Car accidents cause injury and death in Texas and across the country on a daily basis. Too often, injuries and deaths in car accidents are caused by reckless driving.

Reckless driving is legally defined as driving a motor vehicle with “willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property.” Such acts as speeding, passing improperly, ignoring traffic signals, failing to yield right of way, and driving while impaired or driving while distracted are examples of reckless driving.

People who are injured by reckless drivers in Texas, or the families of those who are killed in reckless driving car accidents, have the right to seek compensation for their losses. Injury attorney Kevin Krist has successfully obtained recoveries for hundreds of personal injury victims throughout southeast Texas, including Houston, Pasadena, Katy, Baytown, and League City. He’s ready to do the same for you.

If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury in an accident caused by a reckless driver in southeast Texas, contact Houston personal injury lawyer Kevin Krist today for a free consultation about your case. You can reach a Houston reckless driving accident lawyer at the Law Office of Kevin Krist by calling 713-284-1660, or use our firm’s online form. You’ll hear back from Mr. Krist within 24 hours.

If you hire Kevin Krist as your personal injury attorney, you can be assured that he will be the lead attorney on your case from start to finish. Kevin Krist provides personal representation to every injury client he represents. Mr. Krist is ready to put his skills and experience to work on your case today.

Reckless Driving Accidents in Texas

Texas law defines reckless driving as an offense punishable by a fine of up to $200, up to 30 days in jail, or both (Texas Transportation Code Section 545.401). A person commits an offense of reckless driving in Texas “if the person drives a vehicle in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property.”

Reckless driving, which is also called “aggressive driving,” causes thousands of car crashes in Texas every year, including wrecks that result in severe personal injury and death. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) lists the contributing factors in car crashes in the state in its annual Texas Motor Vehicle Crash Statistics.

In 2011 some of the most common types of reckless driving that contributed to accidents as reported by Texas peace officers included:

  • Failure to control speed, resulting in 100,036 car accidents
  • Speeding — unsafe for conditions (under limit), causing 21,243 car crashes
  • Speeding — over limit, causing  3,477 car wrecks
  • Driver inattention, resulting in 75,551 car accidents
  • Distraction in vehicle (distracted driving), causing 9,211 car accidents
  • Cell phone use, causing 3,194 car accidents
  • Failure to yield at stop sign, causing 20,599 car accidents
  • Failure to yield at an intersection, causing 5,078 car crashes
  • Failure to drive in single lane, resulting in 24,339 car crashes
  • Impaired driving, including driving under the influence of alcohol, which caused 14,449 car wrecks, and driving under the influence of drugs, which caused 2,756 car crashes
  • Fatigued or asleep, causing 7,660 car accidents
  • Passing in no passing lane or on right shoulder, resulting in 1,485 car wrecks.

Speeding contributes to about a third of highway deaths nationwide and has for many years, according to many national studies. Distracted driving, which is defined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving, is a growing concern as the prevalence of cell phones and other personal electronics grows. Distracted driving includes texting while driving, as well as talking on a cell phone; adjusting radios, CD players or other equipment; eating and drinking; personal grooming; and talking or otherwise interacting with passengers.

Regardless of the form of reckless driving a driver engages in, that driver has made a choice. A car accident caused by reckless driving did not happen accidently.

Legal Options After a Reckless Driving Accident in Texas

Reckless driving accidents in Texas cause devastation in too many lives. Texas police and the courts cannot eliminate the threat of those who drive with a disregard for the safety of others. But civil law in Texas allows victims of reckless driving accidents to seek compensation from those responsible for their losses.

Texas residents injured by reckless driving accidents, and/or their families, may recover damages through a personal injury lawsuit that seeks restitution for:

  • Medical expenses
  • Lost wages and/or reduced earning capacity
  • Disfigurement or permanent impairment
  • Pain and suffering and mental anguish
  • Exemplary damages (also known as “punitive damages”).

After a fatal motor vehicle accident caused by reckless driving, immediate family members (such as a spouse, children or parents) may seek compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit for:

  • Funeral expenses
  • Mental anguish
  • Loss of the deceased family member’s earning capacity
  • Loss of the deceased family member’s care, maintenance, support, counsel, advice and services
  • Loss of society and companionship
  • Exemplary damages.

Call Our Houston Reckless Driving Accident Lawyers Today

If you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury or death in a motor vehicle accident caused by a reckless driver in southeast Texas, contact a Houston reckless driving accident lawyer at the Law Office of Kevin Krist at 713-284-1660, or through the firm’s online form.

Let Kevin Krist explain how he can put his personal, proven experience to work for you, so you can get the compensation you deserve as a Texas reckless driving accident victim. Kevin Krist represents accident victims on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no fees until he recovers compensation on your claim.