An accident can turn your life upside down in seconds, leaving you overwhelmed, injured, and uncertain about what to do next. When you know you’re not at fault, it’s critical to take the right steps to protect yourself—not just physically and emotionally but also legally and financially. That’s where Herrman and Herrman Personal Injury Lawyers come in.
Our experienced team knows how to navigate the aftermath of an accident, ensuring your rights are protected and you get the compensation you deserve. Here’s why choosing Herrman and Herrman is the smartest move after an accident and how we can help you every step of the way.
1. Stay Calm, We’ll Handle the Rest
It’s natural to feel shaken after an accident, but you don’t have to go through it alone. At Herrman and Herrman, we understand how overwhelming this time can be, and we’re here to guide you through it. While you focus on your recovery, we’ll focus on building a strong case for you.
2. Prioritize Safety—We’ll Fight for Justice
Your safety is always the top priority. Seek medical attention for any injuries and leave the legal complexities to us. Whether it’s contacting emergency services or ensuring you get the treatment you need, we’re here to assist.
3. Evidence Collection is Crucial—and It’s Our Specialty
Photos, witness statements, and police reports can make or break your case. Gathering this evidence can be overwhelming, but it’s what we do best. At Herrman and Herrman, we have a team of investigators ready to collect, analyze, and preserve every detail that supports your claim.
4. Dealing with Insurance? Let Us Take the Lead
Insurance companies may seem helpful at first, but their goal is to minimize payouts—not to protect your best interests. That’s why having Herrman and Herrman in your corner is vital. We’ll handle the insurance companies, ensuring they don’t undervalue or deny your claim.
5. Protect Yourself Legally from Day One
After an accident, even a small misstep—like admitting fault or saying the wrong thing—can jeopardize your claim. With Herrman and Herrman on your side, you won’t have to worry. Our attorneys will guide you on what to say and do, ensuring your rights are safeguarded from the very beginning.
6. Maximize Your Compensation
Accidents often lead to more than physical injuries—they result in medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and emotional trauma. We specialize in securing compensation that reflects the full impact of your accident, so you can move forward with confidence.
7. We Keep Track of Every Detail
From medical bills to repair estimates, there’s a mountain of paperwork after an accident. Herrman and Herrman will handle it all, keeping everything organized so you don’t have to. You’ll have peace of mind knowing no detail is overlooked.
8. Proven Results, Real Support
With decades of experience and a track record of success, Herrman and Herrman have helped countless clients recover millions in compensation. More than just lawyers, we’re advocates for justice and compassionate allies during difficult times.
Vehicle Accidents Can Happen to Anyone
Automobile accidents are far more prevalent than most people might realize. Each year, there are more than 5 million vehicular crashes on the nation’s highways and roads, with millions of injuries and thousands of fatalities. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there were more than 2.3 million injuries suffered in automobile crashes in 2014, and more than 32,000 fatalities. In addition, the NHTSA has indicated that the agency believes another 10 million crashes each year are never reported.
All of those accidents come at a cost, of course. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that these crashes cost the nation a total of more than $99 billion each year, $17 billion of which can be directly attributable to medical costs for the treatment of injuries. Few experts doubt those estimates. After all, Americans receive accident-related emergency room care at a pace of one injured person every ten seconds!
Who Pays for all This Damage?
Those facts are pretty clear. The trickier questions revolve around the issue of who actually pays for the property and bodily damage caused by these accidents. According to the NHTSA, the lion’s share of those costs – roughly seventy-four percent – are paid by groups and individuals not involved in the actual accident. Of that amount, roughly half of the total national costs are paid by private insurance companies. Taxes at all levels of government account for another nine percent, while charities, hospitals, and other people in the area end up bearing a total of fourteen percent of the cost. Those involved in the crash only pay twenty-six percent of the costs involved.
Even so, that 26% still translates to more than $25 billion paid by auto accident victims each year. And if you’re in an accident through no fault of your own, you certainly don’t want to be found responsible for any portion of any damage amount. And make no mistake: statistics suggest that the average driver ends up filing about one collision claim every eighteen years. Unfortunately, if you don’t properly protect yourself and your interests, you could end up being part of that statistical group.
Legal Action and Insurance Companies
“[Your claim] could be denied due to your own failure to properly manage the post-accident process”
In most reported automobile accidents, insurance companies invariably get involved at some point in the process. While many drivers simply assume that insurers will always be there to pick up the costs when something happens, that is simply not the case. It is important to remember that every insurance company is in business to make money. For years, many major insurers have done everything they can to reduce the amount they pay out to their policyholders, or simply deny claims altogether. While some denials for things like DUIs, missed payments, or multiple claims are perfectly legitimate, there are times when you could be denied due to your own failure to properly manage the post-accident process.
That could force you to take legal action – or might even expose you to action from the other driver in the collision. If you’re like most people, chances are you would prefer to avoid several years of expensive litigation. Besides, even if you know you can prove your case in court, the odds are that it will never get to that point. At least 95% of all personal injury cases in the country end up being settled prior to trial, and often in amounts far less than you could receive from your insurer through the claims process.
Steps that Can Secure Your Interests
With all of those things in mind, it is clear that your best option is to properly handle your post-accident situation to maximize your ability to receive the insurance help that you will need. The following steps are all critically important for achieving that goal:
1. Call the police to the scene. This is not even up for debate. As soon as an accident occurs, contact the police so that they can send an officer to document the incident, record an official statement, and gather evidence that can help to determine who was at fault. If you fail to do this, you can pretty much forget about the other driver’s insurer paying out on any claims.
2. Obtain the other driver’s information, so that you can provide that to your insurer. Include relevant contact information, license and registration details, the make and model of the car, and insurer contact details.
3. Get photos right away. Take pictures of your car, the other car, and any environmental features that may have contributed to the accident.
4. Call your agent. Don’t worry about higher premiums or similar concerns. Your first priority has to be ensuring that you are not found responsible for the accident. Let your agent do his or her job, and act as your advocate. At the same time, do not speak to the other driver’s insurer. Instead, always redirect those calls to your agent.
5. As soon as you are aware of an injury, seek medical help and report that treatment to your insurer.
6. If your vehicle needs repairs, make sure that you have an acceptance of liability from the other driver’s insurer before you take the car to the shop. Without that, you may end up with repair bills that will have to come out of your own pocket or be paid by your insurance company.
Finally, know your rights and be prepared to seek legal assistance to preserve them. While your own insurance agent is often the best advocate you can have in an accident where you are not at fault, there may also be times when an attorney is needed too. Never be afraid to contact a competent lawyer to seek advice when these types of incidents occur.
CONTACT HERRMAN & HERRMAN IF YOU HAVE BEEN INJURED IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF ACCIDENTS:
Our Texas personal injury lawyers help clients who have suffered injuries in various accidents.
We can help you if you have been harmed by the following:
- Car accidents – Our lawyers have extensive experience handling car accident cases. We will work to identify the party or parties at fault for the crash and build a case to demonstrate persuasively how the parties caused the accident and your injuries. We will seek fair and full compensation through a negotiated settlement or at trial if necessary.
- Truck accidents – Thousands of large commercial trucks travel the roads of Texas every single day. Unfortunately, careless truck drivers and trucking companies disregarding safety put innocent people at risk of serious injuries. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, let our experienced Texas personal injury lawyers stand up to the trucking companies and insurers on your behalf.
- Motorcycle accidents – Motorcycle riders often suffer grievous injuries in crashes caused by other motorists. Too many motorcycle accidents in Corpus Christi are caused by careless drivers who don’t look for motorcycle riders or violate their right of way. Our personal injury lawyers will work to cut through the bias and stigma against motorcycle riders. Our goal is to seek the financial compensation that you’ll need to recover from a serious motorcycle accident and injuries such as bone fractures, road rash, or traumatic brain injury.
- Product liability – Product manufacturers have a legal obligation to make products that are safe for their intended uses and to warn consumers of any risks that may come with the product. When products have design or manufacturing defects or undisclosed dangers, the product manufacturer may be legally responsible for injuries suffered by consumers. Our attorneys can help you evaluate whether you have a valid product liability claim.
- Brain injury – Brain injuries can leave accident victims with disabilities that leave them unable to work or perform many tasks of daily living. Seeking compensation for a brain injury in an accident often proves incredibly complex. The brain injury survivor may seek compensation for anticipated future medical care and the medical care already provided. Our personal injury lawyers can help you through the difficult recovery process following a brain injury and will fight to make sure you have the resources you need.
- Spinal injury – Spinal cord injuries could cost millions of dollars of care over the course of the victim’s lifetime, especially when those injuries result in partial or complete paralysis, such as paraplegia or quadriplegia. If you or your loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury, you deserve compassionate legal representation. Our attorney can help you determine whether you may be entitled to claim compensation for your injury and expenses related to living with the disability, such as making a home more accessible.
- Wrongful death – If you have lost a loved one due to the negligent or reckless actions of another party, your family deserves to seek accountability and compensation from those at fault for the wrongful death. Our caring and dedicated attorneys can help guide you and your family through this difficult and painful time and seek justice for your loved one.
