What to Do After a Car Accident in Schertz, TX & When to Call a Personal Injury Attorney

The first thing you do after a car accident can have a great effect on your overall recovery. Your decisions can also impact your legal rights as a victim in Schertz, TX. Calling a lawyer once you are safe can help you avoid mistakes that could minimize your car accident compensation.

At Carabin Shaw, our expert attorneys give legal recommendations based on decades of experience in personal injury law. Call toll-free 1-800-862-1260 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation. Someone is available to speak with you 24/7, and remember, you pay nothing unless we win your case.

The Texas Transportation Code sets forth duties that the operator of a vehicle has after a crash involving injuries or death in Schertz, Texas. These duties include:

• Stopping as close to the scene as possible
• Determining whether the people involved need help
• Remaining at the scene and providing contact and insurance information

If there are injuries, the operator of the vehicle must report the crash to the police. They will then write a crash report that can serve as evidence for your lawyer in the insurance or subsequent personal injury claim.

Generally, contacting law enforcement should happen as soon as possible. However, victims should first seek safety and remove the vehicle from traffic. In some cases, it may be impossible for a severely injured person to meet these duties, and medical care becomes the top priority.

Evidence you collect at the scene can help your lawyer to prove the conditions at the scene of the accident without relying on witness accounts, which may lack objectivity. A photo of the accident scene can provide information about:

• Weather conditions
• Traffic congestion
• Location of the vehicles
• Injuries

Much like notifying the police, collecting evidence should be secondary to safety. However, victims with minor injuries are often able to take a picture with their smartphone or get contact information from witnesses that can later help their Schertz personal injury attorney. If it doesn’t worsen your situation, collecting evidence at the scene of an accident can capture evidence that may disappear after wreckage removal.

Evidence collection will be part of the job of your Schertz accident lawyer regardless of how much you collect at the scene. Not only will they have to prove the chain of events that led to the crash, but they’ll also need to calculate the value of your damages. This is where receipts and invoices are important.

The compensable damages in a personal injury claim after a car accident include:

• Medical expenses
• Property damage
• Income and benefits
• Pain and suffering
• Other related losses

Your Texas attorney will use medical bills and pay stubs as a primary source of evidence for financial losses. However, even daily receipts of therapeutic medical devices or related expenses can help to indirectly prove pain and suffering by showing what you had to buy to carry on with your daily life. As a general rule, a car accident lawyer in Schertz TX will recommend that you keep everything that could be related to damages you incurred after an accident.

Knowing what to do after a car accident is important, but the most important thing is that you seek safety and help others do the same if possible. Hiring an attorney as soon as possible can help you avoid mistakes that could reduce your compensation.

Contact the Schertz car accident attorneys at Carabin Shaw to schedule your free consultation today, so you can get the legal advice you need to pursue fair compensation for your losses after a car wreck. We have English- and Spanish-speaking staff, and you can read our client reviews to learn more about the comprehensive legal services available at our law firm.

For more information:

• Transportation Code 550
• Texas Department of Transportation
• Texas Statutes 41