You may have seen that crazy show called “1,000 Ways to Die.” You can guess that its sequel, “1,000 Ways to Crash on Texas Roads,” is being filmed now. News stories often report the countless ways that over 250,000 of us — yes that’s one-fourth of a million people – get injured each year in car accidents. They have one thing in common: someone didn’t use the basic level of caution required of anyone behind the wheel, especially in Texas lane-change crashes.
Most recently, a Garland teen was a passenger in a sports car north of Austin when she met a tragic ending due to an unsafe lane change. The 17-year-old driver of his car was going too fast and when she caught up to a slower moving vehicle, swerved to get around it. The car flew off the road and flipped multiple times and the young man sadly lost his life.
Too many Texas lane-change crashes result from “the 3 I’s”
The Texas lane-change laws are listed in the Texas Transportation Code, Sections 545.051-.061.
But too many drivers engage in unsafe lane changes because they are fueled by the 3 I’s that keep personal injury lawyers busy: impatience, immaturity, and ignorance. A lot of Texas lane change crashes are caused by speeding and driving while distracted, often at the same time.
Another way a lack of patience results in lane-change-related harm happens on narrow two lane roads out in the country. A driver behind a vehicle he thinks is driving too slowly decides to make an ill-advised pass. The driver lacks enough room to complete the pass safely and a head-on crash results.
What should you do if you are injured?
If you are hurt in a Texas car accident because another driver attempted an unsafe lane change, there are many questions you need answers to including the following:
- How do I go about filing an insurance claim with the at-fault driver and my own company?
- How do I investigate the case to prove what happened?
- How do I get my car or truck repaired or totaled, and how do I get a rental car now?
- Do I have to sue the at-fault driver? What if he did not stop and his identity is not known?
For answers to these and other very important questions, you’ll want the advice and counsel of an experienced board-certified injury attorney. He can quickly investigate the liability facts, guide you through an often convoluted process, get you the medical treatment you need, and either obtain a favorable settlement with the at-fault driver’s insurance company and your company or take your case to court.
We are currently fighting for a client who was run off the road in southwest Fort Worth by a young driver of a pickup truck who was cutting in and out of traffic. He then spun across a grassy median and drove head-on into an oncoming SUV, seriously injuring its driver.
Years ago a teen in the small town of Lampasas died because of a particularly egregious form of dangerous driving. A pickup truck driver stupidly attempted to pass five to eight vehicles in a “No Passing” zone on a two-lane highway. The teen driver of a Ford Mustang, who was the front vehicle in the group that the truck was passing, moved over onto the shoulder to let the truck get back safely. Sadly, the teen lost control of his car and crashed and died. The passing driver did not stop.
Our office has handled many Texas lane-change crashes over almost 40 years and we ever cease to be amazed at how reckless and even suicidal drivers can be.
We can help
Berenson Injury Law will help get you the compensation you deserve. We specialize in representing people who have been hurt in car, truck, tractor-trailer, motorcycle, and pedestrian collisions.
For your free case review, contact us today at 1-888-801-8585 or email us.