Key Takeaways: What Every Lane-Departure Truck Accident Victim Should Know
- Texas law requires truck drivers to stay in their lane. Under Texas Transportation Code Section 545.060, a commercial driver must stay within a single marked lane “as nearly as practical” and may only leave it when it’s safe to do so.
- These wrecks are often severe. Because of the size and weight gap between an 18-wheeler and a passenger vehicle, a lane-departure crash carries a higher risk of sideswipe, head-on, underride, and multi-vehicle pileup collisions.
- The cause is rarely a mystery. Fatigue, distraction, impairment, blind spots, and equipment failure are the most common reasons a truck drifts or swerves out of its lane — and these causes can often be proven with the right evidence.
- Evidence disappears quickly. Driving logs, dispatch records, inspection reports, and event data recorder (“black box”) data are often only available after a lawsuit forces the trucking company to turn them over.
- Hiring Simmons & Fletcher costs nothing upfront. We work on contingency, so you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
A failure to maintain a single lane truck accident occurs when a commercial truck driver drifts, swerves, or crosses out of a marked traffic lane without a safe or legal reason, colliding with vehicles in adjacent lanes, oncoming traffic, or roadside obstacles. Under Texas Transportation Code Section 545.060, drivers are required to stay within a single marked lane “as nearly as practical” and may not move from that lane until it is safe to do so. When a truck driver violates this law, the results can be catastrophic given the size and weight of an 18-wheeler. If you or a loved one has been injured because a truck driver failed to maintain a single lane, talk to a Houston failure to maintain a single-lane truck accident lawyer to learn your rights today. Simmons and Fletcher, P.C., has fought for truck accident victims since 1979, and we are here for your family.
Why Choose Simmons and Fletcher, P.C.?
Simmons and Fletcher, P.C., is a Houston, Texas, law firm with a reach across the United States when it comes to fighting for victims of serious truck accidents.
Our Houston truck accident lawyers have the financial resources, expert witness connections, and experience to see major truck accident cases through. When you hire our legal team, you get:
- A Board-certified personal injury trial lawyer-Paul H. Cannon.
- Exclusively partner-level attorneys on your case, with decades of combined experience.
- Attorneys with the ability to instantly mobilize the right experts, including accident investigators, accident reconstructionists, vocational rehabilitation experts, and medical experts.
- Compassionate, serious representation focused on your recovery.
- Contingency fee representation — you pay nothing unless we win.
Contact us today for a free consultation: (713) 932-0777.
What Our Clients Say
Veda J.
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Dangers of a Failure to Maintain a Single-Lane Truck Accident
A failure to maintain a single lane is especially dangerous when the vehicle involved is a fully loaded tractor-trailer. These wrecks may involve:
- A higher risk of sideswipe and head-on collisions when a truck crosses the centerline into oncoming traffic
- A higher risk of severe or fatal injuries due to the size and weight disparity between a truck and a passenger vehicle
- Chain-reaction, multi-vehicle collisions when a truck drifts across several lanes on a highway
- An increased risk of underride or override collisions as a truck merges into a smaller vehicle’s lane
- Run-off-road accidents when a driver overcorrects after drifting out of a lane.
Causes of Failure to Maintain a Single-Lane Truck Accidents
A failure to maintain a single lane can happen in an instant, but it is rarely without a cause. The most common causes include:
- Driver fatigue and drowsy driving
- Distracted driving, including cell phone use, GPS devices, and in-cab technology
- Driver impairment from drugs or alcohol
- Improper lane changes or merges
- Equipment failure, including steering or tire defects
- Blind spots and failure to check mirrors before merging.
Often, several of the above factors combine to cause a lane-departure accident.
Driver Fatigue and Distraction
Truck drivers are frequently pushed to meet tight delivery schedules, and federal Hours of Service regulations exist precisely because fatigue impairs a driver’s ability to stay alert and maintain a lane. A drowsy or distracted driver may drift slowly out of a lane without realizing it until it is too late to correct course safely. Cell phones, dispatch tablets, and other in-cab technology compound this risk by pulling a driver’s eyes and attention away from the road for critical seconds.
Improper Lane Changes and Blind Spots
Commercial trucks have significant blind spots, often called “no-zones,” along the sides and rear of the trailer. A driver who fails to check mirrors, use turn signals, or account for these blind spots before merging can drift into an occupied lane without ever seeing the vehicle they are about to strike. Every truck driver has a duty to verify that a lane change or merge can be completed safely before making it.
Equipment Failure
While equipment may fail due to a manufacturing defect, it more commonly fails because it was not properly maintained. Every trucking company and driver shares a duty to keep the trucks they operate in safe working order. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations require pre-trip and post-trip inspections, and any deficiencies must be repaired promptly. A steering system defect, worn tie rod, or blown tire can cause a truck to pull suddenly out of its lane, leaving the driver with little or no time to correct it.
Preventing Failure to Maintain Lane Accidents
Failure-to-maintain-lane accidents are frightening for everyone involved and can be very costly for a trucking company found liable. Most of these accidents are avoidable. The best way to prevent them is to make sure that a company’s drivers:
- Take mandatory rest breaks and comply with Hours of Service regulations
- Avoid cell phone use and other distractions while driving
- Check mirrors and blind spots before every lane change or merge
- Use turn signals consistently before changing lanes
- Conduct all required pre-trip and post-trip vehicle inspections
- Keep timely and accurate maintenance and inspection records
- Undergo regular refresher training on safe lane changes and defensive driving.
When a company fails to enforce these practices, a jury may hold it liable for negligence.
Investigating Failure to Maintain Lane Accidents
When you hire Simmons and Fletcher, P.C., we put our accident reconstruction and forensic download experts to work obtaining electronically recorded data from the truck’s event data recorder. Generally, a lawsuit must be filed to force the trucking company to cooperate in providing driving logs, dispatch records, inspection records, and depositions. With this information, we can build a clear picture of how and why the driver left his lane, and how that failure caused your injuries.
Common Injuries Caused by Failure to Maintain Lane Truck Accidents
Some of the most common injuries we see in failure to maintain single-lane truck accidents include:
- Spinal injuries. Vertebral and disc injuries to the back and neck from the force of impact.
- Whiplash. Neck extension injury caused by the sudden forces of a sideswipe or collision.
- Traumatic brain injury. Head injuries ranging from concussions to severe, permanent brain damage.
- Paralysis. Inability to move all or part of the body due to spinal cord damage.
- Broken bones and fractures. Common in high-speed lane-departure collisions.
- Amputation injury. Loss of a limb or digit from crush injuries in the wreck.
- Mental anguish. Emotional distress and trauma resulting from a serious wreck.
- Scarring and disfigurement. Lasting reminders of deep cuts and wounds received in a crash.
- Wrongful death. Fatal outcomes when a truck crosses into oncoming or adjacent lanes at highway speed.
Other Resources
- Houston left turn accident lawyer. Understand the liability after a truck makes a left turn and cuts off your car.
- Common causes of 18-wheeler accidents. Understand the reasons behind commercial truck crashes.
- Wide-turn truck accidents. Truck accidents where the vehicle turns wide and hits an unsuspecting car can produce a rollover.
- Jackknife truck accidents. Learn more about when a 18-wheeler jackknifes.
Talk to a Truck Accident Lawyer
If you or a loved one have been injured or killed because a truck driver failed to maintain a single lane, call Simmons and Fletcher, P.C. for a free case evaluation today. The consultation is free, and we do not charge any fees or expenses unless we recover on your behalf. Call (713) 932-0777 now.
FAQ's
What counts as failure to maintain a single lane in a truck accident case?
A truck driver fails to maintain a single lane when he drifts, swerves, or crosses out of a marked lane without a safe or legal reason. Texas Transportation Code Section 545.060 requires drivers to stay within a single marked lane to the extent practical and to move from it only when safe to do so.
What usually causes these truck lane-departure accidents?
The most common causes are driver fatigue and drowsy driving, distracted driving (cell phones, GPS, in-cab tech), impairment from drugs or alcohol, improper lane changes or merges, equipment failure (like steering or tire defects), and blind spots or failure to check mirrors before merging. Often, several of these factors combine to cause a single crash.
How do Simmons and Fletcher, P.C. investigate a failure-to-maintain-lane truck accident?
The firm puts accident reconstruction and forensic download experts to work obtaining electronically recorded data from the truck’s event data recorder. Typically, a lawsuit must be filed to compel the trucking company to provide driving logs, dispatch records, inspection records, and depositions, which helps build a clear picture of how and why the driver left the lane.
How much does it cost to hire the firm, and what should I do if I've been injured in one of these accidents?
Simmons and Fletcher, P.C. offers a free consultation and works on a contingency-fee basis, meaning clients pay no fees or court costs unless the firm wins the case. If you or a loved one has been injured or killed because a truck driver failed to maintain a single lane, you’re encouraged to call (713) 932-0777 for a free case evaluation.
