Single-Car Accidents That Aren’t Your Fault

deer walking on the road, risking a single-car accident

Single-car accidents happen more often than people care to admit, and what normally happens is that the driver lost control or took an action that led to a crash. These crashes can involve substantial damage and even fatalities. Your single car accident doesn’t necessarily have to be a simple wreck; in fact, many involve rolling, leaving the roadway, or even hitting a fixed object.

Anyone who was in a single-car crash may be immediately surprised and upset that their insurance will likely not do anything for them unless they have comprehensive coverage. You can fight to prove that you weren’t at fault, but that can be a tough battle, so consider hiring a local auto accident attorney if you have been involved in a single-car accident.

Animal Presence

Throughout Houston, and all over Texas, you have fox squirrels, armadillos, opossums, raccoons, and more. They all make their way onto the roads and sometimes even the freeways, but many people try to avoid the animals. Unfortunately, while the animal is spared, the driver often gets into a single-car wreck. Drivers in Texas should avoid animals when possible and safe.

Now, if avoiding an animal means causing a wreck, it means that you shouldn’t have swerved. These crashes you can file with your comprehensive coverage, but if you have standard liability, then you might now have an option for your claim. You might be stuck with the injuries and property damage debts without anyone else to help ease that debt.

Roadway Signs and Problems with Roadwork

Now, if a car accident happens because of bad or poor signage, then you might have a claim. Houston is pretty good about keeping the appropriate signs up, but for example, if a missing one-way sign led you to turn into oncoming traffic, then it would be the city’s fault.

Proving that a missing sign or problems with the road such as bad potholes or unmarked but open trenches are a little tough. Usually, after a wreck that involves injuries, the city is quick to make corrections to the area. You need to gather evidence on the state of the road right away before you report the accident to the city. In fact, before you leave the crash site, be sure to take a good number of pictures to document the scene.

To alert the city of its failure to provide a safe roadway, you will need to file a complaint and contact an attorney. By filing a complaint, you’re acknowledging that there’s something that the city failed to do. By contacting an attorney, you’re acknowledging that you’re ready to take legal action and that you all should start discussing compensation for the damage involved in your wreck.

Bad Weather and Fog

Can bad weather or smog be to blame for your crash? Unfortunately, in Texas, the fault system does not allow for drivers to blame the weather. Texas uses what is known as a modified comparative fault method that means that the driver can only receive compensation for the portion of the wreck that wasn’t their fault, and only drivers and pedestrians are liable for fault.

Now there have been extraordinarily rare cases such as one notorious claim in Tennessee fog accident on I-75 that have resolved to hold someone liable. Through detailed research and investigation, that case was ruled as the fault of the fog and a nearby company that produced excessive moisture in the early morning hours. That’s likely not the case for your wreck. If fog or bad weather caused your wreck, you might consider looking at other factors such as improper water drainage, or lack of signage such as fog or windstorm signs.

Can You Fight a Single-Car Crash Fault with a Car Accident Attorney?

In Texas, you’re looking at taking full fault for the wreck even if you know that you didn’t contribute to it. The fault system puts someone at fault, and what happens in single-car accidents is that the insurance companies don’t have anyone else to blame. The few times that you might be able to pursue and fight for some financial recovery is when the city is responsible.

With one of our top attorneys, you can get an attorney for your wreck at (713) L‑A‑W‑S‑U‑I‑T. Our goal is to help you show that you’re the one who is the victim. You’re the victim of bad signs, unacknowledged roadwork, or even lacking signs for bad weather. The trouble is that many people don’t feel that they can defend themselves. Get in touch with the local Houston car accident attorneys at (713) L‑A‑W‑S‑U‑I‑T if you need help with any type of automobile accident

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