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Have you or a loved one been seriously injured from a car accident in Austin, Texas?
If so, an Austin car accident attorney at the Bonilla Law Firm is here for you. We know how stressful and life changing car accidents can be, and our team has over 30 years of experience successfully recovering compensation for our clients in Texas.
To contact our car accident lawyers in Austin and to ask questions regarding the unique circumstances of your case contact or call us at (512) 441-1111. We will provide a 100% free case evaluation to help you understand your legal options. Our experienced lawyers offer knowledgeable representation to help restore what was lost.
When looking to hire an Austin personal injury attorney with experience in car accidents you need a team who has the knowledge and resources necessary to hold the at-fault or negligent party accountable. There are many reasons why to choose the Bonilla Law Firm after you have been in a serious car accident which include:
We have been in business for over 30 years. Our team of highly experienced and well-informed attorneys strategically and efficiently helps achieve the goals of our clients, with the case results to prove it. The Bonilla Law Firm has successfully settled multiple successful cases involving car accidents and personal injury ranging from $250,000 to $2,000,000.
We form long-term relationships with our clients and colleagues. Our team achieves this by being trustworthy, transparent, and fair. We will keep you updated on the status on your case every step of the way, whether that be positive or negative.
We never charge upfront fees, only if and when we win your case, do we get paid. If you have piling medical bills, you might be thinking about how you can afford to hire a lawyer. Don’t worry about paying any money out of your pocket to hire us, and remember that if we don’t win, you don’t pay.
We work effectively in search of the most optimal means of obtaining the best possible results. At the Bonilla Law Firm, we know the tactics that insurance companies use to give you the lowest possible settlement. Their teams of experienced adjusters and lawyers will try to downplay the severity of your injuries but don’t listen to them. We know the right strategies to push back and level the playing field.
Not sold on us yet? Here’s what a few of our clients have to say.
“Brad and his team did a great job in helping me navigate the claims process. I was in a rental vehicle within hours of my accident and Bonilla stayed in constant contact with me, giving me important updates and information. My case was successfully settled within 6 months. I highly recommend the Bonilla Law Firm.
– Bee S.
“In 15 minutes, from my first ever call to these guys I got better advice than I had got from my current law firm in FIVE months!! We all have things to say about lawyers, mainly when we are in tough life situation. Jon and Brad make life A LOT easier.”
– Gordon M.
“Great customer service experience. Office staff very professional and friendly. I talked with Brad who made complicated legal issues easy for me to understand. It’s a family-run business which shows in their friendliness and concern. I highly recommend them.”
– Jeff S.
When you have been injured in a rollover car accident, rear-end, side-collision, head on, drunk driving accident, or any other form of a car accident, hiring an attorney can be invaluable. Injuries not only cause physical pain but financial strain as well. Freely consulting with an experienced attorney regarding car accident cases and legal options helps make a well-informed decision on how to move forward and the best pathway to do so. Working with an Austin car accident attorney can alleviate you from:
Insurance companies have teams of their own lawyers and adjusters that are looking out for their own best interests. Some of these carriers begin evaluating your injury claim and as soon as they are notified. Retaining legal counsel immediately after you are injured is essential to recovering the compensation you are owed.
After a car wreck occurs, medical bills can quickly pile up. In some instances, emergency surgeries and operations are required to help a victim of an accident. In the most extreme scenarios, auto accidents result in wrongful deaths that can put the surviving family members under enormous financial and emotional stress.
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After injuries in an auto accident are suffered, an injured victim may be confused whether or not they can file a personal injury claim in Texas. Certain injuries may be minor in nature, while other injuries can be life-altering, catastrophic, and in extreme cases, fatal.
At our law firm, our Austin auto accident lawyers examine the specifics of your case and help victims recover compensation for the damages and pain and suffering caused in an accident.
If your injuries have caused a loss of work, unforeseen medical bills, pain and suffering or emotional damages you may have cause to bring a claim against those responsible for the injuries suffered.
In the State of Texas there is a time limit, also known as statute of limitations, for victims of personal injury to file a claim. For car accidents this time limit is two years from the date the injury occurred.
It is important to remember the statute of limitations if an injured victim decides to file an accident injury claim. Injured victims that fail to file a suit within the two-year time frame, risk losing the option to file a civil suit against a potential defendant.
To ensure that accident victims do not miss the deadline to file a case, it is of utmost importance to discuss the facts and details of a case as quickly as possible after personal injuries are sustained. Talking to an attorney shortly after the accident allows a legal team to begin to conduct the necessary research and build a case while the accident is fresh in a victim’s mind.
Our attorneys are here to handle the legal work, research, negotiate with insurance companies, assess damages relating to medical and emotional tolls and consult with reconstruction experts to establish the cause of the car accident. After an auto accident occurs, victims should focus on what’s most important- recovery. Our attorneys can handle the rest.
There are various ways that car accidents can occur in and around the Austin area. The majority of car accidents are caused by human error. In some cases, driving mistakes are relatively minor, but they can still result in serious accidents. Below, here are some of the most common causes of car accidents in the United States, and subsequently, in the Austin area.
If you or someone in your family has suffered any of the accidents outlined above, our Austin car accident attorneys are here to answer your questions about the insurance company and provide a legal resource during this time of need.
Unfortunately, thousands of people are injured each year in and around the Austin area due to car accidents. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for every one person that loses their life in a vehicle accident, eight others are hospitalized for an injury and 100 more are treated and released from an emergency department.
Some of the most common injuries that the team at Bonilla Law Firm helps clients that have been impacted by the following kinds of injuries:
Our Austin car accident attorneys also regularly help clients who have sustained immense emotional and psychological trauma due to their accident. In many cases, car accident victims can suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of the incident and their subsequent injuries.
Since the year 2000, there has not been a single day where someone has not died on a Texas road. Last year, one person was killed every 1 hour and 27 minutes, one person was injured every 2 minutes and 9 seconds and one reportable crash occurred every 57 seconds, according to traffic crash statistics given by the Texas Department of Transportation (Texas DoT).
A total of 244,092 people were injured in traffic accidents and 4,481 of those were fatally wounded in 2022.
In addition, around 4.57 million people were injured seriously in car accidents last year and required medical attention, according to the National Safety Council. More than 46,000 lives were claimed in car crashes in 2022 in the United States alone.
Here are the leading causes of car crashes in Texas throughout 2022:
| Contributing Factor | Fatal Crashes | Total Crashes |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Control Speed | 577 | 136,165 |
| Driver Inattention | 332 | 84,887 |
| Other (Not Explained) | 509 | 45,768 |
| Failed To Drive In Single Lane | 830 | 45,632 |
| Failure To Yield – Turning Left | 158 | 35,674 |
| Failure to Yield – Stop Sign | 128 | 30,314 |
| Unsafe Speed | 457 | 23,633 |
| Disregard Stop & Go Signal | 128 | 22,490 |
| Under The Influence of Alcohol | 714 | 15,402 |
It depends. Texas is a comparative fault state – meaning that if an individual is found to be 50% or more at fault for the accident, they will not be able to recover damages.
The State of Texas operates under a “modified comparative” fault state. This means that if one of the parties involved is found to have been at partial fault for the auto accident, the court system will establish and calculate the percentage of fault that can be attributed to each party.
For example if there is a car accident case where the plaintiff is suing a defendant in the amount of $1,000,000 of damages – and the plaintiff was found to be 25% at fault for the ensuing accident – the plaintiff could potentially be awarded $750,000 in this specific example.
If the car accident plaintiff is found to be partially at fault for that accident, that percentage of fault will be reduced to reflect the percentage equal to that party’s respective fault.
In the aftermath of a car accident that occurs in Austin, Texas, there are various types of compensation that you may be able to recover if you sustain injuries and property damage. There is no set amount of compensation paid in these situations. The total amount of compensation paid to crash victims in Austin will vary depending on the severity of the injuries, the length of the recovery time, the estimated property damage, whether or not there was any shared fault, and more.
Below, we will delve into the various types of compensation available in the aftermath of a car or motorcycle accident. We strongly encourage you to work with a skilled Austin car accident attorney at the Bonilla Law Firm who can help adequately calculate your total losses.
Economic damages are also referred to as “special damages” when it comes to vehicle accidents. These types of damages revolve around calculable expenses that an Austin car accident victim will likely sustain after the incident. We can consider these calculable expenses because we can add up the damages by gathering bills, receipts, pay stubs, tax returns, and other verifiable proof.
Some of the most common economic damages associated with vehicle accidents in Texas include:
Adequately calculating economic damages after a car accident involves taking those bills in receipts and finding a total. There will be some challenges when it comes to calculating lost wages if a person is unable to work in the future as a result of a disability or if they cannot return to the same type of work they performed before.
Non-economic damages are also referred to as “general damages,” and these are less calculable there in the types of losses mentioned above. Unfortunately, there are not necessarily bills and receipts associated with these types of losses that an individual will likely sustain after a vehicle accident occurs. However, these types of damages are just as important, because individuals certainly experience the following:
Calculating non-economic damages after an Austin vehicle accident can be more challenging and typically involves using a multiplier method. This means that an injury lawyer will get the total for all the economic damages mentioned above and then multiply that total by a set number, usually a number ranging from 1.5 to 5. For example, if a person sustains $50,000 worth of economic damages, an injury lawyer may use a multiplier of “three” to reach a non-economic total of $150,000. Overall, the injury lawyer would ask for $200,000 on behalf of their client.
Punitive damages are not awarded in every car accident claim in Austin, TX. These types of damages are reserved for situations where a judge or jury determines that the defendant’s actions were egregiously negligent or intentional. Punitive damages are meant to punish the wrongdoer and send a signal to others that the types of actions displayed in the case are not acceptable. Essentially, they should act as a deterrent to others.
There is no one size fits all response to this question. Depending on the circumstances of the claim, damages for an injury from an auto accident can range anywhere from four figures to seven figures or more.
Generally speaking, the more severe the injuries, pain and suffering, property damage, impact on the victim, along with their loved ones, loss of income and loss of ability to work. will award larger damages than accidents that are less severe in nature. An experienced car accident attorney in Austin can help estimate the value of an auto accident claim.
Auto accidents can quickly surpass damages that exceed tens of thousands of dollars. In extreme scenarios that result in life-altering serious injuries, and death, these accidents may surpass seven figure settlements.
Medical bills, property damage, emotional damages, loss of enjoyment of life and additional factors and damages can contribute to a large settlement or verdict in a car accident case. If an individual is at-fault in a car accident, and also uninsured by an insurance company, that individual can be held responsible for the damages caused.
In Texas, 8.3% of drivers are uninsured or roughly one out of every twelve drivers on the road are uninsured. When uninsured drivers cause auto-accidents, an experienced lawyer can help.
If this is the case in a car accident, it may be necessary to hire an experienced Austin car accident attorney. A car accident lawyer that is well-versed in auto accident cases can help recover compensation to help off-set the damages caused in an accident by uninsured drivers.
Individuals who are injured in car accidents often wonder whether or not they will have to go to court to recover the fair compensation they are entitled to. After an Austin car accident, there is a very good chance that the claim will be resolved through a settlement with the insurance carriers or insurance company involved in the case. The vast majority of all personal injury claims, not just vehicle accident claims, are resolved through settlements with the insurance carrier.
However, that does not mean that a settlement will be easy or necessarily fair. It is imperative to work with an Austin car accident lawyer who can handle all communication and negotiations with the at-fault party’s insurance company in order to ensure that you receive the fair compensation you are entitled to. All too often, insurance carriers try to lowball the settlement in an attempt to get you to take much less than you actually deserve. In some cases, they may deny the claim altogether.
In the event your claim is denied by the insurance carrier, or if they refuse to offer a fair settlement amount, it may be necessary to file a civil personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver. This will officially put the case into the court system, but that does not mean you will have to go to court. The discovery process will begin when both sides exchange evidence with one another, and it is likely that negotiations will also continue as more evidence comes to light. In the event a settlement still cannot be reached, then you and your attorney may need to take the case to a jury trial.
When determining whether or not you will pay taxes on a car accident settlement or jury verdict, we will have to examine the different types of damages a person may be able to receive. Typically, we will find that the compensation individuals receive for the medical bills associated with the car accident will not face any taxation at the federal or state levels. The same can be said for compensation related to out-of-pocket expenses caused by the incident as well as any pain and suffering damages a person endures.
However, a major portion of a car accident settlement could revolve around lost wages. In the event an individual is unable to work and secures wage replacement through a settlement or jury verdict, they will have to pay taxes on this compensation. This is typically seen as justified because individuals would have continued to work and made money, thus continuing to pay taxes, had the incident not occurred. This part of the compensation is simply designed to replace the wages a person already would have earned and is taxed accordingly.
In rare cases, punitive damages are assigned if the conduct of the defendant was found to be particularly egregious or intentional. If a car accident victim is awarded punitive damages, this will also likely be taxed.
If you or somebody you care about expects to receive a settlement or jury verdict compensation after a car accident in Austin, we encourage you to reach out to a skilled accountant who can help you figure out your taxable liabilities.
The Bonilla Law Firm has decades of experience in protecting the rights of car accident victims. We have the resources to stand toe-to-toe with insurance company or carrier. Our car accident attorneys have the necessary skills and dedication to fight to ensure that you are fairly compensated for your losses. Our personal injury law firm is here to help in the difficult time for our injured clients. Contact our auto accident attorneys for a free consultation today via our online contact form or by phone at (512)-441-1111.