Cypress Car Accident Attorney

Cypress Car Accident Lawyers

Cypress, Texas is one of the most vibrant and rapidly growing areas in southeast Texas.  Anyone who has traveled through the main intersection of Fry, Cypress Rosehill, and Spring Cypress knows how busy (and dangerous) this area can be.  Whether you live in Fairfield, or in one of the more rural areas, and whether you are on your way to the Houston Premium Outlets near 99, or spending the afternoon at Towne Lake, you’ve seen how common car accidents in Cypress, Texas can be.  If you’ve found our website – you may have been in an accident yourself.

You may be injured, you may have questions about “what to do next,” and you may not even know where to start.  Please know that we offer a FREE consultation, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so call us right now at 800-898-4877, or click HERE to send us a question or get more information.  There is NO cost to get a free consultation right now.  If you decide to hire us, you pay us nothing up front, and you will pay absolutely nothing at all unless and until we’ve won your case.

With over 20 years of experience, and thousands of victories under our belts, our team of Cypress, Texas car accident attorneys will leave no stone unturned to get you the largest possible recovery for your injuries.  Furthermore, we are one of the highest rated major personal injury law firms in the state, and we take pride in treating our clients like family, so contact us right now.

Cypress, Texas Car Accident Statistics

More than 35,000 people died in traffic accidents in the United States during 2015, an increase of 7.2 percent from nearly 33,000 traffic fatalities in 2014. That is the largest percentage increase in fatalities, since an 8.1 percent increase from 1965 to 1966. The Department of Transportation estimated that in 2015, more than 2.4 million people suffered injuries in traffic accidents.

Almost all categories of travelers saw increases in fatalities, including passenger vehicle occupants, passengers of large trucks, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, daytime drivers, and nighttime drivers. Drivers of large commercial trucks formed one of the only groups to not see an increase in fatalities. These injuries and fatalities took place in what the DOT estimated were 6.3 million police-reported crashes, up 3.8 percent from 2014’s estimated six-million.

Nobody can accurately predict the time or place of a traffic accident. You don’t have to travel on Highway 249—accidents take place everywhere, from major roads like U.S. Route 290 to smaller ones such as Jarvis Road. If a traffic accident injured you in the Houston area, you need to consult with a Houston personal injury lawyer as quickly as possible to explore your options. For a free case evaluation to see if the law entitles you to compensation for your injuries, contact the lawyers of Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, at 800-898-4877, or send us an email through our online contact form.

Traffic Accidents Can Strike Anyone

Despite the relatively low likelihood of a traffic accident, the odds are increasing.

  • Passenger car and light-truck occupant fatalities in 2015 hit their highest levels since 2009
  • Fatalities for SUV occupants in 2015 rose by 10.1 percent from 2014
  • Likewise, van occupant fatalities increased by 9.3 percent
  • Fatalities for passenger car occupants rose by 5.7 percent, and pickup truck occupant fatalities increased by 4.7 percent
  • Fatalities among motorcyclists rose 8.3 percent

Vehicle miles driven rose 3.5 percent from 2014, the largest increase since 1992. Despite that, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles increased to 1.12 from 1.08 in 2014.

The Roads Are Growing More Dangerous—Even in Cypress

The last year for which full statistics are published was 2015—and the preliminary statistics for 2016 do not promise improvement. In October 2017, the Department of Transportation announced that more than 37,000 people died in traffic accidents, up 5.6 percent from 2015. Miles traveled increased by 2.2 percent, but that still yielded a fatality rate of 1.18 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, up 2.6 percent from 2015.

Traffic accident rates are also increasing in the Houston area. A recent study by the Houston-Galveston Area Council found that traffic accidents in the Houston area were up 62 percent from 2011 to 2016. The accident rate per 100 million vehicle miles driven also rose, reaching nearly 39 percent.

You might view Cypress as a reasonably safe area as far as traffic accidents go, but everyone has seen or heard about accidents on the Northeast Freeway, Highway 249, or at the accident factory/permanent construction site that is the 290 Fry Road/Cypress Rosehill/Spring Cypress exit…or even fender-benders while parking at Trader’s Village. Whether you are heading to work or just going over to Houston Premium Outlets, every trip involves at least some risk. Houston and its suburbs are well-known for heavy traffic, and with heavy traffic comes accidents.

What Steps Can You Take to Avoid Accidents?

Unfortunately, you cannot eliminate the risk of accidents. You can reduce that risk, though. Because of the severe potential consequences arising from traffic accidents, take whatever steps you can to cut that risk. According to the Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration, a person dies in a traffic accident every 12 minutes. Every 10 seconds, a person suffers an injury in a traffic accident, and a crash takes place every five seconds.

Driving safety experts generally give similar advice about how to reduce the risk of traffic accidents. For instance, EHS Today advises:

  • Exercise care when pulling into traffic. Pay attention to where other drivers’ blind spots are and objects that might obstruct other’s drivers’ vision.
  • At traffic signals, look out for red light runners. Make sure no one runs the red before you enter the intersection.
  • Exercise care when driving around large commercial trucks—18-wheelers have large blind spots on their right-hand sides and to their rears.
  • Avoid distractions, including overuse of your stereo system or climate controls, using cell phones, eating, or taking both hands off the wheel.
  • Watch out for children, pedestrians, and animals, because they can enter the roadway unexpectedly.
  • Keep your car in proper working order, especially safety equipment, including your brakes, brake lights, position lights, and headlights. Keep your tires inflated to the correct pressure as well.
  • Don’t rely on mirrors to back up—their blind spots can hide traffic, pedestrians, and bicycles. Turn, look, and make sure.
  • Stay a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of you.
  • Drive politely. Sparking road rage in another driver only adds to the likelihood of an accident.

You can’t prevent all accidents, but you can reduce your risks. When you drive, the best thing you can do is maintain constant attention and vigilance. Maintaining that attitude might form the best strategy to avoid traffic accidents. Whether you merge into traffic on the Northeast Freeway or drive 20 miles per hour through Cypress Top Historic Park, vigilance constitutes your best defense.

If an automobile accident injures you, explore your rights to compensation. Your first thoughts after suffering an injury in a traffic accident might turn to a lawsuit. Still, as quickly as possible after tending to your immediate needs, such as medical treatments, consult an attorney and begin determining whether the law entitles you to compensation for your injuries. You can’t really do this on your own—representing yourself in a personal injury case is a bad idea. The complex circumstances surrounding personal injuries from accidents tend to require investigative and legal experience most people simply don’t have.

Questions You Should Ask Your Lawyer

If a traffic accident injured you, you naturally want to hire the best lawyer you can. To do that, you will need information. Hiring an attorney who knows what to do should top your list. If, like most people, you don’t have experience handling traffic accident cases, you must hire someone who does. You want someone representing you who can negotiate with the other side and, if necessary, ably represent your interests in court. The attorney must evaluate the true value of your claim and ensure that you receive just compensation for your damages. Helpful questions to ask include:

  • How long have you practiced personal injury law?
  • How much of your experience involves traffic accidents like mine?
  • What are your professional credentials? Where did you go to law school? What bar memberships and professional awards and recognition do you hold?
  • Roughly how many traffic accident injury cases do you handle annually? About what percentage settle? What percentage go to trial?

Those are only the first questions you should ask—before even hiring an attorney. You might find yourself interviewing several attorneys to find the right one for you.

If the attorney’s ability to handle your case satisfies you, ask questions that will reveal how your attorney will handle your case. One important area for questions is your attorney’s case management style—will you participate in decisions, or will your attorney inform you of the approach. Both methods contain merit—it’s your case, but you did hire your attorney to serve as the expert, after all. Set these parameters and expectations ahead of time, because a client-attorney conflict about style can damage your case.

Other questions about case management could include:

  • Who will manage my case?
  • Who will come to negotiations? Who will make court appearances, if needed?
  • Who will serve as my day-to-day point of contact?
  • What other attorneys will work on my case?
  • Will you give me progress reports? What kinds of information will they include? Will you write them out?
  • What is the best way for me to reach you?

Ask About Your Case’s Strengths and Weaknesses

You need to know early on whether you have a strong case. One of the first orders of business is whether the other driver’s negligence entitles you to damages. You should ask for an assessment of your case’s strengths and weaknesses, the likelihood of a settlement, and whether your case might go to trial. If trial is likely, is the case worth enough to justify the cost?

Your lawyer might not know the answers to some of these questions early in the process—such as the likelihood of a settlement. Case value might fit into a range and not a specific number, pending further investigation. But estimates may at least prove useful.

While you should ask for an estimate of how long your case might take to conclude, this question is also hard to answer in the early stages. Cases can settle quickly, or negotiations can drag on. If your case goes to trial, that further extends the uncertainty of how long your case will take. Because you suffered damages, including medical expenses, property damage, and perhaps even lost time at work, you need to know how to manage your finances while awaiting a conclusion of your case. Your attorney might not provide a definite answer. It still doesn’t hurt to ask.

What Will My Case Cost Me?

Finally, you need to address the cost of your legal representation. You need to know how much your lawyer will charge you, whether your attorney will require you to provide money up front and, if so, how much. Questions to ask include:

  • Will your attorney charge you a contingency fee or an hourly rate? If it is a contingency fee, what percentage will you pay out of whatever damages you recover? Will you need to pay lawyer’s fees if your case fails to recover compensation?
  • If your attorney charges you an hourly rate, how much is that rate? Will your attorney require you to pay if your case fails to recover compensation?
  • Will you have to pay a retainer up front?
  • What expenses will you need to pay, and will you have to pay them even if you lose and receive no money?

In general, your insurance will pay for your medical and property damages, within policy limits, even if you caused the accident. To recover beyond that rests upon demonstrating that the other driver caused the accident, in which case you may get more, either through settlement or trial. Asking these questions can help you determine what that will cost you.

If You Suffered an Injury in a Cypress Area
Traffic Accident, the Attorneys of Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, Can Help

If a traffic accident in the Cypress, Texas area injured you, consult with a Cypress personal injury lawyer as quickly as possible to explore your options. For a free case evaluation to see if the law might entitle you to compensation for your injuries, contact the lawyers of Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, at 800-898-4877, or send us an email through our online contact form. Remember, you pay nothing at the time we take your case, and you pay us nothing unless and until we’ve won financial recovery for your damages.

See what other clients are saying:

Review: 5/5
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

“I was very pleased with how Stewart handled my case. He acted professionally at all times and really had my best interests at heart. I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome too! I would definitely recommend my friends and family to use him as their lawyer.”
-Joshua L.

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