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Aggravated Car Collision

Fort Worth Aggravated Car Collision Lawyer

Holding Reckless Drivers Accountable for Preventable Crashes

Some accidents happen despite everyone’s best efforts. But when a driver chooses to text behind the wheel, drive drunk, or engage in other extreme negligence, it’s not just an accident—it’s an aggravated collision that destroys lives. At Kerry Collins and AssociatesLaw, we’ve spent over 40 years fighting for victims of the most preventable, egregious crashes on Fort Worth roads.

What Makes a Car Accident "Aggravated"?

While “aggravated collision” isn’t a formal legal term, it perfectly describes crashes caused by extreme negligence or recklessness. These aren’t simple mistakes or momentary lapses in judgment. They’re conscious choices that show complete disregard for human life.

In our three decades of practice, we’ve seen how these preventable tragedies devastate Fort Worth families. The driver who caused your injuries didn’t just make an error—they made a choice that put everyone on the road at risk. That choice has consequences, and we make sure they’re held fully accountable.

Types of Aggravated Collisions We Handle

Drunk Driving Accidents

Despite decades of public awareness campaigns, drunk drivers continue to kill and maim innocent people on Texas roads. In 2023, TxDOT reported that drunk driving crashes killed 1,138 people statewide—more than three deaths every single day.

Fort Worth sees its share of these preventable tragedies, particularly on weekend nights along 7th Street, West Berry Street, and the highways leading to and from entertainment districts. We pursue not just compensatory damages but punitive damages designed to punish drunk drivers and deter others from making the same deadly choice.

Texting and Cellphone Use While Driving

A driver traveling 55 mph covers the length of a football field in the five seconds it takes to read a text. During those five seconds, they’re essentially driving blind through Fort Worth traffic. Texas law prohibits texting while driving and bans all cellphone use in school zones, yet drivers continue to prioritize their phones over lives.

We subpoena phone records, analyze data usage timestamps, and work with accident reconstruction experts to prove when drivers were distracted by their devices. Insurance companies can’t deny the evidence when we show a text was sent seconds before impact.

Drugged Driving

Impairment isn’t limited to alcohol. Drivers under the influence of marijuana, prescription medications, or illegal drugs cause devastating crashes. With Texas seeing increased marijuana use despite its illegal status, drugged driving incidents continue to rise. These cases require sophisticated investigation including toxicology reports and expert testimony about impairment levels.

Extreme Speeding and Street Racing

When drivers treat Fort Worth streets like racetracks, catastrophic collisions follow. Whether it’s street racing on Industrial Boulevard or extreme speeding on Loop 820, these drivers turn their vehicles into weapons. High-speed impacts exponentially increase injury severity, often resulting in permanent disabilities or death.

Commercial Driver Violations

Professional drivers are held to higher standards for good reason. When truck drivers violate hours-of-service rules, falsify logbooks, or drive while fatigued, they put everyone at risk. We investigate electronic logging devices, company safety records, and driver histories to prove violations that contributed to your injuries.

Road Rage and Aggressive Driving

Road rage incidents have increased dramatically in recent years. When drivers use their vehicles as weapons—brake checking, ramming, or forcing others off the road—they cross the line from negligence to assault. These cases often involve both criminal charges and civil liability.

Driving on Suspended or Revoked Licenses

Drivers who’ve lost their license privileges due to DWI, excessive tickets, or other violations yet continue to drive show blatant disregard for the law. When they cause accidents, their conscious decision to drive illegally strengthens your claim for damages.

Why Aggravated Collisions Result in Higher Compensation

Punitive Damages May Apply

Texas law allows punitive damages when defendants act with gross negligence—a conscious indifference to the rights, safety, or welfare of others. Drunk driving, texting while driving, and similar behaviors often meet this standard. Punitive damages can significantly increase compensation beyond actual losses.

Juries Have No Sympathy for Reckless Drivers

Fort Worth juries understand that some accidents are truly accidents, while others are the predictable result of dangerous choices. When we present clear evidence of aggravated negligence, juries often award maximum compensation to send a message that such behavior won’t be tolerated.

Criminal Charges Strengthen Civil Cases

Many aggravated collisions result in criminal charges—DWI, intoxication assault, or even intoxication manslaughter. While criminal and civil cases proceed separately, criminal convictions or guilty pleas provide powerful evidence in your civil claim.

Insurance Companies Know These Cases Are Winners

When liability is clear and conduct is egregious, insurance companies often prefer to settle rather than face a Fort Worth jury. They know that trials involving drunk drivers or texting drivers rarely end well for their clients.

The Devastating Impact of Aggravated Collisions

More Severe Injuries

Aggravated collisions often involve higher speeds, head-on impacts, or complete failure to brake before impact. This leads to catastrophic injuries including:

Traumatic brain injuries that forever change personality and cognitive function. Spinal cord injuries resulting in paralysis and lifetime medical needs. Multiple fractures requiring numerous surgeries and extended rehabilitation. Internal organ damage necessitating emergency surgery and ongoing complications. Severe burns from fuel fires in high-speed crashes.

Emotional and Psychological Trauma

Knowing your injuries were completely preventable adds another layer of trauma. Victims often struggle with anger, depression, and PTSD. The question “Why did this happen to me?” becomes even more painful when the answer is another person’s selfish choice.

Financial Devastation

Serious injuries from aggravated collisions often prevent victims from returning to work for months or ever. Medical bills quickly reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. Families face foreclosure, bankruptcy, and financial ruin—all because someone chose to drive drunk or text behind the wheel.

Texas Laws Addressing Aggravated Driving Behaviors

Drunk Driving Laws

Texas has some of the nation’s strictest DWI laws. First-time offenders face license suspension, fines up to $2,000, and potential jail time. Repeat offenders and those causing serious injuries face felony charges. These criminal penalties establish the seriousness of the conduct in civil cases.

Texting While Driving Ban

Since 2017, Texas law prohibits reading, writing, or sending electronic messages while driving. Violations carry fines up to $200, but more importantly for civil cases, they establish clear negligence when accidents occur.

School Zone Restrictions

How We Prove Aggravated Negligence

Immediate Investigation

Evidence in aggravated collision cases can disappear quickly. We immediately dispatch investigators to accident scenes, preserve physical evidence, and secure witness statements before memories fade.

Technology and Data Analysis

Modern vehicles and phones contain vast amounts of data. We work with forensic experts to extract and analyze:

Expert Testimony

We work with leading experts including accident reconstructionists who recreate crashes using physics and engineering principles. Toxicologists who explain how drugs and alcohol impair driving ability. Medical experts who connect reckless driving behaviors to injury severity. Economic experts who calculate lifetime costs of catastrophic injuries.

Aggressive Discovery

We use every legal tool to uncover evidence including depositions of defendants and witnesses. Subpoenas for phone records, employment files, and driving histories. Requests for surveillance video from nearby businesses. Analysis of prior traffic violations and criminal records.

After the Accident–
What Comes Next

Understanding Your Rights After a Fort Worth Car Accident

Immediate Steps at the Scene

Before leaving the accident scene, make sure you:

1. Call the police

Always report the accident, even if it seems minor. A police report creates an official record that may be critical later.

2. Exchange information

Collect the names, phone numbers, addresses, driver’s license numbers, license plates, and insurance details of all drivers involved.

3. Gather witness statements

Ask witnesses for their contact information and, if possible, a brief description of what they saw.

4. Take photographs

Document the vehicles, property damage, road conditions, traffic signals, and any visible injuries.

5. Seek Medical Care

Some injuries do not appear immediately—such as whiplash, concussions, or internal injuries. Always see a doctor after an accident, even if you feel fine. Prompt medical care helps protect your health and creates a record that links your injuries to the crash.

6. Call Our Office

Texas law gives accident victims the right to seek compensation when another driver’s negligence causes their injuries. However, insurance companies start working immediately to minimize their payout. They know most people don’t understand the full value of their claim or the tactics used to reduce settlements. That’s where we come in.

With four decades of experience in Fort Worth courts, we know how to build cases that get results. We come prepared with evidence, expert witnesses, and a thorough understanding of Texas personal injury law. Insurance companies know we’re ready for trial, which often leads to better settlement offers for our clients.

Why Choose Kerry Collins Law for Your Aggravated Collision Case

We Take These Cases Personally

After 40 years representing victims, we still get angry about preventable crashes. When someone’s selfish choice devastates your family, we channel that anger into aggressive, effective legal representation.

Ready for Battle Against Drunk and Distracted Drivers

We don’t just file lawsuits—we prepare for war. Insurance companies know we’ll take these cases to trial and let Fort Worth juries hear exactly what their insureds did. That reputation leads to better settlements for our clients.

Resources to Match Any Opponent

Drunk drivers often have minimal insurance, but we dig deeper. We investigate dram shop liability against bars that overserved. We examine employer liability for commercial drivers. We identify every possible source of compensation for your injuries.

Maximum Compensation Is Our Minimum Goal

In aggravated collision cases, we don’t just seek compensation for your losses. We pursue punitive damages to punish reckless behavior and send a message that Fort Worth won’t tolerate drivers who endanger innocent lives.

With offices in:

Forth Worth
San Antonio
Arlington
North Richland Hills
Haltom City
Tarrant County
the rest of Texas

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The Time to Act Is Now

Evidence disappears. Witnesses forget. Insurance companies work to minimize their exposure from day one. But most importantly, you need help now—medical bills are piling up, you can’t work, and the driver who did this to you faces only minor criminal charges.

We level the playing field. While prosecutors handle criminal cases, we pursue civil justice that actually helps rebuild your life. Don’t let a reckless driver escape responsibility for the devastation they’ve caused.

Call (817) 335-9700 or email us to schedule your free consultation. We’ll review your case, explain your rights, and outline the path to maximum compensation.

Serving Fort Worth, Arlington, North Richland Hills, Haltom City, and all of Tarrant County

The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.