Car Accident Lawyer in Odessa
According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), there are 483,641 registered vehicles in the Odessa District of Texas. With so many motor vehicles being on roads in and around Odessa, it is imperative for any person suffering injuries in any kind of crash to quickly contact an Odessa car accident lawyer to get assistance recovering all of the financial compensation that may be available for covering all of the many costs victims must deal with after car crashes.
The most recent TxDOT statistics show that Odessa had 11 fatal crashes causing 15 fatalities, 43 suspected serious crashes causing 51 serious injuries, 314 possibly injury crashes causing 464 possible injuries, and 128 unknown severity crashes causing 274 unknown injuries for a total of 2,597 total crashes. The National Safety Council (NSC) also reports that the 350 deaths in Texas traffic crashes were a 16.7 percent increase from the year before.
Common Kinds of Car Accidents in Texas
Every single car crash in Odessa is going to be different from any other accident, and each hit has its own unique people, vehicles, and factors involved. Drivers and vehicle occupants can sustain injuries in a wide variety of possible accidents.
Multiple-vehicle accidents are incredibly common occurrences because it is very easy for any crash to involve several different types of cars, and negligence may be difficult to determine in such cases when multiple drivers could have competing versions of events. Single-vehicle accidents are also fairly common, and people should not assume that they do not have any legal recourse when they are involved in an accident that did not happen with any other motor vehicle.
Left or right turn accidents are another common kind of accident because many people are not properly cautious when performing certain turns, and left turns can usually be more devastating when drivers do not properly wait for adequate clearance to perform left turns. However, right turns can still cause serious injuries in other cases.
Lane change or merging accidents are another very frequent kind of car accident because many drivers fail to check blind spots or are otherwise negligent when they are trying to get into certain traffic lanes, and it is easy for collisions to occur in these instances.
Other common types of car accidents could include:
- Fatal Car Crashes
- Hit and Run Accidents
- Low-Speed Car Accidents
- Uninsured or Underinsured Accidents
- Uber, Lyft, or Rideshare Accidents
- Work Zone or Highway Construction Crashes
- Head-On Collisions
- Rear-End Collisions
- Side Impact or T-Bone Accidents
- Sideswipe Accidents
- Drunk Driving Accidents
- Rollover Accidents
- Highway Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Bus Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Intersection Accidents
- Blind Spot Accidents
Causes of Car Accidents in Odessa
Many people can have concerns about their ability to recover compensation when they suspect that they were partially at fault for their car accidents. Texas uses a modified form of comparative negligence, which means people can still seek damages even when they were partially to blame for their accidents.
Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 33.001 establishes that a person will be unable to recover damages when their degree of fault is over 50 percent. If you are not more than 50 percent responsible, your award could still see a reduction by your degree of fault, so an award of $100,000 in a car accident case for which you are 15 percent at fault means that your award can be reduced by $15,000 and you will ultimately recover $85,000.
Distracted driving is becoming an ever more common cause of many motor vehicle crashes in Odessa and cities all over Texas because so many drivers are now unable to stop using cell phones while driving. Even though cell phones are one common basis for the primary form of distraction in most cases (and proof of cell phone use may involve issuing a subpoena for a negligent driver’s phone records), several other more discreet forms of distractions can be equally dangerous, including people adjusting their stereos, drivers staring at objects outside their vehicles, or basic conversations with other passengers.
Speeding is another frequent cause of motor vehicle wrecks in Odessa, and many drivers violate posted speed limits without much regard to the possible dangers of speeding, which usually involve an inability to come to an immediate stop as quickly as can be required in some instances. Reckless or aggressive driving are other kinds of traffic offenses that can also cause car crashes because some drivers operate with complete disregard for the safety of other people or property.
Some of the other causes of car accidents in Odessa could include, but are not limited to:
- Driving While Intoxicated (DWI)
- Driver Fatigue or Drowsy Driving
- Vehicle Defects
- Improper Lane Changes or Turns
- Failure to Yield Right of Way
- Tire Blowouts
- Running Stop Signs or Stop Lights
- Tailgating
- Wrong-Way Driving
- Road Rage
- Inclement Weather Conditions
- Potholes or Other Dangerous Road Conditions
Car Accident Injuries in Odessa, TX
People involved in car accidents can end up suffering a wide range of possible injuries, some of which could be relatively minor while many others will be absolutely life-changing. The bottom line remains for any person who is involved in a car accident that medical attention needs to be a paramount concern because you not only want to get an accurate diagnosis that there is not some subtle injury that will display symptoms later, but you want to create a medical record that will be important for an injury claim later.
Common kinds of injuries can include herniated discs, which can occur in any part of the spine but are more common in the lower back. They also occur in the neck and cause debilitating pain. Joint damage can be another common type of injury, which can cause pain in the hands, feet, hips, knees, or spine.
Other people will sustain sprains and strains, with sprains injuring the bands of tissue connecting bones together while strains involve injuries to muscles or bands of tissue attaching muscles to bones. Whiplash is another very common car accident injury that involves a neck injury that may require medication and prolonged periods of rest.
Other frequent kinds of injuries in Odessa car accidents may include:
- Back injuries
- Knee injuries
- Leg injuries
- Arm injuries
- Neck injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Skull fractures
- Closed head injuries
- Fractures or broken bones
- Contusions
- Concussions
- Lacerations
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Burn injuries
- Scarring
- Internal injuries
- Permanent nerve injuries
- Amputations
The death of somebody you love in a car accident may make you eligible to file a wrongful death claim. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 71.004, only surviving spouses, children, and parents of the deceased can benefit from such claims.
While siblings cannot file wrongful death lawsuits, executors or administrators of estates may be able to bring legal action if a surviving spouse, children, and parents do not begin an action within three months of the death. The family members – as mentioned earlier – also must not request that the executor does not file a case.
You have only two years to begin legal action in either a personal injury or wrongful death case. Do not think that this gives you significant time to wait to seek legal counsel because you need to be sure that you give an attorney adequate time to properly handle the case.
Damages for Odessa Car Accidents
Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 41.001 defines compensatory damages as being economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages compensate people for actual economic or pecuniary losses, while noneconomic damages compensate victims for intangible losses.
In many car accident cases, a common kind of economic damage is property damage because many victims will have damage to their vehicle that they need to have a negligent party pay for. You will want to seek legal representation for help ensuring that you are able to get an accurate estimate of the costs involved in fixing your car.
Other kinds of economic damages can include:
- Medical Bills
- Lost Wages
- Costs of Long-Term Care
- Physical Therapy Costs
- Rehabilitation Expenses
Noneconomic damages are much more subjective awards that compensate people for mental or physical harm that does not have a financial value. Disfigurement can be a common kind of noneconomic damage when a person suffers permanent changes to their appearance because of their injuries.
Some of the other possible noneconomic damages may include:
- Mental Anguish
- Emotional Distress
- Pain and Suffering
- Loss of Enjoyment of Life
- Physical Limitations
Punitive damages are known in the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code as exemplary damages and are far less common. Punitive damages are more of a penalty or punishment for negligent parties that are supposed to deter other individuals from engaging in similar misconduct.
Call Us Today to Schedule a Free Consultation with an Odessa Car Accident Lawyer
Did you sustain severe injuries or was your loved one killed in a car accident in the greater Odessa area? Cesar Ornelas Injury Law can act quickly to make sure that you are able to recover every last dollar of compensation available in your case so you will be able to achieve the fullest possible recovery from your injuries.
Our firm can immediately commence an independent investigation into the cause of your crash and then secure all of the evidence that will be necessary to prove your claims. You can call (888) 237-2794 or (210) 405-6503 or contact us online to take advantage of a free consultation so we can take the time to go over all of the details of your case with you and gain a fuller understanding of everything your case involves.
