San Antonio car accident lawyers

San Antonio Car Accident Lawyer

Skilled legal counsel after an auto accident in Texas

If you or someone you care about has been injured in a car accident that was caused by another driver, you may need to file a car accident lawsuit with a San Antonio car accident lawyer as soon as possible.

At Pat Maloney: Accident & Injury Attorney, our qualified and experienced team is ready to get to work investigating what happened. You should not be left with major expenses because of negligence by other drivers and having to navigate the motor insurance company alone.

Let a San Antonio auto accident lawyer from our office get to work on your case today. Fill out our contact form or call our offices to begin.

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Frequently Asked Questions

San Antonio injury lawyer Pat Maloney

How can Pat Maloney: Accident & Injury Attorney help?

When you have an injury from a San Antonio car accident, you can count on Pat Maloney: Accident & Injury Attorney, to be by your side. We have helped clients injured in accidents get the help they need since 1953.

  • We bring seven decades of personal injury and car crash experience to your side.
  • Our firm has a success rate of 99% and has secured millions of dollars in settlements and jury verdicts for our clients.
  • We operate on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no out-of-pocket costs and no legal fees until we win your case on your behalf.

Auto accident lawsuits in Texas can become incredibly complicated. Even when it seems inevitable that the other driver is at fault for the accident, you can bet that many insurance companies will do everything to lower any settlement they pay out.

An experienced law firm will push back by:

  • Obtaining all evidence from the scene of the car crash
  • Handle all negotiations with the insurance company along with other parties
  • Prepare your case for trial if necessary to secure the compensation you deserve

What are common injuries caused by car accidents?

The Texas Department of Transportation says that there were 239,539 injuries and 4,489 fatalities as a result of auto accidents in the state during the latest reporting year.

car accident lawyers San AntonioInjuries from auto accidents range from minor to severe, and may include:

Each of these injuries can lead to major medical expenses. Victims of motor vehicle accidents often miss work while they recover, causing them to lose the income they need to support themselves or their families. Some will suffer long-term or permanent disabilities, along with lifelong medical costs.

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How serious injuries can affect your life

A serious or catastrophic injury can affect your life physically, emotionally, and financially. Physically, a serious injury could leave you with lingering scars, disfigurements, or disabilities. Emotionally, a serious injury could cause long-term distress and mental anguish. You may suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, lost quality of life, missed opportunities, or diminished enjoyment of daily activities. Financially, a bad injury could put you thousands of dollars in debt, even if you have good health/auto insurance.

It is extremely important to talk to an attorney after a major auto accident to find out if you are eligible for compensation for all your past and future damages.

Related: What Medical Tests Do You Need After an Accident?

What are common causes of car accidents?

car accident attorney San Antonio

Impaired driving continues to be a problem in San Antonio, Texas, and the United States as a whole. During the latest reporting year, alcohol-impaired drivers were responsible for 24% of the overall traffic fatalities.

Other common causes of serious crashes include:

Identifying what caused your auto accident is often the start of your civil claim. You may need to hire a lawyer to help you investigate your crash for signs of fault or causation.

Related: Consequences of careless driving or reckless driving

Who is liable for my San Antonio car accident?

Texas is in the majority in that it is a fault-based car accident state. In fault states, the party that caused the car accident will bear legal responsibility for damages. After a car accident in San Antonio, you or your lawyer must determine fault for the wreck.

Determining fault often takes an investigation of the accident and an analysis of available evidence to identify the correct defendant:

  • The other driver: The other driver involved in your crash may bear responsibility if he or she was negligent or engaged in reckless driving that caused the collision. If the other driver was drunk, tired, distracted, negligent, or speeding, for example, he or she may owe you compensation for your damages.
  • The auto manufacturer: Automakers can be legally responsible for auto accident injuries if their defective vehicles or auto parts contributed. If a defective airbag failed to deploy when it should have, for instance, and this exacerbated your injuries, the manufacturer of the airbag could be partially liable for your damages.
  • The roadway maintenance supervisor: If a road defect such as a dangerous construction zone, uneven shoulder, debris, loose gravel, or pothole caused your car accident, the person or entity in charge of road maintenance could bear responsibility. This may be the City of San Antonio or a private party.

Once your lawyer identifies the at-fault party, he or she can file a claim with that entity’s insurance provider. The at-fault responsible party’s auto insurance policy will cover your damages up to its maximum limits. If you have any leftover expenses, your auto insurance should cover them. If multiple defendants shared fault for your car accident or injuries, they could each owe you partial compensation for their percentages of fault. Speak to an attorney for assistance identifying defendants and bringing your claim after an auto accident.

How long do I have to file a car accident claim in Texas?

Another benefit of hiring a lawyer is the ability to meet important deadlines, such as your statute of limitations. The statute of limitations is Texas’ absolute deadline to file a personal injury claim with the civil courts. This deadline applies to bringing a civil lawsuit, not filing a car insurance claim. If you wish to bring a lawsuit for greater compensation for your serious injury, you must do so within two years of the date of the auto accident, according to Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code section 16.003. This law gives a two-year limitation period for anyone bringing a lawsuit for personal injuries or property damages.

The most common exception to this rule is during a wrongful death claim. If a loved one died in a San Antonio auto accident, you will have two years from the date of death to bring the claim, rather than the date of the accident. If your loved one did not pass away from his or her critical injuries until a week later, for example, the two-year clock will not start ticking until the date of death. Other exceptions may exist for victims under the age of 18 and automobile accident cases involving a crime. Speak to a lawyer from Pat Maloney: Accident & Injury Attorney to discuss your specific time limit.

What is the value of my San Antonio car accident claim?

If you or a loved one have suffered automobile accident injuries that were caused by another driver’s negligence, please seek legal assistance immediately from a law firm with experience in auto accidents. At Pat Maloney: Accident & Injury Attorney, our experienced legal team will help you through this. Our law firm will investigate what happened and work with the appropriate insurance carriers to secure the compensation you deserve.

This can include:

  • Coverage of your medical bills (past, current, and future) related to the crash
  • Compensation for lost income if you cannot work
  • Pain and suffering damages
  • Mental anguish
  • Possible punitive damages against the negligent driver
San Antonio personal injury attorney Pat Maloney

Why do I need a San Antonio car accident lawyer?

Car accidents are extremely common, with hundreds of thousands of crashes occurring each year in Texas alone. Common does not, however, mean an accident is easy to handle as a victim. If you get into a car crash, several issues may bombard you at once. You may have to deal with serious personal injuries, expensive hospital bills, phone calls from insurance claims adjusters, lost income, and a driver that refuses to admit fault.

Hiring an auto accident lawyer in Texas can help you navigate every aspect of your case while giving you hope for the future. Our team:

  • Talks to insurance companies. Once you hire an attorney, you will no longer have to worry about how to communicate with car insurance companies. Your lawyer will take over negotiations for you using proven negotiation strategies for the most favorable case results.
  • Evens the playing field. A lawyer can fix the imbalance between you and a powerful car insurance company after a car wreck. Without legal representation, an insurer may take advantage of you, but with a lawyer, a company will treat your claim fairly.
  • Gathers evidence and documents. An experienced car accident lawyer can take care of the legwork of your claim, including gathering important evidence such as photographs of the wreck, medical records, police reports, and eyewitness accounts.
  • Helps maximize compensation. A lawyer will do everything possible to strengthen your claim for damages after a Texas car accident. From using aggressive settlement negotiation techniques to bringing your auto claim to court, an attorney will fight hard for maximum compensation.
  • Makes the claims process more efficient. Throughout every stage of your accident claim, a legal counselor will work efficiently to bring your case close as quickly as possible.

Do not view a car accident attorney as a luxury. Legal advocacy is an important resource you should use to maximize the compensation you gain for your accident-related damages. You can enjoy peace of mind when you hire a lawyer to take over your case, rather than worrying about what comes next. A lawyer will take care of everything in the fight for maximum financial recovery while you concentrate on healing from your injuries and moving forward.

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Can I afford a car accident lawyer?

It is understandable to worry about the cost of legal counsel after dealing with hefty bills and expenses from a severe auto accident. However, the last thing you may want to think about is attorney’s fees after paying thousands of dollars to repair your vehicle and pay for medical expenses. That is why Pat Maloney works on a contingency fee basis. Our contingency fee setup means you will pay $0 upfront to retain our legal services. As a result, we will not require a dime to start working on your car accident case.

You will only pay our legal fees if and when we are successful in obtaining financial compensation for you. We bill clients only after the resolutions of their auto accident cases, based on a prearranged fee percentage. If we do win your case, you will pay our fees as a percentage of your settlement or judgment award. If we do not win, we will charge you virtually nothing for the work we put into your case. Contingency fee legal services mean you never have to pay for your lawyer out of pocket after a serious car wreck. We will work with you to ensure our rates are reasonable and affordable.

Do you have a car accident attorney near me?

Pat Maloney: Accident & Injury Attorney is located at 239 E Commerce St. in the center of Downtown San Antonio, TX. We are the owner of one of the most beautiful and historic buildings in San Antonio. There’s plenty of parking nearby. If you cannot travel, we can arrange a phone or video conference, or an in-hospital visit.

Talk to a skilled San Antonio car accident lawyer now

If you've been involved in a car accident, don't wait to take action. The moments following a collision are critical, and the right legal representation can make all the difference in the outcome of your case. At Pat Maloney: Accident & Injury Attorney, we understand the physical, emotional, and financial toll that an accident can take on you and your family. That's why we're here to help. If you need an experienced San Antonio car accident lawyer, you can contact our legal professionals for a free initial consultation by calling us or filling out our contact form today.

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