Spring, Texas is a great place to live and raise a family. Sitting right on the artery of IH-45, everyone loves spending time in Spring. Whether Christmas shopping at Old Towne Spring in the winter, or cooling off at Splashtown in the summer, you’ll never run out of fun! With its location on the North Freeway and all those attractions, there is, unfortunately, no shortage of car accidents in Spring. 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 Spring, 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.
Spring, Texas Car Accident Statistics
In 2015, more than 35,000 people died in traffic accidents in the United States, a 7.2 percent increase from nearly 33,000 in 2014. That is the largest increase since an 8.1 percent rise in traffic fatalities from 1965 to 1966. Furthermore, the Department of Transportation estimatedthat more than 2.4 million people suffered injuries in traffic accidents during 2015.
A traffic accident can take place at any time, on any road. You don’t need to drive on a major highway, such as Interstate 45 or Hardy Toll Road—accidents can strike anyplace. Whether you’re on a major route like State Highway 99 or just cruising on Spring-Cypress Road through Old Town Spring, the constant possibility of accidents always loom. If a traffic accident injured you in the Houston area, consult with a Houston personal injury lawyer as quickly as possible to explore your options. For a free case evaluation to see if Texas 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
You are not particularly likely to face a traffic accident on any particular day. However, the odds are getting worse:
- Fatalities for passenger car and light-truck occupants in 2015 reached their highest point since 2009.
- Fatalities among SUV occupants in 2015 increased by 10.1 percent from 2014.
- Van occupant fatalities rose 9.3-percent.
- Fatalities for motorcyclists fatalities increased by 8.3 percent.
The total numbers aren’t the only things increasing. The fatality rates are rising, as well. Vehicle miles traveled rose 3.5 percent from 2014, the largest increase since 1992, and the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles rose from 1.08 in 2014 to 1.12 in 2015.
The Roads Aren’t Getting Safer—Even in Spring
The most recent year for which full statistics are available is 2015, but the preliminary numbers aren’t looking any better for 2016. In October 2017, the Department of Transportation estimatedmore than 37,000 traffic fatalities in 2016, up 5.6 percent from 2015. Vehicle miles driven rose by 2.2 percent, and the fatality rate of 1.18 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled rose 2.6 percent from 2015. Deaths from speeding, drunk driving, and not using seat belts all increased from 2015.
Houston is not bucking this trend. A recent study by the Houston-Galveston Area Council foundthat traffic accidents in Houston and the surrounding communities increased by 62 percent from 2011 to 2016. The accident rate per 100 million vehicle miles driven also rose, by nearly 39 percent.
While you might not view Spring as an especially high-risk area for traffic accidents, everyone has seen or heard about accidents on I-45, Hardy Toll Road, and Route 99, or even fender-benders when leaving Wet ’n’ Wild Splashtown. Whether you are going to work or just taking a nice Sunday drive to Mercer Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, every trip carries some risk. Houston and its suburbs suffer from near-legendary traffic. With heavy traffic comes traffic accidents.
What Steps Can You Take to Avoid Accidents?
No matter what you do, traffic accidents will take place—but you can dramatically reduce the risk of traffic accidents involving you. Significant incentives should put your best efforts into that. The Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration has reported that a person dies every 12 minutes in a traffic accident. Every 10 seconds, a traffic accident injures a person, and a crash takes place every five seconds.
Driving safety experts sometimes give slightly different answers for the best methods for avoiding traffic accidents. In general, though, they offer similar advice. A typical list from EHS Today advises:
- Pull into traffic with caution, watching for other drivers’ blind spots or objects that might obstruct other drivers’ vision, such as road signs, buildings, and even other vehicles. Make sure other drivers can see you.
- At traffic signals, watch for red light runners. Make sure no one runs the red or pushes through the final couple of ticks of a yellow light before you head out on the green.
- Take care when driving in the vicinity of large commercial trucks. Large blind spots run along the right-hand side and to the rear of tractor-trailer rigs.
- Keep your hands—or at least one of them—on the steering wheel.
- Avoid distractions, such as excessive messing with your sound system or climate controls, talking on a cell phone—even handsfree—eating, or taking both hands off the wheel.
- Maintain your vehicle properly, especially safety equipment, including brakes, brake lights, position lights, and headlights. Keep your tires inflated to the proper pressure.
- Watch carefully when backing up. Use mirrors, but turn and look so you can see what their blind spots do not show.
- Maintain a proper distance when behind another vehicle.
- Drive politely—don’t make the same aggressive moves that upset you when someone else does them. Road rage can easily lead to accidents.
Driving requires your constant attention. Keep that in mind, pay attention to your surroundings, and always drive defensively. Whether you are merging into traffic on I-45 or going 20 miles per hour on Main Street, vigilance is your best defense.
Despite your best efforts, however, accidents will happen. You can take steps to reduce the risks, but sometimes there’s nothing you can do. You can’t control other drivers, after all.
Automobile accidents pose significant risks to drivers, at least in part because of the likelihood of injuries and property damage. You are far more likely to suffer injuries than die in the event of a traffic accident. Should you suffer injuries in an automobile accident, you have every right explore your options to recover compensation for your damages. Although the first thought after suffering an injury in an accident generally is not to sue, once you deal with immediate issues such as medical treatments, practical concerns should dictate that you take steps to determine whether the law entitles you to compensation for your injuries beyond what your own insurer will pay.
The People’s Law Library of Maryland believes that representing yourself in a personal injury accident constitutes a poor idea. Most such accidents involve complex issues of fact and law that require investigative and legal experience most people don’t have. An attorney experienced in a particular type of accidents, such as traffic accidents, will know the kind of proof and expert testimony needed to make your case—and how to provide such proof. So how do you go about finding such an attorney?
Questions to Ask Your Lawyer
If you suffered injuries as a result of a traffic accident, you want to find the lawyer who will do the best job of representing you in your efforts to obtain just compensation. But how do you do that?
The first thing you should look for is someone who knows how to handle automobile accident injury cases. Most people don’t experience many traffic accidents that involve substantial damage claims. When you do, though, you want someone representing you with experience in negotiations, the ability to evaluate the true value of your claim, and has the qualifications and background to handle your case. Certain questions can help you choose an attorney:
- How long have you practiced personal injury law?
- Do you frequently handle cases involving traffic accidents like mine?
- What are your professional credentials? Where did you go to law school? What about bar memberships, and professional awards, and recognitions?
- How many traffic accident injury cases do you handle every year? How many of those settle? How many go to trial?
While other questions can address an attorney’s ability to handle your case, those are a good start. Once you are satisfied with the attorney’s ability to handle your case, address how your attorney will handle your case. Case management style can prove important. If an attorney’s style of running a case makes you uncomfortable, the outcome can suffer. For instance, will the lawyer just tell you what to do, or give you options and let you help decide which path to take? You hired your attorney to serve as an expert, but neither approach is wrong. The larger question is what style makes you more comfortable.
Other questions about case management could include:
- Who will manage my case? Who will handle negotiations and appear in court if it comes to that?
- Who will serve as my routine point of contact?
- Will other attorneys work on my case?
- Will I get progress reports? How often and what will they include? Will you provide written or oral reports?
- What is the best way to reach you with questions?
Ask About Your Case Strengths and Weaknesses
You need to know whether you have a strong case. Ask your attorney for a brief assessment of your case’s strengths and weaknesses, and whether your case is likely to settle or go to trial. If your case seems likely to go to trial, you need to get at least an estimate of what your chances are and whether it’s worth pursuing the case. The cost of trial can make a powerful argument for settlement. Ask about mediation or arbitration as options, and whether those avenues might result in better outcomes.
What Will My Case Cost Me?
Finally, you need to know how much your lawyer will cost you, including the basis of how your lawyer will charge you, whether your case will cost you money up front and, if so, how much. Questions could include:
- Will your attorney charge you a contingency fee or an hourly rate? A contingency fee is a percentage of whatever damages you recover. Ask what that percentage is. Often, a contingency case means you don’t have to pay lawyer’s fees if you don’t win compensation. You may still need to pay expenses, so nail that down.
- If your attorney charges an hourly rate, how much is that rate—and must you pay if you don’t win compensation?
- Will you need to pay a retainer fee or any other upfront costs?
- Will you need to pay anything if you fail to get a settlement or win the case and a judgment?
- What expenses will you need to pay, and will you need to pay them even if you lose and receive no compensation?
Generally, your insurance will cover your actual expenses, both medical and property damages, even if you were at fault for the accident—within the policy’s limits. Whether you can recover beyond that amount for any injuries and damages you suffered will hinge mostly on who caused the accident. Then, the law may entitle you to more. Asking the above questions can help you determine if that is possible, and how much it will cost you. Most attorneys will volunteer this information without you needing to ask, but don’t leave without a full understanding of what your case will cost you.
If You Suffered a Traffic Accident Injury in the Spring, Texas Area, the Attorneys of Stewart J. Guss, Attorney at Law, Can Help
If a traffic accident injured you in the Houston area, consult with a Spring personal injury lawyer as quickly as possible to explore your options. For a free case evaluation to see if Texas 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.
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“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.
