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Crashworthiness Attorney

A Personal Injury Law Firm That Helps You Use The Law to Improve Your Life After You or a Loved One Was Catastrophically Injured or Killed Because an Automobile Failed to Protect its Occupants in a Crash

If you or your loved one suffered a serious injury as a result of a structural defect in your vehicle, our Texas crashworthiness attorneys will take action to help you recover the full financial compensation that you deserve.

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How You Know It’s Time to Call an Experienced Crashworthiness Lawyer

  • Were you or a loved one seriously injured or killed in a car accident?
  • Was the person who got hurt or died wearing their seatbelt?
  • Did the airbags not inflate or if they did, was someone still hurt or die?
  • Not sure how to get health care or how to the medical bills are going to be get paid??
  • Were there multiple people in the automobile but not everyone was hurt?
  • Do you believe that your vehicle failed to provide adequate crash protection?
  • Is the evidence that proves your case wasting away or worse, going to be lost or destroyed?
  • Does the legal system seem complicated, overwhelming or tilted against you?
  • Do you feel lost, unsure what to do next, or don’t know how to pay for an attorney??

If you answered yes to any of these questions, it’s time to give us a call and talk to an experienced automotive products liability attorney. The call is free. We know what it feels like to feel frustrated, confused, and uncertain about you and your family’s future. You don’t have to feel overwhelmed or like a victim. Regain control. Stand up for you and your family. Put us to work for you.

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What is Crashworthiness?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), crashworthiness is the degree to which a vehicle will protect the driver and passengers in the event of a collision. Automobile manufacturers and auto parts makers can be held legally liable for injuries that occur as a result of a vehicle’s inadequate crashworthiness. If your injuries occurred because of or were made more severe by a vehicle’s faulty manufacturing or faulty product design, the company can and should be held liable.

How Our Top Rated McAllen Auto Product Liability Attorney Can Help

Crashworthiness claims are among the most complex types of personal injury cases. They involve a considerable amount of specialized knowledge. Our law firm has deep experience in automotive product liability cases. We have been handling defective automotive product cases, literally, since day one. We have reviewed hundreds, if not thousands, of cases. When real trial lawyer organizations across the country need someone to teach their attorneys how to handle defective automotive product cases, they call us. We have taught thousands of other attorneys. We have guided our clients and can do it for you.

Faulty Design, Crashworthiness, and Liability

The safest place in a wreck is the occupant compartment. The occupant compartment is the area inside the automobile where the passenger seats are located plus contiguous storage areas. It does not include the trunk. The occupant compartment is made up of a variety of components—from the vehicle frame to the seats and seatbelts, and from the windows to the airbags—that should work in unison as individual elements of a system that maintain the integrity of the space, keep the occupant safe during the wreck, and allow the occupants to exit the automobile after a wreck. 

Arguably, the most overlooked category of automotive products liability defects is vehicle frame structural integrity defects or crashworthiness defects. The major components of the vehicle frame structure are the frame rails, body pillars, sill, cross members, body panels, and door beams. While the vehicle frame may technically be outside of and form the external boundary of the occupant compartment, when a vehicle frame structure fails, the consequences present themselves inside the occupant compartment. Defects in vehicle frame structures are typically caused by metal with insufficient tensile strength, thin metal, metal components with cutouts, metal components without foam, bad welds, and or the absence of a metal component.

There are three broad categories of wrecks: frontal and rear impacts, side impacts, and rollovers or roof impacts. In all three types of wrecks, the vehicle frame structure should maintain the occupant compartment’s integrity thereby creating a survival space for the occupants. In frontal and rear crashes, this is accomplished by crush zones deforming and absorbing energy.  Crush zones are the front of the automobile to the front axle and the rear of the automobile to the rear axle that are designed to crumple and absorb energy in a front or rear impacts, respectively. In side impacts, the occupant survival space is maintained by the rigidity of pillars, sills, and door beams, the integrity of door latches, and the deformation of and absorption of energy by panels. In rollovers, the pillars and roof should not crush or deform. Additionally, in all three types of wrecks, vehicle frame structure integrity is essential for the other components within the occupant compartment, such as seats, seatbelts, and airbags to function properly.

While it may seem counterintuitive, excess deformation in the crush zones is not necessarily indicative of a defect. Instead, the hallmark is intrusion into the occupant compartment, breaches of the occupant compartment, or a lack of deformation in the crush zone—that is, a lack of absorption of energy, which could translate into failures of other components in the occupant compartment—for example, seat back failures—or outside the occupant compartment—for example, fuel filler neck failures that can lead to vehicular fires.

In a side impact, we generally focus on the automobile’s lateral area left and right of center between the front and rear wheels. This usually translates to the lateral areas of the automobile where there are seats and doors. A side impact crush is the “Goldie Locks” of crush. Too much is like too little. Too little, and components inside the occupant compartment can fail—for example, the bolts that anchor a seat to the floorboard. Too much, and the survival space in the occupant compartment is compromised or eliminated. Another consideration, especially in side impacts, are door and door latch integrity. If a door opens in any impact, sirens should go off that there is a potential defect, especially when there is an ejection.

Discuss Your Case With Our McAllen, TX
Crashworthiness Lawyer Today

At The Julian C. Gomez Law Firm, our attorney has the skills and experience needed to handle crashworthiness claims. If your vehicle failed to properly protect you and your family during a crash, we may be able to help. To set up a free, no commitment case evaluation, please contact our legal team right away. From our law office in McAllen, we represent injured victims across the United States and even internationally and just about everywhere in between. 

The Gomez Guarantee

Communication

We’ll value your time, explain the process, and be honest with you to a fault.

Courage

We’ll stand up to the
financially responsible party and not let you be taken advantage of.

Cooperation

We’ll be in this together. We do not get paid unless you are compensated.

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We Have Netted Our Clients Millions of Dollars

We take on tougher, harder cases that other attorneys have refused to take and put millions in our clients’ pockets doing so.

What Our Clients Say

Julian is the best example of what it means to be an excellent attorney. Following an automobile accident in which I lost my entire family, he fought my case and not only won, but was able to get a just compensation. I am very grateful to him and recommend him highly for his honesty and kindness throughout the case.

Cesar Caballero

Car Accidents

We are very thankful for you. You helped us a lot….You were fair with us and treated us with respect….You treated us like family….I could not ask for more….You really gave me a lot of strength….I would recommend Julian. Good people.

Jose Ramirez

Catastrophic Personal Injury

Julian was a great help. He and his team did a wonderful job. I would totally recommend Julian. Without [Julian’s] help, you are not going to get what you deserve…. My life was not looking good…. [Now,] I realize that this is all possible because of what you guys did for me…. God Bless you guys.

Don Ownings

Oilfield Injuries

The Julian C. Gomez Law Firm Process

1

Call Us

We will evaluate your case for free. The no-obligation call is confidential and costs you nothing.

2

Become a Client

In person or online, we will do our best to make becoming a client easy for you.

3

We’ll Go To Work for You

We’ll help you navigate the legal system. We do not get paid unless you are compensated.

Julian Answers Your Personal Injury and Accident Questions

How Do I Know If I Have A Good Case?

No one can promise you that you have a good case. If they do, get it in writing. Because we work on a contingency fee basis—which means that we do not get paid unless you get com pensated—we only handle cases that we believe are economically viable…

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How Long Will My Case Take?

Just like every child is different, every case is different. Some cases can take as little as a few weeks, while others can take years, even decades. Unfortunately, there is no simple answer or hard and fast rules…

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What If I Can’t Pay for an Attorney Upfront?

To get started, you pay us nothing up front. If we lose, you owe us nothing. We are contingency fee lawyers, which means that we don’t get paid unless we you get compensated for your injury or loss…

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Expert Representation for Auto Accidents, Defective Products, and Workplace Injuries

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Truck Accidents

Defective Automotive Products

Defective Products

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Oilfield Injuries

Work Place Injuries

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