Houston Personal Injury Lawyers

Few things are worse than being injured in an accident. For many of us, an accident causes major physical, emotional, and financial issues. But when you retain Houston personal injury lawyers, you receive critical assistance to get you through difficult times.

A Houston personal injury lawyer is your dedicated legal advocate and will fight for the most compensation from the at-fault party. Whatever type of injuries you have, your Nix Patterson personal injury attorney will advocate for your best interests.

If another party injured you recently, Houston personal injury attorneys may help you receive much-needed compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Learn below about Houston personal injury cases and how your lawyer can help.

What Is a Personal Injury Case?

You could have a personal injury case if you were injured because someone made a mistake or was negligent. If you believe you have a personal injury case, ask yourself:

• Were you hurt in a car accident because someone else was at fault?
• Did you slip and fall at the store because of an unsafe condition, such as a wet floor?
• Were you injured because of a dangerous product?
• Were you hurt by a doctor’s mistake or misdiagnosis?

You could have a personal injury claim if you answered yes to any of these questions. Personal injury cases can lead to a settlement with the other party or their insurance company. In other cases, a jury or judge may award the injured person money for medical expenses and other losses.

You should have your case reviewed promptly by a Houston personal injury attorney. They can review your situation and determine if it could result in a settlement. Most personal injury attorneys offer free consultations and are only paid if they win the case. They are paid through a contingency agreement, and their legal fees are taken from your settlement or jury award. Most accident victims don’t pay out-of-pocket legal expenses, so there are no financial concerns with hiring a personal injury attorney.

Types of Personal Injury Cases

People get hurt when another person or entity acts carelessly or negligently and causes an accident. They may have astronomical medical bills, lost earnings, and tremendous pain and suffering. The person can file a personal injury claim for compensation to recover damages. There are several types of personal injury claims in Dallas, and the most common are:

Auto Accidents

Most Houston personal injury claims happen because of auto accidents. If another driver hits your vehicle, you must file a claim with the other party’s insurance provider to receive compensation. If the losses exceed a person’s policy limits, you can file a lawsuit against them for more compensation.

Car accidents in Houston happen for many reasons, including texting and driving, speeding, reckless driving, fatigue, DUI, and more. These are some of the most hazardous intersections in Houston:

• Main Street and Montrose Boulevard
• Gessner Road and Westpark Drive
• Spencer Road and Highway 6
• FM 1960 and West Lake Houston Parkway

There also are many commercial truck accidents in Houston that can severely injure drivers. If a tractor-trailer hits you, our personal injury attorneys may file a claim against the driver and employer. Commercial truck companies have larger insurance policies, so these cases are often worth more.

After a car accident, you should receive immediate medical attention if you’re injured. Not getting medical care right away could compromise a personal injury claim later. Also, speak to an attorney to learn if you have a strong case. Your attorney can review the claim quickly and determine if it could result in compensation. If it’s a small case with minor or no injuries, the lawyer may recommend that you handle it yourself.

Slip and Fall Accidents

Property owners in Houston and surrounding communities must ensure their properties are safe and in good condition. When a property owner is negligent, and someone slips and falls, they can file a claim against the owner. Slip and fall cases are a type of premises liability, and if there was a hazardous condition on the property, the owner could be liable for your losses.

Defective Products

People use all types of products daily in Houston, such as cars, electronics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and toys. Consumers have a reasonable expectation that their products are safe and won’t cause harm. Sadly, defective products frequently lead to accidents that injure and kill people. When this happens, you may file a product liability claim against the manufacturer, marketer, designer, or distributor.

Dog Bites

Dog owners are liable in Texas if their dog attacks or bites another person or animal. Texas dog owners are deemed negligent if they know their animal had an aggressive past and didn’t take precautions to ensure it did not hurt anyone else.

Job-Related Accidents

The workers’ comp system protects Texas workers. It allows injured workers to receive no-fault medical and wage benefits if they are hurt. In exchange for not proving fault in the accident, most workplace injury victims cannot file a lawsuit against their employer for damages. However, if a third party caused the incident, you may be able to file a personal injury lawsuit and receive additional damages, such as pain and suffering.

Common types of job-related accidents in Houston are oil and gas explosions, construction site falls, repetitive motion injuries, and exposure to toxic substances or chemicals.

Medical Malpractice

When a Houston doctor or medical facility causes an injury, the injured patient could be entitled to compensation in a medical malpractice claim. Common types of medical malpractice cases involve surgical mistakes, misdiagnosis or lack of diagnosis, medication errors, and birth injuries.

Compensation in Houston Personal Injury Cases

Regarding compensation for a personal injury case, no formula dictates how much you will get. Many factors will be considered when the insurance company or jury decides the amount of compensation for the case. The types of damages you could receive are:

Economic Damages

Economic damages in a personal injury claim compensate you for the real costs you’ve had since the accident:

• Medical expenses: You can receive compensation to pay for past and current medical expenses. For serious injuries, you may also receive compensation for future medical care.
• Lost earnings and benefits: Most seriously injured parties cannot work for weeks, months, or permanently. So, you may receive past and present lost earnings. Also, you may be eligible for losing the ability to earn a living. This could be paid for the long term as you recover. You also may receive compensation for lost retirement and healthcare benefits because of your inability to work.
• Related economic costs: If your spouse cannot work because they must care for you, this also could be awarded in a settlement. The cost of home healthcare is another type of covered economic cost.

Non-Economic Damages

Texas personal injury laws also allow you to recover damages for various subjective losses that lack a precise value. Generally, non-economic damages are to pay you for the consequences of the injuries that affect your daily life. Consequences may include:

• Physical pain and suffering from your injuries and treatments
• Emotional and mental anguish related to the injuries
• Lack of ability to have an intimate relationship with one’s spouse or partner
• Severe impairment, scarring, or disfigurement
• Loss of enjoyment of life

The at-fault insurance company will likely attempt to downplay your pain and suffering to reduce what they pay. Your attorney is experienced in dealing with insurance company tactics and will provide strong evidence for the most compensation.

Compensation in personal injury cases varies widely. Some cases might be worth $10,000 and others $1 million. Common factors that influence compensation are:

• Your severity of injuries
• How long you are out of work
• Your degree of pain and suffering
• Your education, training, occupation, and age
• Your attorney’s negotiation skills and trial experience
• The amount of insurance coverage.

Texas only requires drivers to carry $30,000 for bodily injury. This may be insufficient to pay all of your damages. In that case, you can file a personal injury lawsuit, but if the defendant has no assets, you might have to pay out of pocket for your other costs.

How Is Fault Determined in Houston Personal Injury Cases?

If another driver injured you in a Houston car accident, you must prove they were at fault. How? You and your attorney must show the following:

• The negligent party owed you a duty of care. For example, Houston drivers owe a duty of care to others to drive safely and obey the law.
• The negligent party violated the duty of care. For instance, another driver was speeding when they ran a red light and struck your car.
• You suffered injuries and other damages because of the duty breach.
• You have damages that can be compensated.

After the incident, each driver must state what happened to law enforcement. The police will file a report that may include who was at fault, but not always. Evidence that the insurance company or jury may use to prove fault includes:

• Law enforcement reports
• Photo and video surveillance
• Photos and videos of the accident scene, injuries, and vehicle damages
• Eyewitness testimony

Your personal injury lawyer in Houston may also hire accident reconstruction and other experts to back up your case. Bringing in case experts is frequently a key role personal injury attorneys play that can make a dramatic difference in the case settlement.

After collecting and reviewing all evidence, the insurance adjuster will consider everything and determine who was at fault. They may accept or contest liability. If they accept liability, they may offer a settlement at that time. The initial offer could be low, so your personal injury attorney may negotiate for more. Your attorney may recommend filing a personal injury lawsuit if the offer is insufficient.

How Our Houston Personal Injury Attorney Can Help

You must focus on getting better, whether you’re hurt in a truck accident or slip and fall. The last thing you should worry about is dealing with insurance companies and attorneys. While you prioritize your medical treatments and therapy, your Houston personal injury attorney will focus on your legal rights. Your lawyer sets up a legal barrier between you and everyone on the other side that can disturb your peace of mind at this critical time.

As the personal injury case moves forward, you can expect these things to happen:

• Medical bills will stack up, and administrators will contact you for payment
• If it was a car accident, the responding police officer will want to talk to you
• Insurance companies will want a statement from you.
• The other driver’s insurance provider will try to minimize your injuries and what they pay you

You may be able to handle these matters in a minor accident. But if there was a serious injury, there is far too much at stake to deal with it alone. During this confusing time, your attorney will handle these crucial matters smoothly. You can focus on your recovery while your attorney handles your legal affairs.

Your Attorney Will Devise a Strong Legal Strategy

Your personal injury attorney protects your rights according to Texas tort law. This sounds simple, but your attorney must understand and anticipate legal problems before they happen. Then, they intervene for you. Your attorney will also discuss the case with you often and inform you of your rights.

Your attorney will advise you about a fair settlement amount and how negotiations progress. If the insurance company refuses to make a fair offer, your lawyer will prepare for court. Making discovery is part of preparing for settlement negotiations and a potential trial. Your attorney will investigate the case and find all critical evidence that proves fault. Many attorneys will do on-site inspections and interviews, while others will hire investigators to do these tasks:

• Tracking down and doing interviews with witnesses
• Obtain scene videos, photos, and diagrams
• Collect employer and police reports
• Get pictures of the vehicles involved

Next, your attorney will review the accident evidence to determine fault. Then, they will obtain all of your relevant medical records to understand your medical expenses. They also will send a demand letter and begin negotiations with the insurance company.

In most cases, the personal injury claim will result in a settlement. This is an amount that may be less than the maximum case value. But, you can receive compensation without the time and expense of going through a trial. It also is money in hand that you can receive relatively quickly. If you go to trial, there’s no guarantee you win, so you could wind up empty-handed.

Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury in Texas

You don’t have unlimited time to file a personal injury case in Houston. Texas law states you have only two years from the incident date to file your case. That is why it’s critical to retain a personal injury attorney as soon as possible. Building a robust case takes time. If you wait until the last minute to speak to an attorney, you may miss the statute of limitations deadline.

Speak to Houston Personal Injury Lawyers Today

Were you injured recently in a Houston accident? You could be overwhelmed with medical bills, be out of work, and feel tremendous pain and suffering. If another party caused the accident, you could receive compensation in a personal injury claim.

Nix Patterson’s personal injury lawyers have extensive experience proving fault and obtaining the most compensation for our clients’ losses. Speak to our Houston personal injury attorneys today for a free consultation. You pay no legal fees unless we win.