Report: Serious or fatal car accidents happen all too often in Texas

 Posted on April 13, 2018 in Uncategorized

Every year, the Texas Department of Transportation records statistics on a number of subjects — one of them being fatal automobile accidents. The state has not yet released the 2017 numbers, but the 2016 numbers show that serious or fatal car accidents happen all too often in Texas.

What do the numbers say? What is causing these accidents? What can victims or — in the event of fatality — their surviving family members do after the fact? Can they seek relief for their losses?

Numbers, numbers, numbers…

As far as injuries go, there were roughly 265,000 people hurt in auto accidents in Texas in 2016. It appears that a little over 17,500 of them suffered serious injuries. As far as fatalities go, 3,773 individuals lost their lives on Texas roads that same year. By the numbers, this means that there was an auto-related fatality just about every two hours, an injury every two minutes and a car accident every minute.

Why?

These accidents happened for various reasons. Drunk driving led to 987 of the total auto collision-related fatalities for 2016. Distracted driving was a factor in 455 deaths. It is unclear how many injuries to which these behaviors contributed. Most injuries or fatalities occurred due to the inability to control vehicles, head-on collisions, intersection crashes and pedestrian accidents — among others.

Compensation

If you have suffered injuries or lost a loved one in a motor vehicle accident, you may be entitled to significant compensation for your losses — whether they are economic or non-economic in nature. Wondering how?

If injured in a wreck with, say, a drunk or distracted driver, you may file a personal injury claim against that individual and anyone else who may be liable — like a parent or employer. If you can establish that negligence contributed to the accident, a judge may grant monetary relief in your case. If you've lost a loved one in a similar accident, instead of a personal injury claim, you'd need to pursue a wrongful death claim in order to seek damages.

After a careful case review, an experienced personal injury lawyer can help you file all the claims that are applicable to your situation. Further help in litigating or negotiating the matter privately can then be available.