Austin Car Accident Lawyer

Austin Car Accident Statistics

Austin, Texas, faces significant challenges regarding road safety, reflecting broader trends across the state and nation.

According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), Austin witnessed a total of 12,768 crashes in 2022. These incidents resulted in 116 fatalities, 532 suspected serious crashes, and 3,683 suspected serious injuries.

Additionally, there were 2,687 suspected minor crashes, 6,090 possible injury crashes, and 21,769 non-injury crashes reported in Austin.

Notably, the city experienced 111 fatal crashes, 455 suspected minor injuries, and 467 crashes of unknown severity during the same period.

Leading Causes of Car Crashes in Texas (2022)

Contributing factors to car crashes in Texas during 2022 include:

• Followed Too Closely: 11 Fatal Crashes, 20,681 Total Crashes
• Failed to Control Speed: 577 Fatal Crashes, 136,165 Total Crashes
• Driver Inattention: 332 Fatal Crashes, 84,887 Total Crashes
• Other (Not Explained): 509 Fatal Crashes, 45,768 Total Crashes
• Failed To Drive In Single Lane: 830 Fatal Crashes, 45,632 Total Crashes
• Failure To Yield – Turning Left: 158 Fatal Crashes, 35,674 Total Crashes
• Failure to Yield – Stop Sign: 128 Fatal Crashes, 30,314 Total Crashes
• Unsafe Speed: 457 Fatal Crashes, 23,633 Total Crashes
• Disregard Stop & Go Signal: 128 Fatal Crashes, 22,490 Total Crashes
• Faulty Evasive Action: 173 Fatal Crashes, 21,735 Total Crashes

Texas Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Facts

Here are some key insights from the Texas Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Facts report for 2022:

Texas experienced a slight decrease in the number of motor vehicle traffic fatalities, with the 2022 death toll of 4,481 representing a decrease of 0.36% from 2021.

Based on reportable crashes in 2022, one person was killed every 1 hour and 57 minutes, one person was injured every 2 minutes and 9 seconds, and one reportable crash occurred every 57 seconds. There were no deathless days on Texas roadways in 2022.

The Fatality Rate on Texas roadways for 2022 was 1.55 deaths per hundred million vehicle miles traveled, reflecting a 1.99% decrease from 2021.

What Are Common Causes of Car Accidents in Austin?

There are many factors that can cause accidents, which is exactly why complicated cases might need an expert to investigate and prove liability. The following are some of the most common causes:

• Reckless driving and/or speeding. Reckless driving causes a huge portion of serious car and motorcycle accidents. Speeding is by far the most common form of careless driving, accounting for nearly 20 percent of all accident fatalities. Other forms of reckless driving, such as unsafe lane changing, running stop signs and lights, tailgating, and making illegal turns, can all result in serious collisions as well. Proving that this type of driving was a factor in your accident can be very difficult and often takes the dedication of an expert.
• Distracted driving. Distracted driving is unfortunately on the rise in our city and causes tens of thousands of car accidents every year. Distractions range from smartphone use to adjusting stereo controls, to eating and drinking, to simply talking with other people in the car. Texting while driving is a common cause of these accidents. This behavior is illegal in most places and drivers who are found to have broken this law can be held responsible for the damage and losses they cause.
• Driving while intoxicated or drugged. Driving while under the influence of various substances — particularly alcohol — is responsible for a great deal of fatalities in Texas. Driving under the influence greatly increases the likelihood of a serious accident — and of course, it is illegal. Unfortunately, drunk or drugged driving can often complicate your case, since you may have to wait until after the criminal proceedings have been completed to access police records and other information pertinent to your case. An impulsive conduct can also allow you to recover punitive damages from the intoxicated driver and their insurance company, which can make your case stronger. This is another instance where the advice of an Austin car accident lawyer can make a difference since an attorney can guide you through the various civil and criminal proceedings.

Types of Car Accidents in Austin

Collisions can happen in various ways. The speed of the vehicles, point of impact, and other factors will all play a role in a car accident claim. You should hire an attorney who has handled all types of collision cases so that they’ll be equipped to prove causation, liability, and damages.

The auto accident attorneys at FVF Law have helped victims who have sustained injuries in all types of crashes, including:

• Head-on crashes
• Rear-end collisions
• T-bone accidents
• Sideswipe accidents
• Rollover accidents
• Multi-vehicle collisions
• Intersection accidents
• Hit-and-run accidents
• Single vehicle crashes
• Highway crashes
• Distracted driving accidents
• Accidents involving bicyclists, motorcyclists, or pedestrians

Our attorneys are here to provide sound legal advice and guide you through the claims process.

Contact us today to discuss your collision and learn more about your legal options.

Common Injuries From Car Accidents

While some car accidents are little more than “fender benders” and cause little or no bodily injury, others are serious or even catastrophic, resulting in often irreparable physical harm. Common types of car accident injuries include:

• Broken limbs, bruises, and sprains
• Spinal injuries
• Joint injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Amputations
• Internal bleeding
• Other bodily injuries

In addition to physical injuries, many crash victims suffer emotional trauma, mental distress, and other neurological symptoms. This can manifest as the following:

• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Heightened fear and anxiety
• Disrupted sleep and/or nightmares
• Irritability
• Numbness or tingling
• Memory loss, difficulty concentrating, and other cognitive issues

Even if you think your injuries aren’t serious enough to warrant medical attention or believe that you may recover at home without treatment, it’s important to see an Austin medical professional as soon as possible for two reasons:

1. Serious injuries may take days to appear.
2. Documenting medical issues as early as possible is very important to your legal case.

If symptoms do not get better, or actually worsen later, the insurance company will argue that your injury is not related to the car accident if you did not do a good job of treating your injuries early and consistently.

What Type of Compensation is Available After a Car Accident?

After a car accident, three potential types of compensation are available: economic, non-economic, and punitive.

Economic Damages

Economic damages make up for your financial losses, including:

• Lost wages
• Decreased earning capacity
• Repair costs
• Medical bills
• Rehabilitation and therapy
• Property damage
• Out-of-pocket expenses

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages compensate you for the other types of consequences you have experienced, such as:

• Pain and suffering
• Anxiety
• Scarring or disfigurement
• Emotional distress
• PTSD
• Decreased enjoyment of life

Punitive Damages

Punitive damages are only awarded in rare personal injury cases that involve extreme conduct from the at-fault party, such as when they act with malicious intent as opposed to mere negligence. These damages are meant to “punish” the defendant for their behavior.

What is My Car Accident Injury Claim Worth?

Every car accident claim is unique, with different victims, injuries, and circumstances.

Accordingly, the value of your case will depend on several factors:

• The extent of your injuries and how they impact your quality of life
• Your medical expenses, including future healthcare needs
• The amount of time you missed from work (lost wages)
• Whether your injuries have diminished your earning capacity
• The pain and suffering you’ve endured
• Whether you share fault for causing the collision
• The parties involved in your case
• The insurance coverage involved

Other things can affect how much your Austin car accident case is worth. The best way to determine the value of your claim is by speaking with an experienced Austin car accident attorney.

Understanding Comparative Negligence

In Texas, you can still recover the compensation you deserve after a car crash even if it was partly your fault. However, this is only true up to a certain point. The state currently has a modified comparative negligence standard with a 51% bar to recovery.

Under this standard, you will be assigned a percentage of fault for your car accident. If this percentage is 51% or more, you cannot recover compensation. Otherwise, your compensation may be reduced according to your assigned percentage.

For example, your damages award could be reduced by 20% if you are assigned 20% of the blame.

You can be certain that the opposing party will try to blame you for your crash, as successfully doing so could reduce or eliminate their liability for your injuries. But with an experienced car accident attorney on your side, you’ll be able to respond effectively to allegations of fault.