Undefeated Odessa Truck Accident Lawyers
Odessa’s booming oil and gas industry has brought an influx of commercial truck traffic to the region, leading to a troubling rise in serious and fatal truck accidents in recent years. Highways like U.S. 285 have earned a reputation as some of the most dangerous in the country, leaving thousands of drivers and passengers injured or tragically killed every year.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a truck accident, understanding your legal options is crucial for recovering the full compensation you deserve.
Read on to learn how to protect your rights after an Odessa commercial truck accident and how our undefeated Odessa truck accident attorneys can stand up, fight, and win for your family.
Why Are Odessa Truck Accidents So Dangerous?
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, Odessa experienced nearly 900 commercial truck accidents in 2023 alone. Ector County, where Odessa is located, reported 377 truck crashes that year, resulting in 5 fatalities and 26 serious injuries. Neighboring Midland County saw an even higher toll, with 520 truck accidents leading to 9 deaths and 29 serious injuries.
These alarming figures reflect a worsening trend. While Ector County reported 13 fewer truck accidents in 2023 compared to the previous year, the number of serious injuries nearly doubled, and fatalities remained unchanged. Meanwhile, truck accidents in Midland County have risen sharply, increasing 41% over the last three years—from 370 crashes in 2021 to 520 in 2023.
What Causes Odessa Truck Accidents?
The high risk of truck accidents in Odessa and the broader Permian Basin is largely driven by the demands of the region’s oilfields. The combination of heavy commercial truck traffic and rural highways unequipped to handle such volumes creates perilous conditions.
Unfortunately, most of these accidents are entirely preventable. Several troubling industry trends further exacerbate the risks:
- Pressure to meet deadlines: Many Permian Basin truck drivers face immense pressure to deliver on time, often incentivized by pay structures that reward speed over safety. This creates a dangerous culture where drivers speed, take reckless risks, work consecutive shifts without breaks resulting in fatigue, drive under the influence of drugs to stay awake, and neglect necessary vehicle maintenance.
- Inexperienced drivers: A shortage of qualified truck drivers has led oil companies to hire workers from outside the region or even from abroad. Many of these drivers lack the experience or training needed to safely navigate the Permian Basin’s narrow, congested, and poorly maintained roads.
- Overwhelmed rural roads: Even small, rural lanes have become busy thoroughfares for semi-trucks serving the oilfields, leaving no respite from the constant stream of heavy traffic.
These factors often drive truck drivers and companies to prioritize profits over safety, leading to negligence and reckless behavior as they struggle to keep up with an unsustainable and overly demanding industry.
When trucking companies prioritize profits over safety, they endanger everyone on the road. If their careless actions have caused you harm, you deserve a legal team with the experience and resources to fight for justice and hold the responsible parties fully accountable.
What Are My Legal Options After an Odessa Truck Accident?
Truck accidents don’t just disrupt lives—they are often utterly devastating. Victims and their families are typically left grappling with immense physical pain, emotional trauma, and mounting financial stress. Meanwhile, the trucking company and its insurers are already working against you, with one clear objective: pay you as little as possible while dodging accountability.
But you don’t have to face this fight alone. Texas law provides powerful tools to hold negligent trucking companies accountable and secure the compensation you deserve. However, time is not on your side.
The state’s two-year statute of limitations limits your ability to file a lawsuit, but you must act quicker than that — trucking companies are notorious for “misplacing” or outright destroying key evidence in the weeks and months following a crash. Acting quickly is the only way to level the playing field, preserve critical evidence, and ensure those responsible for your injuries and losses are brought to justice.
With an experienced legal team in your corner, you can turn the tables and hold them FULLY accountable for the harm they’ve caused.
Your Legal Options: 6 Things to Keep in Mind
Although you need to act quickly after a truck accident, you should understand your legal options first. Without this knowledge, you risk being taken advantage of by trucking companies and their insurers. Here’s what you need to know.
1. NEVER Accept a Settlement Without Legal Counsel
Trucking companies and their insurers are not on your side. Their first move after a truck accident is often to offer a quick, lowball settlement in the hopes that you’ll accept before realizing the full extent of your injuries, losses, or legal rights.
These settlements are designed to protect their bottom line—not your future. Accepting an offer without first consulting an experienced attorney could mean giving up your right to pursue the full compensation you truly deserve.
Only an experienced truck accident lawyer willcan fight to ensure the trucking company and its insurers are held accountable, and only the best can ensure they will secure full compensation — and your future.
2. Demand Full Compensation Through a Personal Injury Lawsuit
When the negligence or gross negligence of the truck driver and/or the trucking company caused the crash, Texas 18-wheeler accident victims and their families are entitled to compensation for:
- Medical Expenses: Past and future costs for hospital stays, surgeries, rehabilitation, and medications.
- Lost Wages: Compensation for income lost during recovery, as well as diminished earning capacity for lasting or permanent injuries.
- Pain and Suffering: Damages for the physical pain and emotional distress caused by the accident and its aftermath.
- Other Damages: Additional costs, such as property damage or home modifications required due to your injuries, and “human losses” such as past and future mental anguish that are very complex to calculate
But let’s clear something up: no “settlement calculator” you find online can immediately tell you what your case is truly worth. Only an experienced attorney—one with a proven track record of maximizing recoveries—can take the time to understand the full scope of your injuries and their impact on your life. This personalized approach ensures you are able to pursue and secure every dollar of compensation you and your family deserve.
3. Hold Negligent Parties Fully Accountable With a Wrongful Death Claim
When a fatal truck or 18-wheeler accident takes the life of a loved one, surviving family members have the right to pursue compensation through a wrongful death claim. These damages may include:
- Burial and Funeral Expenses: Covering the cost of laying your loved one to rest.
- Loss of Financial Contributions: Compensation for the income your loved one would have provided to the family.
- Loss of Care and Support: Damages for the absence of the guidance, maintenance, advice, and counsel your loved one would have offered.
- Loss of Love and Companionship: Addressing the emotional void left by their passing, including the loss of comfort, society, and affection.
- Loss of Expected Inheritance: Recovering what your loved one would have passed on to you in the future.
In addition to wrongful death claims, surviving family members may file a survivor claim to seek compensation for the medical expenses, physical pain, and mental anguish their loved one endured before their death.
These claims are about more than money—they’re about holding those responsible fully accountable for their actions and ensuring your family’s financial security during an incredibly difficult time.
4. Expose All Liable Parties Through Third-Party Claims
In some cases, negligence from parties other than the truck driver or trucking company may have contributed to the accident. For example:
- Equipment Manufacturers: Faulty brakes, tires, or other defective truck parts.
- Cargo Loaders: Improperly loaded or secured cargo leading to a rollover or spill.
- Maintenance Providers: Negligence in repairing or maintaining the truck.
A skilled attorney can investigate your accident to identify all potentially liable parties, ensuring you maximize your recovery.
5. Punish Reckless Behavior With Punitive Damages
Texas law allows victims to seek punitive damages in cases of gross negligence, which go beyond compensating for losses and hold wrongdoers accountable for especially reckless behavior. Punitive damages are meant to punish the responsible party and deter future misconduct. Examples of gross negligence include:
- Allowing poorly trained or fatigued drivers to operate a truck.
- MDriving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
- Distracted driving, such as texting behind the wheel.
any law firms have never been able to recover punitive damages at trial due to the higher burden of proof needed to establish gross negligence. However, our undefeated Texas truck accident lawyers have repeatedly established gross negligence and recovered punitive damages for our clients in every major truck and 18-wheeler accident case that we’ve taken to trial.
6. Protect Your Right to Recover Under Texas Comparative Fault Laws
Even if you bear some responsibility for the accident, you may still be entitled to compensation under Texas’s comparative fault laws. As long as the trucking company or its driver is found to be at least 50% at fault, you can recover damages.
For example:
- If a jury determines you were 30% at fault, your total damages award would be reduced by that percentage. If you’re awarded $100,000, you would still recover $70,000.
It’s critical to consult an experienced truck accident lawyer who knows exactly how to build the strongest case possible and combat any attempt by the trucking company to unfairly shift the blame onto you.
How to Protect Your Legal Rights & Options After an Odessa Truck Crash
If you’ve been involved in a semi-truck or 18-wheeler accident, the health and well-being of your passengers should come first.
- Prioritize Health: Call 911 and get immediate medical treatment, even if injuries aren’t immediately apparent. Adrenaline can mask symptoms, so it’s essential to be checked by a doctor.
- Gather Evidence: If possible, take photos and videos of the crash scene, your vehicle, and the truck. Collect witness names, contact details, and the trucking company’s information, including the truck’s DOT number and insurance details.
- File a Police Report: Be honest but avoid discussing fault. The police report will be crucial for your case.
- Contact an Experienced Truck Accident Attorney: Before talking to insurance companies or giving any recorded statements, consult with a lawyer who can protect your rights.
- Follow Medical Advice: Attend all doctor’s appointments and physical therapy sessions. Not only will this aid your recovery, but it also shows you’re actively trying to heal, making it harder for insurers to downplay your injuries.
Never give a recorded statement to the trucking company or their insurer without consulting an experienced truck accident lawyer. They are focused on minimizing payouts, not your well-being.
We also recommend writing down everything you can recall about the crash, including details that may seem insignificant. Store this in a folder or digital file, along with a copy of the police report, any evidence or information you gathered at the scene, and receipts for copays or other medical expenses. This documentation will be crucial as you build your case.
How Our Undefeated Truck Accident Lawyers Can Help if You Were Injured by a Commercial Truck in Odessa
At Zehl & Associates, we have successfully represented thousands of truck and 18-wheeler accident victims in Texas and across the U.S., repeatedly recovering record-setting victories, including the largest truck accident verdicts and settlements in trucking industry history.
Because of our success in and out of the courtroom, trucking companies take our clients and their cases far more seriously. They know we have the resources, experience, and knowledge to take on the largest companies in the world and not only win, but set records.
From day one, our unwavering commitment to clients is twofold — to recover the maximum compensation you deserve and to go above and beyond every step of the way:
- We make sure you have access to the top doctors and medical specialists in the country for your injuries
- We help with medical bills and reasonable living expenses while your case is pending, and assist you with creating trusts and financial planning once your case is successfully resolved.
- We NEVER settle for less than the full compensation you deserve. If the defendant refuses to offer a settlement that fully compensates our clients for all their injuries and losses, we will take the case to trial, where we remain undefeated.
With Zehl & Associates on your side, you can trust that we will fight tirelessly for justice and do whatever it takes to secure your family’s future.
Undefeated Odessa Truck Accident Attorneys: Call 432-220-0000 for a Free Consult
Our undefeated Odessa Truck Accident Lawyers have won Billions for our clients, including the largest verdicts and settlements in history for the victims of oilfield truck accidents and 18-wheeler crashes in Texas and across the Permian Basin.
If you or a loved one were injured in an Odessa trucking accident, call 432-220-0000 for a free consultation or send us a confidential email through our Contact Us page.
We’ll explain your rights, discuss your legal options, and make sure you have all the information you need to make the best decision for you and your family.
All consultations are free, and because we only represent clients for a contingency fee, you’ll owe nothing unless we win your case.