Texting and Driving Truck Accidents in Houston

Truckers who text on their mobile devices while driving pose severe risks to other road users. This distraction means they are not paying attention to the road and often increases the likelihood of collisions resulting in catastrophic injuries, significant property damage, and possible loss of life—particularly if the crash involves a smaller-sized vehicle.

This is particularly tragic because most texting and driving truck accidents in Houston are preventable, and the resulting injuries and carnage could have been avoided. If you believe that your injuries or lost property after a truck collision were because the driver was using their phone, our accident attorneys can help you pursue and recover compensation.

What Are the Dangers of Texting While Driving a Truck?

Truck drivers who text while driving are more likely to be involved in a hazardous traffic incident that jeopardizes the safety of other road users. It takes a truck driver an average of 4.6 seconds to either read or send a text message. If they are composing a text, it can take longer. This means driving at least 4.6 seconds without paying attention to the road.

If a truck driver is texting while driving at an estimated 55 mph in Houston, the vehicle will travel a distance equivalent to the length of a football field with the driver not looking at the road—effectively driving blind for that entire distance and risking a crash. Such behavior could lead to:

The driver not having adequate stopping distance if there is a traffic jam or there are slow-moving cars on the roadway
An increased risk of a rear-end or sudden lane change collision
The semi-truck jackknifing or rolling over
The truck spilling its contents onto the road

In such scenarios, there is a risk that the tractor-trailer will collide with other vehicles on the road, resulting in property damage, severe injuries, or loss of life.

State Laws for Texting While Driving

Texting while driving is prohibited by state and federal laws. Texas texting and cellphone laws specifically ban commercial motor vehicle drivers and other road users from using any handheld devices while operating a truck or other vehicles in the state.

These regulations apply to all motorists, including truckers, and cover texting while driving. Unfortunately, enforcement is lacking, which is why some 18-wheelers’ drivers continue to violate this law. An injury lawyer in Houston can review your case and protect your rights if you suffered severe harm in a texting and driving truck collision.

Proving Liability in a Truck Crash Caused by Texting and Driving

Proving that a truck driver was texting before an accident may be almost impossible in the absence of:

An in-cab camera
A two-way dashcam in the truck
Footage from other road users
Witnesses

However, an experienced injury attorney in Houston can help you after a texting and driving wreck involving a tractor-trailer by subpoenaing the truck driver’s cellphone usage data, scrutinizing footage from nearby cameras, reviewing voice data recorders, and studying the police report of the collision.

Call an Injury Attorney in Houston About Truck Collisions Involving Texting and Driving

Texting and driving truck accidents in Houston can be difficult to prove. However, an experienced lawyer can help you determine the party responsible for the crash caused by distracted driving.

At Fleming Law Accident and Injury Attorneys, our skilled and compassionate legal team can help prove liability, file insurance claims, and seek substantial settlements to cover your losses.