Most vehicles travel at speed along major highways and it can be unnerving sometimes to change lanes and merge when necessary to enter or exit from a freeway. Merging accidents tend to be more frequent on busy freeways where there is a particularly large volume of traffic, but in reality they can happen anywhere if a driver isn’t fully concentrating on what he or she is doing.
If you are hit by another driver while merging on Route 59, you may be able to claim damages from the other driver’s insurer. A successful claim can help to pay for your own medical care and repair your vehicle. Discuss the possibility of a claim with a personal injury attorney before filing it.
Route 59 in Texas
Route 59 lies predominantly in Texas, although it straddles the Texas/Arkansas border near I-30, north of Texarkana. The highway is known by other names along its length. The full length is also known as the Lloyd M. Bentsen Highway, but is also known as the Eastex Freeway north of Houston and the Southwest Freeway south of that city.
Towards the end of the last century, the Southwest Freeway was recorded as the busiest freeway in the U.S. in the section just west of The Loop. It still remains busy and this translates into multiple chances of a merging accident as vehicles cross lanes to enter and exit the Freeway as well as overtake other vehicles or just get into position.
The full length of US 59 is 615 miles from the Mexican border right up to 55 miles north of Corpus Christi where it connects with I-37.
What to Do If Hit While Merging On Route 59
If you have been hit when merging on Route 59, it will be important to establish just who was to blame and whether you were at fault in any way yourself. Texas is one of several states that have a modified comparative negligence rule that prevents you from obtaining compensation if it is decided that you were more than 50% at fault yourself.
As insurers tend to use this rule to avoid paying out compensation on behalf of their clients it is important to have the police report, if available and any other evidence that can show that you were not at fault when the merging accident took place. A personal injury attorney can help you prove fault if the other driver was to blame for the accident.
Evidence to Gather If Hit While Merging On US 59
Evidence to show who was at fault in any type of personal injury claim is essential if there is to be any chance of winning the claim. In Texas, this is even more important because of the probability that insurers will try to exaggerate the degree of your involvement in causing a particular accident.
If you are able to gather evidence at the scene of the crash, this can prove invaluable. Photos of the collision scene, contact details or recorded statements from eye witnesses, the police report, medical reports and any bills associated with your injuries, are all very useful when presenting a claim. Your attorney can help with gathering reliable evidence.
Hire An Attorney
Many personal injury claims can be hard to win unless you get legal advice and an experienced attorney to negotiate with the defendant’s insurer on your behalf. The attorney will have dealt with cases like yours many times before and will provide an opinion on the advisability of a claim as well as suggest whether the evidence you have is convincing enough for an insurer to release the compensation you deserve.
