Were you injured in an accident in Texas? Did someone else cause the accident by being negligent or reckless? If the answer to these questions is yes, you can seek compensation for your injuries from the at-fault party.
You could recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and other damages through a personal injury claim or lawsuit. An experienced Texas personal injury attorney can help you obtain the best possible outcome while you focus on your recovery.
Jay Murray Personal Injury Lawyers is here to help. Contact our office in Texas at (214) 855-1420 to discuss your personal injury case and potential next steps. Your initial consultation is free.
How Jay Murray Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help After a Personal Injury Accident in Texas
Jay Murray Personal Injury Lawyers has the experience you can rely on to get the results you need and deserve. We have over 28 years of experience in personal injury law and have helped our clients recover over $110 million in compensation.
We’ll help you negotiate with the insurance company to seek a favorable settlement and can file your case in court if that’s not possible.
Here are the steps we’ll take to advance your case:
- Listen to your story
- Review the existing evidence
- Investigate the accident further
- Gather evidence to support your claims
- Assess the extent of all of your accident-related damages
- Negotiate a settlement on your behalf
- Represent you in court if a favorable settlement can’t be reached
You may receive a higher payout if you’re represented by an attorney. An experienced Texas personal injury attorney has the experience and training to help you seek full recovery for your injuries. Contact our law offices in the State of Texas today to set up your free case review.
What Is My Texas Personal Injury Case Worth?
Many factors will impact your case’s worth, and you must consider all of these when making an estimation. They include:
- The extent of your physical injuries
- The extent of your other damages, such as mental anguish
- The extent of your property damage
- Whether you were partly at fault in the accident
- The relevant insurance policy limits
Our experienced Texas personal injury lawyer will review your case in light of these factors to estimate the value of your damages.
What Kind of Damages Are Available to Personal Injury Victims?
But what kinds of damages are available in your case? In Texas, personal injury victims can recover compensation for the economic and non-economic damages.
- Economic damages are the monetary costs of an accident or injury, like medical expenses, lost wages, and property damage. Economic damages may also be called special damages.
- Non-economic damages are the intangible costs of an accident, such as pain and suffering, mental anguish, and diminished quality of life. Non-economic damages may also be called general damages.
A skilled personal injury lawyer can be helpful when assessing damages. They’ll know how to calculate your non-economic damages and can defend you from claims by the opposing party that your damages should be lower. They can also pursue punitive damages on your behalf, if applicable.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Texas?
Usually, you won’t need to pay any legal fees upfront when you hire a personal injury attorney. Personal injury lawyers often take cases on a contingency fee basis, which means they only earn their fee at the end of the case if the client successfully wins compensation. Contingency fees are usually calculated as a percentage of the client’s ultimate financial recovery.
Contingency fees will cost between 30% and 40% of your ultimate financial recovery. The exact percentage will depend on the case’s complexity, the attorney’s level of experience, and whether the case proceeds to trial.
The benefits of a contingency fee are that you can hire an experienced Texas personal injury lawyer without paying any upfront costs, so anyone can hire an attorney, regardless of their financial circumstances. Further, your attorney’s fees are a reasonable percentage of your financial award, so they’ll never exceed what you can pay.
Can I Recover Compensation if I’m Being Blamed for an Accident in Texas?
If you’re being blamed for an accident in Texas, it could affect your compensation. Texas has modified comparative negligence law, allowing injured parties to recover compensation if their degree of responsibility is 50% or less. If your degree of responsibility is 51% or more, then you will be prohibited from recovering compensation.
If you are found to be 50% or less at fault, your compensation will be reduced in proportion to your degree of fault.
For example, if you suffer $100,000 in damages in a car accident and are found to be 25% at fault while the at-fault driver is 75% at fault, you can still recover damages. Your damages will be reduced by 25%, so you can recover $75,000.
In contrast, if you are 60% at fault, you cannot recover any compensation in Texas. Thus, if you’re being blamed for an accident, it’s crucial to your case that you fight back.
How Do I Prove Negligence After an Accident in Texas?
Personal injury cases are usually based on negligence. To recover compensation, you must prove that the defendant was negligent in causing the accident. A negligence claim has four elements:
Duty of Care
A duty of care is an obligation to act with a certain amount of care in a given situation. The default standard of care in most situations is a duty to act the way a reasonably prudent person would under the circumstances.
Breach
If someone fails to adhere to the required standard of care, then they have breached their duty of care. In many cases, one breaches the duty of care if they act unreasonably.
Damages
Damages are an essential part of a negligence claim. You must show that you were harmed in a way that the court can compensate you for.
Causation
A defendant is negligent if they were the actual cause and proximate cause of the plaintiff’s damages. Being the actual cause means the accident would not have happened without the defendant’s actions. Being a proximate cause means that you could reasonably foresee the Plaintiff’s injuries occurring due to your actions.
You must prove each of these elements by a preponderance of the evidence.
How Long Do I Have To File a Lawsuit After an Accident in Texas?
In Texas, you must file a personal injury lawsuit within two years of the date of your accident in most cases.
Make sure to file a claim before this two-year deadline passes. If not, the insurance company will have no reason to negotiate a settlement with you, as you won’t be able to pursue compensation in court.
However, there are exceptions to this statute of limitations that can adjust the time limit. A seasoned Texas personal injury lawyer will accurately calculate the filing deadline in your case and make sure your case is filed on time.
Contact Our Texas Personal Injury Lawyer for a Free Consultation
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Texas, an experienced personal injury lawyer can help you seek compensation. Contact our skilled Texas personal injury attorney for a free consultation to discuss the options in your case.