Texas Personal Injury Attorney

How a Texas Personal Injury Attorney Can Help With Your Case

After an injury, you are likely dealing with physical pain, a sometimes lengthy recovery process, and financial stress from missing work and expensive medical bills. A personal injury claim can help you regain control of your life and finances, but it can seem daunting to take on by yourself. Having legal representation can alleviate your worries.

A Texas personal injury lawyer from one of our law firm partners can help by:

• Completing and filing all paperwork related to your case
• Handling all communication with insurance companies
• Gathering evidence in support of your claim
• Filing any necessary appeals
• Negotiating for a fair settlement
• Representing you in court if necessary

The Goldwater Law Firm practices The Gold Standard of Injury Law. We believe that injury victims deserve care, dedication, and compassion from their lawyers. We have strategic partnerships with many of the biggest and most successful firms nationwide. Our co-counsels will fight for you to receive the maximum compensation you are eligible for so you can focus on healing rather than worrying about how you’ll pay your bills.

A Texas Personal Injury Attorney Will Fight for Compensation for Your Losses

Depending on the cause of your injuries and the extent of them, you may have a long road to full recovery or may have permanent disabilities that have changed the plans you had for your future. Injuries our law firm partners commonly see include:

• Spinal cord and traumatic brain injuries from a motorcycle accident
• Broken bones and lacerations from a car accident
• Catastrophic injuries due to a truck accident

Your Texas personal injury lawyer will listen to your story and examine your losses so they can fight for compensation that fully accounts for the devastating effects your injury has had on your life.

Compensation may be recoverable for:

Economic Losses

Recoverable financial losses can include:

• Medical Expenses, including surgeries, doctor and medical specialist appointments, emergency medical services, prescriptions for pain management or symptom treatment, physical therapy, and more
• Job-Related Losses include lost wages, loss of job benefits like PTO and bonuses, and reduced earning capacity.
• Property Damage: if your motorcycle was damaged in the accident and needs to be repaired or replaced
• Other Expenses, including home modifications made to address a new disability, mobility devices such as wheelchairs, mileage, and gas to and from medical appointments, and more

Non-Economic Losses

Recoverable losses that are not directly financial may include:

• Pain and Suffering, the physical toll and emotional distress of your injuries
• Loss of Quality of Life, including chronic pain and other impacts on your day-to-day living
• Loss of Enjoyment of Life, such as no longer being able to take part in hobbies you once enjoyed

Wrongful Death

When accidents lead to a loss of life, it’s devastating emotionally and financially for loved ones. While no amount of money can cover what you have lost, you may be able to recover financial compensation that gives your family the time and space you need to grieve. Compensation may be available for:

• Burial or cremation costs
• Funeral expenses
• The loss of a loved one’s financial support
• The loss of a loved one’s companionship and protection and other non-economic damages
• Medical bills for any care your loved one received before their passing

You deserve justice after a personal injury or a wrongful death. Contact The Goldwater Law Firm to get started on your case right away.

Proving Fault After a Personal Injury in Texas

You must prove that someone else was at fault to recover compensation after an injury accident. To hold another party liable, we must establish four key elements:

• The at-fault party owed you a duty of care. For example, a driver owes other drivers a duty to drive safely and follow traffic laws.
• The at-fault party breached that duty of care. For example, a driver was speeding and crashed into your motorcycle with their vehicle. A Texas motorcycle accident lawyer can establish their speeding.
• The breach directly led to your accident. For example, a driver failed to yield, resulting in a side-impact collision. Your Texas car accident attorney can gather evidence supporting this infraction.
• The accident caused you losses. For example, a Texas truck accident lawyer can use your medical records or testimony from medical professionals to show that your catastrophic injuries were a direct result of the truck crash.

What Evidence Helps in Determining Fault in Personal Injury Cases?

Your Texas injury attorney will thoroughly investigate your accident and gather all necessary evidence. Some examples of helpful supporting evidence for accident claims include:

• Witness Statements: Eyewitnesses can provide a crucial viewpoint of the accident. For example, a bystander may have witnessed the crash from an angle that video footage did not.
• Video Footage: In today’s world, it’s hard not to be recorded by various cameras. Footage of the accident offers an unbiased and clear picture of what happened. Footage from security cameras at nearby businesses or homes, cellphones, dash cams, or traffic cameras may be available.
• Physical Evidence: Physical evidence from the accident scene can help paint a picture of what happened. For example, skid marks can show when brakes were applied, and debris may help show the severity of an impact.
• Additional Data: In some accidents, additional information may be available through things like a commercial truck’s black box or the maintenance logs of the company’s vehicle fleet.
• Police Reports: Responding officers at an accident scene write a crash report detailing their analysis of the scene. These reports may also contain information like witness contact info and descriptions of any collected evidence.
• Expert Testimony: Your lawyer may consult with experts who can analyze the accident, such as an expert in trucking industry safety standards or an accident reconstructionist.

Many types of evidence can be time-sensitive. The sooner your lawyer can begin investigating, the more likely they will obtain crucial evidence like witness statements and surveillance footage.

Important Laws That Can Affect Your Texas Personal Injury Case

Understanding the state and federal laws impacting your case is essential, as they can determine the amount of compensation available and whether you can pursue it. Two of the laws impacting your case are:

The Texas Statute of Limitations on Personal Injury Cases

Your ability to pursue compensation may be hindered by the timeline you have to do so. In Texas, you generally have two years to pursue a wrongful death or personal injury lawsuit. There may be exceptions, so it’s essential to discuss the timeline of your case with your injury lawyer.

Hiring legal representation and getting started on your case immediately following an accident gives your lawyer the time to investigate your case and file your lawsuit.

Modified Comparative Negligence in Texas Personal Injury Cases

Every state differs on how negligence affects an injured person’s ability to recover compensation. In Texas, injury victims can pursue compensation if they are less than 51% at fault for their injuries.

However, it’s vital to note that your amount of compensation is affected by your level of fault. For example, if you are 35% at fault, your recoverable compensation is reduced by that percentage. So, if your damage award were $100,000, you’d ultimately only be able to recover $65,000.

Insurance companies may try to use this law to their advantage, arguing that you held a higher percentage of fault, so they could offer a lower settlement or deny your claim entirely. However, your lawyer will combat these tactics with a well-supported case.

Can You Afford a Texas Personal Injury Lawyer?

Many injury victims worry that obtaining legal representation may strain them financially. However, most personal injury attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. This fee system ensures that everyone can afford a lawyer, no matter their financial situation.

Contingency fees ensure that you have no upfront costs. Instead, you only pay your lawyers fees if they can recover compensation. At that point, they take their fees as an agreed-upon percentage of your settlement.