Austin (WBAP/KLIF) – Texas House Bill-19 which has already been approved in the chamber, would shield commercial vehicle companies from accident liability.
Sponsors of the bill say it will prevent excessive lawsuits against companies; but road safety advocates and other opponents say the bill would make Texas roads more dangerous; and, deny accident victims justice, according to The Texas Tribune.
The bill stipulates that when if a commercial vehicle owner or operator is sued after a crash, the driver would have to be proven liable in court before a case could be brought against their employer; hence, a jury would not know which company is involved in the first phase of the legal process. .
Author, State Rep. Jeff Leach, (R/Plano), says that the bill includes an stats showing that in
the past decade, lawsuits from from motor vehicle crashes in Texas increased by 118%, while the number of crashes involving severe injury or death have decreased or only slightly increased.
“This bill installs a legal and procedural framework that will protect Texas businesses of all sizes from abuses in our justice system, from abuse of lawsuits that are threatening the very existence of many of our small businesses,” Leach said.
The bill has passed the House 81-49, and has moved to the Texas Senate.
Among reactions to the bill on the state legislative website: Some blame the accidents on “distracted drivers” who got to close to commercial vehicles, to others who blast the bill, saying that state lawmakers are “showing a clear disregard for the lives of working families.”
Truckers that actually care about their jobs honestly just want to be left alone and stay out of everyone’s way they know they are bigger than everyone else and usually slower as well and truly want to get to their destination drop off their load and move on to the next so they can take care of their own families
(Copyright 2021 WBAP/KLIF 24/7. This report contains material from WFAA and The Texas Tribune.)
