reports1@rankings.io | October 9, 2025 | Uncategorized
If a truck accident in Texas has left you with permanent disfigurement, you have the right to pursue financial compensation for your injuries.
This compensation is designed to cover your immediate medical bills as well as future surgeries, lost earning ability, and the significant emotional and psychological pain that accompanies a life-altering change to your appearance.
The process involves filing a personal injury claim against the at-fault parties, which could include the truck driver, the trucking company, or even the vehicle’s manufacturer. Proving the full extent of your damages is a detailed process, but securing a stable future is possible with the right help.
If you have a question about an injury that has changed your life, call Stephens Law for a straightforward conversation about your situation at (817) 420-7000.
Key Takeaways for Permanent Disfigurement Claims
- Disfigurement is a catastrophic injury under Texas law. This legal recognition means compensation extends beyond cosmetic issues to include the full, lifelong impact on your quality of life.
- Your compensation must account for all future costs. A thorough claim includes projected expenses for ongoing medical care, psychological treatment, and diminished earning potential, not just current bills.
- Multiple parties may be held responsible. Liability in truck accidents often extends beyond the driver to include the trucking company, maintenance providers, and cargo loaders, which requires a detailed investigation.
What Exactly Is “Permanent Disfigurement” in a Texas Truck Accident Claim?
Under Texas law, disfigurement refers to a lasting injury that impairs a person’s appearance. That could mean facial scarring, burns, amputations, or any injury that alters how someone looks in a permanent way. Courts in Texas have defined it as “an impairment of beauty, symmetry, or appearance that renders the person unsightly, misshapen, or imperfect” (Golden Eagle Archery v. Jackson, 1997).
It doesn’t have to be visible to everyone at all times. It just has to be permanent and noticeable.
What This Includes in Practice
It covers a wide range of injuries common in truck accidents:
- Significant Scarring: From deep lacerations caused by broken glass or twisted metal.
- Burns: Chemical, thermal, or friction burns that leave permanent marks and skin texture changes.
- Amputation: The loss of a limb.
- Facial Injuries: Requiring reconstructive surgery that alters your natural appearance.
- Skin Grafts: And the permanent scarring they leave behind.
Our firm’s role is to translate your personal experience into a clear legal argument, ensuring that the full scope of your injury is understood.
The Full Cost of Disfigurement
The most visible consequence of a disfiguring truck accident is the physical change. But the financial and emotional ripples rewrite every aspect of your life.
Consider these ongoing expenses:
- Future Medical Care: This includes revision surgeries, physical therapy, pain management, and treatments to reduce scarring or manage phantom limb pain.
- Psychological Treatment: The emotional toll is immense. Therapy for PTSD, anxiety, or depression caused by the trauma and the change in appearance is a common and necessary part of recovery.
- Loss of Earning Capacity: Your injuries might prevent you from returning to your previous job. Disfigurement also introduces unfair biases in hiring, limiting your future career options and earning potential. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that people with a disability are much less likely to be employed than those with no disability.
- Home and Vehicle Modifications: If your injury affects your mobility, you may need to install ramps, modify bathrooms, or purchase a vehicle that accommodates your new reality.
Imagine not having to worry about how you’ll afford the next procedure. Picture a future where your financial stability is secure, allowing you to focus completely on your physical and emotional healing. This is the goal of a comprehensive legal claim. We work to account for every single future cost so you are not left paying out-of-pocket years from now.
Who Is Legally Responsible for a Truck Accident That Caused Your Injuries?
In a typical car accident, you usually deal with one other driver. Truck accidents are different. There are frequently multiple parties who could be held financially accountable for your injuries, and our investigation focuses on identifying all of them.
These parties commonly include:
- The Truck Driver: Was the driver fatigued, distracted, or under the influence? We look at their logs, driving history, and toxicology reports. Texas law is particularly strict on actions like texting while driving a commercial vehicle.
- The Trucking Company (Motor Carrier): The company is responsible for the actions of its drivers. We investigate their hiring practices, training protocols, and whether they pressured the driver to violate safety rules, such as hours-of-service regulations. Federal law holds them to high standards for vehicle maintenance and repair.
- The Truck Manufacturer or Parts Supplier: If a mechanical failure caused the crash, like faulty brakes or a tire blowout, the manufacturer of the truck or its parts may be liable.
- The Cargo Shipper/Loader: If improperly loaded or secured cargo shifts and causes the driver to lose control, the company that loaded the freight could share in the fault.
How We Build a Case to Secure Your Financial Future
Our firm manages the entire process of building your case from start to finish. Here’s a look at what we do:
Immediate Evidence Preservation
We send spoliation letters to the trucking company, a legal notice demanding they preserve evidence like the truck’s black box data, driver logs, and maintenance records.
Comprehensive Documentation
We gather and organize every piece of paper related to your case: all medical bills, therapy notes, police reports, and correspondence with insurers.
Working with Your Doctors
We collaborate with your medical team to get a clear and complete picture of your diagnosis, your prognosis, and the plan for your future care.
Hiring Leading Experts
To demonstrate the full scope of your disfigurement, we work with:
- Vocational Experts: To testify about your diminished earning capacity.
- Life Care Planners: To create a detailed report outlining every future medical and personal need and its associated cost.
- Accident Reconstructionists: To prove exactly how the crash happened and who was at fault.
Types of Compensation for Permanent Disfigurement
In Texas, the law provides for compensation, legally known as “damages,” for a wide range of losses. These are generally broken into two categories. Our job is to pursue the maximum compensation available under the law for both.
Economic Damages (The Tangible Losses):
These are the losses with a clear dollar amount attached.
- Medical Expenses: Every bill from the ambulance ride to future reconstructive surgeries.
- Lost Wages: All the income you’ve lost while out of work.
- Loss of Future Earning Capacity: The difference between what you would have earned and what you can now earn.
- Vocational Rehabilitation: The cost of training for a new line of work.
Non-Economic Damages (The Intangible Losses):
These are just as real, but they don’t come with a receipt. They compensate you for the human cost of the injury.
- Pain and Suffering: For the physical pain you have endured and will continue to endure.
- Mental Anguish: For the emotional and psychological trauma, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD.
- Disfigurement: This is a specific category of damages in Texas for the injury of having one’s appearance permanently and negatively altered. Texas juries have recognized the immense impact of these injuries in past verdicts, affirming the long-term impact on a victim’s quality of life.
- Physical Impairment: Compensation for the loss of ability to engage in activities you once enjoyed.
Where Does the Money Come From After a Truck Accident?
When you’re dealing with a disfigurement injury, the question isn’t just how much compensation you could receive. It’s whether that compensation is even available in the first place.
Truck accidents involve insurance policies that work very differently from standard car crashes. There’s often more coverage available, but unlocking it takes a deeper understanding of how commercial truck insurance works and where to look when the obvious sources come up short.
Let’s break it down.
Commercial Trucking Policies Start With Higher Minimums
Texas law requires passenger vehicles to carry at least $30,000 in liability coverage per person. But trucks are in another league entirely.
Federal regulations require interstate commercial vehicles to carry a minimum of $750,000 in liability coverage. Many carry policies of $1 million or more, especially if they haul hazardous materials or operate in multiple states.
This means even before you go digging into other layers, the starting point is much higher. But there’s a catch: that amount can disappear quickly in serious cases, especially when there are multiple victims.
When One Policy Isn’t Enough: Finding Additional Coverage
If the driver’s policy doesn’t fully cover your damages, your legal team needs to look further.
The next step might be the trucking company’s umbrella or excess liability policy. These are separate insurance policies that kick in once the main coverage is exhausted. Some motor carriers maintain excess coverage of several million dollars, particularly larger logistics or freight companies.
You also have the option to pursue coverage from:
- The truck’s owner, if different from the company operating it
- The trailer’s owner, if it was a separate entity
- The cargo loader or shipper, especially if improper loading caused the crash
- Third-party maintenance providers, if mechanical failure was a factor
Each of these entities might carry their own policies. The challenge lies in identifying all the potential layers of coverage early in the investigation, before evidence is lost or stories change.
What Happens When the Trucking Company Tries to Shield Its Assets?
Some companies restructure their business to reduce exposure. They may divide assets among multiple LLCs or lease equipment through shell corporations. These tactics can make it harder to collect, but not impossible.
In those cases, we look for signs that the company is still functionally in control. For example, if the same people run both companies, share finances, or operate out of the same address, a court may allow you to “pierce the corporate veil” and go after the real source of funds.
This takes experience. But if your injuries are life-altering, it’s worth pursuing every angle.
What If the Insurer Claims the Injuries Aren’t Covered?
This is more common than you’d think. An insurer might argue that:
- The driver wasn’t authorized to operate the vehicle
- The company violated safety rules and voided the policy
- Your disfigurement was from a pre-existing condition
- The procedure you’re planning is cosmetic, not medically necessary
When this happens, the issue isn’t just about your injuries anymore. It becomes a legal fight about policy exclusions, definitions, and intent.
Our job in these situations is to respond with documentation, expert opinions, and legal arguments that prove the injuries fall squarely within the coverage terms.
Getting Paid After a Settlement or Verdict
Winning your case is one step. Actually receiving the money is another.
Commercial insurers usually pay out within a set timeframe after a settlement or court judgment, but delays happen. If a defendant refuses to pay, you may need to pursue collection through liens, garnishment, or bond claims, especially with smaller trucking companies or those facing bankruptcy.
In large truck accident settlements, we also talk with clients about whether a structured settlement makes sense. This means your money is paid out over time in installments, which can reduce tax liability and protect against quick spending.
Why It Matters to Work With a Lawyer to Understand the Insurance Behind Your Case
Disfigurement cases tend to have higher dollar values, and that puts pressure on everyone involved. Insurers will comb through every part of your claim looking for a reason to reduce the payout or deny responsibility altogether.
Our role as an experienced truck accident lawyer is to prepare for that from day one.
We track down every potential source of insurance. We read the policy language carefully. We anticipate the arguments that might come up six months from now, and we build the evidence to counter them long before your case reaches a courtroom or a settlement table.
Answering Your Questions About Disfigurement Claims in Texas
Do I have to go to court to get compensation?
Not always. Many cases are settled through negotiations with the insurance companies. However, we prepare every case as if it will go to trial to put you in the strongest possible negotiating position.
How long do I have to file a claim in Texas?
In Texas, you generally have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. This deadline is shorter in some situations, such as when a government entity is involved. Always act promptly to understand your rights.
What if I was partially at fault for the truck accident?
Texas follows a rule of modified comparative negligence. This means you may still recover damages as long as you are not found to be 51% or more at fault. Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault.
Can I afford to hire a lawyer?
Stephens Law handles personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you pay us nothing upfront. We only receive a fee if we successfully recover compensation for you.
Don’t Let Uncertainty About the Process Prevent You From Securing Your Future
You may be hesitant, worried about the stress of a legal case on top of everything else. That is a completely normal reaction. But you do not have to manage this legal process alone.
Our role is to take the legal weight off your shoulders so you can concentrate on what matters most: your recovery. We will handle the paperwork, the investigation, and the negotiations. Your next step is simply to have a conversation. Call Stephens Law today to speak with our team about your options. The call is confidential, and there is no obligation. Reach us at (817) 420-7000.
