Austin Car Accident Lawyers

In the wake of a car accident, you are left to deal with numerous challenges, not the least of which is the threat to your physical health. Anytime you suffer a physical injury, you are dealing with medical expenses. Physical injuries come with their own costs that are not just economic.

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, you need an experienced attorney to help you recover financial compensation when you have a legal right to it. First, you need to go through an insurance company whose purpose is to keep from paying you what you deserve. Contact the experienced car accident lawyers at Nix Patterson to learn more about a potential car accident lawsuit.

The Dangers of Austin Roads and Highways

The more roads that authorities build to ease the congestion, the more dangerous the streets become for drivers. Austin is growing by leaps and bounds, and that means more traffic. In the prior decade, the Austin area grew by roughly one-third. New drivers to the area need time to learn the road, and the existing drivers are not always safe themselves.

Although 2023 saw a drop in the number of car accident fatalities in Austin, the number of people killed in crashes is still at an elevated level. Even though many focus on the number of fatalities when assessing how dangerous a city’s roads are, it only tells part of the story. For every fatality in a car crash, there are countless more lives that are impacted by motor vehicle accidents.

I-35 is a particularly dangerous road in Austin. The highway is one of the most congested in the entire state. From 2017 to 2019, there were 33 fatal crashes on this road. According to the local government, there are over 200,000 vehicle trips on this highway each day, leading to extreme traffic. Impatient or distracted drivers cause their share of serious injuries and crashes on this road.

What Are the Common Causes of Auto Accidents in Austin?

All it takes is one momentary and small mistake for a driver to cause a serious accident. Some may be intentionally acting dangerously, while others may be just plain careless. Either way, you could suffer serious injuries because a driver in your vicinity on the road, whom you would have otherwise never met, is having a bad day.

Drivers may cause car accidents by doing the following:

Speeding

In 2021, speeding was a factor in nearly one out of every three motor vehicle fatalities. Speeding can take away a driver’s reflexes and make it harder for them to respond to hazards on the roadway. In addition, speeding could cause serious rear-end car crashes because the driver cannot stop in time.

Distracted Driving

The invention of the smartphone has given drivers yet another reason to take their hands and eyes off the road. Nearly 50% of drivers admit to texting behind the wheel, in spite of strict laws against it. So long as there is something else that can compete for a motorist’s attention, such as eating, they are going to do it when driving.

Reckless Driving

Drivers have become far more reckless in recent years. Reckless driving can mean the following:

• Traveling far in excess of the posted speed limit
• Tailgating too close behind a vehicle in front of the driver
• Aggressively weaving in and out of lanes
• Running red lights or stop signs
• Racing other vehicles

Motorists can put your life and safety at risk when they drive recklessly, and they can be liable for injuries they cause you.

Drunk Driving

Texas is the third-worst state in the country in terms of drunk driving fatality rates. Nearly 1,000 people each year lose their lives in drunk driving accidents in the state. Drunk driving causes a motorist to take more risks, and it dulls their reflexes. Drunk drivers are more likely to be reckless and extremely aggressive.

Inexperience

Young drivers cause more than their share of accidents. While teenaged drivers make up 5% of the total number of motorists nationally, they are involved in nearly 9% of car accidents. Teenage drivers are more likely to make poor decisions because they are either too confident about the conditions or they do not yet have sound judgment.

Common Austin Car Accident Injuries

The trauma and force of the car accident can cause serious injuries, including:

• Fractures and broken bones
• Cuts and lacerations
• Contusions
• Internal injuries
• Head and neck injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Soft tissue injuries

One of the most common car accident injuries is whiplash. Even though it is a common injury, you should not assume that it is minor. Roughly 40% of people who suffer whiplash in car accidents will feel symptoms for an extended period of time.

The Statute of Limitations for an Austin Car Accident Lawsuit

Texas law also aims to be as fair to the defendant as possible. One of the ways that the law tries to balance your interests with those of the other driver is by imposing a statute of limitations. You only have two years from the date of the accident (or the time that you should have known you were injured) to file a lawsuit. If you miss the deadline, even by a day, you lose the right to seek compensation entirely.

The statute of limitations does not mean that you should rush filing the claim to beat the clock. It does mean that you need to give your car accident lawyer some time to work. They need to have enough time to investigate your accident and try to deal with the insurance company through the claims process if that is in your best interests.

While you have two years to file a lawsuit, it does not mean that you should wait two years to contact a lawyer to begin your case. It would be virtually impossible for your lawyer to obtain a successful result if you wait that long to hire them for your case.

What if I am Being Blamed for the Car Accident?

Texas has a very strict law that does not work in your favor when you are even partially being blamed for the accident. Texas uses pure contributory negligence as its law. If you are even 1% to blame for the car accident, you may not be able to receive any money at all for your injuries. Thus, the insurance company has a powerful motivation to try to scapegoat you for even part of the accident because they know that they can save money.

Your car accident lawyer’s job may be to defend you from these wrongful allegations. The stakes cannot be higher. Your lawyer may need to present evidence that shows what you were doing at the time of the accident, in addition to proof of what the other driver did to cause the accident. As unfair as it may seem, that is the way Texas law works. If you do not have a car accident lawyer on your side, the insurance company may succeed in eliminating your compensation entirely.

Compensation for an Austin Car Accident

One of the most important pieces of information you could have is the knowledge of how much your car accident case is worth. The insurance company knows this number, which is practically down to the dollar, as soon as they see your claim. They have an information advantage over you that you should neutralize by hiring a car accident lawyer. If you do not know the value of your case, the insurance company could offer you practically anything, and you may accept it.

Once you establish your legal right to compensation, you may be entitled to the following in damages:

• Medical expenses
• Property damage
• Lost wages
• Reduction in earnings capacity
• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Loss of consortium for a spouse
• Emotional distress

In the end, your case is worth the money you could get from an insurance company or a jury. If you accept less compensation than you are due in an agreement with the insurance company, you are doing yourself a disservice.

Why Do You Need a Lawyer After a Car Accident?

Legally, your goal after a car accident is to get financial compensation for your accident injuries. However, just getting a settlement check is not a win in itself. If you have signed away your legal rights for pennies on the dollar, it is far from a victory. Yet that is exactly what could happen if you try to deal with the insurance company on your own. Insurance companies pad their profits on individual claimants who think that they can hold their own in the claims process. Hiring a lawyer could give you a better chance of success.

The insurance company will look at you differently when you sit across the table from them with a lawyer on your side. They know that they can get away with less and that there is someone who can hold them accountable if they try to push things too far. There is even a way that you may be able to sue the insurance company if they break the law when handling your claim.

Your lawyer’s job is to establish and stand up for your legal right to financial compensation after your car accident. The insurance company has their own technology and auditors, and they come into the legal process with an advantage over you.

Further, there are many details in the car accident claims process that you cannot handle on your own. You are already injured, and you may not know how to deal with the process. It can be frustrating and time-consuming to make calls and handle matters, and you may not have the bandwidth when you are dealing with injuries. Your lawyer can handle crucial details of the process, allowing you to focus on your health.

What To Do After a Car Accident in Austin

You may be wondering what you have to do after the car accident. We just explained why you need to hire a lawyer. The question is when you need to do it. You should call an attorney right after the accident. Otherwise, the insurance company may try to take advantage of your vulnerability to compromise your legal rights. If you cannot call a lawyer yourself, have someone reach out to an attorney, and we could even come to you to discuss your case.

The days after a car accident are crucial. If you do not move immediately, you may lose valuable evidence that you need to prove your claim. A lawyer cannot get to work months after your accident and be anywhere close to as effective in proving fault as if they are when you hire them right after the accident.

Your health is even more important. It helps to see a doctor right after the accident if you are not already getting medical attention. Prompt medical care helps you in several ways:

• It helps detect any injuries that are lurking beneath the surface that could grow worse without treatment
• It gives you the medical records you need that form the basis of your claim
• It keeps the insurance company from being able to question your actions if you have delayed getting medical care
• It may quicken the point where you reach maximum medical improvement and are able to file a claim with the insurance company

In addition, you should also speak as little as possible about the accident. You should definitely not post publicly about it, and you should not talk to the other driver’s insurance company on your own. Always listen to the advice that your lawyer gives you after you hire them for your case.

Contact the Austin Car Accident Lawyers at Nix Patterson Today

The call to an Austin car accident lawyer is one that you cannot afford to delay if you have been hurt in a car accident. At the very least, hiring an attorney gives you peace of mind and lets you know that there is an experienced professional who can fight in your corner.

The first step is to schedule a free initial consultation with one of our lawyers, who can review your case and explain your next steps. To speak with an attorney, you can send us a message through our website or call us today at 512-328-5333. You do not need to pay any money out of your pocket for our services, and we cover the fees for your case while it is pending.