Car accidents in Texas can happen due to driver carelessness, driver impairment, vehicle defects, potholes and other blemishes in the road, pedestrians’ recklessness, and a long list of other hazards. Generally, though, car accidents happen because of a driver’s lack of care.
Every accident victim needs to know why they had to endure such a traumatic event—an event that, in too many cases, leaves victims maimed and even deceased.
A Texas car accident lawyer will investigate your collision to determine fault. Your lawyer can then pursue compensation on your behalf as you recover from physical injuries and all other accident-related symptoms.
The Cause of Car Accidents Is Important. Let’s Examine Those Causes More Closely.
It’s fair for an accident victim to ask, “Why?”
We drive countless miles, taking painstaking measures to obey the law and avoid collisions.
Then, someone’s negligence suddenly causes a frightening collision, jeopardizing our safety and causing substantial inconvenience—and, often, consequences far worse than inconvenience.
You deserve an explanation for why you were in a car accident, and that explanation may include:
Drunk and Drugged Drivers
Drunk driving and drugged driving are against Texas law, and those convicted of these offenses can face substantial penalties.
Yet, motorists throughout the state continue to drive while:
- Buzzed
- Drunk
- Under the influence of illicit drugs
- Under the influence of legal drugs, but drugs that impair the motorist’s ability to drive safely
Though drunk drivers are at their most lethal during the weekends, an impaired motorist can claim a life or cause a severe injury anytime they choose to drive.
Distracted Drivers
In 2023, the latest year from which data is available, 403 people died in Texas due to accidents involving at least one distracted driver.
Careless and Reckless Drivers
When Texas authorities list the ways to avoid a collision, most of those tips relate to driver behavior.
Some careless and reckless actions that can result in a car accident include:
- Following too closely behind another vehicle
- Merging without checking blind spots (or merging when there is not space to do so)
- Speeding
- Running traffic lights, yield signs, and stop signs
- Driving too fast for weather, road, or traffic conditions
- Dangerous passing
Even a motorist who remains in the left-hand lane when not passing other vehicles can be considered dangerous. Such actions can cause traffic, which can increase the likelihood that an accident will occur.
Drivers Whose Health Condition or Personality Makes Them Dangerous
A driver may not safely operate a motor vehicle if they:
- Are visually impaired and do not have glasses or contacts at the time of driving
- Are prone to health events, like seizures, that make them a danger when operating a car
- Lack emotional control
- Have bouts of suicidal thoughts that prompt them to act recklessly
If a motorist has any health conditions or personality traits that should disqualify them from driving, that motorist may need to pay when those traits lead to a car accident.
Vehicle Defects
Vehicle defects can result from:
- A flawed vehicle design
- Improper assembly
- The use of substandard materials in constructing the vehicle
- Defective components within the vehicle
- Inadequate maintenance by the vehicle owner
When defects contribute to car accidents in Texas, lawyers determine where the defect originated. Once they know the source of the defect, the attorney can identify who to sue or file a claim against.
Dangerous Roads
Municipalities throughout Texas, from Austin to Fort Worth, Waco, Lubbock, and Corpus Christi, must ensure their roads are in good condition.
A dangerous road may have:
- Potholes, large cracks, uneven surfaces, and other flaws in the road surface
- Inadequate lighting along stretches of road where it would be reasonable to install lighting
- Defective or absent traffic lights
- Defective or absent traffic signs
- Unsafe construction zones
Cities are sometimes liable for dangerous road conditions. Plaintiffs, however, often face shorter deadlines for filing against municipalities, so hire your Texas car accident lawyer as soon as possible.
Why You Need to Know Your Accident Cause
Your lawyer won’t prove fault for your accident just to satisfy your curiosity. There are a few critically important reasons to prove fault for the collision, and those reasons include:
Texas’ Fault-Based Insurance System
In Texas, the at-fault motorist’s insurance provider generally pays for the accident victim’s covered losses.
This fault-based insurance framework means:
- If your attorney can prove another driver caused your accident, their insurance provider will owe you money
- If your lawyer does not prove another driver caused your car accident, you may have to file a claim with your own insurer (or, possibly, sue the at-fault motorist)
Some states prevent insurance companies from increasing your premiums after an accident you’re not at fault for. Even so, you will generally prefer to seek compensation from another driver’s insurer. This eliminates the risk of increased premiums.
Defending Against Bad-Faith Insurance
Insurance companies may use several tactics to avoid paying you. These companies care about their bottom line, and paying money out hurts them.
If your lawyer can clearly prove who is at fault for your car accident, they will:
- Make it more difficult for insurance companies (or others) to blame you for the accident
- Decrease the likelihood that insurance companies will deny your claims
- Improve your negotiating position with insurance companies
You also deserve to know how your accident happened and who is responsible. Your attorney will quickly seek evidence and provide the answers you deserve.
Being Able to Sue, If You Choose To
You cannot be certain where your case will lead. Your circumstances may lead you to sue. A lawsuit may not have merit unless you can prove who is at fault for your car accident.
How a Lawyer Can Determine Fault for Your Car Crash
Because fault is such a critical consideration after a car accident, your lawyer may determine and prove fault by:
- Speaking with witnesses, who may provide detailed, confident, and sworn accounts of events related to the collision
- Securing all video footage related to the accident, which can come from cameras mounted on traffic light poles, nearby buildings, dashboards, or other sites near the accident
- Having one or more experts—such as a vehicle safety expert or accident reconstructionist—testify about who caused the crash
- Recording your account of the collision, if you can remember how the crash happened
The totality of evidence typically proves who is at fault for Texas car accidents. Allow your attorney to secure that evidence immediately, as nothing lasts forever—and evidence from your accident is no exception.
Attorneys Serve Car Accident Victims from Dallas to San Antonio, Houston to El Paso (and Every City in Between)
Know this: No matter where you were in a car accident, there is an attorney ready to serve you.
Though we cannot reasonably list every reason to hire a lawyer, some of those most compelling are:
- Protection: Your lawyer will ensure your total protection throughout your case. No bad-faith insurance tactics, strategies from defense lawyers, mistakes, or other threats will harm your case once you hire a competent Texas car accident attorney.
- Advice: A lawyer will guide you—an asset that many car accident victims actively seek. This guidance will include specific advice about what to do and what not to do after the crash.
- Funding: Your law firm will pay for your case. Car accident attorneys usually offer contingency fees. Meaning, the firm completes the case, and they only receive a fee if they secure compensation for you. You won’t have to worry about case-related expenses, and you’ll never have to pay out of pocket for your attorney’s services.
- Peace of mind: A car accident case can weigh on your mind. Once you hire a lawyer, that weight will be theirs to carry. A lawyer’s experience, robust staff, and formal training can give you confidence in a favorable case outcome.
- Options: Attorneys can obtain compensation through insurance claims. They can also negotiate settlements through the legal system. A lawyer may also convince a jury to award a car accident victim fair compensation. When you hire an attorney, you have options.
Let a lawyer help. You deserve it.
What Your Car Accident Lawyer Will Do to Secure the Compensation You Deserve
Lawyers have a solid idea about how to help a client, even before that client signs with their firm. Then, once the lawyer gets to know the client better, they design their approach to the client’s specific needs and circumstances.
Some of the standard services Texas car accident lawyers (and their staff) perform are:
Giving the Client a Simple Plan
Car accident victims are, in most cases, looking for some simple advice.
That’s what a lawyer will provide, as your attorney will:
- Explain the potential options for securing the compensation you deserve
- Explain which option they think makes the most sense and why they believe that
- Tell you what to do (and what not to do) as your lawyer leads your case
- Inform you if and when they need to adjust or update your case plan
A lawyer’s job is to make your life simpler. Expect simplicity when it comes to any advice, explanations, and updates they provide you.
Securing Evidence of Negligence (Often, This Is a Car Driver’s Negligence)
Negligence refers to someone’s unreasonable behavior. Often, negligence is the underlying cause of car accidents. Your lawyer will obtain any evidence that sheds light on the at-fault party’s negligence.
Remember that proving fault is critically important in car accident cases. Don’t wait to retain your attorney so they can gather evidence and prove fault right away.
Documenting All of the Client’s Accident-Related Damages
Your case will have a value. That value will correspond with the cost of each of your damages. Because of this link, if your lawyer can secure the compensation you deserve, they need evidence of your damages.
Some types of documentation your lawyer may use to prove your damages are:
- Medical records, including explicit diagnoses of your injuries and symptoms
- Medical bills for all treatment related to your accident, including rehabilitation services
- Bills for vehicle repairs, property replacement, and any other expenses related to your accident
- Expert testimony about the financial and non-economic toll caused by the collision
Car accident lawyers know how to build effective cases.
Negotiating a Settlement (Generally, with Insurers)
There comes a time when a lawyer must show their hand. Your attorney will present evidence of negligence, document your damages, and demand that liable parties pay you.
Lawyers generally deal with insurance companies. However, in cases where the client sues or the at-fault driver is uninsured, an attorney may negotiate with civil defense lawyers or other parties.
When Car Accident Victims File Lawsuits, the Lawyer Leads the Way
You may choose to sue. An attorney will help you determine if suing makes sense.
If you do ultimately file a lawsuit, expect your lawyer to:
- Draft the suit
- File the suit
- Notify defendants of the suit
- Complete all pre-trial proceedings
- Make your case in court, if you do not receive a fair settlement offer before the trial starts
- Handle every other detail of your legal case
Filing a lawsuit can have both benefits and potential downsides. Your lawyer will empower you to make the best decisions for you, which may include the decision to sue.
Common Damages in Texas Car Accident Cases
Your lawyer will uncover every harm you suffered because of the individual or organization that caused your accident.
This harm may include:
- Medical expenses
- Lost income
- Pain and suffering
- Damage to your vehicle
- The cost of any mental health services you pursue post-accident
Attorneys recognize the unique characteristics of each client and the unique challenges each of those clients face. Expect a personalized case value that captures all of your damages.
Hire Your Texas Car Accident Attorney as Soon as Possible
Do not wait to find your lawyer. Deadlines, fleeting evidence, and other time-sensitive considerations require your urgency.