On April 30, 2021, the Texas House passed a bill that could impact your safety on Texas roads. The bill passed by a vote of 81 to 49 backed, supported by the commercial trucking industry and their big insurance companies. Soon, the state senate will vote on a similar bill, Bill 207, which was sponsored by Senators Charles Schwertner, Don Buckingham, and Donna Campbell.
So far, this bill has been received favorably by the Texas Senate, which is bad news for drivers across the state. This bill infringes on the constitutional rights of accident victims to a personal injury trial by jury. It does this by limiting the damages that could be recovered in a personal injury lawsuit.
If it passes, payment rates could be set by the government and instead of the trucking companies or their insurance footing the bill, the burden would fall on taxpayers. On top of that, medical insurance rates could skyrocket.
Why would the Texas Senate even consider a bill that puts drivers at risk and increases the financial burden on its citizens? Are they being influenced by the American Trucking Associations and insurance companies? Do they realize how detrimental this could be to Texas drivers?
Perhaps they are unaware that there are 500,000 commercial vehicle accidents in the United States every year. Or maybe the state senators don’t realize trucking fatalities have increased in Texas by 105% since 2009. And the number of truck crashes in Texas went up by 27% between 2016 and 2019.
If this senate bill does pass, these numbers could rise even higher. But even so, Texas drivers would be extremely limited in their ability to pursue compensation for damages. In many cases, receiving money to make up for lost wages and medical and other expenses relieves the financial strain that victims face while they are recovering. Sometimes the damages are so bad that victims can never return to work and support their families.
If this bill passes and goes into effect, the insurance and trucking industry will make out well while normal Texans become one accident away from disaster.
As devastating as this news is, it’s not too late to let your voice be heard. You can do this by contacting your state senator as well as signing a petition that opposes this bill.
The petition can be found at www.KeepTexasSafe.com
DeSouza Law Firm is a leading personal injury firm representing accident victims throughout Texas.
If you’ve been injured by a car, truck, 18-wheeler, company vehicle, or in the oilfield, call DeSouza Injury Lawyers today at 361-799-2222 or visit the firm online at https://jfdlawfirm.com/