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A closer look at red light accidents

If you were involved in a red light accident and injured at no fault of your own, the sooner you called in a local personal injury lawyer, the sooner they can get working on getting you adequate compensation. These type accidents are on the rise because the number of distracted drivers on the roads is growing. Drivers today are messing with the sound system, texting, making phone calls, at the expense of drivers sitting at a stop at the red light.

Here are the ways that the best Austin car accident lawyer in this field can help protect your financial future and get you back on the road to optimal health.

Collecting Vital Accident Evidence
The minute you’re able to pick up a phone after being hurt in the red light accident, that call should be made to the local personal injury lawyer. The reason being is that they have an accident investigative team at the ready, so when they get the call, that team is dispersed to the scene of the accident to collect evidence. By evidence, we are talking about acquiring key measurements, interviewing eye-witnesses, taking numerous pictures, and making a video of the surrounding location. All this is done in an effort to preserve the scene so at trial the jury and judge can see things as they were that day.

Getting the Best Medical Help
Your local Austin car accident lawyer has access to the best physicians in their respected fields, and you will be diagnosed, treated, and given physical therapy by the best. These doctors will also be available to provide expert testimony at the trial so that your attorney can make certain the insurance company is held accountable and makes good on taking care of you today, tomorrow, and for the long-term. In many of these red light accident cases, it comes down to the convincing testimony of the physician who can spotlight how these injuries are a direct result of the impact.

Putting Your Case on Trial
Once your Austin car accident lawyer has determined how much compensation you are due, they will never waver from that number, despite the efforts of the insurance company lawyers to try and get you to settle for far less. They are well aware how those lawyers are trying to get their clients to pay the absolute least possible, but these ploys don’t work when a skilled personal injury lawyer is on the job today. Your lawyer is working on your behalf to bring the responsible party to justice and so you can live a normal life from here out.

The red light accident can be especially challenging to present in court. Your attorney has the resources to show exactly what the other driver was doing at the time of the accident to solidify the case in your favor. With these type accidents on the rise, you need a skilled lawyer who has years experience in the court that will have your best interests at heart today and well into your later years.

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How common are spinal cord injuries in football?

If you have a little rugrat about to start playing peewee football or a high school senior about to embark on a career in collegiate play, you should know just how often spinal cord injuries happen in football and other sports. Also, if you feel that your child was the victim of someone’s foul play, you should contact a Austin Personal Injury Lawyer who will fight for their rights. Here is some information about common sports injuries, including serious spinal cord injuries.

Decrease in Spinal Cord Injuries

Although the incidence of major cervical spine injuries in sports has progressively decreased over the last 30 years, it is still estimated that 10 to 15% of football players will end up with one of these injuries, most commonly happening to linemen and defensive players. The decrease over the last 30 years is due to better coaching on tackling techniques and the instruction of athletic trainers at all levels of the sport. Also, improvements in helmets and shoulder pads have also made a significant difference.

Different Sports That Include the Possibility of Injury

These types of injuries make up over half of the catastrophic life-changing injuries in sports. They are not limited to football players but happen in various contact sports like hockey, wrestling, and rugby. They are also prevalent in accidents that occur while skiing, during track and field events, surfing, diving, power lifting, and horse riding events.

Highest Rates of Incidence

Football and rugby have the highest incidence rate of spinal cord injuries. These injuries occur because of high-velocity contact between players. Spearing has been banned in American football as a direct effect of causing spinal cord injuries and even quadriplegia.

Preparation for an Injury

A team physician should be prepared to medically assess spinal injuries, immobilize the player to avoid any further damage, and transport the player to the proper facility for further evaluation and treatment. Further damage can result from moving the player’s neck and should be avoided at all costs. After treatment has been completed, a serious discussion should follow with the player, players parents, coaches, and doctors about if and when a player should return to the field.

If you believe that avoidable damage has happened to your loved one from a neck injury as a result of a football accident, contact a Austin Personal Injury Lawyer to review your case and fight for any compensation that you and your loved ones may deserve. Also, make sure that your loved ones know the danger that they put themselves in every time they step out on the field.

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Who pays when an Uber causes an accident?

Uber is a transportation matching service. They match riders with drivers who provide their privately owned and insured vehicle for use as a “taxi” service. The coverage chosen by the driver is entirely up to him or her. Uber however, does add one million dollars of additional coverage per driver.

When a contracted Uber driver has an accident, there are three stages that must be considered. Before turning on the Uber App, the driver’s car is covered by his personal insurance carrier and not by Uber’s coverage. The first stage occurs prior to receiving a reservation for a ride. During this stage, the Uber App is turned on and the driver is available to receive pick-up orders. Unless, the driver has supplemental insurance, he is not covered at this point by his personal insurance or Uber’s insurance. During stage two, the driver would be en route to pick-up a passenger and is insured by Uber for $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident. During stage three the passenger is being taken to his destination. The driver is fully insured for the extra $1 million by Uber. In both stage 2 and 3, the driver’s personal insurance coverage may be forfeited because he is transporting paying customers.

In Texas, when the app is on and the driver is waiting for a passenger, he is not covered by most personal auto coverage or Uber’s insurance. The only option the driver has in these instances is to get supplemental coverage that will cover his personal use as well as the insurance gap before ride pickups.

If you are in an accident with an Uber car, call a Austin car accident lawyer. Because the liability of the Uber driver and/or Uber the company will become an issue, you need legal representation to sort through the confusing details. Uber calls its drivers’ private partners or independent contractors who are solely responsible for their vehicles and their insurance coverage when not carrying passengers. Whether Uber or the driver should be responsible for the liability is still being disputed as Uber drivers are involved in accidents across the country resulting in death, injury and property damage.

Who was responsible for an Uber driver’s accident was questioned in a California accident recently where a mother and her two children were struck in an intersection. Her six year old daughter died as a result of her injuries. The California Labor Commission ruled that the Uber driver was an Uber employee and the company was found liable for the accident.

The laws governing Uber differ from state to state, so enlist a Austin car accident lawyer to insure you have Texas traffic and injury laws working in your favor. While Uber no longer operates in Austin, it still provides services in nearby cities where an accident could occur. As a Texas resident, you can still pursue a lawsuit with the help of a Austin car accident lawyer.

In which cases do you need a personal injury lawyer?

Most personal injury cases settle because the insurance company wants to handle the claim as quickly as possible. However, if your case involves serious injuries, you should consult a Austin Personal Injury Lawyer for legal help.

What is Negligence?
Negligence is a legal term used for determining who is responsible for monetary damages sought by the plaintiff. The major component in most personal injury suits largely depends upon proving that the victim through no fault of their own became injured. Proving negligence depends upon the following factors:

• The person inflicting the injury owed a duty of care to the plaintiff because they were acting in the role of service provider, i.e. legal or medical services.

• Breach of duty can occur when the offending person acts in such a way that that the fail to perform their duty as expected.

• Proximate cause happens when the professional actually inflicts damage upon the victim by failing to perform their duty properly.

• Damages can be sought when the victim has suffered a disability or permanent disfigurement as a result of their injuries.

How Negligence is Determined
When a judge or jury examines the evidence in a case, they try to determine who was at fault and if the victim contributed to the accident. Liability is the key element in all personal injury claims and proving negligence may affect the amount of your settlement. The laws in each state can vary on how they allow an individual to recover damages.

• Comparative Negligence—This rule of law is applied to situations where each party may have been responsible for a certain degree of negligence. Let’s say that you’re driving down the freeway and change lanes, cutting off another vehicle. The other driver ends up hitting your car. You made be partly responsible for the collision because you made an unsafe lane change. The plaintiff may be suing for $100,000 in damages, but the jury finds them 50% responsible. Therefore, they will only be able to receive $50,000 for their claim.

• Contributory Negligence—If a person contributes in any way to the accident, they may be prevented from collecting any damages. Fortunately, only 5 states currently use this rule of law, which includes Alabama, Maryland, North Carolina and Washington D.C.

• Strict Liability—This is a legal doctrine that holds people responsible when their negligent or careless actions led to the accident, regardless of whether they intended harm or not. Product manufacturers may be liable if they failed to include a proper warning about what ages are appropriate for a toy. If the toy poses a risk to children under a certain age, the packaging must specify the appropriate age level by saying, “Product only intended for children ages 6 and up”.

• Vicarious Liability—Employers may be held legally liable if their employee injures someone while they are performing their job. For example, if the employee is driving a company vehicle while making a delivery for the employer and hits a pedestrian, the employer can be sued through the legal doctrine known as “Respondeat Superior”.

How A Austin Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
Most people avoid confrontational situations. They don’t relish going head to head with insurance professionals who are trained to fight victims on settlement amounts. Many victims don’t understand the law and are unaware that their case may be worth much more than they realize. Contact an experienced Austin personal injury lawyer and get advice regarding your case and what damages you may be entitled to recover.

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How to stay safe while driving on Austin´s roads?

The south Texas, coastal city of Austin is home to over 300,000 people. The city’s main road transportation network includes Interstate 69E/US, Interstate 37 and Highway 77 that links the city to Victoria and Brownsville. The other important highways in the city include the Texas State Highway 44 thoroughfare and the Texas State Highway 268 Crosstown Expressway.

Austin ranks as one of the safest cities to drive in America; this means there are far fewer accidents here compared to other cities in the US. However, challenges still remain in the way of unsafe driving conditions and driver errors. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, there are certain things every driver needs to pay attention to when driving on the state’s highway, these include:
• Speed limit
• Learning to share roads with trucks
• Staying on the right line
• Giving way to emergency vehicles
• Using the rest zones

In Texas, the maximum speed allowed on most interstate and state highways is 75 miles per hour. However, elements such as driving conditions and traffic may force a driver to adjust speed accordingly. It is against state laws to too impede traffic flow by driving continuously in the left lane. Drivers who break this law can receive fines of up to $200. Sharing the road with trucks is a crucial road safety issue because heavy trucks often take longer to make a stop and this could spell serious disaster.

To stay safe in the face of a truck; maintain safe distance, be aware of the trucks blind spot, avoid crossing behind a truck that is backing up and avoid passing in between a truck and the curb. When you see an emergency vehicle with flashing lights, you need to slow down below the posted speed limit or step a lane away. Failure to do this could land you a $200. While driving in and out of Austin, Texas, you can take advantage of the highway safety rest areas and Travel Information Centers available.

How a Austin Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You
When an accident happens, the first thing you need to do is stop the car in a safe area and check if you or anyone else needs emergency medical attention. Call 911 once this is established. If you or your loved one are involved in an accident, you need to find an experienced Austin car accident lawyer who will guard your interest. Some of the factors to consider when choosing a lawyer include attorney credentials, cost of representation, comfort level and location of the attorney.

During your search, ask the attorney pertinent questions like how long they have been in the practice and their experience handling similar cases as yours. Consulting a car accident attorney will help you avoid making costly missteps and get your initial case review and explanation of legal options available to you. The car accident attorney is also well-placed to help you resolve any rising legalities such as insurance disputes.

How common are truck accidents in Austin?

Those who have lived in Austin just a short time can tell you this area has undergone both a business and population explosion in recent years. With all that extra traffic comes an increase in truck accidents. Today, this area has numerous businesses, military, and an even strong tourism industry that supplies many jobs.

If you’re injured due to the fault of another, you have to get legal representation for a number of reasons. Don’t make the mistake of waiting until it is too late or you run the risk of getting only a partial settlement offer to take care of all your injuries and inability to work.

Here is why you must hire a local Austin personal injury lawyer sooner than later:

Collecting Vital Truck Accident Evidence
Your personal injury lawyer has an accident investigative team on standby to get to the location of your accident and begin the process of collecting vital evidence. No matter how much time has passed, your lawyer’s team will take measurements, videos, and pictures, in an attempt to carefully preserve the scene in the event this case goes to trial. The goal here is to collect enough evidence so that your lawyer can tell an accurate story of what happened that day and provide the judge and jury accompanying visuals.

Never Trust the Responsible Party
When you trust the responsible party at their word that they will take care of your medical expenses, here’s what usually happens. Time passes very slowly, and then the responsible party realizes your medical bills are mounting and are more than they anticipated. So they decide to hire a defense lawyer without you knowing, and then they take you to court to get out of paying the rising medical costs. By this time it is too late to get your own attorney on the case or collect vital evidence. Now you are left stranded taking care of your medical bills well into your later years.

Seeing the Right Medical Professionals
The sooner you hire the Austin personal injury lawyer, the sooner they can get you in touch with their own physicians who are the best in their respected fields. These doctors will not only diagnose your injuries, treat your injuries, and utilize physical therapy to help get you back on the road to recover, the doctor will be able to provide expert testimony at trial that can often swing a jury in your favor. In many cases, the testimony of the physicians can often sway a jury to award the maximum cash settlement.

These are only a few reasons you must hire the Austin personal injury lawyer as soon as you can get to a phone after the truck accident occurred. The impact of these accidents can cause severe damage that you may not even realize until after the adrenaline has worn off.

Take advantage of a free initial consultation so the local personal injury lawyer can explain to you what you have to lose if you don’t get the process started immediately.

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4 things to consider when hiring a lawyer


Hiring a lawyer can be a tiring and complex job. With so many lawyers available today, it can be hard to choose the one who will be suitable for defending your case. These are four things you need to consider when hiring a lawyer.

1. Qualifications

You should hire a lawyer who has expertise in your kind of case. That is, you should hire a family lawyer for resolving family issues. You should know the area of specialization of the lawyer before hiring him or her.

2. Experience

You should hire some who has many years of experience in handling similar legal issues. You should consider the success rate of the lawyer in handling complex cases. You should remember that the lawyer must be experienced in the specific area you are looking for.

3. Cost

You should know how much the lawyer will charge you. You can compare the rates of a couple of lawyers and choose one who is more affordable. Lawyers may charge a flat rate, on an hourly basis or a contingency charge for the services. You should know the estimated legal charges and any additional costs involved.

4. Comfort level

You should hire a lawyer whom you can trust. You must be able to communicate with the lawyer easily and feel comfortable to work with him or her. If you can trust your lawyer, you will have a healthy working relationship with him or her.

You must do research before hiring a lawyer to fight your case. It is a very crucial decision to choose a good lawyer. You should take the time to hire the best lawyer to handle your legal issues efficiently.

4 reasons why you shouldn’t delay calling a personal injury lawyer

If you are involved in a car accident or other accidents, and you are injured, you should seek medical help immediately. At the same time, you should look for a personal injury lawyer. Here are the reasons why.

Statues of limitations

It is a legal rule that requires any personal injury case to be filed within a certain time frame. The time limit varies from one state to another. It also depends on the case. You should call a lawyer immediately to file your case so that you don’t lose the deadline.

Evidence may be destroyed

The evidence is very important for fighting personal injury case. If you delay, the evidence may be destroyed or lost. Evidence includes witness statements, physical evidence, proof of injuries, etc. All these must be documented immediately.

You may not remember the event accurately

As time will pass, you may not remember all the small details of the event that are very crucial for the case. Your memory can fade or get altered over time. A lawyer will be able to help you document the detail of the event.

You may not get a quick settlement

A good settlement will provide the best resolution for your claim. You will be able to partly finance your medical expenses, loss of wages, etc. It is easy to negotiate a quick settlement by contacting a lawyer right after the incident.

By hiring a lawyer, it is possible to get the peace of mind that you are in good hands. It is difficult to deal with the physical and mental healing process from any injury. By knowing that there is someone there to guide you, will make you feel comfortable.

5 ways a lawyer can assist you with child custody

Divorcing parents don’t have much understanding about child custody. If you are getting a divorce and you have children, then you should hire a lawyer to help you. An experienced lawyer can help you with the following.

The process

Every custody process is different. A lawyer has in-depth knowledge on the field. They know the process, paperwork, and all the details about the case. They will make the experience simple and stress-free for you.

Rules

Different states may have different laws about child custody. A lawyer is well aware of these laws. A good lawyer can help the judge look into your side, allowing you to provide your child with the loving care and attention they deserve.

Parenting guidance

Custody cases involve a parenting plan. These are a specific set of guidelines that the parents should follow. A child custody lawyer can develop a parenting plan that meets the judge’s expectation.

 Evidence

A custody case is needed for a parent to prove that they are fit to raise their children. At other times, it is necessary to show that a parent is not fit. Whatever your case may be a lawyer can help you get the evidence for you.

Special situations

If there is any problem that requires being addressed quickly, your child custody lawyer can help you. Situations that involve abuse, addiction, bad behavior, etc. can be handled by the lawyer.

You will benefit a lot from hiring a child custody lawyer. You will be able to get the desired result you want for you and your children. It will make you stress-free.