Houston Car Accident Lawyer

Contacting a lawyer should not add additional stress. A skilled attorney’s goal is to relieve you of the stress of a legal claim and handle the process entirely on your behalf. Here are some of the ways a qualified attorney can help you:

• Gather evidence that shows who was at fault for the accident
• Identify every liable party involved in the accident
• Handle communications with the negligent driver’s insurance company
• Keep track of your medical bills and out-of-pocket expenses
• Estimate future medical costs and accident-related losses
• Communicate with your medical care team to obtain complete records
• Recover lost wages from losing your job
• Represent you at depositions, hearings, and in court
• Deal with lien holders and debt collectors on your behalf
• Reduce your medical bills

The best time to consult with an attorney is immediately after your car accident.

If you’ve suffered due to a car accident, it is completely normal to take care of your health first. For many people, hiring an attorney to start the legal process sounds stressful. But keep in mind, time is of the essence.

Every state’s statute of limitations surrounding car accident cases is different. So, what does statute of limitations mean? It means that there is a limit on the amount of time you have to file a lawsuit. In the cases of personal injury and claims surrounding property damage, you have two years to file a petition with the courts in Texas (there are some exceptions to this). Two years is not an unlimited amount of time so don’t procrastinate.

The sooner you take action, the better.

You might be surprised at how long it takes to deal with the various aspects of a car accident claim—even a seemingly straightforward claim involving minor injuries and minimal property damage. If your injuries are severe, your time is best spent focusing on making a full recovery, as fast as possible. Not only that, but any misstep along the way could reduce your chances of recovering maximum compensation.

Remember: insurance companies are some of the largest and most profitable companies on earth. And their insurance adjusters are trained to delay, underpay, and even deny claims.

It’s absolutely worth talking to an experienced car accident attorney about your situation. Our injury law firm will also review your case for free.

While a car accident injury may not appear to be serious at first, appearances can be deceiving, especially when it comes to certain types of bodily injuries and even trauma to the brain. And just because you feel fine after an accident, that doesn’t mean you’re not injured. Later, you may start to notice symptoms of a potential injury. As a general rule of thumb, it’s always best to consult with an experienced attorney after a car accident.

Not consulting with an attorney could be a bigger mistake on your part and that can play into the hands of the insurance companies.

Even if you had a low-speed accident, there is a significant body of research showing that even low-speed accidents can cause chronic injuries, including whiplash and concussions.

For example, a 2021 scientific article published by the National Institutes of Health found that the use of the “biomechanical approach” (the defense tactic used by insurance companies) vastly underestimates the actual risk of real-world, low-speed impacts.

Emerging evidence also shows that there’s no such thing as a “mild” concussion. Some people develop headaches, fatigue, brain fog, memory problems, and other symptoms of post-concussion syndrome. These symptoms can last for months or even years. Similar symptoms, which can also be long-term, may result from whiplash. Both whiplash and concussions can happen in relatively low-speed collisions.

The problem with assuming your injuries is “minor” is that the insurance companies might pressure you to settle your claim right away so that they don’t have to cover you or even all of your property damages. But don’t fall for this. For help in dealing with the insurance company and your accident, contact us right away.

First off, you should never admit fault in an accident. Even if you are certain that it was your fault, there is no benefit to admitting this.

In fact, it’s best that you say as little as possible to any parties until you’re able to speak with an experienced Houston car accident attorney. You may have to exchange insurance information and provide law enforcement with a statement and when you do, stick to the facts. Even a simple statement like, “I didn’t see the other driver” could be taken as an admission of guilt. If you aren’t sure of what to do or say, know that it is within your right to speak to an attorney at any point.

Your insurer will work with the other driver’s insurer to determine fault, based on the facts. Again, your statements on who caused the accident could come back to hurt you. You may be convinced you’re at fault, but additional details could come to light that show the other driver was actually at fault, either in whole or in part. And most of all, do not make a statement to the insurance company—yours or anyone else’s.

You may have to report the accident to your insurance company within a certain amount of time. Don’t rush. Let the claim play out. With the passage of time, information may emerge that helps your case. For example, maybe you were speeding, but maybe the other driver was texting and driving. You were at fault—but they were, too.

In Texas, you can recover compensation for a car accident as long as you are not more than 50 percent responsible. What that means is, if you are 50% or less at fault, you can still recover compensation to pay for losses like medical bills and/or property damage.

You may ultimately be at fault for the accident but still have significant injuries. In this scenario, you’ll be going through your insurance company for payment. Just because a company is your insurer doesn’t mean they have your best interests in mind.

Remember: no matter what they promise about being “on your side,” “like a good neighbor,” or “in good hands,” the insurance company is not your friend. Before talking to the insurance company, you should first talk to one of our experienced attorneys.

There are several different types of car accidents. Here are some of the most common:

• Single Vehicle Accidents
  These only involve your car and no one else’s.
• Head-on Collisions
  These can be devastating car accidents that can result in major injuries such as brain trauma, spinal cord injuries, or even death.
• Rear-end Accidents
  These are the most common type of roadway accidents that most often occur in congested traffic or by distracted drivers.
• Rollover Accidents
  These types of accidents are often seen with SUVs and other higher vehicles. They usually occur when there’s too much speed and a loss of contact with the pavement.
• Fatal Accidents
  These types of accidents can happen in almost any situation and occur due to a variety of reasons such as: not wearing a seatbelt, high speed impacts, etc.
• Hit-and-Run Accidents
  Hit-and-Runs typically involve two or more parties and one (or more) drivers leaving the scene of the accident.
• Uber/Lyft/Rideshare Accidents
  Rideshare drivers are typically employed as “contractors.” Proving fault in a rideshare accident will typically require the help of an attorney.
• Taxi Accidents
  These are similar to rideshare accidents. You’ll want protection from a car accident attorney as the taxi cab company may do anything it can to refuse liability.
• Bus Accidents
  Public transportation is not always the safest form of transportation. Accidents of these types will typically require the assistance of a qualified attorney.
• Motorcycle Wrecks
  These are often one of the most devastating forms of vehicular accidents. For more information, see our motorcycle accidents page.
• Bicycle Accidents
  Bicycle accidents typically require the help of an attorney. Far too often, these particular cases are devastating, if not fatal.

There are a lot of people that live and travel through Texas every day. This means that car accidents are going to happen. Here are some of the most common causes:

• Distracted Drivers
  Distracted drivers are everywhere. They can be distracted by children in the backseat, by something on the radio, or even by a conversation with a passenger. Regardless of the distraction, it only takes a second to look away from the road and finding yourself in an unfortunate event.
• Texting
  Despite the laws surrounding texting and driving in Texas, texting has become a major problem for drivers. Texting pulls your attention away from the road where accidents can happen in a split second.
• Speeding
  Speeding is another major contribution to car accidents. There are speed limit signs for a reason – your own protection. When you’re speeding, you’re increasing the risk of losing control of your vehicle as well as reducing your response time to sudden dangers.
• Drinking
  Sadly, drinking and driving has been a major cause of many life-altering car accidents.
• Drug Influence
  Driving under the influence of illegal and prescription drugs have caused many devastating car wrecks as well. Anything you consume that compromises your physical and mental ability to independently operate a vehicle can cause immeasurable damage to your life and others.
• Wildlife
  Wildlife accidents are a common issue across Texas. Night poses the highest risk of wildlife-related accidents as animals cross the roadways.
• Bad Weather
  Severe weather such as thunderstorms, hail, snow, ice, and high winds are the cause for many accidents. Such circumstances often lower the driver’s visibility or their ability to keep the vehicle on the road.
• Tire Blowouts
  Tire blowouts are another common incident that leads to a high rate of accidents, especially among big trucks coming into contact with smaller vehicles.
• Improper Vehicle Maintenance
  Blown head gaskets, transmission problems and more can compromise a driver’s ability to maintain control of the vehicle which can result in an accident.
• Road Work & Construction Accidents
  Road work on the interstate can compromise driver safety and the ability to maneuver in dangerous situations.
• Dangerous Intersections
  Many serious car accidents happen at congested intersections. Drivers will often pull out in front of another and end up in head-on collisions or T-bone accidents.
• Improper Signs or Lights
  Sometimes, accidents are caused by improper signs or lights. This can cause driver confusion.
• Potholes and Pavement Cracks
  Potholes and non-maintained roads can cause vehicles to lose control. Accidents involving bad roads can happen unexpectedly.

With any type of accident, a variety of injuries and medical problems can occur. Depending on the type of accident, some injuries are more common than others.

• Whiplash
• Cuts, lacerations and bruises
• Soft tissue injuries (torn tendons)
• Broken or fractured bones
• Spinal cord injuries
• Brain injuries (concussions)
• Serious Burns

If you or a family member sustained any of these types of injuries in your accident, consult with one of our experienced attorneys right away.

Most law firms work on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay anything unless they recover money for you. Most attorneys will cover all of the upfront costs of handling a car accident claim. If your attorney obtains a recovery on your behalf, they will deduct their fees from your payout. The standard rate for contingency fees is usually between 35% and 40%, depending on whether the case settles before going to court.

Keep in mind, however, that most cases are settled outside of court.  Most firms will also never file a lawsuit if they do not have the client’s permission to do so.

Here’s an example: if your attorney negotiated a $20,000 settlement on your behalf, 35% of that ($7,000) would be paid in attorney fees.  You will then receive the remaining $13,000.  From that $13,000, your medical bills and any other outstanding debts will then need to be paid (by law) and the remaining amount goes back into your pocket. If no settlement is reached, then there would be no cost to you.

Settlement offers are almost always paid out in one lump sum by the insurance companies as they don’t typically like to split the amount into smaller payments.

There are several factors that will determine your settlement offer and it all depends on the unique details of your case.  This is why it’s really important to document everything and hold on to all records detailing your car accident case. Some factors that could affect the payment amount of your settlement are:

• The cost of medical care due to any injuries
• The cost of future medical care due to your car accident
• Disabilities or impairments that resulted from the car accident
• Job loss or missed work due to your accident
• Any suffering that you experienced due to your car wreck

Personal injury claims go through several different stages. Every car accident case is unique and will be different in duration and outcome. Most settle fairly quickly, but some can take years.