Personal Injury Law – Car Accidents – Automobile Insurance

This Blog was brought to you by the Carabin Shaw Law Firm, Principal Office in San Antonio

Everyone who drives a motor vehicle on a public roadway in Texas must purchase – at a minimum – three types of automobile insurance.

All Texas drivers must have:

1.Liability Insurance: This insurance covers damage to other people’s property, including vehicles, if you are in an accident. In Texas, Liability insurance does not cover medical expenses.

2.Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Insurance: This is the insurance that pays for medical claims by you or by anyone else involved in an accident that involves your vehicle. In Texas this is sometimes referred to as No-Fault insurance since this portion of your insurance pays for medical expenses regardless of whose fault the accident is eventually deemed to be. More about Car Accident Attorneys San Antonio here
3.Uninsured Motorist (UM) Insurance: This insurance pays for both medical claims as well as property damage if you are involved in an accident with someone who does not have any insurance or who does not have sufficient insurance to cover the claims resulting from an accident.

The basic minimum coverage in Texas is what is known as 15/30/5. What this means is that you are required to have Personal Injury Protection Insurance (PIP) that covers up to $15,000 of medical protection per individual with a cap of $50,000 of medical coverage per accident. You are also required to carry $5,000 of Liability Insurance to cover any property (including vehicles) that you might damage in an accident.

Under Texas state law you are not required to have any other coverage in order to drive a vehicle. However, if your car is being financed then your lender may very well require that you also purchase comprehensive coverage as well as collision coverage and that you buy considerably more than the state-required minimum for Liability, PIP and Uninsured Motorist.

Even if you own your car outright and are not required to purchase anything more than the bare state minimum for insurance you may very well choose to carry higher coverage. This is especially true for anyone who owns a home, has a savings account, or for anyone who has any other assets that they wish to protect.

Just one accident-spawned lawsuit could see your home taken from you, your bank account wiped out, and any and all other assets that you own turned over to the prevailing party. In other words, if you don’t have sufficient automobile insurance coverage you could lose everything in an accident.

Once you (or your lender) have decided on the amount of your full coverage insurance then it is time for you to go online and find at least 3 of the dozens of websites that will let you quickly and easily find out how much your policy will cost from different insurance companies. You will find that there can be a considerable difference in price from one company to another.

Don’t get lazy and just compare prices on one website. No website compares prices from all the different insurance companies, so if you want to insure that you are seeing the widest range of prices possible you will need to make your comparisons on at least 3 different websites.

But once you’ve done that then all you need to do is to choose the lowest price and you’re done. You now know what to look for in a full coverage car insurance quote in Texas and you know how to find the best price for your coverage.

Please note, the Carabin Shaw Law Office has moved to 875 E Ashby # 1100 San Antonio, Texas 78212

Motorcycle Accident Deaths

This Blog was brought to you by the Carabin Shaw Law Firm, Principal Office in San Antonio

MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT DEATHS

Motorcycle accident deaths claim the lives of more than three thousand people every year. The DOT presented evidence that motorcycle accident deaths are up eleven percent. In addition to motorcycle accident deaths, approximately fifty thousand people are injured in motorcycle accidents every year on our nation’s streets and highways. Motorcycle accident deaths and injuries pose a more significant threat to motorcyclists than deaths and injuries in other motor vehicle accidents. One of the most significant factors that increase this risk is the failure of other motorists to detect and recognize motorcyclists in traffic. Negligent vehicle drivers often fail to see and avoid motorcyclists on the road. Nearly three-fourths of all motorcycle accidents involve a collision with another passenger vehicle. Motorcycles offer much less protection to their drivers than other motor vehicles, which contributes to the risk of motorcycle accident deaths. Five types of accidents result in motorcycle accident deaths:

Motorcycle accident deaths occur most often when a motorcycle rides or is driven off the road.
Almost twenty percent of motorcycle accident deaths result from another motor vehicle failing to obey a traffic signal.
Head-on collisions account for more than ten percent of motorcycle accident deaths.
Passenger cars turn in front of a motorcycle.
Motorcycles going down on the roadway.

The severity of most motorcycle accidents increases with motorcycle speed, the size of the motorcycle, and the involvement of alcohol in the accident. Nearly one-half of all motorcycle accident deaths are caused by accidents where alcohol use is involved. The lack of helmet use also drastically increases the risk of motorcycle accident deaths. Motorcyclists who do not wear helmets are forty percent more likely to suffer a fatal head injury than those who wear safety helmets. Motorcycle accident deaths are often the result of severe head, neck, or back injuries. These types of damages are the most fatal in all motor vehicle accidents. More on this webpage

The leading cause of death on our nation’s roadways is attributed to severe head injuries. This is another reason for helmet use’s importance when operating a motorcycle, even for short trips in tight areas. Suppose you have a loved one who died in a motorcycle accident. In that case, you may be eligible to file a wrongful death lawsuit against that party whose negligence caused or contributed to the fatal motorcycle accident. A victim’s beneficiaries may be able to recover damages, including medical expenses, loss of income, and emotional suffering. For more information about motorcycle accident deaths, contact a qualified and experienced attorney who can advise you of your legal rights and options.

IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE HAS BEEN INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT, YOU NEED THE ADVICE OF AN EXPERIENCED PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER. CALL OUR LAW OFFICE TODAY FOR YOUR FREE CONSULTATION.

Severe Injuries From Car Accidents San Antonio

This Blog was brought to you by the Carabin Shaw Law Firm, Principal Office in San Antonio

Severe Injuries From Car Accidents San Antonio

Severe Injury and Amputations

Most severe injuries which include amputations have a long-lasting financial and medical impact. If that injury was the result of someone else’s negligence, you deserve financial restitution to help cover the costs of lost wages, doctor bills, prescription medications, and more. In some cases, you can even be awarded punitive damages to compensate for your pain and suffering.

The most common cause of severe injuries are auto accidents. However, virtually any severe injury you have suffered due to someone else’s negligence is a potential case. If your injury was the result of another’s actions whether those actions were intentional or accidental you have the right to seek restitution from that party.

The most common types of severe injury are:

Back Injury
Burns
Brain Injury
Neck Injury
Broken Bones and amputations

The symptoms of these injuries present themselves in a variety of unpredictable ways. Additionally, nervous system injuries (back, brain, and neck injuries) may not manifest symptoms until weeks, months, or even years after the accident.

Not all doctors are able to properly diagnose such injuries. That’s why it is important to find a doctor who doesn’t work for your insurance company. First and foremost your insurance company is a business. Their overall goal is to make a profit. Investing time and money into properly diagnosing and treating your severe injury is not something they may be able, or even willing, to do.

Paralysis & Brain Injuries
Spinal injuries and brain injuries can drastically alter the lives of injury victims as well as their families. A permanent catastrophic injury changes the dynamic of the family and typically causes considerable financial hardship. If you do not seek the maximum compensation you are allowed, your family could have a very difficult time in the years ahead.

At our Law Firm, we work to ensure our clients receive full and fair compensation for medical bills, long-term care, lost income, medical equipment, medications, modifications to homes and vehicles, and pain and suffering. Catastrophic injuries require extra treatment that may last for the life of the injury victim. We employ medical and financial experts to help calculate the present and future costs you will face. Then we pursue your claim with the insurance companies, going to trial when necessary. To schedule a free consultation with our car accident lawyer, please call us today.

The Need for Compensation for Spinal and Brain Injuries
Spinal cord injuries that result in paralysis, paraplegia, quadriplegia, or hemiplegia will permanently change the lives of the injury victims and their families. People who suffer these injuries need lifelong treatment from specialists as well as daily care from family members or nurses. Depending on the severity of the injury, they may be unable to feed, bathe or dress. Many will not be able to return to work.

Brain injury victims may also need specialized care and compensation for lost income. The type of brain injury they suffer dictates the medical treatment they need. Mild brain injuries may cause personality and mood changes while leaving most mental and physical abilities intact. Moderate brain injuries can cause more serious cognitive and physical damage as well as persistent headaches and mood disorders. A severe brain injury can result in loss of speech, vision, cognitive ability, and motor function. In the worst cases, severe brain injuries may result in coma or death.

It is critical that family members receive the emotional and financial support they need after a loved one suffers a severe injury. Our goal is to make that happen.

Back Injuries

A back injury can happen to anyone. You could be in a car accident, fall, or otherwise injured due to someone else’s negligence.

But then, immediately or sometimes weeks or months later, you start to have pain in your back. Perhaps shooting sensations start to run up and down your legs. You may even begin to have trouble moving or twisting your back and you’re not sure why.

It’s quite possible that the reason for your prolonged pain and continued symptoms is that back injuries can involve damage to the spinal cord. Trauma to the back can agitate the spongy material between vertebrae. Over time this material weakens and the vertebrae begin to rub together. The result is damage to the nervous system that begins to manifest itself in a variety of neurological problems.

The most common symptoms of back injury are radiating pain and limited back movement. Some other symptoms include tingling in the extremities, pain in the arms and legs, and blurred vision.

The most common causes of back injury are:

Car accident
Bus Accidents
Pre-existing medical conditions that are improperly diagnosed or aggravated
Dangerous Premises
Truck Accident
Slip and Falls
Boating Accidents

If you’ve been injured through no fault of your own and have subsequently developed back pain, please contact our injury attorney for a FREE CONSULTATION today. We will help properly determine the responsible party for your back injury and help you obtain a fair settlement from your insurance company. Even if your pain appears after you’ve already settled your claim.

If you have any questions regarding our services, call us to speak with a dedicated attorney.

An Accident Injury & Business Law Firm

Our Law Firm is a proven personal injury & business litigation firm serving victims of auto accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, boat accidents, medical malpractice, dangerous product injuries, premises liability, slip and fall injuries, insurance claim disputes, wrongful death, and severe injuries as well as corporate and commercial litigation, real estate litigation, securities fraud and negligence, and other areas of business law.