Odessa Golf Cart Accident Lawyer

Hilliard Law is staffed by legal professionals who work hard to resolve their client's cases with the best outcome possible. With 40 years of experience practicing law in Texas, Attorney Robert Hilliard has earned accolades and received national attention for his work on numerous high-profile cases.

Due to its mild climate, Texas is a great place to play golf all year, with golf-carts used not only while on the course, but also for travel to and from the course, including on surface streets and public roadways. Traveling via golf-cart isn’t limited to just golf courses. In fact, these vehicles have become a popular mode of low-speed transportation in many areas such as planned residential communities, beaches, and college campuses.

Despite their modest size and lower operational speeds when accidents occur, golf cart drivers and passengers are at substantial risk for injury. If you’ve been injured in a golf cart accident, you may be able to obtain compensation for your losses.

What a Golf Cart Accident Attorney in Odessa Can Do to Help

Golf cart collisions with other carts, pedestrians, and cars can cause severe, long-lasting injuries. A study on golf cart-related injuries found that between 1990 and 2006, around 150,000 wounded people were treated in emergency rooms due to golf cart accidents. In addition to being expensive to treat, these injuries may leave the victim unable to work, which could substantially impact their income.

If you’ve been injured in a golf cart accident, reaching out to an experienced attorney can help in several different ways. A skilled attorney can offer the following services:

• Assessing your case’s value
• Talking to witnesses
• Obtaining evidence
• Determining liability
• Dealing with the defendant’s legal counsel
• Negotiating with insurance providers

Combing through paperwork, gathering evidence, and putting together a strong case can take a lot of knowledge, time and energy. Most people are unfamiliar with how personal injury law, golf cart accidents, and unique vehicle regulations intersect. Working with a lawyer experienced in handling golf cart accidents may be your best option to secure fair compensation.

Can I File a Lawsuit in Odessa After a Golf Cart Accident?

A golf cart accident can occur for a variety of reasons. Where the individual or people who caused your golf cart accident were negligent and caused you substantial harm, you can likely file a successful personal injury lawsuit. Numerous situations exist where negligence was most likely a contributing factor in your accident and call for legal action, including the following:

• You were either driving the golf cart or riding in it when it was hit by a car
• The golf cart driver was operating it recklessly while you were a passenger
• The golf cart had a manufacturing defect or issue that led to the accident
• A negligent golf cart driver hit you

Whether you were the driver, a passenger, or a pedestrian, you may be able to bring a successful personal injury claim based on your losses.

What Losses Am I Entitled to Recover Following an Odessa Golf Cart Accident?

It’s crucial to remember that there is no standard amount of damages you can recover for your golf cart accident claim. Every case is unique, and every victim is impacted differently. The amount of compensation you can receive will depend on the accident’s financial and emotional toll.

You may be entitled to compensation for a variety of losses in personal injury lawsuits involving golf carts, such as the following:

• Current and potential earnings
• Medical expenses
• Future medical treatment
• Lifestyle changes caused by your injury
• Mental anguish
• Pain and suffering
• Property damage

Which Laws Regulate Golf Cart Use in Odessa?

The Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) categorizes golf carts as unique vehicles. Golf carts are unusual vehicles that are subject to several special laws.

TxDMV defines golf carts as motor vehicles designed for use on a golf course. TxDMV requires golf carts to have mirrors, a parking brake, reflectors, headlights, and taillights. Golf carts can have their own license plate but are not titled or registered by the TxDMV.

When a golf cart has a license plate, it may only be operated in the following situations:

• In master-planned communities with a uniform set of restrictive covenants and a county or municipality-approved plat
• Any beach that is accessible by car, whether it is public or private
• Up to two miles from the location where it is usually parked for transportation to and from a golf course on highways with official speed restrictions of 35 mph or lower
• Crossing intersections, including those with highways with posted speed limits of more than 35 mph

In Texas, cities or certain counties may permit the use of golf carts on city roads and in certain counties’ unincorporated areas. A golf cart’s license plate must always be visible when used on a route authorized by the city or county. This route must also have a maximum speed limit of 35 mph. The slow-moving vehicle symbol must be visible on the side of any golf cart being driven on the road at a speed of 25 mph or less.

What if I Contributed to My Odessa Golf Cart Accident?

When the plaintiff is partially to blame for their injury, Texas applies the modified comparative negligence rule, which imposes proportionate liability. If the plaintiff’s negligence contributed to the accident’s cause, the damages awarded to them may be diminished in proportion to their negligence.

Modified comparative negligence only allows damages to be recovered by plaintiffs whose percentage of fault is less than 50%. The plaintiff will not be entitled to any damages if they are determined to have been the primary cause of the accident.

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