Sitting on the border between Mexico and the United States, Laredo boasts a diverse, multicultural community that offers all of the conveniences one would expect from a modern American city. People interested in history will thoroughly enjoy the San Agustín Cathedral, the surrounding historic district, and the Republic of the Rio Grande Museum. Those seeking the nightlife can find bars, clubs, and restaurants in the downtown business district. Laredo is a great place to live, work and visit, and more and more people every day are figuring that out. Along with the increasing numbers of residents and visitors come increased traffic – and traffic accidents.
If you are in a car accident in Laredo, you may sustain injuries, you may have questions about what to do next, and you may not even know where to start. Please know that we offer a FREE consultation, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so call us right now at 800-898-6500, or click HERE to send us a question or get more information. There is NO cost to get a free consultation right now. If you decide to hire us, you pay us nothing up front, and you will pay absolutely nothing at all unless and until we’ve won your case.
With more than 20 years of experience and thousands of victories under our belts, our team of Laredo car accident lawyers will leave no stone unturned to get you the most compensation possible for your injuries. Furthermore, we are one of the highest rated major personal injury law firms in the state, and we take pride in treating our clients like family, so contact us right now.
Danger on the Streets of Laredo
Many people in the Laredo area take to the road each morning without giving a second thought to their accident risks. Unfortunately, traffic wrecks in the Laredo area are much more common than you may think. In fact, according to statistics provided by the Texas Department of Transportation, more than 15 crashes per day took place during one year. Additional statistics regarding traffic accidents and injuries that year include:
Total reported crashes: 5,674
Possible injuries: 2,255
Reported non-incapacitating injuries: 784
Reported incapacitating Injuries: 108
Fatalities: 11
If you were injured in an accident in Laredo, do everything you can to protect your legal rights—which starts by retaining an experienced attorney as soon as you can. Call us today to schedule your free consultation.
Car Accidents Often Leave Victims With Significant Losses
Car accidents take place daily, resulting in danger, immense costs, and difficult recoveries. If another driver’s negligence has left you injured, you know the difficulties you face—and you need an experienced car accident attorney to help you through them. Such cases often come equipped with a multitude of variables that can affect the outcome, so you’ll need to bring your A-game when it comes to recovering on the damages suffered in a car accident. You have too much at stake to leave your claim to chance—or to leave to the car insurance company. Car accidents—in and of themselves—are difficult enough to physically recover from, so allow your skilled car accident attorney to aggressively advocate for your just financial compensation.
What to Do in the Aftermath of an Accident
You’re in a car accident, and you’re probably so stunned that you’re not exactly sure what to do next. There is, however, a protocol. Familiarize yourself with it, and may it effectively and efficiently guide you forward:
For safety’s sake and whenever possible, pull your car off the road and out of the line of traffic.
Check yourself for injuries, and call 911 if you or anyone else was or might have been seriously injured. If no one’s injured, call the authorities anyway.
If someone else appears injured and you’re able and qualified, provide that person with aid until emergency services arrive.
By putting safety first, you ensure that you proceed in the most effective and safe manner possible. If, on the other hand, no one appears seriously injured, your job will take a different course.
Exchange information. If you’re in a minor car accident in which no one is obviously injured, your task is straightforward. Exchange contact and insurance information with the other motorists and alert the authorities. Although you may feel tempted to take the other driver’s word at the site of the accident, with time that word may morph into something far less genial and far more accusatory—that’s just the nature of car accident claims. Finally, even for minor accidents, have a medical professional check you out. The impact of a car accident can lead to injuries that progress and become more pronounced with time. Your health is too important to ignore.
You may need to file an accident report. You’re going to need an accident report to move forward with the claim process, and calling the authorities after an accident is, thus, in your best interest. By so doing, you’ll generate an accident report that clarifies the details of your accident from an unbiased (and experienced) perspective.
Be careful about what you say after your accident. Car accidents are nothing if not upsetting, and many of us—being human—are tempted to jump out of our cars in such situations and profess how genuinely sorry we are. While you’re of course sorry that the accident happened, it’s a terrible idea to give voice to this sentiment—which the other party is likely to later misconstrue as an admission of your own fault. In the aftermath of an accident, don’t reflect upon the accident unless the attending officer asks you direct questions that you in turn answer truthfully and succinctly—no need to get wordy or artistic with this.
Insurance in a nutshell. If you’re injured in a car accident that another driver caused, you’re going to deal with that driver’s car insurance company. As such, it’s a good idea to know a bit about the process. First off, insurance companies are in the business of driving profits, which means that they’re in the business of paying out as little as they can get away with. If that means cutting corners on your claim, so be it. After an accident, you obviously have plenty on your plate, so it’s in your best interest to let your experienced car accident attorney deal with the insurance company.
Furthermore, you are not obligated to—nor should you—speak to (or go on the record with) the other driver’s insurance company. Such interviews are designed to trip you up and generate statements that the insurance company can later use to muddy the waters regarding fault. Though you may well need to go on the record with your own insurance company, your dedicated car accident attorney will prepare you to provide succinct, truthful responses that directly answer the exact questions asked.
Evidence corroborates your story. If you’re injured in an accident that another driver’s negligence caused, gather as much evidence as you can at the scene of that accident. If your injuries prevent you from doing so, enlist a bystander, passenger, or loved one to take over for you. The following evidence can go a long way toward strengthening your case:
Smartphone pictures and videos that depict the accident scene from every angle. Include shots that show the vehicles in relation to each other and that capture the license plates.
Eyewitness testimony and contact information. (In serious accidents, the attending officers will typically attend to this.)
Relevant documents, including the police report, medical reports and bills, damage estimates, and any other pertinent610">reports.
A sketch of the scene that represents the specifics of the accident. Incorporate details related to the how the collision occurred, the position of the vehicles, the major damage, the exact location of the accident, and any extenuating circumstances that may have played a contributive role in the accident (including bad roads, bad weather, and obstacles to clear vision).
A written narrative in your own words that report on your experience. Include as much detail as you can. (The upset of a car accident can quickly turn your memories hazy.)
This is by no means an exhaustive list. If you find or remember something pertinent to your case, document it as evidence. The evidence you compile is likely to play an important role in the outcome of your claim.
What Causes Serious Car Accidents?
Car accidents are often caused by driver negligence, and there are several varieties of negligence that are most often determined to be contributing factors:
Impaired drivers. Impaired drivers are dangerous drivers—it’s that simple. While there isn’t a motorist on our roads who isn’t aware of the danger, many continue to drink and drive.
Aggressive drivers. Aggressive drivers are more than simply dangerous—they’re also scary. You know when an aggressive driver is in your midst. We all recognize the telltale signs:
Tailgating
Erratic driving
Passing on the shoulder
Bullying other drivers
Speeding
Never engage with an aggressive driver—doing so can exacerbate the danger. Aggressive drivers can even interpret eye contact as engagement, so always steer clear. Finally, if the situation warrants, alert the authorities as soon as it’s safe. You could forestall a dangerous car accident.
Drivers with the need to speed. Speed kills. Drivers who speed endanger everyone with whom they share the road. Furthermore, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports that speeding tops the list when it comes to deadly forms of aggressive driving and that it plays a role in about one third of U.S. traffic fatalities. When you spot a speed demon gaining on you, allow that driver space—and, again, alert the authorities.
Distracted drivers. The complex task of driving demands utter concentration. Drivers who choose to engage their attention anywhere other than on driving safely are dangerous and should get off of the road. The smartphone’s meteoric rise to ubiquity has caused distracted driving to skyrocket.
In fact, distracted driving has become so prevalent that the U.S. government devotes a website to the issue, distraction.gov, which succinctly categorizes distraction into three classifications:
Manual distractions that involve the driver’s hands
Visual distractions that involve the driver’s sight
Cognitive distractions that involve the driver’s thoughts
Smartphone use has the rarified honor of incorporating all three forms of distraction in one convenient activity. Every driver should train thoughts, vision, and hands exclusively on driving safely.
Call Us Today to Speak with a Laredo Car Accident Lawyer
You’re injured in a car accident that another driver’s negligence caused, and that’s decidedly stressful. You need an experienced car accident attorney. While you attend to the difficult task of healing, allow your dedicated car accident attorney
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"As a relatively new resident of Houston, I did not know of an attorney to contact for a personal injury suit. I randomly went through the yellow pages contacting two attorneys that had rejected my case prior to me contacting Stewart Guss. Stewart took my case on and settled for far more than I had anticipated. The silver lining of this is that I will now have enough money to go back to school for retraining, so I will be able to reenter the workforce in a new capacity. The paralegal, Angela, was kind and supportive throughout the process. If I did not understand the legal jargon, I did not hesitate to ask, and was never once made to feel that I was incompetent. Thank you Stewart and Angela for giving me a new lease on life."
