Dallas, TX, has an extensive highway system. These multi-lane, high-speed roads help the city deal with traffic congestion. They also connect to a larger intrastate and interstate system carrying people and cargo long distances. However, these roads also account for many of the car accidents that occur in Dallas.
Whether your collision involved a commercial truck, motorcycle, or passenger car, a Dallas highway crash lawyer has experience dealing with the legal issues that can arise in highway accidents.
A Dallas personal injury lawyer from Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers can help you fight for fair compensation based on the injuries you suffered. Contact us today at (214) 556-8321 for a free consultation with a Dallas highway crash lawyer.
How Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Highway Crash in Dallas, Texas
For more than a decade, Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers has helped accident victims in Dallas, Texas, stand up to the people and businesses responsible for harming them.
Our founding attorney has nearly two decades of personal injury legal experience and has successfully recovered millions of dollars for the firm’s clients.
Our firm provides the following assistance with your accident-related injuries:
- Evaluating your case and explaining how you can seek injury compensation
- Preparing an insurance claim using evidence and records we gather
- Negotiating for a settlement with the at-fault party’s insurer
- Taking your case to court if the insurer does not resolve your claim
A highway collision can produce serious injuries that require expensive medical care and therapy. Contact Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation with a Dallas car accident attorney to start on your injury claim.
Highways in Texas
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) classifies several types of roads as highways, including the following:
- Interstate Highways: Including I-35, I-635, and I-20 in Dallas
- U.S. Highways: Such as US-75 and US-80 in Dallas
- State Highways: Including TX-12/NW Highway in Dallas
- Farm-to-Market: Such as FM-1187/Rendon Crowley Road in Fort Worth
These roads typically share several characteristics. For instance, they tend to have multiple lanes and limited intersections. However, they also differ in a few respects. First, highways do not necessarily have a median to separate travel lanes in different directions. While interstate highways always include medians, state highways and farm-to-market roads might not.
Second, interstate highways have no intersections. Instead, they use onramps and offramps for entering and exiting traffic. Some U.S. highways, state highways, and farm-to-market roads have onramps and offramps but may have intersections.
Finally, highways vary significantly in their speed limits. Interstate highways typically have the highest speed limits because of their standardized design. Other highways rarely match the speed limits of interstates unless they include the same features as interstates.
Highway Crash Statistics in Dallas
According to TxDOT, the crash rates on highways vary significantly. In urban areas like Dallas, interstate crash rates are the lowest at 153.90 crashes per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT). This measurement is based on usage rather than traffic volume. Thus, this number indicates that you can expect about 154 crashes for every 100 million miles of usage.
Farm-to-market roads, by contrast, have a much higher crash rate at 248.97 crashes per 100 million VMT. This number is likely influenced by the lack of safety controls found on interstate highways, such as ramps and medians.
TxDOT does not release city-level statistics for total crashes by road type. However, it does release fatal crash numbers by road type for individual cities.
Recently, Dallas had the following highway fatalities:
- 96 deaths on interstate highways
- 79 deaths on U.S. and state highways
- 4 deaths on farm-to-market roads
The city had 331 total traffic deaths that year. Thus, 54% of traffic deaths in Dallas occurred on its highways.
Injuries From Highway Crashes
Highway collisions can occur differently based on the type. Interstate crashes often involve rear-end collisions, sideswipes, and road departures since they lack intersections. Rear-end crashes usually cause neck, back, and chest injuries as your body whips back and forth after a front or rear impact.
Crashes on other highways can involve a much wider range of injuries. Since they often include intersections, side-impact accidents can happen. These may cause head, chest, and abdomen injuries as the vehicle gets crushed from the side.
Liability For Highway Accidents in Dallas
The liability for most crashes in Texas, including highway accidents, is usually determined using negligence law. This legal doctrine was created to hold parties liable for unintentional injuries that resulted from unreasonably careless acts.
For example, if a truck driver falls asleep at the wheel and slams into your car on the interstate, you may have a legal claim against the trucking company for your truck accident due to the truck driver’s negligence in driving while fatigued.
Contact Our Dallas Highway Crash Lawyers For a Free Consultation
Dallas highway crashes can involve complex legal and factual issues. Contact Benton Accident & Injury Lawyers for a free consultation with a Dallas highway crash attorney to learn how we will handle your injury claim so you can focus on your health.