Have you or a family member been injured in an accident with a tractor-trailer, bus or other large commercial vehicle? If so, make sure your legal rights are protected and call on an attorney who is a national authority on catastrophic truck accident litigation. Attorney Michael Leizerman has devoted his professional career to helping truck accident victims receive the financial compensation they deserve following an accident.
Whether you are seeking payment for exorbitant medical bills, decreased earning potential, or punitive damages for suffering following a loss of life, Michael can make sure that a negligent trucking company or truck driver is held accountable. Michael works with legal counsel nationwide, including in Texas, to help build an effective trial strategy designed to get you the compensation you deserve.
Or contact me online. All information is kept confidential. I will not accept a case in a state where I'm not ethically permitted under the circumstances.
Last month, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released safety data from 2011, including the following: One-third of truck occupant fatalities occurred when occupant was not wearing a seatbelt; 64% of large truck fatal crashes occurred on rural roads; … [Read more]
Read more >The Oklahoma House passed legislation recently to fund nine Port of Entry weigh and inspection stations on state highways. TruckingInfo.com reported that the first station, located on Interstate 35 near the state border with Kansas, opened in late April, and … [Read more]
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I am honored that West Thompson—the world’s largest publisher of legal books—asked me to write this multi-volume book on truck accident law in 2004. I had already begun the project for my own reference. My book includes the federal regulations that are the same in each state for interstate tractor-trailer crashes, as well as state law that differs in areas, like whether there are monetary limits or “caps” in the lawsuit, whether you can receive punitive damages, and the varying technical requirements for filing a lawsuit.
I have handled cases across the country. I am licensed in several states, and have local counsel in many states who I trust and work with closely. Select your state to learn more:
Every year, Texas leads the nation in the number of truck accidents. With extensive freeway systems that connect urban centers such as Dallas, San Antonio and Houston to the rest of the country, truck traffic in Texas presents a daily challenge to all motorists. Highways such as Interstate 10, Interstate 35, Interstate 40 and Interstate 45 carry commercial vehicles to all parts of the state, from the Texas Panhandle to the Gulf shores. That traffic leads to more than 17,000 fatal and non-fatal truck accidents every year, leaving thousands of Texas residents injured or mourning the loss of family member. Michael has established himself as a leading advocate for such victims, and can work with local counsel to ensure that they and their families are fairly compensated following an accident.
Speaking Engagements
I regularly engage in continuing legal education presentations around the country, including the following events in or near Texas:
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (Title 49, Parts 350-399) govern all vehicles engaged in interstate traffic.
There are some situations where a tractor-trailer or other commercial motor vehicle is involved in only intrastate travel. For example, an appliance store in Austin may own a truck that only makes in-state deliveries.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has adopted Title 49, Parts 382, 383, 384, 390, 391, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397, 398, and 399 of the federal regulations.
For an overview of laws that affect trucks operating only in Texas, visit our Texas Trucking Laws page.
Your truck accident case may be larger than you think. My experience often enables me to maximize awards, well beyond what the co-counsel originally expected. My book Litigating Truck Accident Cases, published by West Publishing, is considered the definitive work on handling truck accident cases. Contact me if you are seeking co-counsel on your case.
Fatal Truck Accidents: 455 per year
Non-Fatal Truck Accidents: 17,267 per year
Accident Locales: 64%(Rural), 36%(Urban)
Carrier Fact: 41% of Texas' truck accidents involve carriers whose principle place of business is not Texas.
In 85% of Texas' truck accidents, weather conditions were NOT a factor.
Interstate 10: The southernmost east/west Interstate in Texas, I-10 passes 879 miles through the state from El Paso to San Antonio to Houston before continuing on into Louisiana.
Interstate 20: I-20 is an important east/west route that includes the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area in its 636 miles within the state.
Interstate 27: From Lubbock to Amarillo, I-27 covers 124 miles of Texas in a north/south route.
Interstate 30: Before it heads east from Dallas-Fort Worth and continues out of Texas into Arkansas at Texarkana, I-30 spends 223 miles in the Lone Star state.
Interstate 35: I-35 starts at the Mexican border in Laredo and travels due north towards San Antonio before continuing on to Austin. North of the state capital, I-35 splits into I-35E and I-35W, which reunite in Denton where I-35 continues on its 407-mile journey toward Oklahoma.
Interstate 37: Beginning in Corpus Christi, I-37 heads to the northwest some 143 miles to San Antonio, its northern terminus.
Interstate 40: I-40 is a convenient, mostly straight shot across the Texas panhandle 177 miles from New Mexico to Oklahoma, approximately matching the original Route 66.
Interstate 44: I-44 is brief at 14.8 miles, but it is an important route for the residents of Texas' Wichita County who use it to travel north/south to and from Oklahoma.
Interstate 45: From Galveston in the south to Houston, I-45 travels 284 miles through East Texas ending in Dallas.
