From lifted trucks to motorcycles with modified exhausts, illegal vehicle modifications are increasingly common on Texas roads. While some modifications are purely cosmetic, others can significantly impact vehicle safety, handling, and visibility—creating serious hazards for both the modified vehicle’s occupants and other drivers. When these modified vehicles are involved in accidents, determining fault and liability becomes more complex.
De La Garza Law Firm car accident lawyers in McAllen, TX investigates how unauthorized modifications contributed to crashes and works to prove that these modifications demonstrate negligence or reckless behavior.
How Illegally Modified Vehicles Contribute to Car Accidents
Illegal vehicle modifications can drastically alter how a vehicle performs under normal driving conditions and during emergencies. When drivers make unauthorized changes to their vehicles without considering safety implications, they create unpredictable hazards on the road.
Several modifications commonly contribute to accidents:
- Excessive lift kits raise a vehicle’s center of gravity, making rollover accidents more likely and reducing the driver’s ability to see smaller vehicles
- Oversized or undersized tires affect braking distances and can make a vehicle more difficult to handle
- Modified lighting systems may blind other drivers or fail to provide adequate visibility for the modified vehicle
- Altered exhaust systems can reduce engine performance and create distracting noise levels that mask important audio cues
- The removal of safety equipment like mirrors, bumpers, or airbag systems can contribute to accidents and injuries that would have otherwise been prevented
Proving Illegal Modifications Caused Your Collision
If you’ve been injured in an accident involving a modified vehicle, you have the right to pursue compensation for your damages. Texas auto insurance law allows victims of accidents caused by negligent drivers to pursue insurance claims or lawsuits against the responsible parties. To prove that illegal modifications contributed to your crash, you will need to demonstrate that these changes made the accident more likely or more severe than it would have been with a normal vehicle.
Several pieces of evidence can strengthen your case. Vehicle inspection records, manufacturer specifications, and expert testimony about how the modifications affected vehicle performance are essential. Photographs of the modified vehicle, police reports noting unusual vehicle characteristics, and witness statements about erratic vehicle behavior all help establish the connection between modifications and the crash. Additionally, maintenance records may reveal whether illegal modifications caused mechanical failures that contributed to the accident.
Texas’s Comparative Negligence Laws and Illegal Modifications
If your own vehicle had illegal modifications, your right to compensation can be compromised, even if the other driver was primarily at fault. Texas follows a modified comparative negligence system in situations where two parties share liability for an accident. Under this system, you can recover damages only if you are less than 51% responsible for the accident. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault.
For example, if you suffer $100,000 in damages but are found 20% responsible, you would receive $80,000. However, if your illegal modifications contributed 51% or more to the accident—such as having a dangerously lifted truck that rolled over—you cannot recover any compensation.
Contact a Texas Car Accident Attorney for Legal Assistance Today
When modified vehicles are involved in accidents, determining fault can be a challenging process. We will fight tirelessly to hold the at-fault driver accountable and secure the compensation that you deserve. Contact us at (956) 586-5617 to discuss your path forward with a Texas car accident lawyer.
