Car Accidents Attorney

Dallas drivers are probably unaware that there are over 3,300 people killed in car accidents in the state of Texas each year. There is a car accident death in Texas every two hours and 35 minutes. Most people don’t get in their cars every morning and then think about the life altering effects of motor vehicle accidents. Regardless of the circumstances of a car accident, those injured in collisions may be eligible for financial compensation, especially if the accident was caused by a negligent third-party.

If you have been involved in a car accident and you were not to blame, you may have a case to recover for your injuries, vehicle damage and even the loss of income you suffered as a result of the accident.

Where And Why Do Car Accidents Happen?
Car accidents occur for many reasons, from road conditions and bad weather to driver negligence and error. Certain areas and places on the highway are especially prone to car accidents. Some common areas with a higher incidence of accidents include:

  • Highways and interstate junctions: Rapid acceleration, dense traffic, driver error or simple distraction can lead to a collision, such a truck accident.
  • Schools: Parents are often in a hurry to get to work or rushing to prevent a child from tardiness, but distraction at or around a school can lead to a serious pedestrian injury or a collision with another vehicle resulting from dense traffic.
  • Traffic lights: Many drivers gamble and speed through yellow lights. Do not assume the person in front has moved on. Stop and go traffic creates accidents every day and is the leading creator of rear end collisions in the United States. It’s just as common for drivers to run red lights. This can lead to horrific, high-speed T-bone accidents.
  • City centers and congested areas: These are natural choke points for traffic. With congestion comes rear-end accidents and other collisions. Overly aggressive driving mixed with timid or hesitant driving can also be a recipe for accidents.
  • Roads with bad lighting or that need repair: Bad roads and poorly visible road signs can lead to accidents.

Common Physical Injuries Suffered In Car Accidents

  • Brain injuries
  • Back injuries
  • Amputation of limbs
  • Major organ injuries
  • Chronic bleeding
  • Broken bones
  • Whiplash
  • Concussion
  • Bruising
  • Death

The body often runs on adrenaline after an accident. You may feel fine immediately after a car accident but days, weeks or months later, the damage sustained in the crash may begin to show itself. Do not wait to get help. Don’t have regrets. Call a Dallas area car accident attorney immediately after your accident. Your attorney will take the burden off your shoulders and will strive to get you a fair settlement that will financially offset the pain and suffering you have endured.

Texting While Driving

Since 1996, texting has become more and more popular as a way to stay in contact with friends and family. Statistics show that as many as 204 million cell phone users world-wide text on a regular basis. The increase in popularity has created a difficult and dangerous problem – texting while driving. Car accidents caused by texting are becoming one of the most common car accident causes.

In Texas, over 3,000 crashes were directly related to cell phone use in 2011. A large number of these accidents were created when a driver was sending or reading a text message. In 361 of these accidents, the results were fatal. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drivers who text are 23 times more likely to be involved in a car crash than other drivers.

How Does Texting Cause Car Accidents?
Many people believe that texting while driving is not as big of a deal as other behaviors, such as drunk driving or speeding. While this may have been true in the 1990s, it is no longer the case. According to researchers, you divert up to 39 percent of your brain capacity when you pick up your cell phone to make a call or text a friend. Texting requires the driver to take his or her eyes off the road for extended periods of time, often for at least the distance of a football field.

A compounding factor in texting accidents is that a large proportion of these accidents involve teen drivers. Teens are generally the least experienced on the road and the most likely to text and drive. This has proven to be a lethal combination.

While many people, especially teens, do not believe that talking or texting while driving affects their ability to operate a vehicle, the numbers paint another picture:

  • Seventy-seven percent of young adults stated they are confident in their ability to text and drive.
  • Thirteen percent of all young adult drivers involved in crashes admit that they were texting while operating the vehicle.
  • Teens that text and drive spend about 10 percent of their driving time outside the proper lane.
  • In 2011, approximately 23 percent of all car accidents were attributable to cell phone use.

Texas Laws Regarding Texting While Driving
In 39 other states, texting while driving has been banned and cell phone use, even hands free, is being regulated and monitored by law enforcement. Texas residents have told the state’s legislators that they believe a ban on texting while driving is a smart idea; however, no acceptable statute has passed as of this date. No message or phone call is worth the life of another driver, the passenger in your own vehicle or even your own life.

Truck Accidents Attorneys

With the rapid growth of the trucking industry in recent years, there are more trucks on the roads and unfortunately, many more truck accidents on U.S. highways. Trucks represent a significant percentage of highway traffic as they transport commercial and industrial goods across the country. Large trucks are crucial to the economy. They are an important part of regular business operation. Their downside is their mass. They are huge compared to other vehicles, and when a truck hits a smaller vehicle, severe motor vehicle accidents occur.

Types Of Trucks On The Road
All types of car accidents are traumatic. Dallas area drivers probably recognize that accidents occur every day, sometimes occurring during a commute to work or just while running everyday errands. When large trucks are involved in accidents, the severity of the injuries is often significant. This is especially true for truck accidents that occur on highways and interstates. Heavy traffic makes it almost impossible for these rolling giants to avoid colliding with multiple vehicles upon impact.

Semi-trucks are not the only type of vehicle categorized as a truck. In fact, you can assume that all commercial vehicles, including vans, fall into this category. Some of the other vehicles that fall into the truck category include:

  • Box trucks
  • Fire trucks
  • Semi-trailer trucks
  • Trash trucks
  • Flatbed trucks
  • Tanker trucks
  • Tow trucks

When a larger vehicle collides with a smaller vehicle, it’s common sense that the damage to the smaller vehicle will be more serious. This is why truck accidents, like motorcycle accidents, often result in fatalities and serious injuries. What’s sad is cautious and vigilant driving could have prevented many of these accidents.

Who Is To Blame For Truck Accidents?
When determining liability in a trucking accident, there are many factors that should be considered. Weather conditions, the skill level of the driver or faulty equipment could all contribute to an accident.

Some of the common causes of truck accidents include the following:

  • Driver fatigue
  • Reckless driving
  • Excessive speeding
  • Drunk driving
  • Failure to properly yield or change lanes
  • Aggressive driving

Distracted driving or texting while driving
An investigator considers the above factors when determining the cause of a truck accident. Truckers are subject to the same distractions as other drivers, yet they carry a greater responsibility because of the sheer size of their trucks and the professional class of their drivers’ licenses. Truck drivers are paid to stay on the delivery schedule, and that pressure could encourage industry-wide poor driving habits, including speeding, reckless driving or fatigued driving.

Insurance companies employed by large trucking companies may pressure accident victims to settle for low amounts of money. Do not succumb to pressure. Talk with an experienced and knowledgeable Dallas car accident attorney before you agree to the terms of any settlement.

Pedestrian Accidents Attorneys

Pedestrian accidents are possibly the most devastating type of road accident. There are any number of reasons why innocent pedestrians get hit, but the most common one is driver negligence. Dallas area drivers know they have a responsibility to watch for pedestrians at all times. The responsibility is heightened in areas with heavy foot traffic.

Unfortunately, it is surprisingly common for pedestrians to be knocked down, injured or even killed by moving vehicles. These kinds of accidents can lead to wrongful death claims. No one ever imagines that he or she will be a victim of an accident, but it is possible and it happens more than you might think.

Victims Of Pedestrian Accidents
The victims of pedestrian accidents are wide and varied. A child playing on the sidewalk, a senior citizen taking a walk or a business person walking across a busy downtown street are examples of accident victims. Cars don’t only hit people while traveling down the road. Many accidents occur in parking lots where people are sometimes hard to see as they walk between rows of cars.

The members of this specific group are especially at risk of being hit by moving vehicles, the elderly. Whether it’s slower physical reaction times or mental unawareness, elderly people often have difficulty moving out of the path of oncoming vehicles. Also, elderly bodies are far more vulnerable to injury than the bodies of younger people.

Small children are also more vulnerable to car accidents. A child chasing a ball or toy may pay no attention to oncoming traffic. Children are unpredictable because they are often unaware of their surroundings. Children don’t understand the risk running into the street creates.

Determining Fault In A Pedestrian Accident
If you seek help from a Dallas area car accident attorney, he or she will examine the evidence from the accident in an effort to establish liability. Like in all other accidents, determining fault in a pedestrian accident is based on a number of factors. A finding of fault can shape a lawyer’s entire strategy in a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit.

Factors that help determine liability in pedestrian accidents include:

  • While driving, did a person take their eyes off the road to answer a call or to text?
  • Did a driver turn around to talk to passengers and thereby cause the accident?
  • Did a drunk driver cause the accident?
  • Was the driver who caused the accident driving too fast?
  • Did the driver ignore road signs or signals from other cars?

As with bicycle accidents and motorcycle accidents where the rider has limited protection, accidents involving motor vehicles and pedestrians can lead to serious injury or even death. At the very least, there is a good chance that medical attention will be required. If you or a loved one has been involved in an accident in Dallas, a lawyer may be able to help.