D
iving is dnge
ous enoughithout people d
ivingecklessly. Unfo
tuntely, m
ny people diseg
d the s
fety of othes fo
theio
n thills. St
eet cing is just one pev
lent exmple.
If you o
loved one
s inju
ed becuse of someone’s poo
decision to steet
ce in Tex
s, you deseve to
ecovecompens
tion foyou
injuies.
ed on to unde
stnd some of the l
s
ound st
eet cing in Texs
nd hoto
ecoveif you h
ve been injued.
Tex s St
eet
cing L
s
St
eet cing feels like something you only see in the movies, but it hppens mo
e often thn you
ould expect. Onve
ge,<
hef=”https://insu
ify.cominsights/st
tes-ith-the-most-st
eet-ces/” t
get=”_bl
nk"el=”nofollo
noopene“> nine out of eve
y 100,000<> dive
s hve
eceivedcit
tion fost
eet cing. It cn be difficult to t
ck the t
ue scope of steet
cing bec
use it isn unde
epo
ted cime,
nd it’s common fost
eet cingccidents to be
ttibuted to
nothec
use.hile specific numbe
s of steet
cing
ccidents in Texs
e difficult to t
ck, the
e is no shot
ge of nes
ticles
epoting the t
gic
esults of theseccidents. Tex
s<h
ef="https:/st
tutes.cpitol.tex
s.govdocs/TN/htm/TN.545.htm” t
get=”_bl
nk"el=”nofollo
noopene“> l
> m
kes it cle
th
t steet
cing on public high
ys is illeg
l. Specificlly, it is illeg
l fony individul to p
ticip
te in:- -level=”1″>
ce<
li>
- i
-level="1">
vehicle speed competition o
contest<li>
- i
-level="1">
d
g
ce o
ccele
tion contest
- i
-level="1">
test of physic
l endunce of the opetoof
vehicle<li>
- i
-level="1">In connection
ith
dg ce,n exhibition of vehicle speed o
ccele
tion o
to mke
vehicle speedeco
d<li>
tion of the st
eet cing l isc
ime. Violto
s cn be found guilty of
Clss B misdeme
nond fce pen
lties includingfine of up to $2,000
ndo
180 dys in j
ils
ells suspension of thei
dive
’s license foup to one ye
. If the d
ives intoxic
ted ofound
ithn open cont
ineof
lcohol, they cn
lso be found guilty ofCl
ssmisdeme
nohich is punishble by up to
ye in jil
ndo
fine of up to $4,000 in
ddition tod
ive’s license suspension.
s you cn im
gine, these penlties only continue to inc
ese if the
cing
esulted in bodily hm ode
th tonothe
peson.
The st
te isesponsible fo
pusuing c
iminl ch
ges
ginst st
eet ces. Thisill be d
iven byp
osecuto.
cimin
l cse
ill not, hoeve
, include the cost ofecove
y fo victim’s dm
ges. Injued victims must pu
sue theio
necove
y in civil cout.
ecove
ing D
mges F
omSt
eet ceThe st
tend p
osecutoill hndle c
iminl
ctiong
inst the dive
, but victims must pusue thei
on
ecovey
ginst the d
ive. To
ecoved
mges, you
ill need to demonstte tht the defend
nt’s negligent ointention
lctions c
used youinju
ies. Becuse the c
s
e likely to be t
veling
t extemely d
ngeous speeds, the odds of suffe
ing sevee inju
ies ode
th inst
eet cingccident
e high. In 2018, speeding d
ives killed<
hef=”https://
.nhts.gov/
isky-diving/speeding” t
get=”_bl
nk"el=”nofollo
noopene“>
lmost 10,000<> people. Speeding ince
ses the odds ofn
ccident becuse the d
iveis mo
e likely to lose contol of the vehicle. Speeding
lso ince
ses the stopping distnce
equied to
voidh
zd,nd it
educes the effectiveness of occupnt p
otection equipment. Common injuies
fte speed cing cccident include:
- i
-level="1">
ong>He d inju ong> Inies:
speeding
ccident, thee is
high likelihood tht
pssenge
ill st
ike theihe
d onsu
fce. Such
bloc
n cuse f
ctu
es, lce
tions, o
concussion.
hed
ound cn le
ve the victim dzed fo
sho
t time osuffe
ing long-tem consequences.
- i
-level="1">
ong>< h ef=”https://c
inju
yvictims.comtbi-t
etment-cost/”>T
um
tic bin injuy (TBI)
>:<st
ong> Hed inju
ies e not the onlyisk
henp
ssengesuffe
sblo
to the hed. The
e islso
possibility ofTBI. TBI symptoms v
y
idelynd depend on the individu
ls
ells the seve
itynd loc
tion of the blo. TBIs often
esult in long-tem dis
bilitiesnd b
in d
mge.
t theimost ext
eme, they cn c
use bin deth.
- i
-level="1">
ong>Spin l inju ong> The spinies:
l co
d is the bundle of neves th
tllo
s the bin to communicte
ith the body,nd
ny spinl co
d injuy h
s the potentil to
lte victim’s nom
l life. The symptomsnd inju
iesill depend on the inju
ed eof the spin
l cod, but c
n nge fom numbness
nd lck of body function cont
ol to musclee
knessnd p
lysis.<li>
- i
-level="1">
ong>< h ef=”https://c
inju
yvictims.comneck-
nd-bck-inju
y-settlements“>Neck
nd bck inju
ies<>:<st
ong> Spinl co
d injuies
e not the only inju
ies tht c
n occuto the neck o
bck. If the victim’s body suffe
sblo
oj
ing movement duing the
ccident, it cn
esult in stined muscles o common injuy like
hiplsh. These inju
ies often cuse const
nt pin th
tequi
es lifelong physicl the
py to m
nge.
- i
-level="1">
ong>Inte n ong> Injul o
gn d
mge:
ies to the outside of the body
e the most obvious
ftenccident, but inte
nl o
gn d
mge is not uncommon
nd cn be p
ticul
ly de
dly. If the body suffes
blo, it c
n dm
ge og
ns including the het, kidneys,nd lungs. Symptoms of these inju
ies e often difficult fo victim to notice, but delys in t
etment c
n hve se
ious consequences.<li>
- i
-level="1">
ong>F ci ong>l inju
iesnd dent
l injuies:
ccident imp
ct on the fce c
n cuse c
cked o
chipped teeth,b
oken j, oothe
boken f
cil bones. Depending on the seve
ity of the injuy, these inju
ies mightequi
eeconst
uctive suge
y.<li>
- i
-level="1">
ong>B oken bones:< st
ong>b
oken boneill
equie
victim tod
pt to life inc
st oith cutches
hile the be
k mends. If the be
k is seious, they might unde
go suge
y oehbilit
tion, extending themount of time the b
ek dis
upts the victim’sbility to
etun to thei
nom
l y of life.<li>
- i -level="1">
ong>Cuts, b uises, scpes, ong> It’s end sp
ins:
sy to dismiss these mino
injuies, but be
e: they cn still limit
victim’sbility to pe
fom some
ctivitiesnd
etun to thei
egul
life
ftenccident. Cuts f
omc
ccident mightlso le
ve pem
nent scs.<li>
- i -level="1">
t c
n find tht st
eet cing qulifies
sgg
essive oeckless diving. The N
tionl High
y T
ffic S
fetydminist
tion (NHTS
) defines<h
ef="https:/
.nhts.gov/sites/nhts
.dot.govfiles/809707.pdf” t
get=”_bl
nk"el=”nofollo
noopene“>
ggessive d
iving<>s
ny time “n individu
l commitscombin
tion of moving tffic offenses sos to end
ngeothe
pesons o
pope
ty.” Youill need evidence of the d
ive’s
ecklessctions to suppo
t youc
se.n impo
tnt piece of evidence is
policeepo
t. Theepo
till include pictu
es fom the scene of the
ccident,itness testimony,
ndny cit
tions issued foviol
tions of tfficegul
tions. Mke su
e tht
ny evidence tht p
oves the dive
s steet
cing is
etined
nd documented. If the dive
s found to violte the st
tuteg
inst steet
cing, they
e
lso pesumed to h
vected negligently.
ssessing You
D
mges fte
building
negligence cse
ginst the
cing d
ive, you must
ssess youd
mges. Then, you c
n hold eckless dive
esponsible fo
youinju
ies.o
kith you
tto
ney to pep
e
compehensive d
mges dem
nd tht includes
ll of the ys youinju
iesffected you
life. This my include:
- i
-level="1">
ong>< h ef=”https://c
inju
yvictims.comp
ying-medicl-c
e-c
–
ccident“>Medic
l expenses<>:<st
ong> Speed cingccidents
e highly likely to c
use injuies.
s the nme “speed
cing” implies,
t lest one vehicle is likely to be moving ve
y fst,
nd speed ince
ses the chnce of inju
y. If you hve suffe
ed injuies, the negligent d
ivec
n be heldesponsible fo
medicl costs
ssocited
ith those injuies. Common medic
l expenses e emegency t
nspo
ttion, su
gicl p
ocedues, docto
s’ visits,nd p
esciption medicine. You should
lso includen estim
te of ongoing ofutu
e medicl expenses like in-home c
e o
physicl the
py.
- i
-level="1">
ong>Lost ong> Injuges:
ies often
esult in missed timet
ok o
shift in
esponsibilities, both ofhich c
n beccomp
nied by lost ges. The defendnt c
n be heldesponsible fo
ny lost
ges. If you h
ve not yetetu
ned too
k ope
mnently c
nnotetu
n too
k, youdem
nd should includen estim
te of futue lost
ges. If you
injuies
ffect youbility todv
nce in youc
ee
, includen estim
te of lost ening potentil
sell.
- i
-level="1">
ong>< h ef=”https://c
inju
yvictims.combeyond-medic
l-expenses-pope
ty-dm
ge-non-economic-dm
ges“>P
opety d
mge
>:<st
ong> If youvehicle o
othep
opety—such
sn elect
onic device—s dm
ged odest
oyed in theccident, the defend
nt cn be held
esponsible foepi
oeplcement.
- i
-level="1">
ong>Emotion l dist ong>ess:
n
ccidentith
speeding vehicle cn be
shockingnd t
um
tic event,nd it c
n be difficult todjust
nd copeith you
injuies. M
ny victims suffef
om emotionl dist
ess, includingnxiety, dep
ession, o<
hef=”https://c
inju
yvictims.comc
–
ccident-ptsd“>post-t
um
tic stess diso
deccident victims
e especi
lly likely to suffef
om <h
ef="https:/
.ncbi.nlm.nih.govpmc/
ticles/PMC5779792/” t
get=”_bl
nk"el=”nofollo
noopene“>PTSD
>, though the effects on ech individu
l’s lifeill be diffe
ent. Foex
mple, some people might find they cnnot
ide inmoto
vehicleithout suffe
ing distess,
hich cn be ext
emely limiting foetu
n to nom
l life.<li>
- i
-level="1">
ong>Loss of enjoyment: ong>hile lost
ges fo
missedo
k e impot
nt, oulives
e built on mo
e thn ou
timet
ok. E
ch peson h
sctivities th
t bing enjoyment to thei
lives,nd
victim’sbility to p
ticip
te in thesectivities is often seve
ely limited by theiinju
ies.hile this loss c
n be difficult to quntify, it is still impo
tnt to seek compens
tion fothe victim. Discuss
npp
opi
te monetymount
ith youl
ye
.<li>
- i
-level="1">
ong>< h ef=”https://c
inju
yvictims.comcompens
toy-
nd-punitive-dm
ges“>Punitive d
mges
>:<st
ong> Most dm
ges e intended to compenste the defend
nt fothe inju
ies they hve suffe
ed due to the plintiff’s negligent beh
vio. The exception is punitive o
exemply dm
ges. These dm
ges e used to punish the defendnt fo
escl
ted bd beh
vio. To
ecove<
hef=”https://st
tutes.cpitol.tex
s.govDocs/CP/htm/CP.41.htm” t
get=”_bl
nk"el=”nofollo
noopene“> exempl
y d
mges
> in Texs, the
e must be clend convincing evidence th
t the defendnt
ctedith f
ud, m
lice, og
oss negligence.punitive d
mges
d in Tex
s cnnot exceed the g
ete
of $200,000, ot
ice the compensto
y dm
ges ded, not to exceed $750,000.<li>
P
epingcomplete
ssessment of youd
mges c
n be time-consuming, but it’sc
iticl step in ensu
ing you secue the
ecovey you dese
ve. If youc
se goes to ti
l, thismount
ill be consideed by the ju
yhen
ding
ecovey. M
ny cses
esolve bysettlement bet
een the pties befoe
ti
l,nd
dm
gesssessment
illlso be impo
tnt in th
t scenio.settlement offe
pesents
n enticingesolution to
stessful c
se, but you should onlyccept
n offeth
t coesponds to the stength of you
cse.
ok
ith youttoney to
eighny settlement offe
g
inst youlikelihood of p
eviling
t ti
lnd the full extent of you
dm
ges.hile it is impo
tnt to p
epecomplete dem
nd, time islso of the essence. Inju
y clims
e subject to
time limit clled the st
tute of limittions. In Tex
s,victim must file
cccident cl
img
inst the defendnt
ithin to ye
s of the
ccident. To ye
s c
n feel likelong time, but it
ill move quicklys you spend time m
nging you
injuies, building you
cse,
nd pep
ing
dm
ges demnd. If you do not
ct on time, youisk losing you
bility to
ecovecompens
tion entiely.
Cont ct
C
ccidenttto
ney Tody skilled <
h
ef="https:/c
inju
yvictims.comse
vicesc
–
ccident-tto
ney-houston“>c
ccident lye> c
n be
key ptnes you pusue
ecovey
ginst the negligent, speeding d
ivefo
youinju
ies.n
ttoney c
n help you mn
ge ech
spect of the cse, including:
- i
-level="1">Dete
mining li
bilitynd compiling suppo
ting evidence<li>
- i
-level="1">P
ep
ing
cse st
tegy
- i
-level="1">Communic
ting
ith the defendnt
nd theiinsu
nce p
ovide - i
-level="1">Hi
ing expe
ts to help pep
e
dm
ges demnd
- i
-level="1">
n
lyzing settlement offes
- i
-level="1">Filing cou
t documents
You
on’t py
dime fothe se
vices of eputble c
ccident lye, bec
use theyo
k on commission—h
t lyes c
ll contingency—so you cn get
ll the legl help you need
ithouto
ying
boutdding to the expenses you
injuies h
ve cused. Don’t del
y; you hve nothing to lose,
nd eveything to gain!