San Antonio Group Argues for Speed Limit Changes After Fatal Accident
In early January, a car accident on Bandera Road in Helotes, just northwest of San Antonio, claimed the lives of the parents of four children. All four children were in the car at the time and also suffered minor injuries. Since the crash, San Antonio’s COPS Metro Alliance, a coalition aimed at bettering the lives of families, is advocating for the lowering of the speed limit in the area, which they believe can help prevent similar tragic accidents in the future.
Speeding Often Leads to Deadly Accidents
Excessive speeds are a safety concern throughout the San Antonio area and the state of Texas. According to 2019 statistics from the Texas Department of Transportation, out of the 3,610 traffic fatalities that year, 715 involved speeding, a figure that amounts to nearly one in five. Twenty-eight of those fatalities happened in Bexar County. In addition to the consequences of fatal accidents, thousands more Texans are injured in accidents involving speeding each year. High-speed collisions can result in severe and catastrophic injuries, including to the brain, spinal cord, extremities, and internal organs.
Speeding and Driver Negligence
Posted speed limits on Texas roads are meant to ensure that drivers travel at a safe speed for regular road conditions. A driver who exceeds the posted speed limit is potentially breaching his or her duty of care to others on the road, and if an accident happens as a result and someone is injured, the speeding driver can be considered negligent.
However, this is not the only situation in which a driver’s speed can be negligent. In some cases, traveling at or even below the posted speed limit may be unsafe, including in heavy traffic, a work zone, or inclement weather. Drivers have a responsibility to adjust their behavior to uphold public safety regardless of the conditions in which they are driving, and any failure to do so may lead to their liability for resulting injuries.
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed by a speeding driver, you have the right to pursue compensation through a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit. Evidence of the driver’s speeding can be crucial in supporting your case, and your attorney can help you look into all possible sources, including police reports, witness testimony, camera footage, and images of the roadway in the aftermath of the crash.
Contact a New Braunfels Personal Injury Attorney
Speeding drivers are dangerous, and even with ongoing efforts to adjust speed limits to make San Antonio safer, you may still be at risk of injury. When you have been hurt in an accident involving speeding, contact an experienced New Braunfels car accident lawyer at The Bettersworth Law Firm. We offer a free consultation when you call us at 830-443-9193 so you can learn more about how we can help you.
Sources:
https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/01/04/coalition-pushes-for-traffic-changes-after-crash-in-helotes-kills-parents-of-4-children/
https://www.copsmetro.com/
https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot-info/trf/crash_statistics/2019/22.pdf
