Rio Hondo teen killed in two-vehicle crash

The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating a two-vehicle crash near Rio Hondo that killed an 18-year-old man. The crash happened August 30 at approximately 8:30 p.m. on North Sam Houston Boulevard, north of Wiseman Road.

According to a Texas DPS preliminary investigation, a Dodge Caravan occupied by two people was traveling north on Sam Houston Boulevard, and attempted to make a left turn into the driveway of a residence.

The reported stated that a Toyota Corolla was traveling south above the speed limit when it collided with the Dodge.

The occupants of the Dodge were transported to Valley Baptist Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries. The driver of the Corolla, 18-year-old Jose Juan Mendoza, was also taken to the hospital, where he died from his injuries, according to DPS.

The crash was still under investigation at this writing.

Determining fault in a car accident

Fault in a Texas car accident can sometimes be difficult to determine. There can be cases in which one party failed to yield right of way, but the other party was driving in excess of the speed limit.

After an accident, each party will submit their statements of the events for the police report. To file an insurance claim or injury lawsuit for the accident, the victim must prove the negligent driver was at least 51% responsible for the accident that caused their injuries.

Evidence

Insurance companies use the available evidence to determine fault in an accident. Some potential evidence they can consider include:

• Police report
• Security footage
• Dash cam footage
• Photos and videos of injuries and property damage from the accident
• Witness testimony

Sometimes officers will include their conclusion about fault in the accident in their report, but this is optional, and many officers do not include this information. Officers can also issue a citation(s) at the scene for traffic violations that led to the accident. This can influence the insurance provider’s determination of fault.

Comparative negligence

Texas operates under a comparative negligence law. In plain terms, this means that one party can be found to be 100% at fault, or each party might share a percentage of the fault.

A party must be less than 50% responsible for a crash in order to seek damages, and any award will be commensurate with the percentage of liability.

Call J. Gonzalez

Remember, insurance companies will always look for any possible reason to reduce your claim. That’s why you should contact the J. Gonzalez Law Firm as soon as possible after an accident.

Never speak to the insurance adjuster or an insurance company until you have an experienced personal injury attorney on your side who can speak for you. It could mean the difference between being denied a claim or getting the maximum amount of compensation that you are legally entitled to.

Contact J. Gonzalez today via this website, or by calling 1-800-CAR-CRASH.

Source: https://www.krgv.com/news/18-year-old-rio-hondo-resident-killed-in-two-vehicle-crash