Your Trusted Car Accident Attorney in Odessa, Texas

Why Odessa Drivers Need Experienced Legal Representation

The Permian Basin is a major center for the oil industry, but with it comes increased traffic risks. With industrial vehicles a common sight, long commutes, and tired workers, it’s only a matter of time until, sadly, a serious accident happens.

Even a minor accident can leave you facing months of medical treatment, mounting bills, and dealings with an insurance company more interested in protecting its bottom line than helping you recover.

That’s why you need a personal injury attorney who understands the unique challenges of Odessa’s roads and the tactics insurance companies use to minimize payouts.

Types of Car Accidents We Handle in Odessa

Every car accident is different, but we see the same dangerous situations play out on Odessa’s roads again and again.

Highway and Interstate Crashes

Interstate 20 cuts right through Odessa. When vehicles collide, especially at high speeds, the results are often catastrophic.

Oilfield-Related Vehicle Accidents

Heavy trucks, equipment haulers, and worker transport vehicles are everywhere in Odessa. If you’re injured by a fully loaded tanker truck or oversized equipment carrier, you could recover substantial compensation for your injuries.

Intersection Collisions

Odessa’s growing population makes intersections a hotspot for accidents. Poorly timed lights, inadequate signage, and impatient drivers can cause dangerous T-bone, head-on, and rear-end crashes that can severely injure drivers and passengers.

Drunk-Driving Accidents

Impaired driving is a serious problem across Texas, and the Odessa region is no different. When someone gets behind the wheel while intoxicated, innocent drivers, passengers, and pedestrians can pay a high price.

Distracted Driving Crashes

Long drives on Odessa’s roads and highways can lead to drivers being easily distracted. Texting while driving, eating behind the wheel, and messing with GPS devices are common examples of distracted driving. It only takes a split-second distraction to cause an accident with life-changing consequences.

Weather-Related Accidents

Sudden dust storms, surprise rain showers, and high winds can turn a routine drive into a nightmare. Treacherous driving conditions can catch even the most experienced driver off guard. While you can’t sue Mother Nature, you may be entitled to compensation if a driver injures you because they failed to drive appropriately for the weather conditions.

Understanding Your Rights After an Odessa Car Accident

Texas is a fault-based insurance state, which means the person or party responsible for your accident is liable to pay your damages — or losses.

But the law is complex, and there are additional factors you must be aware of when you claim.

You Have Two Years to Act

Texas gives you two years from your accident date to file a lawsuit. That might sound like plenty of time, but insurance companies use every delay tactic in the book to run out the clock. Starting the legal process early protects your rights and gives us time to build a case and negotiate with insurers.

Texas’s 51% Rule

Texas follows a 51% modified comparative negligence rule. This means you can still recover compensation if you partly contributed to your accident — as long as you are less than 51% at fault.

Your compensation is then reduced by your level of fault. So, if you’re 30% at fault and your claim is worth $100,000, you’d recover $70,000.

Very few accidents are solely one party’s fault, so the 51% modified comparative negligence rule allows victims to get compensation for their injuries when they have played a minor role. However, insurance companies will try to blame victims and increase your liability so they pay out less. If you’re already responsible, insurers will often try to tip your liability over the 51% threshold so you’re not entitled to compensation at all.

When your actions partly contributed to an accident — whether you were momentarily distracted or following too closely — it’s even more important to contact an Odessa car accident attorney. We can help minimize your fault so you don’t miss out on the compensation you’re entitled to.

How We Investigate Odessa Car Accidents

Insurance companies have teams of investigators working to protect their money. You need someone working just as hard to protect yours.

We Move Fast

Evidence disappears quickly after accidents. Skid marks fade, debris gets cleared, and security footage gets deleted. When you hire us, we immediately start preserving the evidence that proves what happened.

This includes getting a copy of your accident report to understand how law enforcement documented the crash, interviewing witnesses before their memories fade, and grabbing surveillance footage before it disappears.

We Bring in the Experts

For serious cases, we work with accident reconstruction specialists who can scientifically prove what happened (and who was responsible). Accident reconstructionists use several techniques to recreate the accident conditions to determine vehicle speeds, impact angles, and how the crash occurred.

We Get You the Care You Need

Getting the right medical care is crucial for your recovery and your car accident claim. We make sure you get the best medical treatment from professionals who understand your condition and know what it takes to prove damages according to Texas law. This ensures your injuries are thoroughly documented, along with your past and future costs, long-term prognosis, and how your injuries affect your daily life.

We Calculate Your Real Losses

Severe injuries might cause disability or impact your career in the long term, sometimes preventing you from returning to work or affecting your promotion prospects. We’ll work with economic experts to calculate your earning capacity, lost career advancement opportunities, and benefits or retirement contributions you’ll miss out on.

Dealing with Insurance Companies: What You Need to Know

Insurance adjusters might act like they’re on your side, but they’re trained professionals whose job it is to minimize your claim so they can pay you as little as possible. Understanding the common tactics insurance companies use will help you avoid inadvertently compromising your claim.

Don’t Fall for the “Quick Settlement” Trap

Right after your accident, you might get a call offering a fast settlement. They may even make it sound like they’re doing you a favor — “Let’s get this resolved so you can move on with your life.”

This is almost always a trap. These offers come before you understand how badly you’re hurt or how your injuries will affect your future. Once you accept a settlement, you can’t change your mind and file a lawsuit later, even if your injuries turn out to be worse than you thought.

Don’t Give Recorded Statements

Adjusters will ask for recorded statements, claiming they need your version of events. What they’re really doing is fishing for ways to blame you or minimize your injuries.

Never give a recorded statement without your attorney present. Innocent comments like “I’m feeling a little better today” can be twisted to suggest your injuries aren’t serious, while an apology can be interpreted as an admission of guilt for your role in the crash.

Protect Your Medical Privacy

An adjuster may ask for a medical release to  verify your injuries. These forms may give the insurance company access to your entire medical history, and they’ll use this information against you. For example, an insurance adjuster may blame your current injury and symptoms on a pre-existing condition or old injury, even if it’s long since healed. We can make sure insurance adjusters only access the information relevant to your claim so that your privacy and compensation claim aren’t compromised.

They Might Be Watching You

Insurance companies often monitor social media and may even hire a private investigator to follow you around after your accident. They’re looking for any information they can use to minimize your losses or deny your claim. A photo of you smiling at a family gathering might be presented as “proof” that you’re not really in pain. Similarly, a recording taken by a private investigator of you carrying bags from your car after a severe back injury can be used to show that your injuries might not be as bad as you’re claiming.

We advise clients to be careful on social media and aware they might be watched.