Best Houston Personal Injury Lawyers
Best Houston Personal Injury Lawyers
In a state the size of Texas, you can expect car accidents to strike on a daily basis. With millions of residents traveling every which way virtually around-the-clock, it is inevitable that mistakes will be made that lead to collisions. In fact, with such crowded streets and area highways, it is not uncommon for a single mistake to ensnare many travelers at once. If you have been injured in a multi-vehicle accident, you may be wondering who are the best Houston personal injury lawyers that can help get you the financial compensation you may be entitled to.
Who Is at Fault?
Under general negligence rules in civil law, individuals are responsible for the harm caused by their negligence. In most car accident cases, the damage for which a negligent driver is responsible is straightforward. For example, if one car runs a stop sign and slams into another car, then the driver who ran the sign can be required to pay for the other party’s medical bills, lost wages, property damage, pain and suffering, and other losses arising from the accident.
But what about an accident that involves dozens of vehicles? Is one person responsible for all of it? The answer, as with so much in the law, is it depends. A driver in a chain reaction accident can be held responsible for all the damages that were actually and proximately caused by his negligence. A personal injury lawyer Houston, TX trusts can determine who the at-fault party is in your case.
“Actual” cause is usually easy to prove. That simply means that if the individual had not acted negligently (i.e. sped on the highway and lost control of the car) then none of the other damage would have arisen. In a chain reaction case, there is usually one single act that causes all of the damage (though other drivers may have contributed to the harm in some way, perhaps by following too closely).
Beyond actual damages, “proximate” cause must also be shown. Proximate cause usually means that the injury must have been reasonably foreseen as a risk of negligence.
These issues can be complex, but, in general, the requirement of showing proximate cause may limit particularly unique or bizarre damages in a chain reaction case. For example, it is likely foreseeable that speeding on a busy highway could cause a chain reaction that damages many cars and personal injuries. However, if a pedestrian is walking down the street, startled by the car accident, and has a heart attack from the shock, that may not be enough to show proximate cause. In other words, just because the negligence actually caused an injury (the heart attack) does not necessarily mean that the one who caused the accident can be held liable. The heart attack was not reasonably foreseeable.
Call Our Office for Help
If you were injured in a car accident or any other type of incident caused by someone else’s negligence, you need one of the best Houston personal injury lawyers representing you. Call John K. Zaid & Associates for a free consultation.
