In today’s busy world, we often hear “Everyone is in a hurry.” Unfortunately, this often holds true on the roadway in Austin and throughout Texas. When a speeding driver causes a serious accident, they are liable for damages to Austin personal injury victims under the state’s fault-based insurance laws.
Why Choose Shaw Cowart LLP for Your Speeding Accident Claim?
At Shaw Cowart LLP, we understand the devastating impact speeding accidents can have on victims and their families. Our experienced attorneys are dedicated to protecting your rights and fighting for the compensation you deserve after a crash caused by a reckless speeding driver.
No Fees Unless We Win
We believe financial concerns shouldn’t stand in the way of justice. That’s why we handle personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis—you don’t pay unless we secure compensation on your behalf.
Skilled Negotiators & Fierce Litigators
Speeding accidents often result in severe injuries and significant financial burdens. Our legal team is experienced in both negotiating fair settlements and aggressively litigating cases in court to ensure you receive maximum compensation for your losses.
Holding Negligent Drivers Accountable
Excessive speed reduces reaction time and increases the severity of collisions. If a speeding driver caused your accident, we thoroughly investigate the crash, gather evidence, and build a strong case to prove negligence and hold them accountable.
Get the Legal Help You Deserve
If you’ve been injured in a speeding-related accident, don’t face the legal process alone. Contact Shaw Cowart LLP today for a consultation, and let us fight for the justice and compensation you deserve.
Liability for Speeding Accidents In Austin
Texas is a fault-based insurance state with a modified comparative negligence system. Under this system, an injury victim must prove the at-fault driver’s liability in order to recover compensation in a claim for damages like medical expenses, lost earnings, and compensation for pain and suffering. Exceeding the speed limit and causing an accident leaves the speeding driver liable for the injury victim’s damages. Proving liability requires showing evidence that meets the following criteria:
- It shows that the driver owed a duty of care to others on the road, such as the duty to follow traffic laws like the speed limit
- The evidence proves that the driver breached their duty of care by speeding
- Their breach of duty caused the accident and injuries
- The injury victim suffered damages from the injury
When an injury victim suffers serious consequences from a preventable car accident caused by someone else, they don’t have to be responsible for the economic damages. They also deserve compensation and a sense of justice for their pain and suffering.
How Does Speeding Cause Car Accidents?
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), speeding is a factor in nearly one-third of all traffic accident fatalities in the U.S. Not only does speeding increase the chances of an accident, but it also increases the severity of injuries.
When city and state road planning agencies set the speed limits for specific roadways, it is the result of extensive studies to determine the safest speed for the road conditions and traffic flow of the area. Violating the speed limit increases the chances of an accident. Driving at excessive speed causes car accidents due to the following factors:
- The faster tires spin, the less traction they have, leading to a higher chance of sliding, skidding, or loss of control
- The higher the speed a car travels, the longer the stopping time required when the driver applies the brakes
- Speeding reduces reaction time—when there is a danger in the roadway, the driver has less time to react
- Speeding makes it more difficult to remain in the appropriate lane when navigating curves
- Excessive speed increases the danger of potholes, bumps, and cracks in the road
Under the comparative negligence car accident claim system in Texas, a speeding driver in Austin is the negligent party if their failure to adhere to the speed limit causes an accident with injuries.
What Makes Speeding so Dangerous?
The Texas Department of Transportation (DOT) reported 383 speeding-related car accident fatalities in the state in 2022, including drivers, other motorists, and pedestrians. Speeding drivers increase their risk of an accident because excessive speed makes a vehicle more difficult to control, causes instability around curves, increases stopping distances, and reduces tire traction. Speeding also makes it more difficult to remain in the proper lane and avoid collisions with other cars, animals, pedestrians, and obstacles. Excessive speed makes roadway departure accidents and vehicle rollovers more likely.
In a collision, the motorist’s body continues moving forward at the speed the car was traveling until the seatbelt snaps them back against the seat. According to crash force calculations, a 125-pound person becomes a 4,375-pound force in an accident at only 35 miles per hour. The same person becomes a 10,000-pound force in a collision at 80 miles per hour. When the body faces tremendous pressure in a crash, a collision also occurs inside the body as critical organs and bones collide while the body suffers blunt force trauma from the seatbelt and inward collapse of the car’s structure at the impact point.
The force of a speeding car not only increases the crash force impact on those inside the car but also escalates the power of the impact on those in a secondary vehicle involved in a collision.
What Types of Car Accidents are Caused by Speeding?
Speeding makes a car more difficult to control and delays the car’s ability to come to a stop when the driver applies the brakes. Common types of speeding accidents in Austin and elsewhere include the following:
- Rear-end collisions
- T-bone accidents
- Sideswipes
- Head-on collisions on curves
- Rollover accidents
- Roadway departures
Speeding and distracted driving are an especially deadly combination, often ending in devastating accidents and tragedy for other motorists involved in a collision as well as for the at-fault driver.
How Can a Car Accident Lawyer In Austin Help?
Car accidents in Austin or elsewhere are terrifying and traumatic experiences. Often, the distress continues for car accident survivors as they are forced to navigate a complex legal process to make a compelling case for the speeding driver’s liability against insurance companies that often protect their profits at the injury victim’s expense. Call the Austin motor vehicle accident lawyers at Shaw Cowart LLP for experienced representation in your claim.