Key Takeaways: What Every Bucket Truck Accident Victim Should Know
- Bucket trucks pose unique risks beyond typical commercial vehicle hazards, including electrocution from overhead power line contact, tip-overs, falls from the bucket, and roadway blockage that endangers passing drivers.
- Multiple parties may be liable in a bucket truck accident claim, including the operator, the employer, the utility or company that owns the truck, and any contractor responsible for securing cargo or warning traffic.
- If you’re injured as a worker on a bucket truck and your employer doesn’t carry workers’ compensation coverage, you may still have a right to pursue a personal injury claim.
- Hiring Simmons & Fletcher provides you with a proven track record in aerial lift and electrocution cases, including an $11.9 million recovery for a bucket truck electrocution victim, backed by a board-certified personal injury trial lawyer.
Bucket trucks keep the lights on, the phone lines running, and the trees trimmed along Houston’s highways — but when something goes wrong, these vehicles can cause catastrophic harm to workers and to the driving public alike. If you or a loved one was hurt in a crash involving a bucket truck, the Houston bucket truck accident lawyers at Simmons and Fletcher, P.C. are ready to help. Call (713) 932-0777 today. The call and consultation are free, and we don’t charge a fee unless we win your case.
Why Choose Simmons and Fletcher?
Simmons and Fletcher, P.C. has represented injured Texans since 1979. Our Houston truck accident attorneys understand the unique hazards bucket trucks present — from roadway blockages to overhead power line contact — and we know how to investigate these cases to hold negligent companies accountable.
- Proven track record: We recovered 11.9 million dollars for a victim of a severe on-the-job electrocution burn injury when he was lifted into a power line while working in a bucket truck.
- Board certification: Attorney Paul Cannon is board-certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.
- Contingency fees: You pay no attorney fees unless we win your case.
- Free consultations: There’s no cost and no obligation to talk with us.
What Our Clients Say
Veda J.
“After the accident I was really shaken to my core. Being a senior citizen, I wasn’t sure just what to do. I saw your tv ad and I decided to call. So glad I did…
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Simmons and Fletcher was a very nice and friendly law firm from the moment I went in for my initial consult. A big thank you to all of them for hearing me out and agreeing…
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This office helped us out tremendously. Everyone we dealt with was professional and courteous. They were quick to respond to any questions regarding the process. I would definitely recommend these attorneys.
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I had a great experience at Simmons and Fletcher. They fought continuously in my case and always hand my best interest in me. Ruth was kind and attentive to my needs. She was always available…
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I cannot recommend this firm enough. Chris Fletcher represented me and my experience was great from start to finish. Chris was honest, accessible, and easy to talk to. His paralegal, Stephanie Quinn, was also incredibly…
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I had a great experience with Simmons and Fletcher. Sharon Simmons Cantrell did an exceptional job on my case. She was attentive and sweet and fought hard for me. I would recommend her and the…
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What Is a Bucket Truck?
A bucket truck is a commercial vehicle equipped with a long hydraulic arm, or “boom,” topped with a bucket designed to lift one or more workers to elevated work sites. Telephone and utility companies, sign installers, highway tree-trimming crews, and any business that regularly needs to reach heights at multiple job locations rely on bucket trucks. Depending on the truck’s lift height and boom weight, some models have outriggers or side braces to help keep the vehicle from tipping while a worker is elevated.
Bucket Truck Work Accidents
Bucket trucks fall into a category OSHA and federal researchers call “aerial lifts.” Beyond causing motor vehicle accidents, these vehicles also injure workers in other ways. The data on the number of injuries resulting from the use and misuse of these vehicles is sobering:
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) reports that falls, electrocutions, and collapses or tip-overs are the leading causes of aerial lift fatalities, and that boom-supported lifts — bucket trucks and cherry pickers — account for more than half of all aerial lift deaths.
- A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study found that 306 workers died in aerial lift incidents between 1992 and 2003, with annual deaths climbing from 19 to 39 over that span.
- On Texas roadways specifically, the Texas Department of Transportation recorded 39,393 commercial motor vehicle crashes statewide in 2024, resulting in 608 fatalities and more than 1,600 serious injuries. Harris County alone saw 6,313 of those crashes and 41 fatalities — more commercial vehicle crashes than any other county in the state.
These numbers reflect commercial vehicles broadly, since public crash data doesn’t break out bucket truck crashes as a separate category — but they underscore how dangerous large work vehicles are on Houston-area roads, and how often workers are injured operating this type of equipment. If you are injured as a worker on a bucket truck and your employer fails to provide workers’ compensation coverage, talk to our Houston work injury lawyers to find out your rights.
Accidents Caused by Bucket Trucks
There are many ways a bucket truck can cause a wreck. As a large commercial vehicle, a bucket truck has the same blind spots and reduced maneuverability as an 18-wheeler, and its size and weight can mean severe damage. Beyond the typical causes of commercial vehicle wrecks, bucket trucks present several accident risks that are unique to how they’re used.
Accidents Due to Failure to Warn
When a bucket truck works alongside a roadway, it can partially or completely block a lane of travel. On rural roads in particular, this creates a serious hazard for other drivers. Using flaggers and other warning devices to control traffic flow is critical whenever a two-lane highway is affected—this essentially creates a temporary construction zone. A company’s failure to plan for how its work will affect traffic flow, or failure to properly warn approaching drivers, may amount to negligence.
Failure to Secure Cargo
Bucket truck crews often replace or repair equipment at height, such as transformers, which means the truck must haul tools and replacement parts to the job site. Like any commercial driver hauling a load, bucket truck operators must secure their cargo. Federal cargo securement rules in 49 CFR Part 393, Subpart I, require cargo to be firmly immobilized using devices of adequate strength. Unfortunately, we’ve seen cases where a driver or crew wasn’t properly trained on how to secure a load with straps, chains, or chocks, and the load came loose and fell into the roadway, causing a serious accident. This is negligence on the part of the driver and/or coworkers responsible for loading the truck.
Electrocution Due to Lift Accidents
One of the most serious types of bucket truck accidents is actually a workplace injury. When the person operating the lift, or positioning the vehicle, fails to account for overhead power lines, the results can be deadly for anyone in the bucket or on the truck. Contact with a power line can cause severe electric shock or electrocution. Under 29 CFR 1926.453, OSHA’s construction standard for aerial lifts, employers are required to train workers and maintain equipment specifically to prevent these kinds of incidents — yet electrocution remains one of the top causes of aerial lift fatalities nationwide.
Injuries Caused by Bucket Truck Wrecks
Bucket truck collisions can cause the same injuries you would see in a 18-wheeler accident. Victims often suffer severe and catastrophic injuries from these wrecks. The injuries may include:
- Traumatic brain injuries and concussions
- Spinal injuries
- Broken bones
- Amputations
- Death
- Ruptured spleen
- Mental anguish
- Bleedouts
- Scarring and disfigurement
Other Related Resources
- Guide to Truck Accident Liability. Learn how we hold trucking companies and their drivers liable for their negligence.
- Wide Turn Truck Accidents. Truck accidents where the vehicle turns wide and hits an unsuspecting car can produce a rollover.
- Commercial Truck Event Data Recorders. Learn how electronic data recorders can prove what happened in your crash.
- Electrocution accidents. Learn how we can help if you were electrocuted working in a bucket truck.
Call a Houston Bucket Truck Accident Attorney
If you’ve been injured due to an accident involving a bucket truck, call Simmons and Fletcher, P.C. for a free consultation. Our truck accident lawyers are standing by to assist at (713) 932-0777. The call and consultation are free, and we don’t charge any fees unless we win your case.
FAQ's
What is a bucket truck?
A bucket truck is a commercial vehicle with a hydraulic boom arm topped by a bucket that lifts workers to elevated job sites. Utility and telephone companies, sign installers, and highway tree-trimming crews commonly use them, and some models include outriggers or side braces to reduce tip-over risk.
What causes most bucket truck accidents?
Beyond the typical hazards of large commercial vehicles (blind spots, reduced maneuverability), bucket trucks present unique risks, including failure to warn approaching traffic when a truck blocks a lane, improperly secured cargo (like tools or transformers) falling into the roadway, and electrocution when the boom or bucket contacts overhead power lines.
What should I do if I'm injured in a bucket truck accident, and what will it cost to hire a lawyer?
You should contact a personal injury attorney experienced with commercial vehicle and workplace aerial lift cases as soon as possible. Simmons and Fletcher, P.C. offers a free consultation with no fees or court costs unless they win your case, and can be reached at (713) 932-0777.
