufacturer), send immediate spoliation notices to preserve electronic evidence, retain accident reconstruction experts, and negotiate against the trucking company's experienced defense team.

Initial consultations are free, and truck accident attorneys work on contingency — you pay nothing unless they win your case. Given the complexity of these cases and the stakes involved, legal representation is strongly recommended.