Car Accident Claims in Austin
A crash in Austin can leave you juggling treatment, a car in the shop and adjusters who want a statement before you know the full extent of your injuries. The Ledger Law Firm has attorneys licensed in Texas. Call or use the form below to describe what happened, and the first conversation is a free case evaluation. The Texas office of the firm is at 3203 McKinney Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75204.
Call (972) 888-8888
The firm works on a contingency fee: the fee is a percentage of what is recovered. If there is no recovery, you owe no attorney fee, but you may still be responsible for court costs and case expenses.
What to do after an Austin car crash
- Make sure everyone is safe and call 911 if anyone is injured. Texas law makes a driver in a crash that hurts or kills someone responsible for giving notice immediately (Transportation Code section 550.026).
- Get medical care promptly, even for symptoms that seem small. Pain that appears days later is easier to connect to the crash when a provider has already documented it.
- Photograph the vehicles, the road, the traffic signals and your injuries. Write down the other driver name, plate and insurance company, and ask people who saw the crash for a phone number.
- Request the crash report once it is filed. When an officer investigates a crash involving $1,000 or more in damage, the report is due within 10 days (Transportation Code section 550.062). The Texas Department of Transportation describes how to request one on its crash reports and records page.
- Tell your own insurer the crash happened and save every bill, letter and repair estimate. Wait to give a recorded statement to the other side insurer until you have talked with an attorney.
Crashes around Austin
Austin traffic runs on a few corridors that carry far more cars than they were laid out for, and claims tend to come from the same kinds of places.
- Crashes on Interstate 35 through the middle of the city, where congestion and sudden stops lead to rear end collisions.
- Crashes on MoPac, also called Loop 1, and on U.S. Highway 183, where merging traffic and changing speeds are common.
- Crashes on Texas State Highway 71 and on the State Highway 130 and State Highway 45 toll roads at higher speeds.
- Crashes downtown, on South Congress and around the University of Texas campus area, where drivers share the road with pedestrians, cyclists and scooters.
- Collisions with delivery vans and commercial trucks on the highways that connect Austin to the rest of Texas.
- Crashes with a driver who carries no insurance or too little of it.
Who may be at fault and how fault is shared
Responsibility for a crash can sit with more than one person: another driver, an employer of a driver who was working, a vehicle owner, or a government body that maintains the road. Insurers often point at each other, so the facts matter.
Texas assigns each person a percentage of responsibility (Civil Practice and Remedies Code chapter 33). Under section 33.001, someone found more than 50 percent responsible recovers nothing. Under section 33.012, someone at 50 percent or less still recovers, but the award is cut by that same percentage, so 20 percent responsible means a 20 percent reduction.
The deadline to file
Personal injury
Texas generally gives you two years from the date the claim accrues to file a personal injury lawsuit (Civil Practice and Remedies Code section 16.003, chapter 16). Exceptions exist, and an attorney can tell you whether one applies to you.
Wrongful death
When a crash kills someone, the two years run from the date of the death.
Claims involving a government body
A city, a county or another governmental unit may be involved if a road defect or a government vehicle played a part. Section 101.101 requires notice to the governmental unit within six months of the incident (chapter 101), which is far sooner than the lawsuit deadline.
What a claim can include
Compensation in a car crash claim can cover medical treatment, income you lost, repair or replacement of your vehicle, and the pain and limits the injury caused. What a claim is worth depends on the injuries, the records and the insurance involved. The firm does not promise a result.
Talking to an insurance company
The other driver insurer may reach out within a day or two with a friendly tone, a request for a recorded statement or an early payment offer. It is sensible to speak with an attorney first. Under Texas law a driver must carry liability coverage of at least $30,000 per person for bodily injury or death, $60,000 per crash for bodily injury or death, and $25,000 for property damage (Transportation Code section 601.072). Your own auto policy must also offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which applies unless you refused it in writing (Insurance Code section 1952.101). Look at your policy to see what you have.
How the free case evaluation works
- Call the firm or send the form and describe the crash.
- We ask about your injuries, any insurance information and when the crash happened.
- We let you know whether the firm can take your claim. This first conversation is free.
- If you hire the firm, it gathers the evidence and deals with the insurers, and every settlement decision stays with you.
The fee
The firm works on a contingency fee: the fee is a percentage of what is recovered. If there is no recovery, you owe no attorney fee, but you may still be responsible for court costs and case expenses.
Austin car accident FAQ
I was rear ended on Interstate 35 in Austin. Do I need a lawyer?
You can call the firm before you decide. Bring the crash report, your medical records and any photographs, and the firm will tell you whether it can help with your claim.
Does the firm have a location in Austin?
The Texas office of the firm is in Dallas, and you can call or send the form from Austin. The firm has attorneys licensed in Texas.
How long do I have to file a lawsuit?
In most injury cases the limit is two years from the date the claim accrues, under Civil Practice and Remedies Code section 16.003. Notice to a governmental unit is due within six months.
The driver who hit me had no insurance. What happens?
Your own uninsured motorist coverage may apply unless you rejected it in writing. Bring your policy to the free case evaluation.
Attorneys licensed in Texas
The attorneys of the firm licensed in Texas are Emery Brett Ledger and Randall L. Meredith. The Ledger Law Firm was founded in 1998 by Emery Brett Ledger. Its Texas office is at 3203 McKinney Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75204.
Call The Ledger Law Firm at (972) 888-8888 for a free case evaluation.
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