“The litigation environment for owners and operators of commercial or company vehicles has reached a tipping point that, unless addressed by the Texas Legislature, will result in growing small business failures, increased costs of doing business for the companies that survive, and increased costs for goods and services purchased by all Texans.”
That doesn’t sound good.
Nevertheless, that’s the ominous prediction made by the Keep Texas Trucking Coalition, which is urging everyone to contact state representatives and encourage them to support Senate Bills 17 and 207, and House Bills 19 and 1617.
“Motor vehicle litigation is increasing in the state, while other kinds of personal injury litigation is decreasing,” the coalition reports. “Abusive crash lawsuits threaten our supply chain, leading to empty grocery store shelves, more expensive goods and services, and countless jobs lost.”
The problem, according to the coalition, is that “opportunity-seeking plaintiff lawyers partner with unscrupulous medical providers to grossly inflate injury claims far beyond the patient’s actual needs. These exaggerated costs are used to leverage lawsuit settlements. As a result, insurance rates are skyrocketing for the transportation industry and insurers are leaving the market, forcing many companies that operate commercial vehicles to close their doors.”
The coalition recommends “common-sense reforms to help level the playing field,” such as restricting liability to “medical bills actually paid or owed by the plaintiff” and “addressing legal tactics that manipulate juries into larger settlements.”
Common sense is a scarce commodity in the time of Covid, but it’s the one we need most of all, lest we make matters worse by overreacting to solvable problems.
Do commercial vehicles sometimes cause accidents that lead to injury and property damage? Of course, they do, and the harm done should be rectified at the expense of those responsible.
Do alleged victims sometimes exaggerate the severity of the injuries or damages suffered? Of course they do. Sometimes, they even precipitate or stage the accidents.
Should conniving plaintiffs and attorneys be allowed to cash in on fraudulent claims? Of course not. Let’s solve this problem before it gets worse.