Car Accident Lawyer in Midland
The City of Midland’s Traffic Operations Division said in its most recent traffic crash report that there were 2,691 total motor vehicle crashes last year, and the total included 814 injury crashes and 23 fatal crashes. In this way, any person who suffers any kind of injury in a car crash in the Midland area will want to make sure they will be working with a Midland car accident lawyer.
The same Midland report also said that the ten most common high crash locations in the city last year were:
- Loop 250 and Andrews Highway with 79 crashes
- Loop 250 and Thomason with 37 crashes
- Loop 250 and Midkiff with 34 crashes
- Andrews and Midland also with 34 crashes
- Midkiff and Wall with 32 crashes
- Big Spring and Loop 250 with 31 crashes
- Midkiff and Wadley also with 31 crashes
- Loop 250 and Midland with 28 crashes
- Interstate 20 (I-20) and Rankin with 25 crashes
- Big Spring and Wadley with 23 crashes.
By month, October was the worst with 281 total crashes causing 146 injuries and five fatalities, while January had the least with 180 total crashes causing 75 injuries and one fatality, although April and December were the two months with no fatalities.
Kinds of Car Accidents in Midland, TX
The truth remains that every single car crash is different, from the involvement of different motorists and vehicles to different causes being at play. The result is that people can suffer injuries in one of many different kinds of car accidents.
Head-on collisions and rear-end collisions are obviously different for the points of impact for your vehicle but can also result in very different kinds of injuries. In fact, A rear-end collision could be merely a property damage claim when the accident occurs at lower speeds, but head-on collisions often involve both cars traveling at full speed before colliding head-on.
Side impact, T-bone, and sideswipe accidents are other common kinds of accidents in Midland that can involve varying degrees of injuries depending on exactly which side a vehicle strikes and who was sitting in the car when the collision occurred. Driver’s side collisions can obviously hurt the drivers more, but even passenger-side collisions could harm other occupants.
kinds of Midland car accidents: 
- Multiple-Vehicle Accidents
- Rollover Accidents
- Highway Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Bus Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Left or Right Turn Accidents
- Low-Speed Car Accidents
- Lane Change or Merging Accidents
- Single-Vehicle Accidents
- Intersection Accidents
- Blind Spot Accidents
- Uninsured or Underinsured Accidents
- Hit and Run Accidents
- Work Zone or Highway Construction Crashes
- Uber, Lyft, or Rideshare Accidents
- Drunk Driving Accidents
- Fatal Car Crashes
Causes of Car Accidents in Midland
You may believe that another party was completely at fault for your automobile accident, or you might be harboring some doubts about your own negligence playing a role in the car crash. Do not let fears about your own negligence deter you from seeking legal representation because an attorney will certainly know the best way to proceed with your case.
Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.001, an individual cannot recover damages when their percentage of fault is over 50 percent. When a victim was not more than 50 percent responsible, their award may still be reduced by their degree of fault, so an award of $100,000 in a car accident case for which you were 20 percent at fault means that your award can be reduced by $20,000 and you will ultimately recover $80,000.
Some of the most common causes of car accidents include people who were driving while intoxicated (DWI). A motorist who was under the influence of drugs or alcohol will usually have to face criminal charges following such accidents, and you could be more likely to recover compensation in such cases because juries are immediately sympathetic to victims in such crashes.
Driver fatigue or drowsy driving can be every bit as dangerous as drunk or drugged driving. People who try to operate motor vehicles while they are particularly tired can be more likely to commit negligent acts such as improper lane changes that cause collisions.
Other common kinds of causes of car accidents Nerby The Midland Area:
- Improper Lane Changes or Turns
- Failure to Yield Right of Way
- Wrong-Way Driving
- Distracted Driving
- Speeding
- Reckless or Aggressive Driving
- Road Rage
- Tire Blowouts
- Running Stop Signs or Stop Lights
- Vehicle Defects
- Tailgating
- Inclement Weather Conditions
- Potholes or Other Dangerous Road Conditions
Car Accident Injuries- Midland, TX
Car crashes have the potential to result in all kinds of serious injuries, which makes medical attention immediately after such accidents imperative. It is not just the people with clear injuries who will need to get medical care because even those who think they are fine should still undergo an examination to ensure there are no more subtle injuries that display symptoms days or weeks later.
Some common kinds of injuries in these cases can include various injuries to a person’s back, knee, leg, arm, or neck. Similarly, there are countless injuries to a person’s head that may occur in a car accident, including traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), skull fractures, or other closed-head injuries.
Other Common Kinds of Injuries in Car Collision:
- Brain injuries
- Whiplash
- Fractures or broken bones
- Contusions
- Concussions
- Lacerations
- Herniated discs
- Joint damage
- Sprains and strains
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Burn injuries
- Scarring
- Internal injuries
- Permanent nerve injuries
- Amputations
When your loved one dies in any kind of car accident, then you usually have grounds for a wrongful death claim. So, keep in mind that Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 71.004 states that wrongful death actions are exclusively for the benefit of a surviving spouse, children, and parents of the deceased, but an executor or administrator of an estate is allowed to bring an action when none of those individuals begins an action within three months of the death of an injured individual, and none of those parties request not bringing an action.
In both injury and wrongful death cases, the statute of limitations will be the same and only gives you two years to commence legal action. While this can sound like a significant amount of time, you need to give a lawyer as much time as you can to properly handle the claim, so you should not delay in trying to find legal counsel.
Damages for Midland Car Accidents
Damages in car accident cases are usually economic or noneconomic. Economic damages are the actual losses that are calculable and proven with evidence, while noneconomic damages are intangible effects of mental or physical injuries without inherent financial value.
Economic Damages
The most common kinds of economic damages are usually medical bills and lost wages because those are the two kinds of costs that almost every victim will incur. Other kinds of economic damages could include:
- Property Damage
- Costs of Long-Term Care
- Physical Therapy Costs
- Rehabilitation Expenses
Common Non-economic Damages
Noneconomic damages usually relate to such claims as mental anguish, emotional distress, and pain and suffering. Some of the other common noneconomic damages might include:
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life
- Physical Limitations
- Disfigurement
Punitive damages, or exemplary damages as the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code refers to them, are another much less common form of damages. These damages will only be awarded as a penalty or punishment because they are not supposed to be for compensatory purposes.
Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 41.003 provides that exemplary damages can only be awarded when a person proves by clear and convincing that their harm was the result of fraud, malice, or gross negligence. Your lawyer can assess whether your case meets these requirements.
You need to exercise extreme caution in your dealing with insurance companies after your car accident, possibly even your own insurer. Remember that all insurance companies are still businesses, and they maintain a sole focus on their bottom line, so any settlement they offer is probably going to be a lowball offer to try and minimize whatever they have to spend to resolve a claim.
Never sign any forms or offer to provide any recorded statements to an insurance company until you have an attorney present for such instances. While some insurers will claim that these steps are necessary to move forward with handling your injury claim, you are always entitled to make sure you have legal counsel for anything that you do not feel particularly comfortable handling on your own.
Call Us Today to Schedule a Free Consultation with a Midland Car Accident Lawyer
If you or your loved one suffered severe injuries in a car accident in the greater Midland area, do not delay in seeking legal representation. Make sure that you take the steps necessary to speak to Cesar Ornelas Injury Law about what happened and what you are now dealing with.
Our firm handles scores of car accident cases all over Texas and knows how to investigate these claims, so victims are able to recover all of the financial compensation they need and deserve. Call us at (855) 930-1149 or (210) 957-2103 or contact us online to arrange a free consultation that will let us really dig into the details of your case and gain a fuller understanding of exactly what will need to do to help you.