Hit by a Truck in San Antonio?

Truck accidents are among the most devastating crashes on the road. An 18-wheeler can weigh up to 80,000 pounds fully loaded — compared to roughly 4,000 pounds for a typical passenger car. The physics of that collision produce catastrophic injuries: traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, crushed limbs, internal organ damage, and severe burns.

Call 911 immediately. Texas law requires reporting any accident involving injury, death, or property damage exceeding $1,000. The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) or the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will respond and create an official crash report. For highway crashes on I-35 or I-10, DPS typically handles the investigation.

Do not refuse medical treatment at the scene, even if you feel fine. Adrenaline masks pain, and many serious injuries — internal bleeding, vertebral fractures, traumatic brain injuries — don't produce symptoms for hours or days. Paramedics may transport you to University Hospital, San Antonio's only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and pediatric trauma center, which admits over 3,000 trauma patients annually.

This is the most important step unique to truck accidents. Within hours of a serious crash, the trucking company will dispatch a rapid-response team — often an investigator, an attorney, and an insurance adjuster — to the scene. Their goal is to gather evidence that protects the company and minimizes your claim.

Do not give any statement to the trucking company, their insurance carrier, or anyone who approaches you claiming to represent them. You are not legally required to speak with them. Say: "I'm not prepared to give a statement. Please contact my attorney."

The trucking company's team will begin collecting evidence immediately — photographs, measurements, witness statements — to build their defense. You need an attorney working just as quickly on your behalf to preserve the evidence that supports your claim.

If you are physically able, photograph everything: the truck (including its USDOT number, company name, and license plate), your vehicle, the road, traffic signals, skid marks, debris, weather conditions, and your visible injuries. The USDOT number on the side of the truck is critical — it allows your attorney to pull the trucking company's safety record, inspection history, and any prior violations from the FMCSA database.

Get the names and phone numbers of any witnesses. On San Antonio's high-volume corridors — I-35, I-10, Loop 410, Loop 1604 — witnesses can disappear quickly. Their testimony may be essential, especially if the truck driver claims you were at fault.

Write down everything you remember about the crash as soon as possible: what you saw, the direction each vehicle was traveling, weather and road conditions, the time of day, and anything the truck driver said at the scene. Memory fades fast, and insurance companies exploit inconsistencies.

A truck accident is not just a bigger car accident. The case is fundamentally more complex because of the number of potentially liable parties. The truck driver, the trucking company, the cargo loading company, the truck manufacturer, and the maintenance provider may all share liability. Each party has its own insurance carrier and legal team.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) regulations govern hours of service, vehicle maintenance, driver qualifications, cargo securement, and drug and alcohol testing. Violations of these regulations — a fatigued driver who exceeded their hours, a truck with failed brakes that should have been caught in inspection, an improperly secured load — can establish negligence and significantly strengthen your case.

Critical evidence in truck accident cases includes electronic logging device (ELD) data (which records the driver's hours behind the wheel), the truck's event data recorder (EDR or "black box"), driver qualification files, drug and alcohol test results, maintenance records, cargo manifests, and dispatch communications. Some of this data can be overwritten or destroyed within days or weeks if it is not preserved through a spoliation letter — another reason why acting quickly and getting an attorney involved early matters.

If law enforcement responded to the scene, they will generate a crash report. For SAPD-investigated crashes, you can purchase a copy through the TxDOT CRIS portal (cris.dot.state.tx.us/public) for $6, typically available 7 to 10 business days later. You can also visit the SAPD Records Office at 315 S. Santa Rosa, San Antonio, TX 78207, Monday through Friday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

If DPS investigated the crash (common for highway incidents on I-35 or I-10), the report is also available through the CRIS portal. Texas law (Tex. Transp. Code § 550.062) requires drivers to file a crash report with TxDOT within 10 days if the crash caused injury, death, or property damage of $1,000 or more and was not investigated by law enforcement.

Keep every document related to the crash: medical records, bills, receipts, prescription records, proof of lost wages, and any correspondence with insurance companies. These records form the foundation of your claim.

Truck accident injuries are often severe and require extended treatment — surgeries, rehabilitation, physical therapy, and specialist care. See a doctor within 72 hours even if you were treated at the scene. Follow every treatment recommendation and attend every appointment. Gaps in treatment give the insurance company grounds to argue your injuries aren't serious.

San Antonio's University Hospital is a Level I trauma center admitting over 3,000 trauma patients per year. Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) on Fort Sam Houston is the Department of Defense's only Level I trauma center and also houses the Army's only burn center — relevant if the truck accident involved a fire or explosion. Methodist Hospital, Baptist Medical Center, and other facilities throughout the metro area handle serious injury cases.

Keep every receipt, every doctor's note, and every prescription. Document how your injuries affect your daily life — difficulty sleeping, inability to work, pain levels, emotional distress. This documentation directly impacts the compensation you may be entitled to, including future medical costs that may extend years beyond the accident.

Under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003, you have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit in Texas. This applies to truck accident cases just as it does to car accidents.

However, if the truck was owned or operated by a government entity — including a military vehicle from Joint Base San Antonio, a city vehicle, or a TxDOT maintenance truck — 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.

Two years sounds like enough time, but truck accident cases take longer to build than car accident cases. Your attorney needs to identify all liable parties, subpoena records from the trucking company, retain accident reconstruction experts, and potentially file in federal court if the trucking company is based in another state. Start the process early.

Truck accident cases require specialized knowledge of federal trucking regulations, multiple-defendant litigation, and higher-stakes insurance negotiations. Look for an attorney who has specific experience with commercial vehicle accident cases — not just general personal injury.

An experienced truck accident attorney will immediately send a spoliation letter to the trucking company to preserve evidence, identify all potentially liable parties (driver, carrier, broker, shipper, maintenance company), hire accident reconstruction experts if needed, and negotiate against the trucking company's well-funded legal defense team.

Most truck accident attorneys in San Antonio offer free consultations and work on contingency. Given the severity of truck accident injuries and the complexity of these cases, the value of experienced legal representation is substantial. Commercial truck policies range from $1 million to $5 million or more — far more than a standard auto policy — and the trucking company's insurer will fight hard to minimize their payout.