Cedar Park Car Accident Lawyer

Who is at fault in a rear-end collision in Cedar Park, Texas?   Rear-end car accidents are often devastating. Even at low speeds, any vehicle crashing in the back of a car can cause life-altering injuries.  Most rear-end accidents in Cedar Park are caused by distracted drivers that are either texting while driving or following too closely.    But who is legally  “at fault” in a rear-end collision?     

In a negligence lawsuit, the injured party must prove that the defendant acted negligently, and that the defendant's negligence caused the injured party's damages.  In a rear ending case, the injured party has to prove that the driver of the car that collided with his or her car was negligent. The offending driver can be negligent in a variety of ways.  Was the driver distracted or otherwise not paying attention to the roadway? Was the driver speeding or following too closely?   Was the driver texting or on the phone? Was the driver intoxicated? 

However, this determination is not always straightforward. Texas follows a rule called “modified comparative fault” which means a jury gets to assign percentages of fault to each of the parties.  The offending driver could argue at trial that the injured party, or the plaintiff's conduct contributed to causing the wreck. Often negligent drivers will blame the accident victim and claim that they slammed on their brakes in the middle of traffic, or that they performed an unsafe lane change. If a jury finds that the injured party is more than 50% negligent in causing an accident in Texas, the injured party cannot recover from the defendant.  

Consult with a qualified Cedar Park car accident lawyer to discuss your case.  Even in the most seemingly clear-cut cases, liability is not automatic because there could be mitigating factors. Were the rear lights on? Did the car that got hit suddenly stop or cut into another lane? These are questions where a jury could apportion fault to the driver that got hit and potentially cut the defendant's liability. 

It is important to have your Cedar Park, Texas car accident case evaluated by a qualified car accident attorney. If you were hurt in a car wreck in Cedar Park, Texas, contact Ardalan Law PLLC today.  

Who is at fault in a lane change collision in Cedar Park, Texas?  Improper or illegal lane changes are one of the most common causes of car accidents on highways.  Most  lane change collisions in Cedar Park, Texas are caused by speeding or aggressive drivers that do not use defensive driving. Some lane change collisions are merely side-swipes that cause property damage but many high speed side collisions can send a car spinning on the roadway and can cause severe personal injuries or death. But who is legally  “at fault” in a lane change collision?     

Just like an read-end collision described above,  in a lane change collision the injured party has to prove that the driver of the car that collided with his or her car was negligent. The offending driver can be negligent in a variety of ways. Unlike with rear-end collisions, there are various scenarios that present themselves with change of lane cases. 

On a two-lane road, the vehicle that is switching lanes without looking and causes a collision is generally at fault. Also, drivers are expected to maintain a single lane of travel and any driver that fails to keep his or her vehicle in its lane of travel is at fault.  

Texas law sets out who has priority when merging or switching lanes on a highway with three lanes or more:

"On a roadway divided into three or more lanes and providing for one-way movement of traffic, an operator entering a lane of traffic from a lane to the right shall yield the right-of-way to a vehicle entering the same lane of traffic from a lane to the left. " Tex. Transp. Code Sec. 545.061

In other words, the cars traveling in the lane furthest to the left will always have priority to enter a middle lane .  In a collision between two cars merging into the same lane, this provision will likely control the outcome and favor the driver that was merging from the left. 

Texas follows a rule called “modified comparative fault” which means a jury gets to assign percentages of fault to each of the parties.  The offending driver could argue at trial that the injured party, or the plaintiff's conduct contributed to causing the wreck. Often negligent drivers will blame the accident victim and claim they performed an unsafe lane change. If a jury finds that the injured party is more than 50% negligent in causing an accident in Texas, the injured party cannot recover from the defendant.  

Consult with a qualified Cedar Park car accident lawyer to discuss your case.  Even in the most seemingly clear-cut cases, liability is not automatic because there could be mitigating factors. Were the rear lights on? Did the car that got hit suddenly stop or cut into another lane? These are questions where a jury could apportion fault to the driver that got hit and potentially cut the defendant's liability. 

It is important to have your Cedar Park, Texas car accident case evaluated by a qualified Cedar Park car accident lawyer. If you were hurt in a car wreck in the Williamson County area, contact Ardalan Law PLLC today.  

Who is at fault in a T-bone collision in Cedar Park, Texas?  T-bone collisions often happen at intersection when one driver fails to stop and enters the intersection without the right of way.  The driver may have blown through a stop sign without stopping, or failed to stop at a red light. Sometimes, drivers will contest what color the light signals were when they entered the intersection. 

In a negligence lawsuit, the injured party must prove that the defendant acted negligently, and that the defendant's negligence caused the injured party's damages.  In a T-bone accident case, the injured party has to prove that the driver of the car that collided with his or her car did not have the right of way. The offending driver can be negligent in a variety of ways.  Was the driver distracted or otherwise not paying attention to the roadway? Was the driver speeding or not paying attention to stop signs or red lights?   Was the driver texting or on the phone? Was the driver intoxicated? 

Consult with a qualified Cedar Park car accident lawyer to discuss your case.  Even in the most seemingly clear-cut T-bone car accident cases, liability is not automatic because there could be mitigating factors. Were the rear lights on? Did the car that got hit suddenly stop or cut into another lane? These are questions where a jury could apportion fault to the driver that got hit and potentially cut the defendant's liability. 

It is important to have your Cedar Park, Texas car accident case evaluated by a qualified Cedar Park car accident lawyer. If you were hurt in a car wreck in Cedar Park, Texas, contact Ardalan Law PLLC today.