Rear-End Car Accidents in Austin
Getting hit from behind while waiting at a stoplight or slowing down for traffic can be a jarring experience, especially when it leaves you with serious injuries or substantial property damage. Additionally, holding the person who ran into you legally liable for their actions can be harder in practice than you might expect, especially if you are unfamiliar with how car accident litigation works in the Lone Star State.
Guidance from experienced legal representation can be absolutely crucial to recovering fairly for the impact of rear-end car accidents in Austin. From beginning to end of your settlement negotiations or lawsuit in civil court, your car wreck attorney can tirelessly protect your rights and tenaciously pursue every cent of the restitution you deserve.
How Negligence Can Lead to Rear-End Wrecks
Unsurprisingly, rear-end car accidents most commonly happen in situations where the rearmost driver is driving recklessly, not paying attention, or otherwise being irresponsible while approaching a slowed or stopped vehicle in front of them. Someone who commits a traffic violation or simply loses concentration right before rear-ending someone else has breached the “duty of care” all drivers have to act rationally and lawfully behind the wheel. Any such “breach of duty” which directly leads to someone else getting seriously injured qualifies as legal negligence.
Proving negligence in this way is the key element of every successful claim built around a rear-end car accident, since Austin courts will not just assume the rearmost driver is to blame for the wreck in every situation. In fact, there are numerous scenarios where the driver in front might hold some or most of the fault for the accident. For example, if a driver suddenly cuts in front of someone or is braking without working brake lights, they might face some blame for the accident.
In these situations, a court could assign a percentage of “comparative fault” to the driver in front and then reduce their final damage award based on how responsible they are. Allegations of comparative negligence can be frustrating for a rear-end accident plaintiff, but guidance from capable legal counsel can be vital to overcoming these allegations and maximizing available compensation for a plaintiff.
Recovering for Short-Term and Long-Term Losses
A successful settlement demand or lawsuit over a rear-end car wreck in Austin can seek compensation for both the economic and non-economic impact of the accident, including past, current, and future losses. Specific damages that often play a role in rear-end cases include:
- Emergency medical expenses and expected future care costs
- All car repair/replacement costs, plus other personal property damage
- Lost working capacity and/or work income
- Physical discomfort and pain
- Emotional and psychological suffering
- Lost quality/enjoyment of life
Punitive damages are fairly rare in these sorts of claims, but a court can impose them against a defendant and award them to an injured plaintiff if that defendant displayed especially egregious negligence or intentionally tried to cause harm. A tenacious lawyer can help determine whether punitive compensation is an option in after a rear-end car crash.
Contact an Austin Attorney for Help After a Rear-End Car Accident
While rear-end collisions are typically not as dangerous as certain other types of car wrecks, they still can cause long-lasting physical, financial, and personal losses. Thankfully, getting paid fairly for harm you sustained in a crash like this could be much easier with assistance from a skilled car accident attorney who has handled similar cases successfully before.
Rear-end car accidents in Austin are not situations you should try to handle alone. Call today to discuss your legal options.
