Laredo Personal Injury Accident Lawyers

Car Accidents

Negligent drivers are out there, and negligence comes in many forms, including distraction, impairment, exhaustion, aggression, and more. Car accidents—even at slow speeds—are dangerous. While car accidents can range from very minor to fatal, it’s always a good idea seek medical attention after any vehicular accident. Injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries, have a way of hiding in plain sight until they develop over time to become more serious—and more difficult to treat. Car accidents can lead to a host of negative physical, financial, and emotional consequences.

Motorcycle Accidents

Bikers love the open road, and Texas offers mile after mile of beautiful rides. When you’re on a bike, however, your low profile makes you much less visible to other drivers on the road—and you’re, therefore, far more susceptible to accidents and injury. Further, when you ride, you have nothing but your safety gear to protect you from the impact of an accident, and some even ride without much gear at all. Motorcycle accidents are dangerous accidents, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports out on several significant statistics from recent years:

• Motorcyclists are about 29 times more likely than car occupants to be killed in traffic accidents (based on miles traveled).
• The motorcycle-accident fatality rate rose by 8 percent (from 2014 to 2015).
• Motorcyclists accounted for 14 percent of all traffic-accident deaths and for 4 percent of all traffic-accident injuries.

The statistics indicate that motorcycle accidents are extremely dangerous and are often deadly.

Semi-Truck Accidents

Accidents involving semis are among the most dangerous on our highways. After all, these huge vehicles are many, many times the size and weight of the average vehicles, and as such, they pose a tremendous threat. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that, in recent years, more than 1 in 10 traffic fatalities involved a large truck and that the majority of those killed were occupants of the cars involved. The IIHS also explains that massive trucks that are loaded down with cargo require stopping distances that are 20 to 40 percent greater than the average car’s. This differential is even greater on wet, icy, or otherwise slippery roadways. Truck accidents often lead to tragic consequences.

Bike Accidents

Biking is a great way to get out and enjoy the city of Laredo. When you take to your bike, you reap the benefits of an inexpensive, healthy, and green mode of transportation, but you’re also vulnerable to accidents and injuries. When you’re biking, there is absolutely nothing but your bike helmet to protect you from the impact of a dangerous traffic accident. The risk factors for bicyclists are too significant to ignore. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that while bike trips account for only about 1 percent of road trips in the U.S., cyclists are at far greater risk of being killed or injured in traffic accidents, as opposed to occupants of vehicles. In fact, in one year alone, there were more than 1,000 bike-accident fatalities and almost 467,000 bike-accident injuries on American roads. When you take to the streets of Laredo on your trusty bike, always make safety your top priority.

Pedestrian Accidents

When you head out on foot, you probably don’t think about traffic accidents.Pedestrian accidents, however, happen, and they are exceedingly dangerous. Whether you walk for exercise, to get from point A to point B, or simply to dash from your car to your office, you are vulnerable to the traffic all around you. The statistics forwarded by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center are revealing:

• There were more than 5,000 pedestrian traffic-accident fatalities in one year—the highest number in decades.
• The number of pedestrian traffic-accident injuries rose by almost 15 percent over a ten-year period.
• While total traffic-accident fatalities fell by almost 18 percent, pedestrian traffic-accidents increased.

When you’re on foot, it’s important to recognize the significant risk imposed by surrounding traffic and to make staying safe your primary focus.

Slip and Fall Accidents

Slip and falls are among the most common and dangerous accidents out there. They can happen nearly anywhere—at work, during a quick trip to the market, while running errands, or when you’re doing just about anything. When you’re perusing the aisles at your local convenience store or shopping at your favorite department store, you have every expectation that it’s safe to do so. Sometimes, however, business owners and/or managers don’t maintain the reasonably safe conditions that are necessary to keep customers safe, and dangerous slip and fall accidents can occur. The National Floor Safety Institute shares several sobering statistics related to slip and falls:

• Falls account for about 11 percent of job-related fatalities for men and about 5 percent for women.
• Slip and falls lead to about 1 million emergency room visits every year in the United States.
• Fractures incurred in slip and fall accidents lead to the most serious slip-and-fall-related health problems and fatalities.
• Slip and falls are especially dangerous for the elderly, and the fall-incidence rate goes up with every decade of life.

While slipping and falling might seem like nothing more than an embarrassment, serious injuries often result. Take slip and falls very seriously.

Workplace Accidents

While you can suffer injuries on the job in any occupation, some professions are far more dangerous than others, such as construction work, utility work, gas and oilfield occupations, emergency response work, and so many other necessary careers. These jobs are very important to the city of Laredo, but they are also inherently dangerous. Being injured on the job can be especially devastating; a serious injury—after all—can negatively affect your ability to continue to work and can even diminish your earning potential into the future. If you sustained a work-related injury, you need experienced legal counsel.

Nursing Home Injuries

Coming to the difficult conclusion that your loved one needs nursing home care can be emotionally devastating, but once you’ve done the hard work of finding a facility that’s a good fit for your aging relative, you’ll probably be able to breathe a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, nursing home injuries happen—and they’re often the result of nursing home negligence or even abuse. The elderly are among our most vulnerable citizens, and when they suffer unnecessary harm due to neglect or abuse perpetrated by their very caregivers, it’s especially egregious and difficult. It’s important to remember that the threat is real: the National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA) reports that, while nursing home neglect and abuse is underreported, nearly 30 percent of nursing homes in the U.S. received citations for violations of federal safety standards that either harmed or could have harmed their residents. During this same time period, almost 10 percent of nursing homes received citations for violations that DID harm or imperil residents. If your elderly relative has unexplained injuries or confusing physical and/or emotional symptoms, seek skilled legal counsel.

Defective Drugs

We seek medical treatment and medications to help us stay healthy and active, but when the drugs we take do more harm than good instead, it is especially difficult. Massive pharmaceutical companies are often motivated more by profits than they are by the inducement of health and safety—this is sometimes true even when the company recognizes the dangerous side effects. This business model can lead to serious injuries for unsuspecting consumers who assume that the medications they take will at the very least do more good than harm. If you or your loved one has sustained harm from a defective drug, you know it can be devastating, and our experienced legal counsel will aggressively advocate for the compensation that you deserve.

Your Damages

No matter what kind of personal injury you’ve suffered—and no matter how severe—if someone else’s negligence has caused you injuries, you need an experienced personal injury law firm. Even a relatively mild injury can lead to significant personal damages—including medical expenses, lost wages, and physical and emotional pain—that inhibit your ability to live your life in the manner you would have if you hadn’t been injured. Serious and catastrophic injuries are naturally even more disruptive and damaging. Stewart J. Guss and his dedicated team of attorneys and legal professionals handles many claims that range from the relatively mild to the catastrophic:

• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), which can range from mild (concussions) to severe
• Fractured, shattered, and crushed bones, including skull and facial fractures
• Whiplash and other injuries to the neck
• Spinal cord injuries
• Soft-tissue injuries
• Back injuries
• Burns
• Internal hemorrhaging
• Internal organ damage
• Amputations
• Fatal injuries

Whether the injuries you incur in an accident caused by another’s negligence seem minor or are readily apparent, seek medical attention immediately. Even minor-seeming injuries can morph into far more complicated and serious conditions that necessitate ongoing medical care and that can alter the course of your life.