Brownsville Car Accident Lawyer

A car accident happens in the blink of an eye but the damage it does can last a lifetime. Injuries suffered in a Brownsville car accident and the accompanying cost of medical bills, lost work income, vehicle damage and other losses can leave a crash victim financially ruined. Serious physical injuries can alter your lifestyle or diminish your ability to enjoy the life you once had, as well.

The Brownsville car accident attorneys at Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C. understand the financial stress and the physical and emotional struggles that follow serious motor vehicle accidents. We care deeply about the families of Brownsville and Cameron County who come to us seeking legal help after a serious car accident.

Our Brownsville personal injury lawyers put our more than 100 years of shared legal experience to work to help crash victims move forward after serious car accidents.

Let Greg Herrman and the accident attorneys at Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C. in Brownsville help you, just as we have helped many Brownsville residents and families. Our car accident lawyers are dedicated to helping those whose lives have been disrupted by the carelessness of other motorists.

We have resolved thousands of cases in our clients’ favor. Our Cameron county car accident lawyers will apply that knowledge, skill and experience to your case.

Brownsville, TX Car Accident Statistics

Car accidents happen every day in Brownsville and elsewhere in Cameron County.

There were 7,015 total crashes in Cameron County and 3,578 in Brownsville in 2017, according to the Texas Department of Transportation.

The accidents included 10 fatal crashes and 1,440 crashes with injuries in Brownsville, and 35 fatal car accidents and 2,509 accidents with injuries in Cameron County.

You cannot prevent other drivers from causing accidents. What’s important if you or your loved one is injured in a crash is what you do next. If the other driver, or some other person or entity, caused the accident that injured you, you have a right under Texas personal injury law to seek compensation for your losses. You do not have to carry the financial burden of recovering by yourself.

Our Brownsville car accident attorneys would like to help you pursue justice if someone else has caused your injury and losses. You do not have to deal with it alone, especially while your focus should be on your health and your family’s recovery.

Some Safe Driving Tips as Brownsville Economy Reopens

As Brownsville and South Texas reopen from the COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown, you might wonder how much you should be driving and whether being in a car has changed in light of the virus.

For starters, you can expect higher gas prices. The slump in oil prices during the coronavirus lockdown was primarily due to lack of demand as people stayed home. As a CNBC report says, “Investors are looking at the reopening of the economy in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere as signals that drivers will have to fuel up.”

Higher demand means more people on the road and more traffic, which inevitably leads to more car accidents around Brownsville and Cameron County. Most car accidents are caused by a driver making a mistake caused by negligence or reckless driving, which can be avoided. Below are some reminders from the Brownsville personal injury lawyers of Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C. to keep in mind as we get back in our cars and back to our lives.

It May Still Pay to ‘Social Distance’ When Driving in Texas

Restrictions that required a mandatory 14-day quarantine for travelers entering Texas on roadways from Louisiana, as well as all air travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic have been terminated as of May 21. People from around the country were already taking refuge in Texas to avoid COVID-19 hotspots, according to KHOU TV in Houston. As we open up, we’re sure to attract more.

This may put some Texans in mind to stick with staying at home unless a trip in the car is essential. For those who venture out, Car & Driver suggested in the early days of the pandemic shutdown that you not offer rides to people who have not spent the shutdown with you. If you know someone who needs something, you could offer to pick it up for them.

If someone really needs your help, only transport one passenger at a time and have them keep their distance by sitting in the back seat, Dr. Avisheh Forouzesh, an infectious-disease specialist, suggested to Business Insider. Driver and passenger should be wearing cloth face masks.

When driving, open the windows or use the air conditioning system to keep the air circulating and moving airborne particles that may contain COVID-19 out of your vehicle’s passenger compartment.

Maintain social distancing, stay close to home and keep your car clean, Car & Driver suggested. The simplest way to attack COVID-19 on your car’s interior surfaces is with soap and water, such as most dish soaps, which use only mild detergents.

Summer Vacation Road Trips in the Age of COVID-19

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says travel increases your chances of getting and spreading COVID-19. Before you travel, learn whether coronavirus is spreading in any of the places you are going. Traveling to visit family may be especially dangerous if you or your loved ones are more likely to get very ill from COVID-19, the CDC says. People at higher risk for severe illness need to take extra precautions.

Planning is key for staying safe and lowering your risk of contracting coronavirus if you have plans for a long driving trip. The AARP offers several safety tips for traveling by car as we look ahead to the Summer of 2020.

• Plan your route, even if you think you know it well. Many local jurisdictions have made changes since the lockdown began. For example, you may find rest areas closed or no longer offering food for sale. The Federal Highway Administration’s directory of state transportation department websites should have the latest information about state-specific coronavirus-related changes.
• Pack a cooler. Even as restaurants are allowed to open, many may not, whether for safety reasons or because they have gone out of business. Especially if your route takes you through rural areas and small towns, you could find it harder to stop for a meal anytime you want to.
• Clean up on vacation. There’s increasing evidence that COVID-19 doesn’t live long on surfaces, but there are plenty of other germs and diseases about, so it can only help to be careful. Pack hand sanitizer, disinfecting wet wipes, disposable gloves, sealable disposable plastic bags and tissues to protect yourself. Pay for gas with cards, not cash to eliminate face-to-face interaction. Debit and credit cards can be cleaned with a disinfectant wipe after use.

The AARP also suggests using your own sanitizing supplies to clean high-touch surfaces if you stay in a hotel or motel. These include exterior and interior doorknobs and handles; the TV remote and bathroom fixtures; and any surfaces you’ll rest your belongings on, such as tabletops or bathroom counters.

For tips on cleaning travel lodgings, car surfaces, nonporous surfaces, electronics, clothing, or even your hands, see the CDC’s guidance on how to clean and disinfect.

Safe Driving Tips That Fit All Driving Conditions

Even if one day the coronavirus is in our rearview mirrors and beginning to fade from sight, there are tried and true driving tips that will help to make Texas highways safer if we remember to follow them:

• Obey all speed limits and directional/informational signs.
• Be attentive and drive responsibly.
• Never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Always wear your seatbelts.
• Don’t talk on a cell phone while driving. Distracted driving increases your chance of a collision by nearly 400%. If you must use the phone, pull over to a safe, well-lit parking lot and complete your call there. (See also, distracted driving laws in Texas.)
• Always use your turn signals.
• Always come to a full stop at stop signs.
• Before pulling away from a stop sign or when a light turns green, always turn your head to look left, then right, straight ahead, then left again before proceeding. Make a point of looking at each vehicle in case someone is about to run the light / sign.
• Keep at least a four seconds worth of space between your vehicle and others. When the car in front of you passes a stationary object, slowly count to yourself. If you pass the object before the allotted time, back off. When traveling at night or in hazardous conditions, such as inclement weather, double the time to eight seconds.

Hospitals in Brownsville, TX for Car Accident Victims

If you are seriously injured in a car accident in Brownsville, you may be transported by ambulance to a hospital emergency room or trauma center for treatment.

The hospitals in Brownsville and elsewhere in Cameron County that provide emergency medicine include:

Valley Regional Medical Center
100-A Alton Gloor Blvd.
Brownsville, TX 78526
(956) 350-7000

 Valley Baptist Medical Center
1040 W. Jefferson St.
Brownsville, TX 78520
(956) 698-5400

Valley Baptist Medical Center
2101 Pease St.
Harlingen, TX 78550
(956) 389-1100

While you are recovering from your injuries in the hospital or rehabilitation center, you may have legal questions you would like to discuss with a lawyer.

Our Brownsville legal team can meet with you at the hospital, rehabilitation center or another convenient location to review the details of your accident and discuss your legal options.

We can discuss whether the other driver or another third party may be held legally responsible for your medical bills and other losses. The consultation is free, and there is no obligation to hire our law firm.

In a Brownsville car accident claim, we typically seek compensation for our injured clients for:

• Medical expenses up to now and in the future
• Lost salary and wages, including future losses due to diminished earning capacity
• Costs of repairing or replacing a vehicle
• Disfigurement
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Emotional distress
• Loss of consortium and loss of spousal services.

These are the losses that car crash victims typically face, and their costs may be recovered under Texas personal injury law.

There are additional damages that may be recovered in a wrongful death claim. If the responsible party was either grossly negligent or engaged in intentional conduct that caused the accident, then it may be appropriate to demand punitive damages, an additional payment meant to punish the defendant and deter others from such behavior.

Our attorneys at Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C. can calculate your losses and develop a claim for you that seeks the full compensation that you are due. No one else does this work for car accident victims — not the police, and certainly not insurance companies whose primary motive is to pay out as little as possible to settle claims.

We can help you by investigating your accident to determine who was at fault, calculating the full extent of your losses, and aggressively pursuing a claim against the responsible party for the compensation you deserve.

What to Do After a Brownsville Car Accident

You need to act promptly after getting into a car accident. There are certain steps you, a family member or trusted friend need to take if you want compensation for injuries and losses someone else has caused you:

• Report your car accident. Dial 911 after a car accident to summon police and, if needed, an ambulance. If a crash causes an injury or death or $1,000 worth of damage, police in Texas are required to file an accident report. If you are not sure, ask police if there will be a report. If police don’t report your accident, you can and should report the accident (See TX DOT’s Crash Reports and Records page).
• Document your accident and injuries. Record what happened to you in photos, video, notes and/or other records. Take photos of the accident scene and of your car’s damage, if you can. Photograph your injuries. Write out what happened. Save every record and receipt connected to your accident, injuries and recovery.
• See a doctor. No matter the extent of your injuries, see a Brownsville doctor as soon as possible after a car crash for a medical evaluation. First, you may need treatment for injuries you do not realize you have. Second, seeing a doctor creates documentation of your injuries and medical care. Inform the doctor you have been in a crash. The medical records may be used to support your claim for compensation.
• Contact your insurance company. Contact your insurer as soon as you can to report the accident. You may formally file a claim later. Report the facts. Don’t blame anyone and do not admit or accept fault for the accident. Do not sign anything you get from an insurance company.

Call a car accident attorney. An attorney will take your side after an accident and make sure everything necessary is done to ensure you have the strongest possible claim. At Herrman & Herrman, our bilingual Accident Investigative Team can make sure witness statements are taken while the incident is fresh in their minds, and that evidence is collected and preserved. Furthermore, investigating and developing a solid claim is a time-consuming process, and Texas law imposes a time limit for filing a personal injury claim. In Texas, the deadline for a claim is two years from the date of the accident. But you should contact a Brownsville car crash injury lawyer as soon as possible to get to work investigating your case.

Get Started on a Brownsville Car Accident Claim Today

If you have been in a car accident in Brownsville or another Cameron County, Texas, community, contact Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C. today for a free, no obligation legal consultation through our online form.

We’ll answer your questions and tell you how you can proceed. If you have a valid claim, we will offer you our 100 years of combined legal experience as accident attorneys. If we handle your case, we will work on a contingency fee basis.

You will not have any out-of-pocket costs and will only pay a legal fee if we obtain compensation for your through an insurance settlement or jury award.

We understand the difficult time you are going through after being injured in a car accident, and we want to help you obtain the compensation you need to at least make things right financially.

Our firm has offices in the following locations: Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi South Side, Brownsville, McAllen, San Antonio, Houston, and Ft. Worth , TX.