Carabin Shaw is one of the leading personal injury law firms in Houston, Texas. They have extensive experience in truck / 18 wheeler accident cases, focusing on securing compensation for clients’ medical bills, property damage, and pain and suffering.
Specialization: Personal injury, truck accidents, wrongful death, 18-wheeler accidents.
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Houston Truck Accident Lawyers: Why Insurance Companies Lowball Big Rig Victims

Houston truck accident lawyers see insurance companies lowball victims every single day. After an 18 wheeler crash destroys your health and your finances, the trucking company’s insurer makes an offer designed to save them money, not help you recover. Truck accident attorneys in Houston understand the tactics insurers use and how to fight back. Houston truck accident lawyers protect victims from accepting settlements worth a fraction of what their cases deserve. 18 wheeler accident attorneys in Houston level the playing field against insurance companies that treat injured people as problems to be disposed of cheaply.

Insurance companies are not in business to pay claims. They profit by collecting premiums and minimizing payouts. Every dollar they save by underpaying victims goes straight to their bottom line. Houston truck accident attorneys have watched insurers use delay, denial, and deception to wear down victims until they accept inadequate offers. Truck accident lawyers in Houston refuse to let insurance companies take advantage of injured people.

Harris County recorded over 6,300 commercial vehicle crashes in 2024. Behind each of those accidents, insurance adjusters began working immediately to minimize the company’s exposure. 18 wheeler accident lawyers in Houston know that the friendly adjuster who calls after your crash has one goal: getting you to accept less than your claim is worth. Understanding how insurance companies operate helps victims protect themselves.

The Quick Settlement Offer

Insurance adjusters often contact victims within days of an accident, sometimes while they are still in the hospital. The adjuster sounds sympathetic and helpful. They express concern about your situation and offer to resolve everything quickly so you can move on. Then they present a settlement check that covers only a tiny fraction of your actual damages.

These early offers exploit victims when they are most vulnerable. Medical bills are piling up. You cannot work. Pain and uncertainty dominate your thoughts. A check for several thousand dollars sounds appealing when you do not know how you will pay next month’s rent. But accepting that check closes your claim forever, even when your injuries turn out to be far worse than initially realized.

Insurance companies know that serious injuries take time to fully diagnose. Soft tissue damage may not show up on initial imaging. Traumatic brain injuries can have delayed symptoms. Spinal injuries may worsen over time. By settling before the full extent of injuries is known, insurers avoid paying for treatment you do not yet know you need.

Recorded Statement Traps

Adjusters routinely ask victims to provide recorded statements about the accident. They present this as a simple procedure needed to process the claim. What they do not explain is that anything you say can be used against you. They ask questions designed to elicit answers that undermine your claim.

Questions about how you feel today can come back to haunt you. If you say you are feeling better, that statement gets used to argue your injuries were not serious. Imprecise descriptions of the accident get twisted into admissions of fault. Inconsistencies between statements made at different times become evidence of dishonesty.

You have no legal obligation to provide recorded statements to the trucking company’s insurer. Politely declining protects you from inadvertently damaging your case. Let your attorney handle communications with the insurance company. They know which questions are appropriate and how to respond without creating problems.

Disputing Medical Treatment

Insurance companies regularly challenge the medical treatment victims receive. They argue that procedures were unnecessary, that providers charged too much, or that injuries do not really require the care doctors recommend. These disputes are designed to reduce the value of your claim.

Insurers employ medical professionals who review records and write reports, minimizing injuries. These hired experts never examine patients in person. They review selected records and produce opinions favorable to the insurance company. Their conclusions frequently contradict those of treating physicians who actually examined and treated the victim.

Pre-existing conditions provide another basis for reducing compensation. If you had any prior back problems, the insurer argues that your current back pain comes from the old condition rather than the accident. This tactic ignores the reality that trauma can aggravate pre-existing conditions, turning manageable problems into debilitating ones.

Delay Tactics

When quick settlements fail, insurance companies shift to delay. They request documents repeatedly. They take weeks to respond to communications. They schedule and reschedule examinations. Every delay increases pressure on victims struggling to pay bills without income.

Financial pressure works in the insurer’s favor. The longer you wait, the more desperate you become. Victims facing foreclosure, repossession, or bankruptcy may accept inadequate settlements simply to survive. Insurance companies understand this dynamic and use delay strategically to improve their bargaining position.

The statute of limitations creates additional pressure. Texas law gives accident victims two years to file lawsuits. Insurance companies know this deadline. They may delay negotiations hoping victims will miss the filing window or accept bad offers as the deadline approaches. Never let insurance company delay tactics jeopardize your legal rights.

Shifting Blame to Victims

Insurance adjusters look for any basis to attribute fault to accident victims. They investigate your driving history, examine the accident scene, and interview witnesses hoping to find evidence that you contributed to the crash. Texas follows a modified comparative negligence rule, meaning your compensation decreases in proportion to your percentage of fault.

Even completely innocent victims face blame-shifting tactics. Adjusters argue you were driving too fast for conditions, following too closely, or failed to avoid the collision. They may claim you saw the truck and should have reacted differently. These arguments aim to reduce your recovery by assigning you partial responsibility.

Social media monitoring has become a standard practice for insurance companies. Adjusters search your accounts looking for posts that contradict injury claims. A photograph showing you smiling gets used to argue that you are not really in pain. Activity updates suggesting physical movement become evidence that you are not disabled. Be extremely cautious about social media during any insurance claim.

Fighting Back Against Insurance Tactics

Legal representation changes the dynamic with insurance companies. Adjusters know that unrepresented victims are vulnerable to tactics that experienced attorneys recognize and counter. Once you hire a lawyer, the insurer must communicate through your attorney. The games become much harder to play.

Experienced truck accident attorneys understand what claims are actually worth. They calculate damages based on past and future medical expenses, lost income, diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, and other compensable losses. This informed valuation prevents victims from accepting offers far below true case value.

If you or a loved one has been hurt in an 18 wheeler accident, do not face the insurance company alone. Their adjusters are trained professionals whose job is to minimize what they pay you. You deserve advocates who fight equally hard for your interests. The trucking company’s insurer will never offer what your case deserves unless they know you are prepared to go to court and prove it.