Personal injury victims are often overwhelmed after an accident. They must deal with numerous consequences, including physical injuries, property damage, and financial losses. Insurance claims adjusters can add to a victim’s stress as they pressure the victim to accept a settlement offer.
A personal injury victim may wonder if it is worth hiring a personal injury attorney to handle their case. The insurance company would likely tell you that you do not need a personal injury lawyer.
However, an accident injury attorney protects your right to receive a fair settlement. Therefore, a personal accident attorney’s only interest is to obtain the best possible settlement or jury verdict for your personal injury claim.
Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer in Dallas, TX?
It can be challenging to know when you need a personal injury lawyer. Signs that you should hire a Dallas personal injury attorney immediately include:
You Sustained Catastrophic Injuries or Permanent Impairments
Personal injury cases involving catastrophic injuries or permanent impairments are complicated claims. Victims often need to hire medical specialists, vocational experts, financial professionals, economists, and other expert witnesses to accurately determine the value of future damages.
Future damages include loss of earning capacity, diminished quality of life, and ongoing medical or personal care. Calculating the correct value for future damages is crucial in these cases because victims often cannot return to work and have ongoing expenses. They need a personal injury settlement to pay for future expenses caused by the accident.
The Insurance Company Accuses You of Contributing to the Cause of Your Injury
A common tactic used to reduce the value of a claim or avoid paying a claim is to blame you for causing your injury. An insurance adjuster uses your statements to claim you admitted to contributing to the cause of the accident.
Therefore, under Texas comparative negligence laws, you are not entitled to compensation for the full value of your damages. Instead, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are more than 50% at fault, you cannot receive any money for your damages.
Your Child Was Injured
Cases involving a child’s injuries are also complicated personal injury cases. The long-term consequences of a childhood injury can be difficult to determine. It could take several medical experts to determine the extent of physical, cognitive, and developmental impairments.
Furthermore, you may be required to obtain approval from the court for a personal injury settlement involving injury to a child. An attorney understands the process and handles all matters related to the settlement and hearing.
The Insurance Company Delays Settlement
Insurance companies must investigate and respond to claims. If the insurance company delays settlement, the company could be engaging in bad faith tactics. It could also be trying to wear you down to accept a low settlement offer or pass the statute of limitations.
Texas has statutes of limitations for personal injury claims. Most cases have a two-year deadline for filing lawsuits. If you do not file your lawsuit before the deadline, you lose the right to pursue a legal claim in court.
In some cases, the deadline to file a lawsuit is shorter. Therefore, it is wise to contact a Dallas personal injury attorney as soon as possible after an injury or accident.
You Are Unsure How Much Your Personal Injury Case is Worth
The insurance company will try to pay the lowest amount possible to settle your claim. It might know that your personal injury claim is worth much more, but it will protect its best interest. If you accept the settlement offer, you waive your right to file a lawsuit or pursue other claims.
Most personal injury victims can receive compensation for their economic damages and non-economic damages. The types of damages you could receive include, but are not limited to:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Mental anguish and emotional distress
- A decrease in quality of life
- Past and future medical bills
- Disabilities and permanent impairments
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Rehabilitative therapy
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Lost wages, including diminished earning capacity
- Long-term nursing and personal care
If you are unsure what damages you could receive or how much your damages are worth, you should talk with a lawyer before signing a settlement agreement. Since most accident attorneys offer free consultations, consulting a lawyer before settling your personal injury case is worth your time.
How Can Hiring a Dallas Personal Injury Lawyer Help Me?
A personal injury lawyer in Dallas helps you with your case in many ways. The benefits of hiring a personal injury attorney include the following:
- The law firm uses its resources to investigate how you were injured and to gather evidence necessary to prove your claim.
- Identifies all parties that could be liable for your damages.
- Obtains copies of accident reports, medical records, and other evidence.
- Works with your medical providers to obtain reports detailing the extent of your injuries.
- Documents damages to calculate how much your personal injury case is worth.
- Hires expert witnesses to work on your case, as necessary.
- Monitors deadlines for filing claims and personal injury lawsuits.
- Handles all matters related to negotiating insurance settlements and personal injury settlements.
- Aggressively pursues claims and argues your case in court for the full value of all damages.
After an accident, you need to focus on your recovery and health. You should not need to fend off aggressive insurance adjusters pressuring you to accept settlement offers that are not in your best interest. Hiring a personal injury lawyer allows you to focus on healing while your attorney works to protect your legal rights.
Most individuals do not have the resources to fight an insurance company or defense law firm. Dallas personal injury law firms have the ability and resources to pursue personal injury claims. They have the legal knowledge and skills to build a case that supports paying you full compensation for your injuries and damages.
Because we accept cases on a contingency fee basis, it does not cost you any upfront attorney’s fees to hire our personal injury lawyer. Therefore, you receive all the benefits of hiring our law firm without any risk because you do not pay us until we recover money for your claim.
Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Dallas Personal Injury Lawyer
Hiring a personal injury lawyer evens the playing field with powerful, large insurance companies and defense law firms. Our legal team at Jay Murray Personal Injury Lawyers aggressively pursues your claim to obtain the maximum compensation available. Call now at (214) 855-1420 for a free case evaluation with an experienced Dallas personal injury attorney.
