At Chris Morrow Law, PLLC, as personal injury lawyers, one of the most common accident cases we deal with is car accidents. Every single day, countless individuals get behind the wheel of their cars across the state of Texas.
Road users automatically assume a duty of care to all of the other users of the road. This means that when they act negligently and cause an accident, the victim may be entitled to seek compensation and the recovery of any damages caused as a result.
Due to their nature, accidents involving cars have a strong potential to cause serious injuries and fatalities. These injuries come with costly damages, such as long periods of time off work and medical costs. On top of this, victims may have property damage and a lot of mental trauma to deal with in the aftermath of the accident.
If you or somebody you love has been involved in a car accident that occurred because of the negligence of another driver, your best chances of recovering the damages you have suffered and of seeking the full and maximum compensation that may be on offer to you, is to seek the representation of a skilled, experienced Georgetown car accident lawyer.
Contact us at 512-520-8100.
Chris Morrow Law, PLLC – The Attorney That Works
We handle a large volume of car accident cases each year here at Chris Morrow Law, PLLC. As soon as you get in touch, we can assign a dedicated Georgetown car accident lawyer to your case.
They will waste no time in investigating your accident and building a case that is as strong as possible on your behalf. They will take over the paperwork, too, and will handle the other parties and their insurance company. This will give you the space you need to focus on your recovery and mental health.
Our Goal – To Provide Reliable Representation to All Victims
Each and every car accident lawyer on the team here at Chris Morrow Law, PLLC, follows the same creed. Our goal is to provide all accident victims with the strongest possible chances of seeking and recovering both their damages and any potential compensation they may be owed. We know that numerous victims forgo representation every year for fear of financial ruin if they lose their case.
For that reason, we charge nothing upfront for an initial consultation and case evaluation, and we work on a contingency fee basis. This means you only have to pay if you win your case. If you lose, we don’t charge a penny. We take on the risks on behalf of our clients so they can pursue what is owed to them with confidence and without fear.
What Damages Are Recoverable In a Georgetown Car Accident Lawsuit
One of the most important jobs we undertake on behalf of our clients as Georgetown car accident lawyers is the calculation and recovery of damages following car accident injuries. The more experience your lawyer has in past car accident cases, the better they will be equipped to calculate these damages in a fair and reasonable manner. This makes it more likely the victim will receive a settlement outside of court.
Two Types Of Damages
The first stage when it comes to calculating the damages you have suffered will require your car accident lawyer to consider the economic damages you have suffered. Economic damages have cost you physical money and will be supported by invoices and receipts.
Next, they will consider what your non-economic damages are worth. These are the ones that need to be judged individually and valued by your car accident lawyer.
These two will form the basis of your settlement figure.
Here are some of the non-economic and economic damages you should make yourself aware of:
Claiming for Medical Bills in Georgetown, TX
Even those that are lucky enough to have the highest levels of premium health insurance in the state of Texas are surprised by how quickly their medical treatment exceeds their coverage. When you do hit the limit, it will be down to you to find the costs of treatment yourselves.
Car accidents often lead to long-term injuries that require the victim to go through a long period of physical therapy or treatment. Your attorney will consider what the scope of your medical expenses looks like.
They will help you recover both past and future bills and should use expert witnesses to help calculate what your long-term treatment looks like if you are going to require it.
To assist your car accident lawyer, it is a smart idea to keep a daily record of your treatment, including your pain and mood levels, and copies of all of your bills, receipts, and invoices.
Claiming for Income Lost Wages/Income in Georgetown, TX
If you have been injured in a serious car accident, you probably suffered injuries that required you to take time off work for treatment or recovery. This usually means a loss of income to some degree or another.
As the victim, you should not be out of pocket for a loss of wages caused by someone else’s negligence, and your car accident lawyer may be able to help you recover your losses.
If your injuries are so severe that you cannot return to work in the same capacity as you did before the accident, your lawyer may consult with expert financial advisors to calculate what a life-time of lost earning potential looks like and pursue this sum.
Claiming for Pain and Suffering in Georgetown, TX
In most car accident claims, your Georgetown car accident lawyer will factor in pain and suffering damages into their calculations for fair compensation. Pain and suffering damages are non-economic damage and must be valued on a case-by-case basis and include all of the pain you have been put through, the emotional and mental distress you have dealt with, and any effect on your enjoyment of life.
If you can no longer play basketball with your friends, or you are scared to get into a car, this will affect your enjoyment of life, and you should be calculated for this loss.
Claiming for Property Damage in Georgetown, TX
As the accident occurred through no fault of your own, you should not be responsible for your property repair damages. Keep all receipts and invoices if you have had to repair or replace your car.
Claiming for Losing a Loved One in Georgetown, TX
The worst-case scenario in any car accident is that a victim will lose their life as a result. This is exceptionally traumatic, especially when it happens due to the negligence of another party.
If you have lost a loved one due to a negligent driver, you may be entitled to raise a wrongful death claim against them. While no amount of money will rid you of the grief or bring your loved one back, it will provide you with financial security during this difficult period.
What To Do After A Car Accident In Texas
At the scene of a motor vehicle accident, what you do and what you say is immensely important if you want to protect your chances of a successful claim. Due to the payouts seen over the past decade, car insurance companies now employ aggressive loss adjusters and legal teams that have one sole job, to devalue your claim. They will use what you say and what you do against you.
Here are the steps you should follow:
Check Injuries and Move To Safety if Possible
The very first thing you must do is to take stock of your own injuries. Your own safety is the highest priority, and if you know you have hit your head, or you feel pain in your neck, shoulders or back, you need to remain still and wait for help.
If you are confident that moving will not aggravate your injuries and you are in further risk of danger, move to a place of safety.
Call An Ambulance
If there have been any injuries whatsoever as a result of the accident, you should call for an ambulance to attend the scene immediately. Remember, shock and adrenaline can mask even the most serious of injuries and if you do not call an ambulance immediately, it can cause further harm to a victim.
The ambulance team will also fill out an accident report that your car accident attorneys can use as evidence later on down the line.
Call The Police
The police should always be informed when it comes to a traffic accident. They can make the road safe for the other users and will be able to deal with any aggressive parties or parties under the influence. For the latter, it becomes even more important that the police attend the scene as they will administer a BAC blood alcohol test. If the other party is drunk, they have automatically acted negligently, making your chances of a successful claim a lot higher.
Collect Evidence
If you are confident that you can move without further damage or injury, collecting evidence is a smart idea. Write down a statement of what happened, record a video of the scene and take pictures.
Exchange Information and Witness Statements
If there were witnesses on the scene and they are willing to help, you should collect their details and ask them for a brief statement in their own words of what they witnessed. Collect as many details as possible to ensure they remain reliable.
Seek Medical Attention
Even if you have received no immediate medical attention on the scene of the accident, we recommend that you go to your own medical provider for a check-up. Some injuries may lie hidden, and if you do not get checked out, they may prove serious later on down the line.
Call Your Insurance Company
Depending on who your insurance company is, your policy will usually tell you that you should inform your insurance company within a set period of time whenever you have an accident.
You should always remember that no insurance company, even your own, really has your best interests at heart. Keep it brief and tell them you want them to liaise with your Georgetown car accident lawyer regarding the claim.
Do not apologize or say that you feel okay, as this may devalue your claim.
Hire A Georgetown Car Accident Lawyer
The sooner you decide to involve your Georgetown car accident lawyer, the easier it will be for them to investigate the accident and build a case that is strong and robust. They will have more time to uncover evidence and speak to witnesses, and they will be able to advise you on what you can do from your side.
They will also get in touch with your witnesses, confirming their statements and asking further questions if necessary.
Investigating A Car Accident In Georgetown, Texas
Once you have decided and confirmed that you wish to proceed with your representation, they will begin working on your behalf. They will look for evidence that they can use to assign liability in the accident.
The most important aspect of the case is proving the other party acted in a negligent manner, but there are other aspects that are important too.
The 4 Elements to Prove in a Car Accident Case
The case your Georgetown car accident lawyer builds for you will need to prove four separate important elements in order for it to be a strong and valid claim. If your case proceeds to the courtroom this will be what the judge wants to see. It will also make it much more likely that the other party accepts any settlement offers if they can see that these four elements have been proven.
- Duty Of Care — The first element is to prove that the other party owed you a duty of care at the time of the accident. A duty of care means that you are legally obligated to act in a way that protects the wellbeing of others.There are numerous reasons why you might adopt a duty of care. You adopt a duty of care to all other road users when you are a driver. Doctors adopt a duty of care to any patients in their care. Businesses adopt a duty of care to their customers, and so on.
- Breach — Once you have proven that they owed you a duty of care, you must prove they then went on to breach this duty of care by acting unreasonably. If a reasonable person would have acted differently to the at-fault party if they were in the same position, it is negligence. An example would be a store owner neglecting to put up a wet floor sign after a spill.
- Causation — The accident must have directly led to the victim of the accident sustaining injuries.
- Damages — You suffered economic and/or non-economic damages as a result.
Negligence Explained
It can be a smart idea to get a firm grasp of what negligence means due to the importance it plays in your case.
Negligent behavior is any behavior seen as different from how a reasonable person would act in the same situation.
If somebody runs a red light and crashes into a pedestrian, they have acted negligently as a reasonable driver with a duty of care to other road users, would follow the rules of the road and stop at the red light.
Georgetown Car Accident Injury Lawyer FAQs
Is My Claim a Valid One?
Without a thorough case evaluation, it is difficult to answer this question. Your best option is to seek a free consultation and case evaluation from a law firm that handles car accident cases on a regular basis. An experienced Georgetown car accident lawyer will be able to evaluate your case quickly and inform you if it is worth pursuing or not.
If I am Offered a Quick Settlement, Should I Take it?
When it comes to settlement offers, the first settlement, or settlement offers made quickly after the accident, are almost always lowball offers. This is a tactic used when the insurance company knows that they are in the wrong and will probably have to pay out more if you take the time to build a case using a car accident lawyer.
Once you accept any compensation, you forgo the chance to seek any further compensation from the other party. If you accept a lowball offer, you may find that you do not receive enough to accurately cover your future medical expenses.
We highly recommend that if you receive any settlement offers, discuss them with your Georgetown car accident lawyer.
What are Punitive Damages, and How do I Claim Them?
Punitive damages can only be awarded in court and when the judge believes that the at-fault party needs further punishment. Punitive damages punish parties for malicious behavior or gross negligence and are awarded as a way to make an example of the at-fault party.
How Long Do Personal Injury Cases Take to Settle?
When it comes to a personal injury case, there are numerous complexities and factors that will influence how long the case takes to complete. In complex cases involving serious injuries and multiple parties, there will be a long period of time before the case can begin as attorneys will need to see the scope of their client’s injuries.
Simple cases that only have one victim and a clear liability will be over quicker but can still take over a year.
What if I Was in a Car Accident With an Uninsured Motorist?
Dealing with cases involving uninsured motorists is tricky. Our advice, if you have been involved in an accident with an uninsured driver, would be to check first with your own insurance policy. Some insurance policies come with uninsured motorist coverage, and this means you may be able to claim your damages through that policy. If you have not got this coverage, you should speak to your car accident lawyer and discuss your options.
These cases are often tricky to deal with. Finding out an at-fault party has no insurance can be a stressful affair. You will first need to check your insurance policy to see if you have uninsured motorist coverage, if you do, you may be able to claim a lot of your damages back through that. If you do not, you will need to discuss your options with a Georgetown car accident lawyer.
Will My Case Go To Court?
Many cases will settle out of court as neither party really benefits from a drawn-out court battle with the lengthier process and additional legal fees.
In cases where liability is clear, and injuries are fairly tame, there is a good chance the other party will settle.
They may, however, dig their heels in if the payout is looking to be a large one as they may deem the risk a worthwhile one.
Contact One of Our Georgetown Car Accident Lawyer Today
Dealing with the strong, aggressive insurance companies that are often behind the other party nowadays can be a tough challenge, and without a Georgetown car accident lawyer, you will most likely have a difficult time winning your case.
At Chris Morrow Law, PLLC, our passions lie in helping all victims pursue the compensation and justice they deserve.
Call our law office today to arrange a free consultation at 512-520-8100.
