“Auto accidents can cause thousands or even millions of dollars in

TEXAS AUTO
ACCIDENTS
“Auto accidents can cause thousands or even millions of
dollars in losses due to medical expenditures, an inability to
work, a reduction in future earnings, or the untimely death
of a loved one who was contributing to dependents.”
Auto accidents are a leading cause of death, as well as a primary cause of
serious injuries like spinal cord damage or traumatic brain injury. Auto
accidents can cause thousands or even millions of dollars in losses due to
medical expenditures, an inability to work, a reduction in future earnings, or
the untimely death of a loved one who was contributing to dependents. Auto
accidents can also cause additional immeasurable losses in the form of pain
and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of important relationships when
someone is killed in a collision.
The prevention of auto accidents is every driver’s responsibility and motorists
are obliged to purchase liability insurance coverage in case they fail to live up
to their obligations. When a driver causes a motor vehicle accident to occur,
the motorist can be held legally responsible for all resulting economic and
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non-financial loss. This means the driver’s insurer has to pay. The victims
may pursue a claim for compensation, which may be resolved through
litigation or a negotiated settlement.
Auto accident claims can be complicated and victims do not always
understand the law or know their rights. A Houston injury lawyer should be
consulted after auto accidents in order to provide guidance and advice on how
crash victims or surviving family members may recover monetary damage for
losses.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR AUTO ACCIDENTS
There are multiple
different parties who
could be held
responsible for auto
accidents depending
upon the
circumstances. Some
of the different
individuals and
companies that may
be held accountable
and required to cover crash losses include:
•
Negligent drivers, or motorists who are unreasonably careless.
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•
Drivers who break safety rules. A driver is presumed negligent if he
violates safety laws like yield laws or stop sign laws. Unlike in other
auto accident cases, a victim does not specifically need to demonstrate
unreasonable carelessness when a safety rule is broken; the violation
creates the presumption the motorist was not careful enough.
•
Designers of defective vehicles when a problem with the car causes the
crash or exacerbates the resulting injuries.
•
Truck drivers when commercial motorists fail to fulfill their duties to be
careful when operating big rigs.
•
Trucking companies, if the company was unreasonably negligent in its
policies, training and employment practices. Truck companies are also
held accountable for actions of employees who are on duty, as these
employees act as agents acting on behalf of the business.
•
Agencies responsible for the roads. This could include agencies in
charge of road maintenance or road design.
Determining who is responsible for an auto accident is essential because a
crash victim can pursue a civil lawsuit against all defendants who are to
blame. Plaintiffs can file a claim against multiple parties who caused the crash,
like suing both the trucker and the trucking company.
Defendants will usually be considered jointly and severally liable if found
responsible for a truck crash. This means of the multiple parties sued, each is
independently responsible for compensating you for losses and the parties
together are jointly responsible for providing full compensation for all
damages awarded to you.
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WHAT SHOULD YOU DO AFTER AUTO ACCIDENTS?
After auto accidents, you need to preserve your legal right to make a claim for
compensation. This means you need to file a lawsuit before the statute of
limitations runs out. You can still negotiate
to try to settle your case outside of court
even when your lawsuit has already been
filed. You can actually reach a settlement at
any point in the pre-trial or trial process if
both parties agree the settlement offer is
fair.
A victim of an auto accident has the burden
of proving the case against the defendant,
so crash victims should also begin right
away to get the evidence they need to show
that someone else was responsible for their
accident. Some of the different kinds of
evidence that could be used include police
reports from the scene of the accident and eyewitness statements. You will
need to begin collecting evidence as soon as you can after the crash so you do
not lose some of the data you need to make your case.
Victims of a crash who have a hard time proving fault on their own can contact
accident reconstruction experts to help determine how a crash occurred.
GETTING LEGAL HELP
An experienced Houston injury lawyer knows that the process of recovering
compensation for auto accident losses can be complicated and you may not
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want to deal with the stress as you also cope with medical issues or grief due
to a death.
It is important that you get the money you need to cover your costs and try to
move on. Let a Houston car accident lawyer take care of all your legal issues so
you can focus on recovering from your damages and losses.
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About Abbott & Clay, LLP
Abbott, Clay & Reed, LLP, is a Plaintiff Personal Injury Law Firm in Houston, Texas
with 7 attorneys committed to protecting the rights of the injured.
They do not represent companies or insurance carriers. The primary focus is on
Workers’ Compensation claims and maritime injuries. They represent injured works
before every field office in the state of Texas and have handled more Workers’
Compensation claims than any other plaintiff Firm in the state.
The partners of the Firm, Bill Abbott, Fyodor Clay, Bianca Reed, and Leslie
Levingston, have spent over 45 years combined fighting for the rights of injured
workers. The remaining lawyers of the Firm have all been actively fighting for injured
workers for the Firm for at least 2 years. Abbott, Clay & Reed, LLP, is a continuation
of the Ogletree, Abbott, Clay & Reed Law Firm, formerly Ogletree Abbott, LLP, and
Bill Ogletree P.C. Bill Ogletree, who spent his entire career fighting for the rights of
workers, retired in 2012. He began assisting workers before the Division of Workers’
Comp, or the Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission, were even created. He was
joined by Bill Abbott in 1999, and the two attorneys teamed up to create a Firm that
handles the largest volume of Workers Compensation claims for injured workers in the
state.
Abbott, Clay & Reed L.L.P. - 12600 N Featherwood Drive Suite 200, Houston, TX 77034
Houston:713-223-1234 • Dallas:214-347-4395 • Austin:512-487-7426 • San
Antonio:210-807-4302 • Toll Free:888-434-COMP
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