If you have sustained personal injuries in a motor vehicle accident, a San Antonio car crash lawyer can safeguard your legal rights while your case is pending. Car accidents, even relatively minor ones, can result in serious injuries – not to mention damages to your motor vehicle. On top of this, Texas personal injury law is complex. Remedying all these factors after an accident adds up financially and can begin to feel overwhelming. A knowledgeable car crash lawyer at Brylak Law may be able to help you obtain monetary compensation for your injuries and damages and relieve unnecessary stress after your accident.
Steps to Take Following a San Antonio Car Crash
The first thing you should do following a car crash is to stop your vehicle. Under Texas law, if you fail to stop, you could receive a citation for a hit-and-run. You should also make sure to:
- Call 9-1-1 to summon the police and ambulance services.
- Exchange names, addresses, phone numbers, insurance information, and license plate numbers with the other driver involved in the collision.
- Remain on-scene and make sure that anyone who requires medical assistance receives help.
When you are exchanging insurance information with the other driver, you should never apologize or admit full – or even partial – responsibility for the car crash. If you do admit full or partial responsibility at the accident scene, the at-fault driver’s insurance company could later decide to deny liability in your case or severely limit the amount of money offered to settle your claim.
When in doubt, you should try and keep your distance from the other driver as much as possible while you are still at the accident scene.
Proving Fault and Damages in Your Accident Case
A San Antonio car crash lawyer can assist you with proving fault and damages in your accident case. When it comes to proving fault, a lawyer can make sure that all potentially responsible parties are bought into the pending claim or lawsuit and can assist you with proving negligence on the part of those individuals or entities.
If you can show that another driver caused or contributed to the collision, you may be entitled to recover monetary compensation for your injuries. You may also be able to recover compensation for both economic and non-economic losses sustained as a result of the accident, including some or all of the following:
- Medical, hospital, and physical therapy bills
- Permanent or temporary disability caused by the accident and the injuries sustained therein
- Damage to vehicles and other property
- Loss of future earning capacity (i.e. in cases involving permanent injuries)
- Causally related emotional distress and mental anguish
- Past, present, and future pain and suffering
A San Antonio car crash lawyer can assist you with maximizing the value of your personal injury case, as well as the amount of your monetary damages. Keep in mind that the insurance company is not on your side, and adjusters have no duty to discuss which types of monetary damages you may be entitled to under the law.
Insurance Company Recorded Statements
Following a motor vehicle accident, the at-fault driver’s insurance company may request that you provide a recorded statement about how the accident happened, as well as the injuries and damages you sustained in the accident. Contrary to what the insurance adjuster may say, you are not required to provide such a statement under the law.
In most cases, insurance adjusters will use recorded statements as an opportunity to trick accident victims into unwillingly making statements that hurt the value of their cases. You should never agree to provide a recorded statement without first consulting with a San Antonio car crash lawyer. You should also have that lawyer present (either in-person or on the telephone) while you provide the recorded statement to the adjuster.
Keep in mind that insurance companies are never “on your side” in a personal injury case – and that the insurance industry does not make billions of dollars each year by paying out personal injury claims and settlements. Rather, they make – and keep – their money by settling personal injury claims quickly and cheaply.
A San Antonio car crash lawyer will know and understand all of the tricks and tactics used by insurance companies and their adjusters to undervalue personal injury claims and can help you combat those tactics head-on.
Contact a San Antonio Car Crash Lawyer Today for a Free Initial Consultation
If you have sustained personal injuries in a motor vehicle accident, a San Antonio car crash lawyer can help to ensure that you receive the monetary compensation you deserve under Texas law. An attorney can negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf, safeguard all of your legal rights while your personal injury case is pending, and litigate your case through the Texas court system.
You can contact a San Antonio car crash lawyer at Brylak Law by calling (866) 496-3815, for a free initial case evaluation and consultation.
