San Antonio Auto Accident Lawyers

No matter how severe or complicated your accident, it’s always worth at least consulting with a car accident lawyer in San Antonio to learn your legal rights and discover where you stand. Our accident attorneys can help you recover compensation even in complex situations, such as when:

• The other party or parties dispute the facts of the accident
• There are more complex elements to the accident or multiple parties involved
• You have unusual or significant injuries
• The other party is not admitting liability.

A lot goes into the insurance claim process that your car accident lawyer in San Antonio will guide you through. Some of the primary responsibilities your lawyer can undertake are:

• Gathering information and documentation. Your claim will need to be supported by records and paperwork, such as medical reports, evidence of your wages at the time of the accident, insurance policy contracts, medical bills, and more. An experienced lawyer knows what documents you need to build your case and can organize everything to ensure you have evidence to accurately reflect the compensation you deserve.
• Investigating what happened. Your lawyer may investigate the car accident further to build your case. This can involve gathering additional evidence, such as security camera and dashcam footage, police reports, witness accounts, and medical consultations. In some cases, your lawyer may want to reconstruct the accident to better understand what occurred.
• Negotiating with insurance companies. Insurance firms have their own motivations when negotiating with car accident victims. Having a lawyer contact insurance companies on your behalf protects you from feeling pressured to accept a reduced settlement amount or inadvertently jeopardizing your claim.
• Litigating in court. If settlement negotiations fail, your lawyer will file a lawsuit and represent you in court. The trial process is complex, with rules, procedures, and jargon your lawyer will be familiar with and can explain to you.

You’re entitled to different types of compensation in a San Antonio car accident claim. These fall into several categories. This is not an exhaustive list, but typical examples include:

• Economic damages — These are verifiable losses you’ve incurred due to your injuries.
  • Medical expenses: ambulance rides, hospitalization, X-rays, surgeries, and more
  • Future medical costs: long-term disability and further surgeries
  • Rehab and recovery costs: physical therapy, prosthetic limbs, and wheelchairs
  • Lost wages and future lost wages: earnings you lost from missing work

• Non-economic damages — These are more difficult to calculate, as they are subjective and can’t be quantified in the same way as expenses, but they can be significant.
  • Pain and suffering
  • Loss of consortium
  • Scarring
  • Emotional anguish
  • Loss of enjoyment
• Punitive (or exemplary) damages — You can only receive punitive damages if your case goes to trial. These are designed to punish a defendant for their behavior (such as driving while intoxicated) and are at the discretion of a jury. A jury may award any amount of punitive damages, but the amount you will receive is subject to a cap.

If a negligent driver caused you injuries in a car accident, you should contact our experienced law firm to determine your rights as soon as possible. You do not have to go through the stress after an accident alone. Our San Antonio car accident lawyers can help ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.

Many car accident victims end up settling with insurance companies. But sometimes, the insurance company won’t agree to pay you the amount you are entitled to. In this case, you may choose to file a lawsuit and take the defendant to court.

Your San Antonio car accident lawyer can explain the best direction for your case. These are three claims that injured parties commonly file after car accidents:

• Car accident claim. A San Antonio car accident claim seeks to make the person or party responsible for your accident provide compensation for losses you’ve sustained, such as past and future lost wages and medical expenses. It can also hold the other driver responsible for non-economic damages, such as emotional trauma or pain and suffering.
• Wrongful death claim. Surviving family members of an individual who died can file a wrongful death claim against the negligent or reckless third party that caused the car accident. The state of Texas allows surviving family members to hold the responsible party accountable and receive a monetary settlement for the wrongful death of their family member. This compensation might cover loss of inheritance, mental anguish, and funeral expenses, among others.
• Product liability claim. If a car manufacturing defect caused an accident — whether in your car or another driver’s — then a product liability claim against the car manufacturer or the manufacturer of a defective car part can enable you to recover compensation. Defective brakes, the steering wheel, tire blowouts, fuel systems, and other car parts can all cause car accidents.

Car accident laws differ by state, which is why having a San Antonio car accident lawyer in your corner who understands Texas laws is vital. One of the most common causes of car accidents is drunk driving, with one person dying every 45 minutes in a car accident involving a driver under the influence of alcohol. As such, Texas has specific laws governing driving under the influence (DUI).

• Texas has a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol in a minor-age driver (under 21). This means any detectable amount of alcohol is illegal, and any driver under 21 can be charged with a DUI, even if their blood alcohol concentration is within legal limits or they are not impaired.
• People sometimes use the terms “driving under the influence” (DUI) and “driving while intoxicated” (DWI) interchangeably, but they don’t mean the same thing in Texas. Minors can only be charged with a DUI, while DWIs can be given to anyone of any age.
• Texas’ dram shop laws allow you to hold people other than the drunk driver accountable for their negligence in allowing the driver to get behind the wheel. For example, suppose a bartender decides to continue serving alcohol to a visibly intoxicated patron. They can be charged under dram shop laws if that person then gets into a car accident. Another example might be if a drunk driver’s friend could have stopped them from getting behind the wheel but allowed them to drive. There are many requirements to prove a bartender or friend of the driver should be held responsible for the drunk driver. An experienced car accident lawyer in San Antonio can help investigate the nuances of your drunk driving accident case and determine if the dram shop law is applicable and worth pursuing.

• Social host liability is similar to dram shop laws, but there’s a crucial difference — it applies specifically to people who provide alcohol without payment. This might be a party host who served alcohol to a drunk driver. Typically, a social host in Texas is not liable for the actions of adults they served alcohol to. Social host liability more commonly comes into play for DUI cases where an adult has given alcohol to a minor.

Each state has reporting requirements after a car accident. If you’re in a car accident in San Antonio — or anywhere in Texas — you legally only need to report your car accident to the police if it causes death, injury, or property damage of more than $1,000. However, it’s wise to report even minor car accidents to the police in case your injuries get worse and you wish to recover your losses.

When you report your accident, the police will create a crash report, which is a vital piece of evidence for an insurance claim or any further legal action. Police can also determine if the other driver was intoxicated or other notable factors that led to the accident.

The more information you can get at the accident scene, the better. Take pictures of the damage and collect information from the other driver:

• Name
• Contact information
• Insurance company and policy number
• Driver’s license
• License plate number.

If you don’t get everything at the scene, don’t worry. Your car accident lawyer in San Antonio can help gather the necessary information.

Car accidents in San Antonio can vary across a broad spectrum of circumstances and severities. Any injuries will change the details of a case, something an expert car accident lawyer in San Antonio will help guide you through.

Some common injuries include, but are not limited to:

• Back and spinal cord injuries
• Neck injuries
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Traumatic brain injury
• Head trauma
• Concussions
• Soft tissue injuries
• Crush injuries
• Bone fractures
• Amputations
• Disfiguration.

Recovering from a car accident can be an overwhelming feat, not to mention all the external factors that come in the aftermath of a crash: insurance companies bargaining to provide the minimum compensation they can, lost wages from needing to take time off of work, and more. Having a San Antonio car accident lawyer handle insurance claims and legal actions for you allows you to focus on yourself and your family and still seek the compensation and justice you deserve.

If your accident causes injury or death, you must report it to the police immediately. If your car accident does not cause injury but results in property damage that will cost more than $1,000 to repair, you must notify the police within 10 days of the crash.

There are several steps you should take after an accident, and the sooner you can do these, the better. If you’re not severely injured, you may be able to do some of these things at the accident scene.

This includes taking photographs of the damage and collecting the following information from other drivers involved in the crash:

• Name
• Contact information
• Insurance company and policy number
• Driver’s license
• License plate number.

You should also call the police so they can file a crash report, seek medical attention — even if you feel okay, as some injuries can be delayed — and contact a personal injury lawyer.

If you don’t get everything at the scene, don’t worry. Your car accident lawyer in San Antonio can help gather the necessary information.

Injuries sustained in car accidents in San Antonio can vary widely, but some of the most common are:

• Back and spinal cord injuries
• Neck injuries
• Post-traumatic stress disorder
• Traumatic brain injury
• Head trauma
• Concussions
• Soft tissue injuries
• Crush injuries
• Bone fractures
• Amputations
• Disfiguration.

Recovering from a car accident can be an overwhelming feat, and that’s without mentioning all the external factors that come into play in the aftermath of a crash, such as worrying about making ends meet while you’re out of work and dealing with insurance companies bargaining to pay out a paltry sum. Having a San Antonio car accident lawyer handle your legal action allows you to focus on yourself and your family while still receiving the compensation and justice you deserve.

Between Google and recommendations from people you know, it might not be too difficult to find a San Antonio car accident lawyer — the hard part is making sure you choose the right one!

Our car accident lawyers would love to help you get the compensation and justice you deserve after your car accident, but we want you to feel fully confident we’re right for you.

To find the right lawyer, you need to ask some crucial questions to make sure the firm you choose has experience with your type of case and that you trust them to fight for you. We’ve put together a helpful guide for you outlining all the questions you should ask a personal injury lawyer and what their answers will tell you.

You should also take advantage of free consultations to see what it will be like working with a particular firm. After all, this is a relationship that can last several months or longer, so you don’t want to be stuck with a car accident lawyer who isn’t putting in their best effort or who doesn’t have your best interests at heart.

We pride ourselves on looking after our clients and fighting for maximum compensation. Unlike other firms, we won’t make false promises to get you on board and then encourage you to settle for less than you’re worth.

Most personal injury firms operate on a contingency fee basis, and Patino Law Firm is no exception. This means you won’t pay a cent until we win. We find this is a huge relief for clients who would otherwise be unable to afford legal representation when they’re out of work and facing a lengthy recovery.

If you walk away from an accident with no injuries and sustain only minor property damage, you might not think it’s worth reporting your accident to the police, let alone hiring a car accident lawyer. But it can still be valuable to speak to an attorney.

A car accident lawyer in San Antonio can explain your legal rights and protect you from any claims from the other side that you are liable for. You may also be entitled to damages you’re not aware of, which a lawyer can calculate and claim for you.

Every state has a statute of limitations for personal injury claims, which is how long you have to file legal action. In Texas, the statute of limitations is two years from the date of your accident. If you miss the deadline, you release the person or party responsible for your accident from all liability, which means you won’t be able to claim compensation, even if your injuries later get worse.

Claims can take time, and evidence fades, so it’s rarely advisable to wait to get in touch with a San Antonio accident lawyer. To give yourself the best chance of recovering the compensation you deserve, get in touch with a lawyer as soon as possible after your accident. At Patino Law Firm, we will make the process as easy and stress-free as possible so you can focus on your recovery.

For a free, no-obligation consultation, call the Patino Law Firm at 855-LAW-NINJA or contact us online.