San Antonio Car Accident Lawyer

How Often Do Car Accidents Happen in San Antonio?

Car accidents regularly occur in San Antonio and can cause a wide range of injuries—some that will heal with time, some that cause permanent impairments, and others that prove fatal. Consider the following statistics from one recent year in San Antonio:

• Total reported crashes: 42,474
• Possible injuries: 15,262
• Reported non-incapacitating injuries: 3,420
• Reported incapacitating injuries: 756
• Fatalities: 153

Car accidents are always a risk, and if another driver’s negligence leaves you injured, you know the difficulties that result. While a car accident can cause most people to panic, doing so is rarely a great idea. Of course, it’s easy to advise you not to panic, but implementing that advice is another story. What can help is understanding a few basic steps as they apply to car accidents and allowing that information to guide you in the aftermath of an accident.

Why Do You Need a San Antonio Car Accident Attorney?

If another driver’s negligence injured you, you need experienced legal counsel. It’s as simple as that. Serious car accidents have many moving parts—any one of which can trip you up in your efforts to obtain fair compensation. Your skilled car accident attorney will focus on what matters while helping to navigate your claim toward its most just resolution. While you get down to the serious work of physical and emotional recovery, allow your dedicated car accident attorney to help guide your claim toward its best possible outcome. Don't try to handle your car accident claim alone—consult one of Stewart J. Guss’s experienced San Antonio car accident lawyers.

Car Accidents: Myths and Truths

We’ve all heard the myths about car accidents, but how do you separate the rumors from the truth? Read on to learn more.

Simply meeting with a car accident attorney does not mean that your claim will end up in court. In fact, a skilled car accident lawyer will do everything possible to effectively and efficiently wrap up your claim before going to trial. This means preparing to go to court but working hard to settle advantageously with the car insurance company.

If you don't immediately notify your insurance company after an accident, it doesn’t preclude you from doing so later. While there’s a statute of limitations related to car accidents, and while time isn’t necessarily on your side, no law requires you to speak to your insurance company before you’re ready to do so or before you’ve received adequate guidance from a car accident attorney.

The insurance company is not your friend and doesn’t necessarily share your interest in paying you fair compensation. In fact, insurance companies are in the business of making money at any cost, which includes denying claims and minimizing payouts if possible.

While you are not required to make an official statement to the negligent driver’s insurance company (and shouldn’t do so), you may need to go on the record with your own insurance company. Allow your dedicated car accident attorney to guide you through this process, and remember that short, truthful, and succinct responses that directly address only the question at hand are always the best policy.

If you didn’t seek immediate medical attention after your car accident, it doesn’t mean that you didn’t suffer injuries in the accident. Car accidents upset and overwhelm many people who don’t make the best choices in their aftermaths. In fact, many car-accident victims want to put the whole thing behind them as quickly as possible, which can include ignoring their own health. While it’s always in your best interest to obtain medical care after an accident, delaying needed care doesn’t mean you were not injured in the accident. Making less-than-optimal choices after an accident doesn’t preclude you from obtaining the compensation you deserve.

How Can Negligent Drivers Cause San Antonio Car Accidents?

Several forms of negligence are commonly associated with car accidents in San Antonio, including:

Distraction. Distracted drivers are so prevalent that the U.S. government has devoted a website to this dangerous issue, distraction.gov, that classifies distracted driving into three distinct categories:

1. Visual distractions
2. Manual distractions
3. Cognitive distractions

Smartphone use is such an efficient distraction that it incorporates all three classifications simultaneously. And such use is on the rise. When drivers make the extremely bad decision to focus on anything other than their primary task of driving safely, they endanger everyone with whom they share the road.

Impairment. You know the drill—don’t drink and drive. Unfortunately, some drivers ignore this obvious safety imperative. Impaired drivers are dangerous drivers who cause serious accidents on our roadways every day.

Aggression. While we lack a precise definition of an aggressive driver, we all know one when we see one. Driving is a complicated task that everyone should always take seriously. It is not a game that a driver can win by one-upping other drivers. Aggressive drivers tend to engage in a combination of aggressive techniques (rather than focusing all of their efforts on one), and they have a variety of options to choose from:

• Tailgating
• Gesturing obscenely and screaming at other drivers
• Honking incessantly and flashing headlights at other drivers
• Passing on the shoulder
• Driving erratically by randomly slowing or stopping a car; ignoring traffic signs, lights, and signals; and failing to yield safely or as directed
• Speeding

While all of these bad-driving strategies present serious dangers, in combination, they become even more deadly. Steer clear of aggressive drivers when you spot them, and alert the authorities (once it’s safe to do so). You could help prevent a serious accident.

Speed. Many people don’t think of speeding as aggressive driving. Drivers who speed often consider it a personal choice that’s theirs to make, but their disastrous choices put other people in danger. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports that speeding is one of the deadliest forms of aggressive driving and that it plays a role in about a third of U.S. traffic fatalities. Again, alerting the authorities when it’s safe to do so could help save a life.

What Evidence Can You Protect After a Car Accident?

Your car accident claim will likely hinge on evidence collected at the accident scene. If you can gather it yourself, do so, and if you cannot, ask a bystander. Never overlook these forms of evidence:

• Smartphone pictures can capture the accident scene from every angle and depict every relevant detail (including damage and license plates).
• Relevant documents, including police reports, medical bills and reports, and damage estimates.
• Eyewitness testimony and contact information.
• A sketch that provides a visual map of how the accident happened, mitigating factors, exact locations, and anything else you consider pertinent.
• A written record of the accident in your own words that describe every detail you can think of. (The mayhem that envelops car accidents can blur your memory, so write this as soon as you can.)

This evidence will support your account of the accident and will help your car accident attorney effectively and efficiently guide your claim toward its best possible outcome.

What Should You Do Immediately After a Car Accident? Don’t Panic

Don’t panic sounds like such great advice, but if you’re injured by another driver’s negligence, panic can easily overtake you. Working knowledge of how to proceed, however, can help you keep panic at bay.

Start here: Exchange insurance and contact information with the other driver and call the police to investigate. (The accident report will help support your claim.)

Even if you consider it a nuisance, contacting the authorities is in your claim’s best interest. With an official accident report, you preserve an unbiased account of what happened. When you rely on the negligent driver’s opinion, things can quickly turn ugly (when that once-genial negligent driver suddenly reconsiders what happened—and shifts the fault in your direction). Keep things simple by calling in a police officer. In the event of a serious accident, if there’s any possibility that someone sustained injuries, call 911.

Another driver’s negligence has caused a car accident, and you’ve made the requisite call. What comes next? After pulling off the road for safety’s sake (whenever possible), first, check to ensure you didn’t suffer any serious injuries. Then, if you’re able and will not cause further harm, assist other injury victims. Always put safety first.

Consult a San Antonio Car Accident Lawyer at Trust Guss Injury Lawyers Today

If someone else’s negligence injured you in a car accident, you’re undoubtedly feeling a lot of stress. A dedicated San Antonio car accident lawyer can help. Our team of car accident professionals will deal with the insurance companies, compile evidence, file a lawsuit when needed, and help guide you toward the best possible outcome.

Your rights and the compensation you deserve matter too much not to fight for a fair resolution. Contact a skilled car accident attorney today at the law office of Stewart J. Guss.

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