Do you know what to do in the event of a traffic accident? It’s a game plan most people don’t think about until it’s too late. Sure, we all know to pull over, exchange information, and report the accident. But then what?
Every year, traffic accidents injure thousands of drivers and their passengers across Texas. According to a recent report from the Texas Department of Transportation, in just one year there were nearly 250,000 traffic accident injuries in the Lone Star State. Of these, almost 15,000 were classified as “serious.”
After getting injured in a traffic accident, you may have the right to receive significant financial compensation. You don’t know unless you try – and the first step is giving us a call. An experienced Houston personal injury lawyer not only knows your rights, but they also protect them too. Contact the team at Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers for a free case evaluation today.
About Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers Traffic Attorneys
Ours is a national law firm based in Houston with multiple offices around the country. We also work with affiliate law firms in most states that share our focus and dedication to excellence, so no matter where you live, you can give us a call and see how we can help. With millions in settlement recoveries and judgments during the last two decades, our next victory could be yours.
We are open, for FREE, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 800-898-4877, or you may contact us now by CLICKING HERE to submit your case for review.
Since establishing our headquarters in Houston, Texas in 1999, our firm has grown to numerous locations across the country, including hubs in Dallas, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. Along the way, we’ve built a trusted network of partners throughout all 50 states who share our values and our commitment to excellence.
**No matter where you are, it’s our mission to insure that you have the finest representation for your case.**
Reach out now to learn more about how we can help.
Injured Victims’ Rights to Compensation After a Traffic Accident
Getting hurt in a Houston traffic accident can leave you in considerable physical, emotional, and financial pain. Filing an insurance claim is no cakewalk either. You deserve compensation for your out of pocket costs, your lost wages, and your pain and suffering.
“Where does that money come from?” Glad you asked! In Houston, accident victims often resort to:
Your Own Auto Insurance
All Texas drivers must carry liability auto insurance to protect themselves and others against injuries and damages in a crash. All Texas auto insurance policies include PIP insurance (personal injury protection) unless the driver waives that coverage in writing. PIP covers the driver’s own medical and disability related expenses in the event of an accident, regardless of fault. Not sure if you carry PIP? You likely do, but to be sure, call your insurance carrier. For more help on this process, contact the experienced Houston traffic injury attorneys at Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers today.
Claims Against the At-Fault Party
Fortunately, Houstonians are not just limited to their own insurance policies when someone else’s actions cause them to get hurt in a car wreck.
Under Texas law, you generally have the right to seek compensation from anyone whose actions or decisions wrongfully harm you.
Every personal injury lawsuit we handle here at Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers has its own unique facts and circumstances. We cannot say for certain exactly how much money your case is worth without consulting with you.
However, a typical Houston car accident victim may seek compensation for:
- Medical bills: Houston car accident victims should not put off getting medical care just because they’re afraid they can’t afford it. Even if PIP coverage is often not enough to cover all of your bills, chances are that if someone else caused your accident, you have the right to recover your current and future medical costs from that person and/or their insurance provider.
- Lost wages: After an accident, resting is one of the most important things you can do to recover and prevent further injury. Far too often, accident victims push themselves too hard and go back to work too early, worrying that they cannot afford to miss another paycheck. Fortunately, in a Houston traffic accident injury lawsuit, victims can seek compensation for those lost wages. If their injuries keep them out of work permanently, they can claim lost future earnings as well.
- Pain and suffering: Not all injuries are visible. Houston traffic accidents can inflict significant discomfort and emotional agony. To us, that harm is just as real as your itemized hospital bill. At Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, our team understands the difficulty these invisible injuries cause, and we fight to make sure the parties at fault pay for them.
- Loss of life enjoyment: Your happiness matters. Your ability to participate in activities you enjoy matters. When physical or psychological injuries leave you unable to do the things you love, you deserve compensation.
These are just some examples of the types of compensation a Houston traffic accident victim might recover in a lawsuit. To get an idea of just how much money you might receive for your injuries, call Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, today.
What to Do After an Accident
If the person or company who caused your Houston traffic accident injuries tries to give you cash or a check to avoid getting lawyers and insurance agencies involved, we’ve got four words for you: don’t fall for it.
The team at Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, knows how to build a strong case on behalf of our clients hurt in Houston traffic accidents. Still, it always helps when our clients have followed some simple steps to help protect their own legal rights until we get involved.
Step 1: Getting the other driver’s information. In most cases, you have a legal obligation to exchange information with the other driver in a traffic accident.
These days, the best way to document that information is to take a picture of the other driver’s license and insurance card, which should usually include all of the information you need:
- The other driver’s name, address, and phone number
- The name of the insurance company
- The name of the policyholder (this may be different than the driver)
- The policy number
- The contact information for the insurance provider
Step 2: Gathering evidence at the accident scene before clean-up crews arrive. This isn’t CSI; we don’t expect you to gather soil samples or dust for fingerprints. But simple photo evidence from your phone is a great start for building a car accident case. Pictures or video could help your attorney reconstruct the accident and prove fault.
While just about any pictures or videos are helpful, consider yourself a top accident scene photographer if you can safely capture images that show:
- Your vehicle (the whole vehicle and its damaged portions)
- The other vehicle (same as above)
- Property damage (including skid marks, street signs, etc.)
Step 3: Going to the doctor. This is not the time to “grin and bear it.” On the contrary, err on the side of caution and always seek medical treatment after a Houston traffic accident. Do not confuse feeling okay in the moments after an accident with actually being okay. Some life-threatening or debilitating injuries might not show symptoms right away, but a doctor can spot them with some simple tests. Seeking medical care after an accident ensures that records exist of the connection between the accident and any injuries your doctor finds. These records go a long way in supporting your case.
Step 4: Contact an experienced personal injury attorney. At Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, we fight for our clients to make sure they get every penny they deserve after a Houston traffic accident. You should never have to worry about bills, insurance companies, or endless paperwork after a crash injury. Let us worry about taking the steps necessary to preserve and protect your legal rights, while you focus on healing. We want you to recuperate and recoup.
One more thing: After an accident, watch what you say and what you. Insurance companies and defense lawyers have their eyes on you. Exercise common sense – i.e., do not post a picture of yourself kayaking while claiming a serious shoulder injury. Beware a stranger asking even a simple question like “How are you today?” If you say “I’m okay,” an insurance company could use it against you. If you tell the doctor you feel “alright” today, the insurance company might see this on your medical records. Even saying “sorry” to the other driver at the crash scene can incriminate you. Don’t be surprised if someone claims that means the accident was your fault.
Factors That May Affect Your Case
Spoiler alert: there is no way to predict in advance how much your Houston traffic accident case will be worth. As much as we would like to pull out an enchanted calculator to tell our clients exactly how much money they will recover through a legal claim, the truth is, that’s impossible until we know more about each client’s case. We work hard to research and evaluate the strength of the case, the size of the claim, and the likelihood of payment.
In our line of work, we consider things like these:
- Availability of evidence: We cannot underscore just how important evidence can be in a Houston traffic accident injury case. The legal right to compensation depends on proving how the accident happened, who was at fault, what injuries it caused, and how much money the victim deserves. The more high-quality evidence, the better the chances of high recovery amounts.
- Your injury and prognosis: Naturally, the worse the injury is and the more difficult and painful the recovery is, the more money a crash victim ought to recover. Sometimes it takes expert analysis from doctors to predict a Houston traffic accident victim’s likely recovery outcome.
- The number of parties involved: Some Houston traffic accidents involve just one or two vehicles, and there can be no doubt about who was at fault. Other accidents get a tad more complex – they can feature multiple victims, multiple parties with legal liability, or both. Each extra party in a lawsuit adds intricacies an attorney needs to iron out. This can affect how long it takes for a case to resolve, and how much money a victim might hope to recover. Always hire an experienced Houston traffic accident attorney, because you never know when what seems like a simple case will turn out to be a headache and a half.
- Financial resources available to pay claims: Our civil law system has some rather arbitrary features. For instance, the amount of money an innocent Houston traffic accident victim might hope to recover in a lawsuit depends partly on whether the person or entity who caused the accident has enough money to pay up. Two people might suffer nearly-identical injuries in separate crashes, but they might recover vastly different amounts of money depending on who hit them. (An individual’s minimum liability insurance versus the insurance of a large business, for example.)
- The willingness of each party to settle: Sometimes it can feel like negotiations over compensation for a traffic accident resemble a game of Survivor. Can you outwit and outlast the other party? In all seriousness, if insurance companies and defense lawyers think you are in a hurry to settle a traffic accident claim, then they will likely offer you less money as compensation. If there is no rush, it often pays to show the party with legal liability that you have power and determination.
Injured in a Houston Traffic Accident? Contact Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers
If there’s one thing every Houston traffic accident victim needs to know, it’s that they are not alone. At Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, our job is to advocate for injured victims of preventable traffic crashes in Houston and throughout the Lone Star State. We do not tolerate insurance companies who try to get away with offering injured crash victims less than they deserve, and we fight hard for a fair and just outcome in every case we take.
Your rights matter. After a crash harms you, make sure to hire an attorney who knows the ins-and-outs of representing injured victims of Houston traffic accidents. Set yourself up for success in recovering the compensation you deserve. You owe it to yourself.
The legal team of Stewart J. Guss, Injury Accident Lawyers, is nationally recognized for protecting the rights of injured victims for more than 20 years. If a Houston traffic accident leaves you or a loved one injured, call our office right now for a free consultation! Because we take all of our personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, you will not owe us a DIME unless we win your case. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for FREE, so call us today at 800-898-4877 or contact us now by CLICKING HERE.
“I was extremely impressed with how easy they made the process of dealing with my insurance company, doctor’s offices, and other bill collectors involved in my accident. They are very good at keeping you informed about your case and turn your calls very quickly. If I am ever in another car accident I will be using them again.”
Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Allen C.
February 2020
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