Were You in an Auto Accident in the Houston Area?
It’s a hard truth: If you drive a car on Houston’s streets and highways, sooner or later the chances are good that you are going to get into an accident. As a Houston car accident lawyer with over 20 years experience, we’ve seen it all. If you’ve driven on the streets of Houston, you know it too: Houston’s roads are the nation’s most dangerous and deadly.
If you or a loved one were in a car wreck, you may be injured, 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, 7 days a week, so don’t wait to know your rights—call us right now at 713-589-2960, to contact us and get more information. There is NO cost to get a free consultation right now. If you decide to hire us, you pay us nothing upfront, and you will pay absolutely nothing at all unless and until we’ve won your case.
A car accident is a complex situation, and NONE of the insurance companies are on your side-not the other driver’s and not even your own. You have many legal rights that no one will inform you about unless you have an experienced dedicated legal team on your side. This is where the attorneys and legal professionals at our law firm can make a BIG difference in your case, and in your recovery. More than that, if you are uninsured, or cannot afford health insurance deductibles or co-pays, we may be able to help you obtain the medical treatment you need – at no upfront out of pocket cost to you.
Why Hire a Houston Car Accident Lawyer?
Many people think that lawyers are expensive and that they are better off just handling their car accident claim on their own. What they don’t realize is that car accident claims can be surprisingly complicated, and that many injured victims end up with much less than they deserved because of improperly handled claims. This is especially true in cases that involve serious injuries or questions about liability.
While you always have the right to handle your own claim, you likely don’t want the stress of the insurance process while you are recovering from your injuries. In addition, if you don’t have much (or any) experience with this type of insurance claim, you won’t know when the company is trying to advantage of you or if it is being honest in its settlement offer. Unfortunately, you can usually bet that offers from insurance companies will be much less than you need to cover your losses. The good news is that the right attorney can work to get the offer you truly deserve.
Our car accident lawyers help with every aspect of your claim, including:
- Determining the parties who might be liable for your injuries
- Calculating the value of your claim
- Preparing and filing your claim
- Presenting all necessary supporting evidence
- Proving your damages
- Communicating and negotiating with adjusters
- Fighting for the settlement offer you deserve
- Filing a legal claim against an unreasonable insurer
Once you hire our law firm, your attorney will take it from there, and you can focus on what’s most important, which is your medical treatment and physical recovery. We’ve seen many people accept settlement offers that are too low simply because they don’t have the time, energy, or resources to fight for more. We have the time, energy, and resources needed to stand up for accident victims, so please contact our office to learn more about how our car accident lawyers can help in your specific case!
All of our consultations are completely free, so you have absolutely nothing to lose by discussing your options with a member of our team today.
Discuss Your Accident with a Houston Car Accident Attorney TODAY
Traffic accidents can present complex problems, especially when multiple vehicles are involved. These upsetting, complicated, stressful, and expensive situations require a compassionate, honest, and experienced legal team with real strength of character and decades of experience. Our team will make this entire process as pain-free as possible and ensure you get the best result for you and your loved ones.
Hamilton Rucker and his team believe in respect, integrity, and family values. We are a “client first” law firm with decades of experience, and we will work tirelessly to recover as much as possible on your claim. And you don’t pay us anything unless and until we win your case!
THEY WILL TRY TO DENY YOUR CLAIM!
Dealing with car insurance companies can cause nightmares. Remember that the insurance company’s goal is to DENY a car accident claim, NOT TO PAY IT! If they can’t avoid paying it, believe me, they will do EVERYTHING they can to pay as LITTLE as possible—that is how they make their profit. Do not sign anything until you speak with one of our team members, because you risk losing some or all of the compensation that is due to you.
Even if you THINK you’re ready to settle—call us first! Remember, we will evaluate your case for FREE! Please submit your claim for our FREE evaluation by contacting us
Or, if you want to talk to one of our team members RIGHT NOW, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, pick up the phone right now and call 713-589-2960. Remember, your consultation is FREE, and you pay NOTHING unless we win your case!
Why Take Chances? Let Us Help You!
Steps to Take After a Houston Auto Collision
There is no doubt that even a minor accident can shake you up. The aftermath of a crash may involve several damaged vehicles and multiple people with injuries, including yourself. Before the authorities arrive, everyone involved may wonder what to do. While you don’t need any additional stress in this situation, there are certain things you can do to help any future claims.
In some situations, serious injuries may prevent you from taking any action after an accident. You should always put your physical health first, as you don’t want to make any injuries worse than they already are. However, if at all possible, remember to protect your rights and your health by taking the following steps.
- Safety: If the collision was relatively minor and the cars are moveable, consider driving your vehicle over to a safe location on the side of the road to get it out of the path of traffic. If you or anyone at the scene was injured, or if it is dangerous to move your car, exit the vehicle as carefully and quickly as possible and move to a safe distance away from the road and accident scene.
- Call 911: Even after minor traffic incidents, the police can help to redirect traffic, if necessary, and prepare accident reports. You always want the officer to write down your side of the story so it goes in the report. However, make sure you don’t apologize or make offhand comments (such as “I only looked down for a moment”), since this may lead the insurance company to challenge liability for the crash. In addition, those involved in the crash may need immediate medical attention—no matter how you feel, get checked out just in case, because symptoms of some injuries, like concussions and whiplash, may take time to emerge. If the first responders tell you that you need an ambulance transport, don’t fight them.
- Exchange information: Exchange your name and insurance information with any other drivers in the collision. You will also want the license plate numbers of any other vehicles. It is not necessary for you to provide any further personal information, such as your home address or your injuries.
- Take photos: If you are safely able to do so, use your phone to try to take pictures of the individual cars as well as one of the entire scene. Photographs of the damage caused to your vehicle as well as any road debris may help prove your claims for damage. Also, take photos of the stretch of road, weather conditions, tire marks, and any other conditions that may be remotely relevant to a crash investigation.
- Go to the ER: Even if the emergency medical personnel on the scene don’t think you need transportation in an ambulance, it’s still always a wise idea to head straight to the emergency room or your doctor’s office as soon as possible. A medical professional can diagnose any injuries and make a record that the crash caused those injuries. In addition, diagnostic tests can identify injuries that you didn’t even know you had. Many accident victims write off stiffness, soreness, or pain as “normal” after a crash when, in reality, they have soft tissue injuries, a concussion, whiplash, or other conditions that require treatment. Having a proper and timely diagnosis of all injuries is not only necessary for receiving the right treatment, but it is also critical for any future car accident claims.
- Call us: After you have received any needed medical treatment, contact the legal team at the Rucker Law Firm, PLLC, for help with making a claim, whether with the insurance company of the other driver(s), or with your own insurance company, or both. Our legal team will help you provide any insurance companies with the necessary details regarding the collision.
Investigating and Gathering Evidence of Car Accident Liability
Sometimes, a fairly obvious cause of a crash will present itself, such as when a driver updates social media right before hitting your car or if a driver stumbles out of a car, clearly intoxicated. However, identifying the cause can often present many difficulties. This is why we have investigators and experts who work with our lawyers to help determine who was to blame and why the crash took place. Then we can gather evidence of liability for the crash and begin working to obtain the compensation you deserve for your losses. The sooner we get started, the quicker we can begin protecting your rights and recovering all of the compensation to which you are entitled.
Car accident investigations can include many steps, such as:
- Examining the scene – We have investigators who work with our law firm who can visit the scene of the crash and examine any photos you or anyone else took of the crash scene. Often, there are many tell-tale signs of liability that a lesser-skilled investigator may not even notice! The damage to the cars, the angle of the collision, the tire tracks, and the road conditions can all help decipher what caused the crash to happen.
- Video surveillance – In this day and age, there are cameras everywhere. They are in parking lots, outside stores and businesses, on apartment complexes, and even on some stoplights or street lights. People can also capture video evidence on their smartphones if they suspect something bad is about to happen. Our team will thoroughly investigate whether your accident was caught on video, and we will review the video carefully to gather any evidence of liability.
- Digital evidence – Other digital evidence can be useful in proving negligence, especially distracted or drunk driving. If a person sent a text message or posted on a social media account just before they crashed into you, this can be highly persuasive evidence that they were looking at their phones instead of the road! Additionally, credit card statements can show that someone was at a bar or restaurant having too many drinks shortly before getting behind the wheel.
- Witness interviews – If someone witnessed your crash occur, our attorneys and investigators may want to interview them. Witnesses can see accidents happen from another perspective, which can give additional insight into what caused the collision. For example, you may have been driving along when you suddenly felt the crash happen without any prior warning or explanation. A driver in the next lane, however, may have seen the other driver texting or making mistakes that led to the crash. Witnesses can also support your side of the story.
- Citations or convictions – When police respond to the scene of an accident, they should try to determine whether a driver broke the law and caused the crash. This can include drunk driving, speeding, tailgating, running red lights, aggressive driving, distracted driving, and other violations of traffic laws. Police may issue a citation or arrest the driver at the scene. The driver may then be convicted of the violation, which we can use as important evidence of negligence in your car accident case.
- Other expert analysis – When we suspect that a defective auto part or road hazard caused a crash, we may employ experts to evaluate the situation. We can get auto experts to determine whether a manufacturer sold a defective vehicle that led to your crash. We can hire road design and maintenance experts to testify whether the road was unreasonably dangerous for drivers. All of these experts can help prove your claim of liability.
Not only does a car accident investigation help us prove WHAT caused your accident, but it tells us with whom we should file an insurance claim. Sometimes, parties can include individual drivers, corporations, government entities, or more than one party.
One important factor we need to determine is whether a negligent driver was working for a company at the time they caused the crash. If they were within the scope of their job duties while they drove, their employer may also be held liable for the negligence of the employee under a legal concept called “respondeat superior.” In these situations, employers are strictly liable even if the company did not engage in any negligent behavior itself.
Identifying when a company may be liable can be very helpful to a car accident claim. This is because companies should have much larger insurance policies than individual drivers might have. If your injuries are particularly serious and you incurred substantial losses, the company’s policy has a much better chance of covering those losses than an individual consumer auto policy.
Once we identify the liable parties and collect necessary evidence, our lawyers then know how to skillfully present the evidence to prove your claim. We will also gather evidence of your damages, which can include:
- Medical bills for past treatment
- Testimony of medical professionals regarding future treatment you will need
- Paystubs or timesheets showing missed work and lost income
- Testimony of occupational experts regarding your inability to work for a period of time (or ever again)
- Testimony of medical experts regarding the pain, suffering, and effects of your injuries and any permanent impairments, disfigurements, or disabilities
- Testimony of mental health experts regarding any mental trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) you experienced
We gather full evidence of your damages to ensure you receive FULL compensation.
