Naming a cause is the easy part. Lorenz & Lorenz sorts personal injury claims in New Braunfels, Texas, by the argument each case invites, because the argument is what a file has to survive.
Key Takeaways:
- Different crash types invite different defenses, and the defense shapes what evidence matters.
- Causation, not fault, is the most common fight in a vehicle claim.
- Defendants can point at absent parties until 60 days before trial.
- A release signed before treatment ends covers losses that have not happened yet.
Which New Braunfels Accident Claims Come In Most Often?
Vehicle collisions, by a wide margin. Most New Braunfels accident claims start in one of these places:
- Intersections along FM 306 and Hunter Road
- Interstate 35 through town, where merging traffic meets highway speed
- Loop 337 and the surface streets feeding it
- Sidewalks and crosswalks near Gruene
Where the injury happened decides which duty of care applies. That question comes before fault, not after it.
On the Road
Car accidents remain the most frequent cause of injury claims we see in New Braunfels. Motorists owe other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists a duty to drive with reasonable care. Excessive speed and inadequate following distance are common factors in the crashes we handle.
When a Commercial Vehicle Is Involved
A collision with an 18-wheeler or a delivery truck runs on a different clock than a two-car wreck. Driver logs, maintenance files, and the truck's own recorded data get erased on routine retention schedules, so a preservation letter has to go out within days. More than one policy usually applies, since the driver, the carrier, and sometimes the company that loaded the trailer each carry coverage.
Riders and People on Foot
A motorcyclist, cyclist, or pedestrian absorbs the full force of an impact with none of the protection a car provides. The first argument from the other side is almost always that they were hard to see, which is not a defense to negligence. Lane position, sight distance, signal timing, and the physical damage answer it.
What to Do After a Car Accident in New Braunfels, Texas
What you do in the first hour shapes the whole file. When your injuries allow, take these steps:
- Stop and stay until information changes hands
- Photograph both vehicles before anything moves
- Note the lane and direction each car was traveling
- Get names for anyone who saw it
Under Texas Transportation Code Section 550.022, drivers in a damage-only wreck on a metropolitan freeway must move drivable vehicles off the main lanes before trading information.
Common Personal Injury Causes in New Braunfels and the Disputes They Raise
Different accidents produce different defenses. The common personal injury causes in New Braunfels regularly lead to these familiar arguments:
- Rear-end collisions: The insurer concedes fault and then challenges whether the impact caused the injuries claimed.
- Left-turn crashes: Both drivers say they had the light, and the fight moves to signal timing and independent witnesses.
- Pedestrian and bicycle crashes: The motorist says the pedestrian or cyclist entered the roadway without warning.
- Motorcycle wrecks: The driver argues the rider was speeding or moving between lanes, whatever the physical evidence shows.
- Commercial truck crashes: The carrier argues the driver was an independent contractor rather than an employee.
- Rideshare collisions: The platform disputes what the app was doing at the moment of impact, since the coverage tier turns on it.
Knowing which argument is coming tells you what to collect early and who may bear responsibility.
What Can a New Braunfels Injury Claim Cover?
Medical bills, lost income, and the human cost of an injury. Texas sorts those into economic losses, which come with receipts, and non-economic losses, which never do.
Which Types of Injury Claims in New Braunfels, TX, Take the Longest?
The ones with more than two names on them. Types of injury claims in New Braunfels, TX that stretch out usually involve a party who has not been served yet, and those files run months longer than a straightforward two-car crash.
Claims With a Third Party Waiting Offstage
A defendant may seek to assign part of the fault to a person or entity that is not a party to the case. Under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 33.004, the request generally must be filed at least 60 days before trial unless the court allows a later filing for good cause.
Claims Where the Losses Keep Growing
Settling early is a one-way door. A claim costing eight months of missed work is a different conversation from one costing two weeks, and a release signed in week three covers both. Wait until the full cost is on paper.
FAQs: Personal Injury Claims in New Braunfels, Texas
None of these come up at the scene. They surface later, usually the week someone decides to stop guessing.
What if the At-Fault Driver Was Working at the Time?
The employer's commercial policy may respond alongside the driver's own coverage, and commercial limits usually sit well above a personal auto policy. Whether the driver was acting in the course of employment turns on the purpose of the trip rather than who owns the vehicle, so a delivery run counts while a personal errand on the way home generally does not.
Can Two People Hurt in the Same Wreck Use One Attorney?
Sometimes, though conflicts appear quickly once coverage is limited. Separate counsel protects both people when one policy cannot cover everyone, because a single limit has to be divided and the more seriously injured person is the one who loses in that division.
What if the At-Fault Driver Has Moved Out of State?
The claim stays in Texas, since state law governs a wreck that happened here. Serving court papers on someone who has left takes longer, which is one more reason to open a file early rather than near the deadline.
Does Calling a Claim In Yourself Hurt Anything Later?
No, and reporting early usually helps. Keep the notes short and factual, and let the records carry the detail. What causes problems is not the call itself but a recorded statement given before anyone has seen a doctor.
How Do You Know a Claim Is Worth Pursuing?
Look at whether someone else's choice caused a documented injury. With both, the question shifts to who pays rather than whether anyone does.
Ask Now and Decide Later
A first call answers one question and nothing more. Nothing gets filed or signed while you think it over, and our New Braunfels personal injury team can evaluate your claim before you decide.
New Braunfels is the Comal County seat, so a case here is filed at the courthouse on Main Plaza rather than another town.
A first look costs nothing and someone is available around the clock. Call Lorenz & Lorenz at (512) 477-7333 and start with the part that does not sit right.