While any auto accident can be a jarring experience to live through, being rear-ended can be especially traumatic because of how unexpected it often is. No one should expect to be hit by a reckless or careless driver while they are stopped at a light or slowed by traffic, and they especially should not have to deal with serious physical injuries because of another person’s misconduct.
If you recently found yourself in this unfortunate situation, though, you may be able to recover for all of your losses through civil litigation. By working with a knowledgeable car crash attorney, you could minimize the impact a rear-end car accident in Houston has on your life and ensure the negligent driver is held responsible.
If there is a bright side of getting rear-ended, it might be that people involved in wrecks like this have much lower chances of suffering fatal physical harm than those involved in T-bone or head-on collisions. That said, rear-end car wrecks in Houston still can—and all too often do—result in severe and debilitating injuries, often involving soft-tissue injuries in the back and neck often referred to as “whiplash.”
Even in the best-case scenario, whiplash can leave an injured individual dealing with significant pain and loss of mobility for weeks afterwards, which could require expensive medical care and possibly impact their ability to get income from work. In more serious situations, spinal cord trauma from a rear-end wreck could cause permanent loss of sensation or motor function below the injury site.
Other injuries that commonly occur in rear-end car crashes in Houston include:
Skilled legal counsel could help demand restitution for all economic and non-economic effects of injuries from this type of incident, including long-term physical pain and psychological distress.
In theory, establishing fault for a rear-end auto collision in Houston might seem as simple as figuring out who was stopped prior to the wreck and who crashed into them, and holding the latter party liable for ensuing losses. While this is how many claims like this work, the rearmost driver in a rear-end wreck is not always 100 percent to blame for the incident occurring.
For example, if someone rear-ends another driver who stops suddenly in the middle of a highway lane for no reason, the frontmost driver might be partially or even mostly at fault for causing a crash because they did something unnecessarily reckless. A qualified lawyer at Roberts Markland LLP could explain during a private meeting how “comparative fault” like this works in practice and what effect it might have on litigation
They may not be as statistically deadly as other types of wrecks, but being rear-ended can still lead to serious injuries that have serious repercussions on every part of your life. Recovering fairly for the financial and personal effects of those injuries could be crucial to protecting your future prospects—and it could also be difficult without seasoned legal representation on your side.
A conversation with an experienced lawyer could be a key first step towards moving on from your rear-end car accident in Houston. Call Roberts Markland LLP today to learn more.
