Boerne · Truck Accident
Boerne Truck Accident Lawyer
A commercial truck case on I-10 through Boerne adds a regulatory layer that ordinary car crash claims do not carry: the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations govern driver hours, vehicle maintenance, cargo securement, and qualification files, and the carrier's records, not just the driver, are central to liability. Because an 80,000-pound tractor-trailer moving at highway speed on the Boerne stretch of I-10 can produce injuries far more severe than a passenger-vehicle wreck, these cases almost always involve catastrophic medical claims and multi-layer commercial insurance policies. The two-year statute under § 16.003 applies, but the practical deadline for critical evidence is far shorter because ELD and telematics data overwrite on routine carrier cycles. Cases arising from crashes inside Kendall County are filed in Kendall County district court on Main Plaza.
Why Boerne cases are different
I-10 is the primary commercial freight corridor through Boerne, carrying heavy 18-wheeler volume between San Antonio and Kerrville, El Paso, and beyond. That single stretch produces the bulk of Kendall County's catastrophic-injury cases and the toughest defense lawyers.
Federal rules govern the truck on I-10
A loaded tractor-trailer barreling through Boerne on I-10 is not just a big car. Interstate carriers answer to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, which dictates driver hours-of-service limits, electronic logging device records, drug-and-alcohol testing, vehicle inspection and maintenance, and cargo securement. After a serious I-10 crash, those records are the case. ELD data can show a driver who blew past the eleven-hour driving limit; maintenance files can reveal brakes that were never serviced; the qualification file can expose a driver the carrier never should have hired. The problem is that much of this evidence is electronic and overwritten on a routine cycle. We send spoliation and preservation letters to the carrier and its insurer in the first days after intake, demanding the ELD download, the driver logs, the dashcam, and the maintenance history before the ordinary retention schedule erases them.
Suing the company, not just the driver
Texas law lets you reach the trucking company itself, which matters because the company carries the real insurance. A motor carrier is vicariously liable for a driver acting in the course and scope of employment, and it can be directly liable for negligent hiring, training, retention, or supervision, and for pushing schedules that force hours-of-service violations. Commercial policies on interstate freight run far above the minimums on a private auto policy, so the recovery available in a Boerne truck case is on a different scale than an ordinary collision. Venue adds a wrinkle: a crash inside Kendall County is naturally filed in Kendall County district court on Main Plaza, but trucking defendants headquartered in Houston, Dallas, or out of state can sometimes open alternative venues under § 15.002. We work that analysis at the front of the case, alongside identifying every corporate entity in the lease and operating chain.
Frequently asked
Boerne truck accident questions
- The electronic records. Electronic logging device data, telematics, and dashcam footage sit on systems with routine overwrite cycles, and the driver's logs and the truck's maintenance file can be revised or lost. That is why preservation letters to the carrier and its insurer in the first days are decisive. We demand the ELD download, hours-of-service logs, inspection records, and the driver qualification file before they cycle out.
- Not because the firm promises a number, but because the structure is different. Interstate carriers carry commercial liability coverage well above private-auto minimums, and Texas lets you pursue the company directly for negligent hiring, training, and supervision in addition to the driver. With catastrophic injuries common on the high-speed I-10 corridor, those higher policy limits often determine whether the recovery can actually cover lifetime care.
- A crash inside Kendall County is naturally filed in Kendall County district court under the general venue rule. But an out-of-county or out-of-state commercial carrier can sometimes support an alternative venue under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 15.002. Where the case is best filed is a strategic decision we make early, weighing the Kendall docket against other available venues.
- Often yes. Under 49 C.F.R. § 376.12, a carrier operating under its own authority remains liable for a leased driver even when the contract uses the 'independent contractor' label. Texas law also allows direct claims against the carrier for negligent entrustment, hiring, and retention. The independent-contractor defense is one of the first things we evaluate when we review the driver's lease agreement and the carrier's operating authority.
- Two years from the date of the crash under Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003. That is the same deadline as any other personal injury claim. But the practical window for key evidence is far shorter: ELD data, dashcam footage, and carrier maintenance files can be overwritten within weeks. We treat evidence preservation as a day-one priority, not something to address after the two-year limit approaches.
- The federal minimum for an interstate general-freight carrier is $750,000 in liability coverage, and it rises for hazardous materials and passenger transport. In practice, large carriers operating through Boerne on I-10 often carry primary, excess, and umbrella layers well above that floor. Identifying every policy layer — primary, excess, and any cargo coverage — is one of the first steps in a serious truck-crash file.
Where we work from
Downtown Austin. Boerne clients welcome.
Our office is in downtown Austin; we represent Boerne-area clients statewide and travel to Boerne for case-specific needs (scene visits, medical-records consultations, court appearances). Home and hospital visits when injuries make travel difficult.
Talk to a Boerne truck accident lawyer.
Free case review, no obligation. We'll tell you straight whether we can help.