$
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There are tens of thousands of car accidents in Dallas every year. These incidents are caused by myriad reasons and have differing levels of severity, but if you’ve been involved in one, you know just how disruptive they can be.
The good news is you may be entitled to significant financial compensation when you can demonstrate that it was caused by someone else’s wrongful actions, but you can only be paid at the conclusion of a lengthy legal process.
To give yourself the best chance of success in that process, you should hire an experienced car accident lawyer. Contact the Dallas car accident attorneys at Nix Patterson today to learn more about your legal rights after a car accident.
Dallas has among the worst traffic fatality rates of all major U.S. cities. Cities such as Houston and Los Angeles are thought to be among the most dangerous cities to drive in the country, but Dallas is far worse. For instance, the fatality rate in Dallas is 27% higher than that in Houston.
More than 1,000 people lost their lives on Dallas roads from 2019-2023, and that is just within the city limits. More than 4,000 people have been killed in that time span in the overall surrounding area. Over 20,000 people have been seriously injured in accidents during that time.
The major reasons why the Dallas area is so dangerous are speed and the extremely wide roadways. Instead of lowering the speed limit to save lives, the authorities continue to raise it in the name of free-flowing traffic. Drivers exceed these already high speed limits without regard to your safety.
In addition, the population explosion in North Texas means that the state is continuously widening the road to accommodate for more traffic. I35-E in Dallas is as wide as ten lanes in each direction at some points. Drivers may weave in and out of traffic to move faster, or they may not check their blindspots when they are changing lanes.
Speed is by far the most common cause of a car accident in Dallas. Authorities are writing fewer speeding tickets these days, and drivers think that they can get away with reckless conduct. There are many miles of roadway in the Dallas area, and not enough officers to patrol them. Roughly one-third of traffic fatalities occur in speeding-related accidents. Speeding keeps drivers from being able to respond to challenges on the roadway in time to avoid an accident. They are more likely to lose control of their vehicles.
Distracted driving is another common cause of Dallas car accidents. No matter how many enforcement or awareness campaigns the authorities run, drivers will always look down at their phones or send texts while they are driving. Nearly half of drivers admit to sending texts while driving. In the time that it takes for a driver to send a text and refocus on the road, their car can travel hundreds of feet, especially when they are speeding.
Dallas drivers have also been known to have an aggressive streak. Their habits got even worse during the pandemic because of a lack of traffic enforcement and remained that way as traffic returned to the streets. Reckless driving can be even more dangerous in Dallas due to the number of lanes on the highways and the heavy traffic on the roads.
Other common causes of Dallas car accidents include:
We will investigate the accident to help determine the cause.
No matter what happened to cause the accident, you have the same legal obligation in every case before you can see a dollar in compensation or even a settlement offer. You must prove that the other driver involved in the crash was negligent.
The mere fact that a crash happened does not mean that a driver was negligent. Instead, you have to show that they did something that another driver would not have done under the circumstances. For example, drivers closely check their blindspots before changing lanes, and they do not sideswipe cars that are already established in a lane of traffic.
The insurance company does not simply take your word for it. You would present them (or a jury) with proof that the other driver did something wrong. The standard of proof that you must meet is showing your case by a preponderance of the evidence, meaning that it is more likely than not that the facts that you allege happened.
You have two primary options to recover financial compensation in a car accident case:
Your lawyer would advise you of the strategy that works best for your case, depending on the insurance company involved and your own individual circumstances.
If you have suffered a physical injury in a car accident that was someone else’s fault, you may be entitled to compensation. Many car accident victims will suffer injuries that can change the course of their lives, costing them a considerable amount of money and taking away the life that they had before the accident.
Dallas car accident injuries can include:
Any one of these injuries can result in significant medical costs and other impacts that could lead to financial compensation when you can prove liability for the accident.
Once you can prove that the other driver was to blame for the accident, they will then have a legal obligation to pay you for all the harm that they have caused you. Damages are far more than the actual financial costs that you have incurred. The experience of the car accident, both what you have endured in the past, and will continue to go through in the future, is also something that merits compensation.
Your car accident damages can consist of the following:
Knowing how much you may deserve in compensation takes knowledge and experience. It would be virtually impossible for you to come up with your own damage estimate and be prepared to prove it to the satisfaction of the insurance company. An experienced Dallas car accident lawyer could even work with experts (the cost of which does not come out of your own pocket) to learn the total value of your case.
Nobody is going to put money in your pocket after a car accident. If they do, you must be extremely careful of them and their motives.
Everyone talks about your legal rights after a car accident. What they overlook is that you must establish your legal right to compensation by putting forth evidence that shows that the other driver was to blame. This evidence is not necessarily something that you can gather on your own after an accident, especially when you are injured and focused on your health and family.
The insurance company looks at you as a target of opportunity if they see that you are trying to represent yourself. They know that they can get away with far more because you do not have the means to hold them accountable.
When you hire an experienced Dallas car accident lawyer for your case, they can do the following:
What you do after a Dallas car accident matters. It can shape whether you can recover from your physical injuries and how long it takes. Your actions can also put you in a better position to recover full financial compensation. On the other hand, what you do could also cost you a considerable amount of money.
Your health is your absolute first priority after you have been injured in a car accident. It helps to get the medical help that you need to both diagnose and treat your injuries. Some injuries may not begin to show symptoms until days or weeks after the actual crash. Always be proactive about seeing a doctor. It will help your health, and it will keep you from compromising your own legal case. The insurance company may view your claim skeptically if they see that you waited too long to get medical help. They may claim that you should not be fully paid for your injuries because they got worse because of a lack of diligent attention.
You should also contact an attorney as soon as possible after the accident. The legal process may take a considerable amount of time. If you wait to hire an attorney, it may take longer to get your check — if you are entitled to one at all. You may even lose the ability to get a settlement because valuable evidence that you need to prove your claim disappears.
Most of all, you need a counselor and a guide to the legal process, along with someone who will fight for you. A car accident attorney is here to answer all your questions, and they will stand up for your rights when the insurance company tries to compromise them.
When you hire an attorney, it cuts down on the list of things that you need to do yourself at a time when you have limited capacity. Your lawyer could handle the details of the legal process and communicate with the insurance company on your behalf. They could even do things like negotiate with your healthcare providers, both to get you more time to pay bills and even to reduce the size of medical liens.
Insurance companies are used to having their way with individual claimants. They find a way to frustrate the process and the claimant and get the case settled for less than it is worth. This does not have to be you. The best thing that you can do is fight back when the insurance company tries to make your life harder. The insurance company sits across the table from you as an equal, even though they try to make you think that they are a judge and jury.
You may need to play hardball yourself when the situation calls for it. Your lawyer could dial up the pressure on the insurance company by advising you to reject low settlement offers and by filing a lawsuit if necessary. Insurance companies hate litigation because the costs of defending your case will eat into their profits. The thing they fear the most is a jury of average citizens who may really make them pay for their injuries.
If you or a loved one have been injured in an accident, the Dallas car accident lawyers at Nix Patterson will work to establish and defend your legal right to financial compensation when the other driver was to blame for the accident.
Since we work on a contingency fee basis, you do not have to worry about paying us out of pocket, either for our time or for the litigation expenses. All you have to do is focus on your recovery.
The first step is to call us today at 512-328-5333 or reach out to us through our website to schedule a free initial consultation. It helps to call a lawyer as soon as possible after your accident.
Nix Patterson only works on a contingency fee basis. Our clients pay us nothing unless we win. Schedule a free consultation today. Call 512.328.5333 or complete the form below.
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The information on this site is for informational purposes only. Though it deals with legal issues, it should not be taken as legal advice for any specific case or situation. The law changes rapidly, and we make no warranty or guarantee about the accuracy or reliability of the content or links on this site. Every case and legal issue is different. Speak with a lawyer for specific advice.
This site is not intended to create, and viewing it does not create, an attorney-client relationship. The verdicts and settlements shown on this site are intended to be representative of cases Nix Patterson handles. These listings are not a guarantee or prediction of the outcome of any other cases or claim. Results in litigation can never be guaranteed.
La información contenida en este sitio tiene únicamente fines informativos. Aunque trata de cuestiones jurídicas, no debe tomarse como asesoramiento jurídico para ningún caso o situación específicos. La legislación cambia rápidamente y no garantizamos la exactitud o fiabilidad de los contenidos o enlaces de este sitio. Cada caso y asunto jurídico es diferente. Hable con un abogado para obtener asesoramiento específico.
Este sitio no pretende crear, y su consulta no crea, una relación abogado-cliente. Los veredictos y acuerdos mostrados en este sitio pretenden ser representativos de los casos que maneja Nix Patterson. Estos listados no son una garantía o predicción del resultado de cualquier otro caso o reclamación. Los resultados en litigios nunca pueden ser garantizados.