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(877) 880-4090If you or your loved one has faced injuries tied to another entity’s negligence, you might receive compensation. Some injured persons and their survivors attempt to pursue personal claims independently. However, insurance companies and other liable entities hire legal teams to represent them, negotiate on their behalf and reduce liabilities. Consequently, these professionals often only take another legal team seriously during negotiations. This is one of the many reasons it’s a good idea to hire a personal injury attorney.
An accident attorney, also known as a personal injury lawyer, helps clients receive monetary compensation for their injuries. They do this by evaluating the facts of your case and identifying which parties should be held liable. Once they know who is responsible, they negotiate with the insurance companies on your behalf to get you the best possible settlement. If negotiations fail, your lawyer likely will not hesitate to file a lawsuit and take your case to court.
Attorneys in Texas cover a wide range of accident types. The variety stems from the state’s diverse topography and climate zones. After all, Texas is home to beaches on the gulf, deserts in the west and even dense forestry. Temperatures also range from triple digits in the summer to frozen power grids in the winter. Here are some of the many types of accidents that can occur here.
Car crashes, motorcycle and bike accidents are the most common type of cases accident lawyers in Texas handle. These cases can become complex due to the number of liable parties involved. For example, an accident involving several vehicles could create complications regarding who to hold responsible.
Examples include accidents that involve commercial trucks, UPS delivery vans, public transportation and rideshare drivers. Your lawyer might need to determine if the at-fault driver was working during the accident. If so, their employer or the company that contracted them might take partial or complete responsibility for damages.
Owners and managers could face liability if you suffer injuries while visiting their properties. For example, if you fell down a flight of stairs at an apartment complex and broke a leg, the landlord could face liabilities. Responsibility generally depends on whether they took the necessary precautions to ensure visitors’ safety.
If you are injured while on the job, your employer might face liability. For example, if you worked in a factory and lost a finger while using a machine, your employer might need to pay workers’ compensation.
There are thousands of attorneys eager to handle your personal injury case. Making an excellent choice strongly impacts your chances of securing compensation.
Before you start looking for an accident attorney, determine your priorities. Identify the features that matter most to you and rank them. Prioritize these factors accordingly when looking for attorneys to handle your case. Set realistic expectations but never compromise on what you need.
Experience is the most critical factor to look for when choosing an attorney. This is especially true if you have a complex claim or go up against a big corporation. Ideally, your attorney or the team handling the case has at least a decade of individual or combined experience.
You can find experienced attorneys by searching online, asking friends and family for referrals and contacting the local bar association. Once you have a few names, check each lawyer’s website to learn more about their experience, education and practice areas.
When narrowing down your lists, check independent review sites for information. Pay attention to more than just the aggregate scores for law firms. Do customers generally have good things to say? Do you see a pattern of complaints? What are the law firm’s strengths and weaknesses? Do these align with what you’re looking for in an attorney?
When meeting or consulting with an attorney, ask about their past cases and whether they have handled cases similar to yours. Find out how many cases they have taken to trial and what results they achieved. Also, ask about their strategy for handling your case and how long they think it will take to resolve it. Prioritize honesty, integrity and compassion over attorneys who tell you what they think you want to hear.
Most professionals handling accident cases agree that hiring an experienced personal injury attorney is wise. That holds true even for minor claims because these issues can still be worth four or five figures in compensation. While that does not seem like a lot for insurance companies to pay, corporations exist to make money. Even when obviously liable, paying out as little as possible reduces expenses and boosts profitability. Here are some instances when hiring an attorney is especially important.
Whether it’s a Fortune 100 company or a local politician, going up against big names often comes with greater risks and challenges. An experienced attorney may have the connections and resources necessary to level the field and win your case.
The case can become very complex when multiple parties might be held liable. You will likely need an attorney to help you identify all possible defendants and evaluate each one’s degree of responsibility and capacity to pay.
The statute of limitations is the time you have to file a lawsuit. In Texas, this period is two years from the date of the accident. If you wait too long, you might miss the deadline to secure compensation. To add to this, acting quickly after an accident strengthens your case. Fast action allows you to gather evidence while it’s fresh and witnesses can still recall necessary details.
Texas uses an at-fault model for liability related to car accidents. Consequently, the drivers who cause accidents become responsible for paying damages. If the driver has inadequate or no insurance, you might need to seek compensation from your insurer. An experienced attorney knows how to handle these situations so that you get the maximum possible compensation.
If you lost a personal item of great sentimental value in the accident, an attorney could help you recover its replacement cost. This is not always easy to do on your own. For example, if you restored or inherited a classic vehicle and someone totaled it, it could be difficult to prove its financial worth because there is nothing else to use for comparison.
If you’ve suffered catastrophic injuries or permanent damage, pursuing a claim on your own is usually not advised. These cases often require expert testimony to prove the extent of the injuries and the financial value. People recovering from serious injuries typically do not have the time or other resources to give personal injury claims the attention they require to increase the odds of success.
At Fielding Law, our experienced attorneys have dedicated their careers to helping injured persons secure the compensation their cases deserve. Our commitment to substantial results has helped us secure multi-million-dollar wins for our clients. Contact us to see what we can do for you.