Sustaining a personal injury in Fort Worth, Texas, is rarely easy to deal with. You may have significant medical bills and other expenses that are only piling up, in addition to debilitating pain and suffering. If someone else was responsible for your injury, it can make things even more stressful as you consider your options for legal recourse.
Parker Law Firm Injury Lawyers is here to help. While you take the time you need to rest and recover from your injury, our personal injury attorneys in Fort Worth can pursue a claim for compensation on your behalf. With over 37 years of combined experience and more than $75 million collected for our clients to date, you can rest assured that you’ll be in good hands if you hire us.
You can start today by contacting us at (817) 839-3143 for a free consultation. At that time, we can learn about your accident and offer some initial legal advice. Until then, read on for answers to some of the most common personal injury FAQs in Fort Worth, TX.
What Exactly Is a Personal Injury Case?
A personal injury case is a legal dispute between an injured victim and an at-fault party. The injured victim is the plaintiff, and the at-fault party is the defendant. There may be multiple defendants in some personal injury cases as well.
Most personal injury cases start off as insurance claims. For instance, car accident victims in Texas can pursue claims directly against drivers responsible for their collisions. This is normally done by filing a “third-party” insurance claim against their insurance policy.
However, in many instances, insurance claim negotiations stall or are not an option. In these circumstances, it may be best to file a lawsuit against the at-fault party and take them to court. Doing so can increase your bargaining power and persuade the opposing party to offer a more reasonable settlement agreement – even if the case never reaches trial. Keep in mind that most personal injury cases don’t even make it to court, let alone trial.
Most personal injury cases are based on a negligence cause of action if they do reach court. Negligence essentially means “carelessness,” and it occurs when a person violates a duty of care to another, causing them to suffer an injury as a result. Other personal injury cases are based on a different cause of action, falling under the categories of intentional torts or strict liability.
Are you unsure of whether you have a personal injury case? Contact our law office in Fort Worth today to schedule your free case review so that we can review your legal rights and options.
What Are Some Common Types of Personal Injury Cases?
Texas personal injury law is expansive and allows accident victims to recover compensation after virtually any type of incident. Some of the more common types of personal injury cases include the following:
- Car accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Product liability
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Construction accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Premises liability
- Workplace accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Dram shop liability
- Medical malpractice
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Dog bites
- Wrongful death of a loved one
Our Fort Worth personal injury attorneys are well-equipped to help you with just about any type of case, even if it isn’t listed above. Contact us today for further information about our legal services.
What Damages Can I Recover From a Personal Injury Case?
Under Texas law, you can recover both economic and non-economic damages following a personal injury. Put together, these are called “compensatory damages.” You might also be able to recover punitive damages, but only in select cases.
Economic damages are for the financial losses you’ve incurred, such as:
- Lost wages
- Rehabilitation
- Current and future medical bills
- Physical therapy
- Childcare services
- Out-of-pocket expenses
Meanwhile, non-economic damages are for the other kinds of losses you’ve experienced, including:
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Scarring
- Loss of quality of life
- Disfigurement
- Loss of consortium
Punitive damages are reserved for cases involving extreme conduct from the at-fault party, such as malicious intent to harm you. You must also prove a punitive damages claim by “clear and convincing evidence,” which is a higher standard than for the other two types of damages.
How Much Is My Personal Injury Case Worth?
The value of your personal injury case is based on a number of factors, including but not limited to the following:
- The damages you’ve sustained
- How severe your injuries are
- The amount of supporting evidence available
- Whether you will be able to return to work
- The terms of any applicable insurance policies
- The nature of the accident
- Who the at-fault party is and their ability to pay your claim
- Whether you will make a full medical recovery
- The impact your injuries will continue to have on your daily life
Generally speaking, the cases involving the most serious, life-altering injuries tend to be worth the most. However, oftentimes the calculation is more complex than that. Sometimes, it requires expert assistance to properly evaluate a personal injury case.
Thoroughly determining the value of your case is critical to your interests. If you demand and settle your claim for too little an amount, you might end up with less than what you need and deserve.
What Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Do To Help With My Case?
A qualified Fort Worth personal injury attorney can provide you with comprehensive legal representation at every stage of your case. This entails:
- Internally investigating your accident and injuries
- Hiring experts to help evaluate and strengthen your case as needed
- Collecting evidence in support of your personal injury case
- Protecting you from accusations of contributory fault
- Filing all the necessary paperwork
- Communicating with the at-fault party
- Negotiating a settlement agreement on your behalf
- Filing a lawsuit against the party responsible for your injuries and representing you at trial if necessary
At Parker Law Firm Injury Lawyers, we put the full force of our resources behind every case we take on. Learn more about what we can do to help with your case by calling to schedule your free initial consultation.
What if I’m Being Blamed for My Accident?
In Texas, you can still get compensation for your injuries even if you share some of the blame for your accident. However, this is only true up to a certain point. The state follows a “modified comparative negligence” standard regarding the issue of contributory fault, and there is a 51% bar to recovery.
What this means is that you will be assigned a percentage of responsibility for the accident. You cannot recover compensation if that percentage reaches 51% or more. But so long as your assigned percentage is 50% or less, you can still receive damages that are adjusted proportionately. For instance, sharing 15% of the blame means your damages may be reduced by 15%.
Because of these rules, the opposing party will almost certainly try to say the accident was your fault. Hiring an experienced Fort Worth personal injury lawyer is the best way to deal with these kinds of accusations, as an attorney can maintain your interests and work to ensure you aren’t assessed more blame than is appropriate.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Personal Injury Attorney?
Our personal injury attorneys at Parker Law Firm Injury Lawyers work on a contingency fee basis as opposed to charging by the hour or for a flat fee. That means hiring us costs you nothing upfront, and we only receive attorney’s fees if we win compensation for your case – whether through a settlement or court verdict.
The contingency fee will be taken out of the financial award or settlement we obtain for you at the conclusion of your case. In most instances, the fee will be around 33% – we will discuss and agree to the fee with you ahead of time.
We believe that the contingency fee arrangement is beneficial for everyone. You can hire us even if the accident has put you in a difficult financial position, and we are incentivized to increase the value of your claim as much as possible.
Feel free to reach out to us with any further questions you may have about the contingency fee system and how it will operate in your case. We can provide further insight during your free consultation.
How Much Time Do I Have To File a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
Texas’s statute of limitations sets the deadlines for filing lawsuits. If you file your lawsuit too late, a court of law may dismiss your case, and you’ll lose your right to pursue compensation from the responsible party.
For most personal injury cases, you have two years from the date of your accident to submit a lawsuit per state law. However, there are exceptions in some instances – it is best to contact a personal injury attorney to ensure you know the correct deadline for your particular case.
Contact Our Trusted Fort Worth Personal Injury Lawyers for a Free Consultation
Dealing with the aftermath of a personal injury in Fort Worth is something you shouldn’t have to handle on your own. If you hire Parker Law Firm Injury Lawyers, we’ll do everything in our power to ease your burdens and secure compensation from the at-fault party that makes you whole again.
Get in touch with our Fort Worth personal injury lawyers at (817) 839-3143 to set up a free case evaluation. We’re passionate about helping injured victims in the area and are confident we can help you achieve a favorable result.
