Southlake Personal Injury Attorneys

People can sustain a variety of injuries in accidents in Southlake accidents. The types of injuries and their severity depend on a lot of factors, such as the nature of the accident, the overall health of the injured party, and more. Some common injuries we help clients recover compensation for at the Francis Firm include:

• Head injuries and traumatic brain injuries
• Neck injuries and whiplash
• Back and spinal cord injuries
• Burn injuries
• Child injuries
• Birth injuries
• Internal injuries and organ damage
• Amputations and crush injuries
• Soft-tissue injuries
• Broken bones
• Severe cuts and lacerations

Along with physical injuries, you can also suffer emotionally and psychologically from the accident or injury-causing event. Psychological trauma such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD can develop, and you could receive compensation for that as well.

If you’re involved in an accident in Texas, be sure to get immediate medical attention for any serious or life-threatening injuries you sustained. Even if your injuries are not severe, you should still get a prompt medical evaluation. Some injuries, such as brain injuries, may not manifest symptoms right away, and your doctor may need to order imaging tests to rule out any underlying issues. Furthermore, you will need documentation you suffered an injury and received treatment to file an injury claim.

If you are able at the accident scene, document as much as you can about the accident. Take photos of damaged vehicles and property damage along with anything else that may show the cause of the crash. You also want to get the insurance and contact information of everyone involved in the wreck and report the accident to your own insurance company. You also want to make sure you report the accident to authorities so that the police can generate a report of the accident.

As soon as you can, contact an experienced Texas personal injury attorney. A lawyer can help you gather evidence to support your claim and establish the at-fault party’s liability. Evidence can come from police reports, accident reconstruction reports, eyewitness testimony, your medical records, and even surveillance video from traffic cameras or local business that may provide important evidence as to how the accident occurred. Your lawyer will have the resources to be able to collect everything you need to build as strong a case as possible.

Accidents that result in personal injuries are very common. Car accidents, for example, cause a large portion of personal injury claims in Southlake and elsewhere.

Another party on the road may be driving recklessly, disobeying traffic laws, or driving distracted or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, all of which can result in causing a crash. People get injured on the premises of another party, as well, such as by slipping and falling in a business or being bitten by someone else’s dog. In some cases, personal injury claims arise from defective, faulty, or dangerous products that end up hurting people who use them. Personal injuries can happen at work, on the road, at a business, or while engaging in everyday activities.

Most personal injury cases involve a negligence claim. This requires the victim to prove liability: that the other party directly caused the injury and should be held responsible for it. Negligence also requires you to prove that you have suffered damages as a result of your accident. These include specific damages such as medical and hospital bills, expenses incurred to replace or fix your personal property such as your vehicle, and the income or wages you’ve lost if you are unable to go to work. They also include general damages, such as the mental anguish, pain, and suffering you have endured as a result of your injuries and the changes to the quality of your life.

It’s really impossible to determine exactly how much compensation you could receive from your Texas personal injury case because so many factors can affect the outcome. Some factors that can impact your claim include:

• How severe your injuries are and the cost of medical treatment
• Whether your injuries kept you from working and you lost income as a result
• The extent of property damage and the other damages you incurred
• The extent of your liability for causing the accident and your injuries and whether the other party’s insurance company or legal counsel tries to deny liability or place blame on you
• How much insurance coverage is available
• How much your attorney can negotiate during settlement negotiations or how much the court awards in damages

Other factors may come into play as well. The attorneys at the Francis Firm are committed to help our clients obtain maximum compensation, and we will work hard to establish liability on the other party to improve your odds of getting the full and fair financial recovery you deserve.

Each state has its own statute of limitations on when you must file a lawsuit in civil court to seek damages from a party that injured you. Texas allows you two years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit in civil court. If you do not have an attorney file a lawsuit for you within that time, you risk losing all rights you have to obtain compensation. Therefore, you need to contact a Texas personal injury lawyer right away to get the process started.

Also, keep in mind that certain exceptions can extend the time you have to file your claim. These include cases involving minors or where the at-fault party cannot be found. Claims against government entities, such as those responsible for road repair and maintenance, usually have strict deadlines that are very short comparatively speaking. Do not delay in contacting an attorney to discuss your case so you don’t risk losing out on getting the compensation you need.

Most personal injury attorneys understand that injured clients probably don’t have the funds to retain a lawyer to help them with their claims. Plus, why should you have to bear the additional cost of an attorney when you’re already having to pay for injuries that were not your fault?

To help our clients get the quality, effective legal counsel they need to recover compensation, our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis. Under this arrangement, we will handle all aspects of your case for you without charging a large upfront retainer or billing you for hourly fees. Instead, we only accept a fee if we recover compensation for you through an insurance settlement or at trial. If we aren’t able to recover compensation for you, you owe us nothing.

Working on contingency provides our lawyers with a great incentive to get our clients as much compensation as possible—and it helps our clients since they do not have to pay anything out of pocket. Your lawyer will cover our contingency fee arrangement during our free initial consultation so you know what to expect.

Various factors can influence how long it will take to settle or resolve your Texas personal injury case, including:

• The severity of your injuries: Cases involving serious injuries may take longer due to the extensive medical evaluations and treatment required
• How complex your case is: If your case involves multiple parties or defendants, it can take longer to establish liability and deal with various insurance companies. 
• How Receptive the Other Party Is to Negotiate: If the other party or their insurance company is open to negotiations, it can help speed your case along. Conversely, your case could languish if the insurance company keeps you waiting on responses to negotiations or refuses to negotiate altogether.
• Liability disputes: If the insurance company or other party’s lawyers dispute liability or contest the facts of the case, it can increase the amount of time needed to establish liability and hold the at-fault parties accountable.
• The strength of your case: If you have mountains of strong evidence that show how the accident happened and how the other party was responsible, it can help you build an open-and-shut case that could be resolved relatively quickly.
• Court schedules and backlog: Texas’s civil courts hear a lot of injury cases, which means you may have to wait to get on the docket to have your case heard if it goes to court.

Other factors can affect the timeline of your case as well. Speaking with an attorney about your situation can help you understand how long your Texas personal injury case may take to resolve and how you can be proactive in helping to move the process forward.

It’s possible you could recover damages from your Texas personal injury claim even if you were partially at fault for the accident. However, you should know that Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule for determining damages in a personal injury case. This means you can recover damages as long as you are 50% or less responsible for causing your injuries. 

If the court finds you more than 50% responsible, you will be barred from seeking compensation. Also, any damages you get will be reduced by your percentage of fault.

For example: If the court determines the total amount of damages is $100,000, but it concludes you were 30% responsible for causing the accident and your injuries, you could only receive 70% of total damages, or $70,000.

The attorneys at the Francis Firm are dedicated to our clients and committed to protecting your rights and interests. We will work diligently to hold the at-fault parties fully liable for causing your injuries, if possible. If the insurance company or opposing counsel tries to unduly blame you, we will advocate on your behalf and fight to help you recover the maximum compensation you need.

Personal injury cases are often complex and lengthy. They can involve multiple areas of law, and they require a lawyer with solid legal research and analysis to build your claim successfully.

Even a case that looks straightforward at the beginning can turn into a complicated legal matter. An experienced Southlake personal injury attorney will be able to help assemble the evidence and legal arguments needed to present a strong case.

Using an attorney is also advisable because dealing with a large insurance company often makes for a power imbalance. While the insurer has a legal team and significant resources at its disposal, most personal injury victims do not. Engaging the services of a knowledgeable personal injury attorney can help you protect your legal rights and options: while the insurance company will be fighting to reduce the amount of your recovery, your attorney will be fighting on your behalf to obtain a fair and reasonable settlement. Hiring an attorney will help you level the playing field from the beginning.

First, be sure you are receiving the medical care and treatments you need. Some personal injuries can take weeks or even months to manifest, so it is important to ensure you are getting the help you need to recover from your injuries.

Also, call a trusted personal injury lawyer in Southlake so that you can review your rights and options and discuss what steps to take next.

Typically, a personal injury matter begins with the filing of a claim, with which your attorney will be able to help. Your attorney will meet with you to go over the facts of your case, review your documents, including medical paperwork, witness statements, and any other important pieces of evidence. Your attorney will file a complaint in the proper court. Settlement negotiations will follow with the responsible party and their insurance company.