Conroe, Texas, Car Accidents
Texas is a state full of busy roads, so it is no surprise that accidents are common here. Unfortunately, the rate at which accidents occur and that of the people injured by them is on the rise, according to the Texas Department of Transportation. Between 2015 and 2016, the state experienced an increase in the number of vehicle accident fatalities, from 3,578 deaths in 2015 to 3,773 deaths in 2016. That’s an increase of more than five percent. However, it’s not just the raw number of fatalities that is increasing, but the rate of them as well. The total fatality rate on Texas roadways in 2016 was 1.44 deaths per hundred million vehicle miles traveled, which was an increase of 3.59 percent from 2015. Thus, it appears that our roads are indeed becoming more dangerous. If you are one of the unlucky ones who were swept up in this increase of accidents, you are far from alone. But it’s not all bad news. People out there are looking out for your interests. If you were injured by a car accident in the Conroe area, you need to consult with a Conroe personal injury lawyer as quickly as possible to explore your options. For a free case evaluation to see if Texas law entitles you to compensation for your injuries, contact the lawyers of Trust Guss Injury Lawyers, at (281) 664-6500, or send us an email through our online contact form.The Most Common Causes of Car Accidents
Every year in the United States, more than six-million car accidents and more than 40,000 fatalities are linked to car accidents. Following basic car safety procedures like wearing your seat belt, not driving while intoxicated, and staying off your phone while you are driving can avoid most of those deaths. Even if you follow the rules, though, accidents can and do still happen. According to data collected from the National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey for the United States Department of Transportation, the most common causes for car accidents are:- Falling asleep at the wheel: Falling asleep at the wheel accounts for only 7 percent of all crashes, but 21 percent of all fatal crashes. Before you get behind the wheel, make sure that you’ve gotten enough sleep, and you might also want to grab a coffee on your way out.
- Loss of vehicle control: Loss of vehicle control accounts for 11 percent of all crashes. To avoid losing control of your vehicle, always consider the weather, your vehicle’s maintenance, and other drivers.
- Blind left turns: Blind left turns account for 12 percent of all crashes. If you can’t see around the car opposite you on the other side of the intersection, don’t risk driving out into it. Always make sure the coast is clear before making left turns.
- Rear-end accidents: Rear-end accidents account for 23 percent to 30 percent of all crashes and driver distraction often causes them. To avoid this, pay attention to the car in front of you, watch out for their brake lights, and give yourself plenty of room to stop.
- Veering out of lanes: Drivers not staying in their lanes accounts for about 30 percent of all crashes—again, distracted driving often causes this. When you’re driving, make sure you focus on the road—not the people in your car, the radio, or your phone.
Typical Car Accident Injuries We See
Every car accident is different, but we see a few common car accident injuries, including:- Head injuries: Head injuries result most often from the head striking other objects in the vehicle, including the steering wheel and windows. These injuries can include concussions, internal bleeding, skull fractures, and lacerations that could require plastic surgery. One of the most serious types of head injuries are traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), which can often result in severe, life-long medical conditions.
- Whiplash: Whiplash is an injury to the soft tissue of the neck and upper back. It occurs when sudden movements stretch the muscles and ligaments of the neck and upper back. The sudden jerking from when one vehicle strikes another most often causes this stretching.
- Chest injuries: Chest injuries can injure the lungs, heart, or major blood vessels. Various types of chest injuries include:
- Pneumothorax: When a penetrating injury lacerates the pleura, a trapped air pocket outside the lungs—pneumothorax—can form. Pneumothorax prevents the lungs from expanding and the sufferer cannot breathe—a condition that can become life-threatening if not treated quickly.
- Lung laceration: Lung laceration causes bleeding within and outside the lung.
- Tearing of blood vessels: Penetrating chest injuries can often tear or slash the aorta, which can result in life-threatening bleeding.
- Arm and leg injuries: The same forces that unexpectedly throw a person’s head around and cause whiplash also act on the arms and legs. If you are involved in a side-impact crash, your arms and legs might get thrown against the door. If you are the leading vehicle in a rear-end accident, your arms and legs could get thrown against the dashboard. These types of injuries can range from minor cuts and scrapes all the way up to serious fractures.
- Psychological injuries: While not as immediately life-threatening as some other types of car accident injuries, car accidents can also cause insidious psychological trauma that can take years to overcome, including depression, anxiety, and even post-traumatic stress disorder. Often, these injuries are much harder to treat and take much longer to heal than physical wounds.
When Should You Contact an Attorney After a Car Accident?
Even for relatively minor injuries, but especially for more complex accidents and more serious injuries, a personal injury attorney can help you navigate the sometimes-complicated American legal system. For complicated accidents, you will also go up against big auto insurance companies and their lawyers, who certainly know what they are doing. Your personal injury attorney will effectively handle all of the legwork for you. Because insurance companies and their lawyers have the knowledge to reduce compensation and even deny a claim altogether, hiring a personal injury attorney is a good idea for people who:- Were involved in multi-party or other complex accidents
- Were severely injured in an accident
- Are faced with expensive medical bills
- Have experienced significant loss of wages due to their injuries
- Do you believe that your injury was caused by someone else’s negligence? If so, or if the death of your loved one (in wrongful death cases) was the result of someone else’s actions, you might want to consult with a personal injury attorney.
- Is an insurance company representative contacting you? Insurance companies employ adjusters and claims representatives to minimize the amounts that the companies pay out in injury claims. If you are contacted by an insurance company representative who is asking you for statements, medical records, your story, releases, or other information, tell them nothing, inform them that you are contacting an attorney, and then proceed to do so.
- The Martindale-Hubbell Bar Registry: The Martindale-Hubbell registry compiles peer review ratings for more than a million lawyers around the country and also publishes short biographies about them. An “AV” rating identifies a lawyer and a firm with a very high to preeminent legal ability.
- The Best Lawyers in America: The lawyers in The Best Lawyers in America are selected by their peers as “the best” in a number of specialties.
- Superlawyers: Superlawyers is an annual listing of lawyers in more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.
Were You Injured in a Conroe, Texas, Car Accident? The Attorneys of Trust Guss Injury Lawyers, Are Here to Help
If you were injured in a car accident in Conroe, you should hop on the phone with one of our Conroe personal injury lawyers as quickly as possible to explore your options. For a free case evaluation to see if Texas law might entitle you to compensation for your injuries, contact the lawyers of Trust Guss Injury Lawyers, at 281-664-6500, or send us an email through our online contact form. Remember, you pay nothing at the time we take your case, and you pay us nothing unless and until we’ve won financial recovery for your damages.Don´t Take Chances - Let Us Help You!
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