Car Accident Lawyer in Houston

When you have Fibich, Leebron, Copeland & Briggs on your side, you have seasoned legal advocates who understand the ins and outs of car accident claims. The experience of our car accident lawyers significantly affects how much — and how soon — a car accident victims receives financial compensation for your injuries and losses.

In pursuing your motor vehicle accident case, we will:

• Investigate the crash scene
• Preserve and secure all available evidence
• Document your injuries and losses to calculate any compensation you could be owed
• Retain expert witnesses in automotive engineering, accident reconstruction, medicine, vocational counseling, or finance; their testimony can build a robust, compelling argument for your rights to financial recovery
• Identify all parties who could hold liability for your accident
• Find all applicable insurance coverage
• File insurance or legal claims on your behalf
• Explain your legal options so you may make informed decisions
• Aggressively pursue full and fair compensation in a settlement or, if necessary, at trial

Most victims of car accidents hope they can recover just enough money to cover medical bills and lost wages. Texas law allows claimants to recover other damages from car accidents. Your settlement could cover some or all of the following accident-related expenses:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Lost wages if you cannot work while you recovering from your injuries
• Diminished future earnings if you’re permanently disabled and unable to work because of the accident
• Physical pain and emotional suffering
• Loss of companionship, dependence, love/affection, and intimate relations with your spouse
• Wrongful death damages, if your loved one was killed in an auto accident
• Vehicle repair or replacement
• Property damage
• Punitive damages if a particularly negligent individual caused your accident and did so on purpose

It is impossible to know ahead of time how much compensation you could recover, as every car crash is different. The amount of driver insurance coverage and/or settlement money you may receive depends largely on the insurance company and the negotiations your car accident lawyer makes.

With that being said, the value of your claim will be heavily influenced by the following factors:

• The type and severity of your injuries
• The costs of your reasonable and necessary medical expenses
• The amount of time you are unable to work
• Your level of insurance coverage
• The other driver’s insurance coverage
• The strength of the evidence in your favor
• The strength of your legal counsel

By contacting our car accident lawyers in Houston, you’ll get a better idea of how things could go based on the specifics of your case and the insurance company you’re dealing with.

If you believe you are partly at fault for the car crash, you can still file a claim and recover compensation. But you should hire an experienced car accident lawyer first. Regardless of the circumstances of the car crash, legal counsel is especially crucial if your actions contributed to the car accident that led to your injury.

In addition, you should never admit fault after a car accident. It’s reasonable and natural to sympathize with another injured driver or passenger, but to apologize or speculate about how the crash happened can only hurt your case. If you do, you risk saying something incriminating, and the insurance carrier could use your words against you. If the insurance company contacts you to obtain details about the crash, you should refer them to your Texas car accident attorney.

Under Texas’s modified comparative fault rules, you may still seek compensation for an auto collision as long as you are less than 50% at fault for the crash. However, compensation for car accident lawsuits is reduced by a percentage equal to your proportion of responsibility for the crash.

As an example, let’s say you were injured in a rear-end crash that resulted in $10,000 worth of economic damages. The court ruled the other driver to be 90% responsible for the crash because they were following you too closely. But because you had a broken tail light, you are 10% to blame. Based on this, the insurance company will only pay you $9,000 total.

Seeking compensation after a car accident on your own is often a complicated and lengthy ordeal. It involves paperwork, investigations, and several rounds of negotiations with insurance companies. With a Houston auto accident lawyer by your side, you can avoid any costly mistakes and ensure your best interests are protected throughout your claim.

When you file a car accident claim, you should take the following steps:

• Keep records about all injuries, property damage, medical bills, lost income, and other losses. These can bolster your accident claim.
• Wait for the insurance companies to perform their investigation.
• Do not speak with the other driver’s insurance company unless your lawyer is assisting or advising you. The other driver’s insurance company may call you to ask questions, but you are under no obligation to discuss with them. Doing so can be risky and could hurt your case.

Once the investigation is complete, the insurance carrier may offer you a settlement. Be careful not to accept a settlement until you’ve had a chance to discuss it with our Houston auto accident attorneys.

You may submit a counteroffer with additional evidence if you do not think the offered amount is fair. If the insurance company denies your claim, you may be able to file an appeal. Further negotiations will ensue, potentially multiple back-and-forth rounds. If you reach an agreement, you may accept their offer in exchange for waiving your right to seek further legal action.

If you still cannot reach an agreement, you may file a lawsuit in court against the insurer to pursue of additional compensation. At that point, your case could go to a judge or jury.

Like any sort of personal injury claim, a car accident lawsuit in Texas is subject to a statute of limitations. This rule places a hard deadline on how long you have to take legal action.

In Texas, you have two years from the date of your accident to file a claim against the at-fault driver. This applies to claims filed by drivers, passengers, pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists. This same deadline also applies to property damage claims. Filing a lawsuit after the statute of limitations has expired will almost certainly result in the court refusing to hear your claim. At that point, you’re prevented from recovering compensation.

It is important to remember that insurance claims have a much different timeline. Most insurance policies require you to report a collision to your insurer within a few days or weeks of the crash.

Because time is of the essence, it’s best to hire a Houston car accident attorney immediately after a crash. This way, your lawyer will ensure that you comply with all deadlines that apply to your case.

Based on the circumstances, any of the following parties — or a combination of them — could have partial or full liability for a motor vehicle accident:

• The other driver(s)
• A large commercial truck
• Another road user, such as a motorcyclist, bicyclist, or pedestrian
• The driver’s employer, if the crash occurred while the driver was operating a company vehicle
• The manufacturer or seller of a defective auto part or vehicle
• A state or local government agency

A knowledgeable, experienced Houston car accident lawyer can help identify all responsible parties and fight for compensation from all possible sources.