Rear-End Car Accidents in Lubbock
Rear-end car accidents happen when one vehicle collides with the rear of another. They often occur at intersections or when highway traffic is stalled.
If you were injured in a rear-end car accident in Lubbock, you could hold the negligent party who caused the crash liable for your losses. Contact a reliable car accident attorney with Chad Jones Law as soon as possible after the collision for help investigating your legal alternatives.
Rear-End Crash Injuries Could Be Challenging to Prove
In cases of high-speed rear-end collisions, injuries are often severe and easy to prove. However, rear-end crashes often occur at low speeds, and the injuries they cause might not show up on x-rays or with other imaging techniques. Anyone involved in a low-speed crash should obtain medical treatment immediately, even if they are not experiencing symptoms, as soft tissue injuries might not produce symptoms until hours or days later.
People in rear-end crashes often suffer neck hyperextension or whiplash. The quick jerking motion can cause neck injuries that might include strained or sprained muscles and ligaments and injuries to intervertebral joints, discs, and nerve roots. Common symptoms include:
- Severe headache
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Neck stiffness
- Shoulder pain
- Memory loss
- Sleep disturbance
- Inability to concentrate
- Fatigue
Someone experiencing these symptoms may suffer considerable inconvenience, pain, emotional trauma, and may miss time at work. If they receive prompt treatment and follow their doctor’s advice, their medical record may be useful in establishing the fault of the other driver. A skilled Lubbock attorney knows how to appeal to this evidence to argue that the driver culpable for the rear-end car crash should pay for the claimant’s losses.
Fault and Rear-End Crashes
Most of the time, when a car collides with the rear end of another vehicle, the driver of the rear vehicle is at fault. Drivers are supposed to leave adequate room between vehicles to avoid a collision in case the forward vehicle makes a quick or unexpected stop.
However, the rear driver is not always at fault. If the forward vehicle stopped unexpectedly, its brake lights were not working, or it veered into another lane, the driver in the forward car might be liable in a rear-end accident.
In rare cases, accidents are unavoidable. For example, if a car is rear-ended because a driver stopped suddenly to avoid a child darting into the road, it is possible that neither driver would be at fault. Whatever the circumstances, a Lubbock attorney could investigate to ensure an injured party does not bear an unfair portion of fault for a rear-end car wreck.
Prompt Action Strengthens a Claim
The law in this state allows injured people two years to file a lawsuit seeking damages after a car accident. Sometimes, people believe they should wait and see what the at-fault driver’s insurer offers them before seeking advice from an attorney. In fact, injured parties benefit from engaging a legal professional as soon after an accident as possible.
Medical records play a critical role in establishing damages. Sometimes, a primary care physician is not fully conversant with the injuries that result from rear-end car accidents. A legal professional who serves Lubbock and has experience with rear-end car crash cases could recommend doctors who specialize in treating injuries of this kind.
Immediately involving a lawyer could preserve any possible claims against the state or a local government. If road conditions led to the rear-end collision, or if the at-fault driver was a public employee on the job, a government agency could be liable. However, Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code §101.101 requires an injured party to file a notice with the appropriate government agency within six months; otherwise, they lose their right to sue.
Work With a Lubbock Attorney to Pursue a Rear-End Accident Claim
Recovering your health after a car accident could be a long process, and you need all the support you can get. A professional attorney could help you submit your insurance claim and prepare a personal injury case against the at-fault driver, if necessary.
Those who have sustained rear-end car accidents in Lubbock must act immediately. Engaging with a lawyer now could offer better results than hoping an insurer will be fair. Call Chad Jones Law today to schedule a case review.
