Car Accident Lawyers in Kyle, TX

Common Causes of Car Accidents

Our firm handles the full range of auto accident cases. Most of these crashes share one thing in common: they were preventable.

Common causes we see include:

• Drunk or impaired driving
• Distracted driving, including phone use behind the wheel
• Speeding or driving too fast for road and weather conditions
• Running red lights or stop signs
• Unsafe lane changes and failure to yield
• Tailgating and aggressive driving
• Fatigued driving
• Defective vehicle parts or equipment failure
• Dangerous road conditions or negligent road maintenance

Who Can Be Held Liable?

In many car accident cases the at-fault driver is the primary defendant, but liability can extend further depending on the facts. Texas law provides multiple avenues for holding responsible parties accountable, and identifying all of them can significantly affect the total compensation available.

• Employers — When a driver was operating a company vehicle or performing work duties at the time of the crash, their employer may be held liable. This is common in delivery vehicle, fleet, and commercial driver cases and often means larger insurance coverage is in play.
• Vehicle or parts manufacturers — When a mechanical defect such as a tire blowout, brake failure, or faulty steering component contributed to the crash or worsened resulting injuries, the manufacturer or distributor may bear responsibility.
• Bars and alcohol providers — Under Texas dram shop law, businesses that overserve an intoxicated patron who goes on to cause a crash can face civil liability. This can be a meaningful avenue in drunk driving cases where the at-fault driver has limited personal coverage.
• Government entities — When dangerous road design, negligent maintenance, or a government-owned vehicle played a role in a crash, a government entity may be responsible. These claims carry strict and often short notice requirements and need to be evaluated early.

Our job is to identify every party that contributed to the harm and pursue every available source of compensation.

What Compensation Can Be Recovered?

A serious car accident claim should account for the full extent of what the crash has cost you, financially and personally. Texas law recognizes two broad categories of damages.

Economic damages cover the measurable financial losses:

• Emergency care, hospitalization, and surgery
• Ongoing and future medical treatment
• Rehabilitation and physical therapy
• Lost wages during recovery
• Reduced earning capacity if injuries affect your ability to work long-term
• Property damage and vehicle repair or replacement

Non-economic damages cover the personal toll:

• Physical pain and suffering
• Mental anguish and emotional distress
• Physical impairment or disfigurement
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Lasting disruption to daily activities and independence

In fatal cases, surviving family members may have grounds to pursue wrongful death damages under Texas law.

Texas's Comparative Fault Rule

Texas follows a modified comparative fault system, which means an injured person can still recover damages even if they were partly responsible for the crash. This means:

• If you are 50 percent or less at fault, you can still recover, though your compensation is reduced proportionally by your share of fault.
• If you are 51 percent or more at fault, recovery is barred entirely.

Assigning partial blame to the injured party is one of the most common tactics insurers use to reduce what they pay. We anticipate it and build cases that hold up against it.

How Long Do You Have to File?

In most car accident cases, Texas gives injured victims two years from the date of the crash to file a personal injury lawsuit. If the deadline is missed, the right to sue is generally gone.

Some situations can affect the timeline. Claims against government entities often carry much shorter notice deadlines, sometimes as brief as six months. Cases involving minors or wrongful death may also be subject to different rules. If any of those apply, the claim should be reviewed as early as possible.

Tell Us About Your Crash in a Free Consultation

If you were injured in a car accident in Kyle or Hays County, Briggle & Polan, PLLC can help. We represent injured victims against negligent drivers, insurers, and the corporations behind them and are available 24/7 to review your case.

Call (512) 400-3278 or contact us online for a FREE consultation.