A van with a company logo on the side isn’t just another vehicle in a crash report. It’s a business with its own legal team and a much bigger insurance policy than the driver alone could ever cover.
That’s exactly why we go after the company, not just the person behind the wheel, when a commercial vehicle leaves someone hurt in Austin. George Salinas Injury Lawyers handles it in English or Spanish, with no fee unless we win.
Call (512) 851-1004 today, 24/7 case review. Your consultation costs nothing, and there’s no obligation to hire us afterward.
Resources On This Page
- Why Commercial Vehicle Accidents Are Different From a Regular Car Crash
- Is the Company Responsible, or Just the Driver?
- What Kinds of Commercial Vehicles Does This Cover?
- What You Can Recover After a Commercial Vehicle Crash in Austin
- What an Austin Commercial Vehicle Accident Lawyer Costs You
- How Long Do You Actually Have to File in Texas?
- After the Crash: What to Do (and What Not to Do)
- Why Families and Workers Across Austin Choose George Salinas Injury Lawyers
- Ask George Salinas Injury Lawyers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Start With a Free Case Review
Why Commercial Vehicle Accidents Are Different From a Regular Car Crash
A crash with a business vehicle almost always involves more money, more lawyers, and a faster response than an accident between two private drivers. Commercial insurance policies typically carry far higher limits than personal auto policies, and the company that owns the vehicle, not just the driver, can often be held responsible for what happened.
Texas law also lets you pursue more than one responsible party at the same time. If the driver, the company, and a maintenance contractor all share some of the blame, each one can be held accountable for their share, which gives you more potential sources of recovery than a typical two car accident.
The trade off is that these companies fight harder, because they know what’s at stake. That’s exactly why you want a lawyer who’s already built these cases before.
Is the Company Responsible, or Just the Driver?
Usually both. Under a legal rule called vicarious liability, sometimes called respondeat superior, a company can be held responsible for a crash its employee caused while doing their job, even if the company itself did nothing wrong in the moment of the crash. The real question is whether the driver was acting within the course and scope of their employment when it happened.
Companies know this, so they often push back in predictable ways. They’ll argue the driver was an independent contractor instead of an employee, that the driver was off the clock or running a personal errand, or that the crash had nothing to do with the job. None of those defenses are automatic. Courts look at who actually controlled the driver’s schedule, route, and equipment, not just what the paperwork calls them. There are also separate theories that don’t depend on employment status at all, like negligent hiring, negligent training, negligent vehicle maintenance, or negligent entrustment, which can apply if a company knowingly let an unqualified or unsafe driver behind the wheel.
What Kinds of Commercial Vehicles Does This Cover?
This page covers crashes involving business and work vehicles of nearly every kind, including:
- Delivery vans and box trucks (Amazon, FedEx, UPS, and local courier services)
- Company cars and sales or service vehicles
- Contractor and trade work trucks (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, landscaping)
- Buses, including transit, school, charter, and shuttle vehicles
- Utility and municipal service vehicles
- Rental trucks and vans being used for business purposes
If you were hurt by a large commercial truck or 18 wheeler, our trucking team handles those cases with a specialized approach built around federal trucking regulations, so visit our Austin truck accident page instead.
Rideshare crashes involving Uber or Lyft also work under a different insurance structure depending on whether the driver was logged in, en route, or carrying a passenger, so we evaluate those separately too.
No matter what name is on the side of the vehicle that hit you, the same core questions apply: who was driving, why, and who they were working for.
Not sure which category your accident falls into? Call (512) 851-1004 and we’ll sort it out for you in a few minutes, free of charge.
What You Can Recover After a Commercial Vehicle Crash in Austin
Because commercial policies carry higher limits, a successful claim can often recover more than a typical car accident case: full medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and property damage to your vehicle.
If the crash caused a permanent or catastrophic injury, like a spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury, compensation can also account for long term care, future lost earning capacity, and the full cost of rebuilding your life around a new reality.
Part of our job early on is identifying every policy that might apply: the driver’s own coverage, the employer’s commercial policy, and sometimes an umbrella policy sitting on top of both. Skipping that step is one of the most common ways injured people end up settling for far less than their case is actually worth.
What an Austin Commercial Vehicle Accident Lawyer Costs You
Nothing upfront, and nothing at all unless we win. We handle these cases on a contingency fee, so our payment comes out of the settlement or verdict we recover for you, never out of your pocket while the case is pending.
We also front the cost of investigators, accident reconstruction, and expert witnesses, because a company with deep pockets and an insurance team won’t take you seriously unless you can match that level of preparation.
How Long Do You Actually Have to File in Texas?
Texas generally allows two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. That deadline can move depending on who you’re suing, particularly if a government entity, school district, or municipal vehicle is involved, since those claims often require a much faster written notice than two years.
The earlier we’re involved, the easier it is to pull dispatch logs, GPS data, and maintenance records before a company has a reason to lose track of them.
After the Crash: What to Do (and What Not to Do)
Companies move fast after a commercial vehicle crash, often faster than you’d expect, so what you do in the first hours and days matters more than usual.
- Get medical attention and have every injury documented, even ones that seem minor at first.
- Get the company’s name, the vehicle’s markings, and the license plate, not just the driver’s personal information.
- Photograph the scene, both vehicles, and any visible damage before anything gets moved or repaired.
- Get the names and contact information of anyone who saw what happened.
- Avoid giving a recorded statement to the company’s insurer or investigator before talking to a lawyer.
- Don’t accept a quick settlement offer. Companies sometimes move fast specifically to resolve a claim before you know the full extent of your injuries or who else might share responsibility.
Why Families and Workers Across Austin Choose George Salinas Injury Lawyers
George Salinas built his reputation by treating every case like it’s headed to a jury, which is exactly what makes companies and their insurers negotiate seriously instead of stalling. That means pulling dispatch records, GPS logs, and maintenance files early, before a company has time to lose or “misplace” them, and working with the right experts to show exactly what your case is worth.
We anticipate every insurance move. Having previously represented carriers, we know their tactics to minimize payouts and neutralize them before they act. Backed by 110 years of combined experience and $100M+ recovered, we fight until the end.
He backs that up with a seat in the American Board of Trial Advocates, ABOTA for short, an invitation-only group open only to lawyers with a genuine jury trial record.
Our Austin team handles your case in English or Spanish, and we know how Travis County courts and local juries tend to view these claims. You’ll work directly with people who know your case, not a call center reading from a script.
Meet Our Top-Rated Austin Commercial Vehicle Accident Attorneys
Ask George Salinas Injury Lawyers
Q: Can I sue the company if their employee hit me while making a delivery?
A: Often, yes. If the driver was working within the scope of their job when the crash happened, Texas law generally lets you hold the employer responsible too, not just the driver. This matters because the company’s insurance policy is usually far larger than what an individual driver could ever pay on their own.
Q: What if the driver who hit me says they’re an independent contractor, not an employee?
A: That label isn’t the final word. Courts look at who actually controlled the driver’s schedule, route, and equipment, not just what a contract calls them. Many delivery and gig economy drivers are labeled contractors but still work under enough company control that the business can share responsibility.
Q: Does a commercial vehicle have more insurance coverage than a regular driver?
A: Usually, yes. Businesses typically carry commercial auto policies with much higher limits than personal coverage, and some carry an additional umbrella policy on top of that. Identifying every policy that applies is one of the first things we do, because it directly affects how much you can recover.
Q: What if more than one company is responsible, like the driver’s employer and a separate maintenance contractor?
A: That happens more often than people expect. Texas law allows you to name multiple defendants in the same case, and each one can be held accountable for their share of the responsibility, which can mean more total compensation than going after a single party alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is a commercial vehicle accident claim different from a regular car accident claim?
The biggest differences are who can be held liable and how much insurance is available. A commercial claim often lets you pursue the employer in addition to the driver, and commercial policies tend to carry significantly higher limits than personal auto insurance.
What if I was hit by a rideshare driver like Uber or Lyft?
We handle those cases too, but the insurance rules work differently depending on whether the driver was logged into the app, on the way to a pickup, or actively carrying a passenger at the time. It’s worth a separate conversation so we can walk you through which coverage applies.
What if I was hurt by a city bus or other government vehicle in Austin?
These claims often come with much shorter deadlines to file a written notice than a typical two year statute of limitations, generally six months under Texas Tort Claims Act and sometimes even less depending on the city’s own charter, so it’s important to talk to a lawyer as soon as possible rather than waiting.
Will my case go to trial?
Most commercial vehicle claims settle before trial, but we prepare every case as though it’s headed to a jury. That level of preparation is often exactly what convinces a company’s insurer to offer a fair settlement instead of risking a verdict.
Start With a Free Case Review
If a delivery van, company car, or work truck left you hurt in Austin, the business behind that vehicle already has people working to limit what they pay you. Call George Salinas Injury Lawyers at (512) 851-1004 for a free consultation in English or Spanish. There’s no fee unless we win.