Image by Claim Accident Services from Pixabay
Claim Accident Services from Pixabay

Houston sees many car accidents daily. Several highways run through and around the city, accommodating thousands of vehicles during rush hour. You can even see collisions on quiet side streets with few other drivers around.

Sometimes, drivers wreck because they're looking at their smartphone screen or eating a burger while driving. They might also crash because they're arguing with a passenger or speeding. Many times, though, you will see alcohol come into play.

America has over one million yearly drunk driving arrests, and plenty of those happen in Houston. If a drunk driver hits your vehicle while you're in or around the city, you might feel disoriented and upset after the wreck. You might also have an injury or more than one.

You may hire a personal injury attorney who handles these drunk driving cases all the time. Let's discuss what such an individual or law firm can do for you.

They Can Contact the Other Driver's Insurance Company for You

After the accident, you might have several injuries, and you're probably not feeling particularly litigious. You know you must hire a car accident lawyer, but you'd prefer not to talk with the other driver's insurance company. You must file a claim with them, though.

If you retain a personal injury attorney, they can call the insurance company and start a claim for you.

You can describe to them what happened, and they can mention all of those details when they begin your claim. This way, you can recover in peace, and the other driver's insurance company won't bombard you with questions.

They Can Start Investigating Your Crash

Next, your attorney can start looking into the crash for you. You will know the other driver's insurance company has started its own investigation, but you should still conduct your own as well.

What your lawyer finds should come in handy when you either reach the settlement phase, or you go to trial. Your attorney should have their own investigators. If you hire a high-powered law firm, they should have some experienced car accident investigators on retainer.

They will know all about these investigations and how to gather the information you'll need. They will contact the police and get the car accident report. That's public record, so they should have no problems.

They can also contact your doctor or whatever medical professional examined you right after the crash. Those records will undoubtedly come in handy later.

They can examine the car accident scene and take pictures. They can also see whether they might find any video evidence of the crash if any exists. Maybe there's some video footage out there, but you don't necessarily realize it.

Their Investigator Can Uncover Any Crucial Evidence to Use During Your Claim

The investigator might find use some dash car footage if you have a camera in your vehicle. Many drivers have cameras in their cars these days.

They can uncover any store camera footage if an establishment caught the crash on the street or in an intersection by their store. They can find any traffic camera footage that shows the crash.

They can even find any crash footage that shows up on social media. Sometimes, you might have someone shooting a video for a social media platform that happens to catch the crash.

The investigator can find any police evidence that shows the other driver consumed more alcohol before driving than the law allows. The police might have given them a breathalyzer when they reached the crash site. If so, the results should certainly support your claim.

They Can Help While You Negotiate with the Other Driver's Insurance Company

Next, your attorney can help you negotiate with the drunk driver's insurance company. They can show them all of the evidence that they have.

In addition to the crash footage and other evidence that proves the accident happened like you said it did, they will also show the insurance company your doctor bills. They might show them the average paycheck that you collect every week or month if you can't work while you're recovering. They will show them any additional medical bills that pertain to the case.

They can get a higher settlement offer from the insurance company that way. You might get an offer that seems reasonable. If so, you can accept it.

You can also ask your attorney whether they believe you can get more if you hold out. They might say they think you can. If so, you may go forward with a court appearance and argue you should get more money from the insurance company.

Your Lawyer Can Help You During Your Court Case

You can go up against the other driver's insurance company in court with your lawyer by your side. They can show all of the evidence to a jury that they showed the insurance company. They may also have some witnesses appear who saw the crash. That can help your case even further.

Your lawyer can have you take the stand and ask you about your pain and suffering following the crash. You may have financial losses following the accident, but you may also have non-economic ones.

Your pain and suffering will play a part at this point, but you might also talk about how you can't enjoy playing catch in the backyard with your kids because of the injuries you sustained. Maybe you can't ride a bike or play sports with your friends in the park anymore.

If the case goes against the other driver's insurance company, they may make a higher settlement offer. They might also wait for the jury's verdict, but these cases seldom reach that point. If they do, the jury might give you a large settlement.

You must give your lawyer some of that money, but you'll feel it's worth it. After a drunk driving car accident where the other driver injured you, your lawyer can help you every step of the way.