In San Antonio, Texas an auto accident occurs within 10 minutes. In 24 hours, there are 140 San Antonio motor vehicle accidents. Not all passengers have the privilege of hiring a qualified attorney at law for car accidents such as https://www.krwlawyers.com/san-antonio-personal-injury-lawyer/automotive-accidents/, because it could have been a fatal car crash. The drivers and passengers involved in a fatal car crash will face serious consequences with the law.
People who have suffered life-altering injuries have the right of recovery to help them lead a life similar to what it was before the injuries. To make that happen you hire an outstanding San Antonio Car Accident Lawyer to hold liable the negligent driver and the insurance company representing that driver for your losses. The people injured in a car accident can call the Ketterman Rowland & Westlund Attorneys at Law to make sure that their voice is heard in a court of law if they have suffered physically life-altering injuries. Our professionals can help drivers and passengers recover damages by representing you on behalf of your insurance company.
Why Should You Hire A San Antonio Car Accident Lawyer?
Car crash victims don’t always recognize the importance and consequences of hiring a lawyer after a car crash. A car crash is not just a medical issue, it is also a legal matter. Insurance companies are filled with lawyers, advocates, and agents who are there to undervalue and reject your injuries if you do not take the necessary steps after a car accident in Texas. With time, insurance companies have influenced organizations to make it more difficult for their clients to obtain financial compensation from them.
Insurance companies do not hesitate to spend millions of dollars on advertising to swear to stand by their clients through thick and thin. The same insurance companies are reluctant to represent their policyholders in case of UM/UIM claims. All insurance companies employ methods and strategies to make sure that their vaults are full while their policyholders go through financial difficulties to manage to pay their bills after a motor vehicle accident. Clients, who do not have proper representation in court, drag out the process for the insurance company making it easier for the insurance company to pay a lower compensation.
Clients receive proper representation when they hire a San Antonio Car Accident Lawyer who has experience with judicial proceedings and dealing with insurance companies. The best San Antonio law firms are available for their clients 24/7. These law firms provide their clients the option of virtual consultations if they are unable to drive to meet with their legal representative. Let’s look at how you can select the right San Antonio car accident attorney to represent you in a court of law.
How To Choose A Trustworthy San Antonio Car Accident Attorney?
A trustworthy car accident lawyer will be from a nationally recognized injury law firm with several years of trial experience. The following are some of the services that a team of San Antonio car accident lawyers will be able to provide:
- Manage your case with zero upfront costs
- Correspond with the other driver’s insurance
- Collect data to prove the negligence of the party at-fault
- Collaborate with doctors to extract the necessary medical information to substantiate injuries
- Assist in recovering medical expenses
- Deliberate for an unprejudiced legal settlement
- Utilize the right to take another’s property if a financial obligation is not discharged
In addition to these services, a reliable San Antonio car accident lawyer must be ready to deal with accidents involving large vehicles that are a part of the trucking and hauling industry. The lawyer must be aware of all of the laws that apply to the trucking industry and how they are different from the laws that apply to the average motorist. The lawyer must be aware of the specific laws that apply to pedestrians, motorcycles, and drivers under the influence of alcohol. Let’s look at some of the different types of collisions that an expert San Antonio car accident lawyer can help with.
Company or Commercial Vehicle Accidents
A commercial vehicle is a company car, truck, tour van, school bus, tractor, trailer, and sometimes even a train. Some of the following are the ways to identify a commercial vehicle:
- A commercial vehicle including any trailer-tractor additions weighs more than 26,000 pounds and possibly up to 80,000 pounds
- The vehicle carries a total of 9 to 15 passengers including the driver for compensation or without a compensation
- The vehicle transports hazardous materials
- The vehicle is a school bus weighing more than 10,000 pounds
- The vehicle can be identified with a company logo
Drivers of commercial vehicles must have a valid commercial driving license. The requirements that commercial drivers must meet to attain a commercial driving license are much more rigorous. There are specific medical requirements such as the driver must not be color blind and the driver must not have any kind of hearing impairment. Besides being of legal age, a commercial vehicle driver must not be impaired by alcohol.
A commercial vehicle attorney will identify all the lines of insurance coverage that may apply to your case especially if the commercial vehicle is carrying a load on its trailer. Different insurance carriers insure the commercial vehicle and the load being carried by the commercial vehicle. A commercial vehicle attorney can help you pursue both of these parties if it is applicable in your case. The company will still be liable if the driver of the commercial vehicle is using the commercial vehicle for personal use because it is the organization’s job to ensure that only authorized individuals use the commercial vehicle.
Multiple-Vehicle Crashes Causing Chain Reaction Collisions And Pileups
Nearly two million multiple car accidents take place annually according to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It becomes harder to determine liability with more cars being involved in a multi-vehicle collision and this makes the process of acquiring justice even more difficult and longer for all of the parties involved. Investigators can easily get tired of trying to investigate the situation as they hear so many different stories about the chain-reaction collision. It doesn’t get any easier for the investigators because each party is trying to deflect liability onto the other party.
Some of the most common causes for a multiple-vehicle accident are:
- Careless Driving: Drivers who are not paying attention to the road because they are concentrating on their stereo, cellphone, eating, or speaking to other passengers as they drive can quickly become the cause for a multiple vehicle collision.
- Driving Around A Construction Site: A construction site can be a dangerous and perilous obstacle for drivers if they are not paying attention to the signs and the detours in the area. Instantly slowing down or abruptly stopping at a road sign can easily become the cause of a multiple vehicle collision.
- Drowsy Driving: Drivers who have not had enough sleep can be especially dangerous on the road especially if they are driving continuously for long hours. This is why there are laws that require truck drivers to get sleep after driving continuously for long hours.
- Extreme Weather Conditions: Extreme weather conditions can cause poor visibility on the roads and make it difficult for vehicles to come to a stop causing long pileups.
- Rubbernecking: Drivers that slow down to view the accident that just occurred or any other distraction on the road can cause more accidents.
- Speeding: Going over the legal speed limit makes it difficult for drivers to stop in time.
A chain-reaction collision involves more than two vehicles that have collided in succession with each other due to a single accident. Chain-reaction collisions can be divided into three distinct groups.
- Crossroad Collisions: An intersection is one of the most common places a chain-reaction collision can take place because there is so much that can go wrong. A driver speeding past a traffic light can crash into oncoming traffic.
- Freeway Crashes: Highways present especially precarious circumstances for careless drivers because of the lightning-fast speeds of all of the vehicles on the freeways. One single mistake of misjudging the driving conditions can send many cars bumping into each other left and right.
- Rear-End Collisions: A driver tailgating too closely with another driver can strike the vehicle in front because of being unable to stop in time. Depending on the speeds of the other vehicles on the road, many other cars can also end up striking the vehicle in front because of being unable to brake in time.
Texas is a comparative negligence state, this means that the court can decide that any party can be at fault. A driver can easily become the liable party if the driver does not have proper representation in court. Let’s say a driver makes a sudden stop and the vehicle behind it collides into it. But the driver in the back was distracted by his cellphone which is the reason why they could not stop in time.
In such a case, both drivers will be responsible for the accident and the court will place blame in percentages. It is crucial to state that if a certain plaintiff is assigned more than 51 percent of the blame, they will be disqualified from collecting any restitution.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle accidents are often more fatal than accidents involving two automobiles because the driver and passenger of the motorcycle are in a vulnerable position. The San Antonio motorcycle accident lawyer will investigate the accident with the help of police reports, by speaking to witnesses and extracting pictures of the scene of the accident. A San Antonio motorcycle accident lawyer can help you calculate the compensation you deserve due to medical expenses, lost income, and represent you in a trial. The San Antonio motorcycle accident lawyer will handle the negotiations with insurance agents and other parties involved in the accident to ensure an adjudication that is favorable to you.
Drunk Driving Accidents
Drunk driving is a crime in Texas that can lead to devastating accidents and injuries to the driver, passenger, pedestrian, and bikers. Unfortunately, getting a conviction in a driving while intoxicated (DWI) case is not all that easy. The prosecutor must prove that the individual was driving a vehicle and that the individual lost control of the vehicle because of the alcohol content in their body. The prosecutor must also prove that the drunk driver was driving with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or greater.
Why the officer chose to stop the DWI driver is crucial because the driver’s rights have been violated if the officer did not stop the DWI driver for a lawful reason. It is crucial to have an attorney who knows how to challenge and deal with the initial traffic stop of the DWI driver. In addition to pressing charges against the DWI driver, an attorney can help you press charges against the pub or bar where the DWI driver purchased the alcoholic beverages according to the Texas Dram Shop Act. The plaintiff must prove that the individual was drunk and a danger to themselves and others around them.
Victims of DWI accidents can seek compensation for disability, disfigurement, injuries, lost wages, mental anguish, pain, and suffering. It is possible to get a higher compensation by hiring a more experienced attorney who knows all of the specific laws that could apply in a DWI case. Always observe the testimonials that other clients have provided before hiring an attorney. Try to avoid incompetent attorneys who are accepting a large number of clients and trying to provide unnecessarily speedy services in a DWI case.
Final Word Of Advice:
Any attorney you choose to represent you after a car accident in San Antonio should be receptive to everything you have to say. The attorney should not be attempting to provide you with an expeditious conclusion to your case without providing proper reparations for their client. Trying to deliver a hectic or abrupt end to a case will almost certainly lead to regrets later on. In most cases, the case will be a work in progress and as new developments and new information comes to light it will help make your case stronger to ensure a favorable final judgment.