Texas Accident LawyersInterstate Crashes

Interstate Accident Lawyer

In 2015, 549 fatal crashes occurred on Texas interstates, and 1,319 fatal crashes occurred on U.S. and state highways in Texas.

As with any type of motor vehicle crash, multiple factors may be to blame, but on highways, excessive speed and inattention are among the top causes of serious and deadly crashes, especially those that occur in construction zones or in heavy traffic.

If you’ve been injured – or lost a loved one – in a highway crash, you may be entitled to compensation for your financial losses, medical expenses, and your emotional pain and suffering. Even if you were partially at fault, you may be able to pursue a case against other parties responsible for the crash. Learn more about your rights as an accident victim. Call us today for your free consultation: 1-855-414-1012.

Trouble Spots

Police officers and traffic reporters often refer to them as “trouble spots” – those stretches of road where vehicle crashes occur frequently. But even when those trouble spots are construction zones or slick roads, they wouldn’t necessarily be hazardous if drivers exercised proper care.

On Interstate 35, near Salado, police responded to four major accidents in two weeks, near mile markers 285 and 286. That area and other sections of I-35 had been undergoing construction at the time of the accidents. Many of the crashes near Salado, Temple, and Troy happened when drivers crashed into concrete barriers that protect construction workers from traffic. A police officer told a local television station that speeding, inattention, and following too closely have been a problem on that section of I-35.

At least three fatalities on Texas highways have occurred when drivers crashed into a stopped or slow-moving large vehicle in a construction zone:

• In San Antonio, a tractor-trailer rig had slowed down in an Interstate 10 construction zone when the driver of a passenger vehicle slammed into the truck from behind and died instantly. Police said the man had not decelerated at all before the crash.

• In South Dallas, a man police said was driving at an unsafe speed on Texas State Road 46 crashed into a the back of a tractor-trailer that was stalled in the left lane of a construction zone. The collision crushed the car’s cabin, killing that driver instantly.

• A motorcyclist heading west on I-10 in San Antonio was speeding and weaving in and out of lanes when he collided with a boat being hauled by a pick-up truck. He died at the scene.

Construction zones have lower posted speed limits than other stretches of the highway, but drivers often don’t pay attention to those signs. Road lanes in construction zones may be narrower than usual, fewer than usual, or relocated in unexpected ways. In such areas, inattention and speeding may increase the risk of a crash.

Notorious Austin Traffic

Texas A&M Transportation Institute releases an annual report of the most congested roadways in Texas, and its 2015 report named the 7.93-mile section of I-35 between U.S. Route 290 North and State Highway 71 as the most congested. Along with that congestion comes the state’s highest commuter stress index, a number that ranks frustration for people commuting during peak travel times.

The stretch of I-35 through downtown Austin is also the 10^th worst traffic bottleneck in the country, according to the American Highway Users Alliance. Not only are drivers losing countless hours in traffic jams, they’re losing their temper, too.

Aggressive Driving and Road Rage

Aggressive driving, which includes speeding, following too closely, weaving in and out of traffic and passing emergency vehicles or stopped school buses, causes numerous crashes on I-35. In an effort to reduce aggressive driving crashes and associated injuries and fatalities, the Austin Police Department launched a special week-long enforcement in March 2015, targeting drivers on I-35. The initiative was part of the department’s Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks (TACT) program, which focuses on reducing the number of crashes caused by aggressive drivers of commercial vehicles.

In a five-year span, Bexar County reported 680 crashes caused by road rage. Ranking second and third for road rage-related crashes were Tarrant County (559) and Dallas County (329). Many of those crashes occurred on congested sections of highway.

Help for Victims

Negligent drivers injure and kill many people on Texas highways every year. Their lack of sound judgment can cause lifelong pain and suffering for crash victims, but the justice system gives families options for holding dangerous drivers accountable for their actions.

If you’ve been injured in a highway crash, don’t wait to get help. Call the Evans/Reilley Law Firm today at 1-855-414-1012, or fill out our online form, to request your no-obligation consultation.