Dallas Personal Injury Lawyer
When you’ve been injured in an accident that was caused by someone else, you may be wondering what your options are for getting them to cover your damages. Work with a highly trained Dallas personal injury attorney who can help you achieve maximum compensation for all you’ve been through.
Being involved in any type of incident that causes you injury can have disastrous consequences. If you have to take time off of work in order to recover from your injuries, the household bills can pile up on top of the extensive medical expenses you’ll likely accrue.
Fortunately, life can get a little bit easier when you enlist in the services of an experienced Dallas personal injury lawyer at Crain Lewis Brogdon, LLP. We are committed to doing whatever it takes to secure full repayment for your damages. We’ll work diligently to build a powerful case against the at-fault party so you can spend your time focusing on your recovery.
Does Your Accident Warrant a Personal Injury Claim?
No matter what type of accident you were involved in, when your injuries were caused by the negligent actions of another, that person should be required to reimburse you for the pain, both physical and emotional, that they’ve inflicted upon you. There are a number of different incidents that our firm routinely represents in Dallas. Some of the most commonly seen types of incidents include:
- Product liability
- Motor vehicle wrecks
- Premises liability
- Injuries related to hydrofracking
- Work injuries
- Dog bites
- Uber/Lyft sexual assault
Once you’ve made the decision to pursue compensation for your injuries, your attorney will begin gathering evidence to support your case against whoever is liable for your damages. This evidence could consist of medical documentation, police reports, photographs, safety inspection reports, video footage, and witness and expert testimony.
Injury Laws in Dallas That May Influence Your Case
Tort law in any area can be quite complex unless you have education, training, and experience within the legal profession. As such, you may not be aware of the laws that will impact the outcome of your Dallas case. Two of the most critical laws include the statute of limitations and contributory negligence laws. We go into further details about each of them below.
Texas Statute of Limitations
In personal injury claims, the statute of limitations begins running from the date of the accident, or from the date in which you were diagnosed with injuries caused by the accident, and then continues to run for two years. Once the two years have passed, if you haven’t already filed your claim, then you will unfortunately be barred from having your Dallas injury claim heard in court.
Modified Comparative Negligence
Contributory negligence laws refer to what happens to your claim if you are partially responsible for causing the accident you were involved in. Texas adheres to a modified comparative negligence statute that allows claimants who have played a part in the cause of their injuries to still pursue their claim, but their award will be reduced as per their percentage of culpability.
However, if you end up being more than 50 percent at fault, you will no longer be able to seek compensation for your losses, and you may even find that the other involved party is filing a claim against you for your actions. Your lawyer will be able to determine what percentage of blame you carry, if any, and how your claim will be affected based on this liability.
Personal Injury Damages You’re Entitled To
After your attorney has established who is culpable for your losses, we’ll begin calculating the value of your personal injury claim. This is done by examining the ways your injuries have influenced your life. Damages in personal injury claims are categorized as being either economic or non-economic, with economic losses being the ones that impacted you financially and non-economic damages consisting of all other losses.
A few examples of economic damages could include your lost wages, property damages, the loss of your potential future earnings, and the complete coverage of your medical expenses as they relate to your injuries, treatment, and care.
Non-economic damages can sometimes be slightly more vague, but they may include your pain and suffering, loss of companionship and love, emotional distress, inconvenience, the loss of household services, loss of enjoyment of life, and the influence of scarring or disfigurement, to name a few.
Additionally, if the judge presiding over your case determines that your injuries were caused by the egregious actions of the liable party or that the other party was intending to cause you harm, you may be awarded a sum of punitive damages that are meant to be the judge’s own form of punishment. In any event, your Dallas attorney will stop at nothing to obtain optimum compensation in your case.
Dallas Personal Injury FAQ
No one is ever prepared to be involved in an accident, and few injury victims have the experience that is needed to hold the person or persons who are liable for causing their injuries accountable in court.
For this reason, we have provided the answers to some of our clients’ most frequently asked questions in regard to the personal injury claim process. Should you have additional questions, we can discuss them during your case evaluation.
Can’t we just settle with the insurance company?
There is always the possibility that we’ll be able to negotiate with the insurance company, but it’s important to keep in mind that the insurer is likely not going to be on your side or willing to compensate you reasonably.
They are usually going to do everything they can to reduce the amount that they’ll be obligated to pay you, even if that means manipulating any statements you give them to make you appear more at fault than you are. With this in mind, we strongly advise that you allow us to handle any communications with the insurance company so your award is protected from their sometimes-avaricious business practices.
Who is liable for my losses?
That depends on the type of accident you were involved in. For example, if you were injured in a motor vehicle wreck, then the at-fault party would likely be the Texas Department of Transportation, the driver who struck you, or a manufacturer of the vehicles that were a part of the collision.
Or, if you were in a slip-and-fall accident and sustained a head injury, the liable party will nearly always be the property owner. Your attorney will need to investigate the cause of your accident to ascertain which parties contributed to your injuries so that they can be brought to justice when you pursue your civil lawsuit.
How is the value of my damages calculated?
We begin by examining your economic damages and totaling the financial losses you’ve incurred. Then, we will go over your non-economic damages and place a monetary value on them based on both your total economic losses and the impairment rating we believe reflects the extent of your injuries. Once both areas of damages have a value, we combine them, and you’ll then have a better understanding of what your claim is worth.
Reach Out to a Personal Injury Lawyer in Dallas
The aftermath of a serious injury can sometimes be just as challenging, if not more so, than the accident itself. If you are interested in discussing your accident in greater detail with a regarded Dallas personal injury lawyer at Crain Lewis Brogdon, LLP you can do so by calling our office at 214-522-9404 or by completing the brief contact form we’ve provided below to schedule your complimentary consultation today.
