Rear-End Collisions

Dallas/Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney

If you have been involved in a rear end collision, contact the Law Offices of William Berenson. Attorney William Berenson is a successful Fort Worth rear end collision lawyer who is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He has 40 years of personal injury experience and understands how difficult it can be to recover after a car accident. Bill Berenson focuses solely on auto crash claims and lawsuits and has spent his career aggressively fighting for the rights of injured Texans.

Rear-End Collisions in the DFW Area

Rear-end collisions are one of the most common types of auto accidents in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and occur when the front of one vehicle collides with the rear of another. They can range from high-speed accidents on busy highways to low speed fender benders in city streets. Common scenarios that can result in a rear-end collision include:

• You stop for a yellow light and the rear driver plows into you while trying to beat the red light.
• You must slam on your brakes to avoid hitting a person, animal or road debris and the tailgating rear driver cannot stop in time.
• The rear driver does not notice that traffic ahead of him has slowed or bottlenecked during rush hour or because of construction.
• The rear driver is texting or otherwise distracted and does not notice you have stopped.

As all these examples demonstrate, rear-end collisions are preventable but for the negligence of one of the drivers.

Who is Responsible for a Rear End Collision?

The conventional wisdom is that the driver in the rear is the one responsible for a rear end collision. However, that is not always the case. Several factors can determine who is at fault in a rear end collision, such as:

• The speed at which the drivers were traveling
• Whether either driver was under the influence of drugs or alcohol
• The weather conditions at the time of the accident
• The amount of space the driver in the rear left between himself and the car in front
• The possible fault of a third party, such as a pedestrian or bicyclist
• Whether one driver was driving aggressively or acting out of “road rage”
• Whether the front driver drifted or cut into the rear driver’s lane

Under Texas law, the question that must be answered is “which driver was being careless or reckless?” Fort Worth collision attorney BillBerenson understands that the answer to this question is often not straightforward and requires in-depth analysis.

For example, if a driver runs into the car in front of him because he was texting a friend instead of paying attention to the road, the driver who was texting is more likely to be found to be at fault for the accident. However, if a driver in front was travelling at an extremely low speed on a high-speed highway, then the driver in front may be found responsible.

A party who is not 100 percent free of fault can sometimes still recover in Texas if that driver can show that the other driver was more at fault. Damages are adjusted to reflect the percentage of negligence of each driver. An experienced injury attorney can evaluate whether you have a valid claim under these circumstances.

What To Do if You Have Been Involved in A Rear End Collision

If you have recently been involved in a rear end collision in the DFW area, area, regardless of whether your car was in front or in back, you should speak to an experienced Fort Worth collision attorney immediately. Even in cases where neither driver was cited by the police, there still may be a cause of action to recover damages. To find out what rights you have as an accident victim, contact the Law Offices of William Berenson. Attorney Berenson has close to 40 years of personal injury experience and is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Contact Attorney Berenson online, or call him at 817-855-8000 locallyor 1-888-801-8585 toll-free, to set up a free initial consultation to discuss your case.