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I was involved in a car accident in Texas and it was partially my fault. Can I still seek compensation?

Yes. There are many cases where there may multiple drivers or parties, including the party who was injured, who contributed to the wreck.

How do you deal with it when more than one person contributed to the wreck? Some states have a contributory negligence rule, which means that if you contributed at all to the wreck, then you can’t recover from the other people who also caused the wreck.

Fortunately, Texas is not a contributory negligence state. Instead, Texas is a comparative fault state. That means if you are negligent, then you may have the opportunity to recover for your injuries, but the jury’s award of damages is reduced by your percentage of negligence. For example, if you are found by the jury to be 40 percent at fault, then the jury’s award is reduced by 40 percent. However, there is a big exception to this rule. if you are found to be over 50 percent responsible for the collision, then Texas law bars you from recovery.

That said, by all means, do not assume what degree your fault in an accident may or may not be. This is something you need to speak to an experienced Austin car accident attorney about. At Schuelke Law, we’ve handled car accident cases for decades and we know that each and every one of them is different and to not assume anything until all the facts and reports are in.

Even though you may feel that you did something wrong, keep this thought to yourself and do not admit any fault at the scene of the accident. This is due to the fact that there may be another reason for the crash, such as a vehicle defect, that you had no control over. Until an accident is thoroughly investigated, do not make “any” statements about who you feel was at fault for the crash. Save any such conversations to have with your Austin car accident attorney.

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