If you have been involved in a car accident caused by another driver, you may be wondering if you should file a lawsuit to be compensated for personal injuries or damages to your vehicle.
With more than 30 years of experience handling Texas personal injury cases, the lawyers at CPM Injury Law have handled thousands of car accident cases throughout the State oif Texas. Based on this experience, we can help you determine what your legal rights are after being involved in a Texas car accident, and advise you on the best course of action to take once you’ve been involved in car wreck.
If you were not injured in the accident, but the other driver caused damage to your vehicle, you should start by making a claim with the other driver’s insurance company for the cost of repair or replacement of your vehicle if it is totaled (declared a “total loss).” In cases where you were not injured as a result of the collision, it is probably not in your best interest to file a lawsuit.
It is always a good idea to get checked out by a medical professional after a car accident, even if the symptoms you are experiencing appear to be mild. Mild symptoms that are caused by soft tissue injuries often grow worse over time if not treated appropriately and promptly. For example, a whiplash accident injury is a common yet underestimated accident injury. Many clients report never seeing a doctor after a car accident because it was “just whiplash.” Yet, whiplash causes immediate pain and places you at risk of long term conditions and increased vulnerability to injury.
Once you are involved in a car accident, you should do all of the following before leaving the scene, if possible:
Being involved in a car accident can be a traumatic experience. You will understandably be worried about the damage to your vehicle, how you will get your car repaired, or what you will do if your car is not drivable. You will be worried about injuries you may have suffered, how serious those injuries may be, and you will be concerned about how you will get medical treatment for those injuries. You may also be wondering if you have enough of a case to file a car accident lawsuit. When you have suffered an autoaccident injury, you suddenly have a lot to deal with, in addition to trying to recover from your injuries.
An experienced car accident lawyer can help take the pressure and stress of these issues off of your shoulders. Once you hire a personal injury lawyer after a car accident injury, you will not have to worry about talking to the insurance companies, who will be calling you almost immediately to get a recorded statement. At CPM Injury Law, our lawyers will immediately take all of this off of your plate. We will talk to the insurance companies on your behalf, protecting your interests at every turn.
The car accident lawyers at CPM Injury Law will make sure your car is evaluated by an experienced body shop of your choosing, not the repair shop that works for the other driver’s insurance company.
Most importantly, we can help you seek prompt and specialized treatment for your car accident injuries. The most important part of helping accident victims in Texas is helping them recover from their car accident injuries. We will leave no stone unturned to make sure your car accident injuries are promptly diagnosed and treated by board certified physicians and other medical care professionals.
Car accident injuries can seemingly start small, but grow in severity over time if they are not treated appropriately. Our goal is to restore your health, your finances, and cover you for all damages you have sustained as a result of a car accident. Once you hire our personal injury lawyers, we will handle every aspect of the case for you, all you need to do is get better physically!
Remember, we only work on a contingency fee basis, you will never pay us any money out of your pocket. We only get paid if we win your case!
The amount of any personal injury settlement for car accident injuries varies greatly on a case-by-case basis. There are several factors that determine the amount of a personal injury settlement:
Liability and Negligence
To achieve any personal injury settlement in Texas, you must be able to show that the other driver was negligent in causing your car accident injury. Negligence can be established in different ways. For example, causing a collision by speeding, recklessly driving, running a red light or stop sign, operating their vehicle while distracted by a cell phone, and driving while intoxicated are all negligent acts. Sometimes, a negligent driver hasn’t committed any of those offenses, but has otherwise failed to act as a reasonable person while operating their vehicle. Failing to act in a reasonable manner while driving on our roadways is enough to establish negligence on the part of the other driver.
Because every personal injury settlement requires a determination of negligence, it is important to gather as much information at the scene of the collision as possible, to help establish negligence of the other driver. This includes taking photographs, getting statements and contact information of witnesses, and calling the police to have these things documented.
Severity of Car Accident Injuries
The amount of a personal injury settlement is also impacted by the severity of injuries caused by the collision. Most insurance companies will evaluate the severity of your car accident injury by looking at the amount of medical bills and treatment you require to recover from the injuries. For example, a minor injury with minimal medical care will not require a personal injury settlement as large as a collision resulting in broken bones or long-term physical impairment.
It is important to seek medical care immediately after a collision to ensure that the nature and severity of your injuries are well documented and promptly treated. Having medical records to support the car accident injuries you suffered will greatly impact your personal injury settlement.
Insurance Coverage
The amount of a personal injury settlement for car accident injuries can also be impacted by the amount of insurance coverage available for the at fault driver. Some insurance policies can be as small as $30,000.00 per person injured in a car accident. However, insurance policies range from the minimum amount of $30,000 to millions of dollars in coverage. It is important to contact a personal injury lawyer immediately after suffering a car accident injury to find out what amount of insurance coverage is available to pay any personal injury settlement.
Our car accident lawyers have handled thousands of car accident injury cases, from minor cases with whiplash injuries to cases involving wrongful death permanent injuries such as paralysis. Every case is different, and CPM Injury Lawyers will take the unique circumstances of your case into account when developing a custom strategy to get the best possible personal injury settlement for you and your family.
Timely Reporting and Filing
As you can see, there are a lot of steps to getting a personal injury settlement for car accident injuries. It is critically important that you follow these steps to ensure you are able to recover the best personal injury settlement possible for your car accident injuries. To make sure these steps are handled quickly and effectively, it’s best to contact a local car accident lawyer at CPM Injury Law immediately after suffering a car accident injury. We will take these burdens off of your shoulders and help you recover physically and financially.
Contact an Austin Car Accident Attorney
Make sure you protect your rights after suffering a car accident injury. Call our personal injury lawyer team at CPM Injury Law today to get on the road to recovery. We are standing by to help all victims of negligent car accidents in Texas. Remember, there is no risk to calling us for a free consultation. It will not cost you any money to speak with us, and we only get paid if we win your case.