A sudden injury can change your life in the blink of an eye. If you were seriously hurt due to the mistakes or negligence of other people, there is a path forward. Speaking with an experienced Fort Worth personal injury lawyer at Patterson Law Group today is your first step toward justice if you have been injured in the Fort Worth area.
Why Do You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer?
Going through a potentially lengthy personal injury lawsuit can feel lonely. There are a lot of parties who would rather have you stay silent and go away. Insurance companies, reckless drivers and worried business owners will fight your claims to avoid responsibility, and some of them will have pretty resilient lawyers. Finding a tough personal injury attorney of your own levels the playing field.
A good personal injury lawyer in Fort Worth will guide you through the legal maze ahead. As you focus on recovering from your injury and feeling comfortable in your life again, a lawyer will help you build your case by collecting evidence and presenting your story to the court.
Types of Personal Injury Cases
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Slip-and-fall accidents
- Wrongful death
Fort Worth personal injury attorneys at Peterson Law Group may be able to help you with cases in the following practice areas:
What Damages Can I Recover After Being Injured in Fort Worth?
An injury affects every aspect of your life, and therefore, your livelihood. A personal injury attorney in Fort Worth, Texas can pursue compensation for:
- Medical costs: You can be compensated for the cost of hospital bills, medical visits, and rehabilitation.
- Lost wages: You can sue for the money you would have earned by working if not affected by your injury.
- Pain and suffering: Money can be paid to you as reimbursement for the psychological, emotional, and physical distress that resulted from an injury.
- Property damage: You can recover the costs of repairing or replacing property damaged in an accident.
- Loss of consortium: Money can be paid to you as compensation for damage to relationships in your life that could result from a serious injury.
What Is the Timeline of a Texas Personal Injury Lawsuit?
The Texas statute of limitations (meaning the deadline for when you can file a lawsuit after an incident occurs) is generally two years for a personal injury case.
That timeline changes if your injuries were caused by the negligence of a government agency or employee. In that case, you would only have six months to send a notice letter on your personal injury claim. This formal claim must be filed with the governmental unit you hold responsible for your injuries.
There are a few other special circumstances that would change the two-year deadline:
- The statute of limitations doesn’t apply to minors. If the victim is a minor, the two-year limit begins when they turn 18
- The timeline can extend if the defendant leaves the state
- If the defendant’s negligence wasn’t discovered within a two-year period
- If the plaintiff has a physical or mental impairment that prevented filing of the suit within the two-year period
- If the defendant committed fraud
You probably feel motivated to file your personal injury claim right away, and for good reason. Recovering from a serious injury is exhausting and a quick settlement can ease the burden of medical bills and lost wages. The clock is also ticking on the statute of limitations of personal injury claims, but don’t let the anxiety of the situation lead you to rash decisions.
Insurance companies and defendants might offer you a tempting settlement, but if you accept this, you will not be able to receive further compensation. Before accepting a settlement, you should be sure of the extent of your injuries and how they affect you in everyday life. Some injuries can take weeks or months to manifest completely. You should also be aware of how much compensation you could be entitled to in court.
An experienced Fort Worth personal injury attorney will help you to build the best case possible and receive the maximum compensation you deserve.
Personal Injury Statistics for Fort Worth, Texas
Motor Vehicle Collisions
One of the most dangerous activities a person can do in Texas doesn’t have anything to do with oil rigs or rodeos: it’s driving. According to data from the Texas Department of Transportation, 4,489 people died on Texas roads in 2021, and there were no deathless days in the entire year.
Additionally, 19,448 people sustained serious injuries in motor vehicle crashes. The Texas DOT defines “serious injury” as an “incapacitating injury.” 239,539 people in total were counted as being “injured” in crashes in 2021.
Motor vehicle crashes are also getting noticeably worse in Texas. The 2021 death toll showed a whopping 15.22% increase from the 2020 death toll.
Collisions with motor vehicles are even more devastating for a pedestrian, or person riding in a less protected vehicle. According to DOT statistics, in 2021:
- 824 pedestrians were killed, more than a 15% increase from 2020
- 90 bicyclists were killed, more than a 13% increase from 2020
- 521 motorcyclists were killed
Slip and Fall Injuries
According to CDC statistics 1,051,796 older adults reported falling in Texas in 2020, about 29% of Texans who are 65 and older. Also in 2020, the Texas Department of Insurance reported that slip-and-fall incidents made up 15% of workplace injuries.
An everyday fall can be devastating for a person of any age, resulting in serious injury. Some of these falls are preventable, and a personal injury claim is especially strong if the fall occurred on the premises of a business.
Proving Negligence
If you’ve been injured and believe that another person is at fault, the most important part of your Texas personal injury lawsuit is proving negligence. In Texas, the injured or damaged party is not allowed compensation if they are found to be 51% or more at fault. But, if they are found to be 50% or less at fault, they can still be awarded part of the compensation they sought according to how the court sees the situation.
For example, if you were to be found 30% at fault and claimed $100,000, the defendant would only have to pay $70,000.
An attorney working on a personal injury case in Fort Worth, Texas would seek to prove:
- That the defendant had a legal duty to do something to keep others safe
- That the defendant breached that duty through their action, or failure to act
- That the defendant’s actions caused damages to the injured party
- That you as the plaintiff have suffered damages
A personal injury attorney works on a contingency fee basis. This means they are motivated to only take on credible cases they feel they can argue well in court, or achieve a fair settlement for, because they only get paid if you get paid.
The best way to find out if you have a strong case is to talk to a personal injury lawyer as soon as you are feeling up to it.
Contact a Fort Worth Personal Injury Lawyer Today!
If you’ve been injured and require compensation, call or text Patterson Law Group today at to discuss your options. The attorneys at our Fort Worth office will patiently guide through this difficult legal process so you can begin to recover and rebuild. You deserve tough, thorough legal representation that cares.
