Round Rock Personal Injury Lawyer
When you have been the victim of an accident in Round Rock, TX, and have suffered injuries as a result, it can feel like your world has been turned upside down. When it was caused by another person’s negligent behavior, you should not be left dealing with financial worry on top of the injuries you have suffered.
As a consequence of the accident, you might have to take time off work, lose wages, and you may be anxious that your medical coverage will not be enough to cover the costs of your injuries. If you were involved in a car accident, you might have to repair or replace your vehicle.
This puts you in an unfair situation, but fortunately, under personal injury law in Texas, you are entitled to seek and recover your damages and may qualify for compensation for your pain and suffering.
In order to seek compensation for these damages, your first step following the immediate aftermath of the accident should be to contact a skilled Round Rock personal injury lawyer to discuss your options. With their experience in past cases, they will be able to inform you if you have a case, what steps to take, and help arrange a free consultation for you to ask any questions you may have.
With legal representation behind you, you can leave the tedious work to them, taking a step back from the situation and allowing yourself the space you need to focus on your recovery and mental well being.
Chris Morrow Law, PLLC – The Attorney That Works
Here at Chris Morrow Law, PLLC, we have won favorable outcomes for clients in the Round Rock, TX area before. This means we have experience in cases just like yours and we are primed and ready to build your case.
We are led by Chris Morrow, an attorney with over 25 years of experience in dealing with personal injury cases. With numerous first chair trials under his belt, when you need a fierce advocate in your corner, Chris Morrow should be your first port of call.
With such strong leadership, Chris Morrow Law, PLLC has become a law firm with a stellar reputation. We have a long list of happy clients and glowing recommendations. Our passion is to help victims from all walks of life.
Nobody should have to forgo representation because of their financial position. This is why we offer all new clients a free case evaluation and initial consultation. We also work on a no-win-no-fee contingency fee basis, which means you don’t pay a penny for our services unless we win your case. This means you can come to us with confidence, without fear of being put in a worse financial situation if we lose.
Call us for a Round Rock personal injury lawyer today at 512-520-8100.
What Damages Can a Round Rock Personal Injury Lawyer Help Me to Recover?
When it comes to compensatory damages, you have two main categories: your economic damages, and your non-economic damages.
Your economic damages are the easier of the two to calculate, as they are the damages you have suffered that have physical price tags. Your medical bills are economic damage, as are your car repair costs and property damage. With the supporting documents (bills, receipts, invoices) your Round Rock personal injury lawyer will be able to calculate your economic damages by adding them up.
Your non-economic damages are more difficult and include all of your suffering and damages that do not have a physical price attached. Things like compensation for your pain and for your emotional trauma are non-economic damages. These are where a skilled personal injury lawyer proves their salt. The more experience they have had in calculating these types of damages before, the better they will be at this task.
When your damages are calculated in an accurate way, they become much harder to argue with. This serves two purposes:
- When it comes to formulating a settlement offer to send to the at-fault party, they will be more likely to accept if your damages are worked out accurately.
- If your case moves to the courtroom, your personal injury lawyers will find it easier to convince the court that you are deserving of the compensation you are seeking if the figures are “fair and reasonable”.
In order to help your personal injury lawyer and your case, here are some of the most important damages to be aware of:
Medical Bills
In most cases, the most immediate and worrying costs you may have to deal with are the ones relating to your medical expenses for your injuries. In serious cases, the victim may not have medical insurance or a high enough level of cover for their treatment. This can leave victims unable to pay for the treatment they desperately need or having to empty their savings to cover their costs.
With the help of a Round Rock personal injury lawyer, injury victims will be able to recover all medical bills that they have incurred as a result of the accident. You may be entitled to recover your bills for medical treatment, procedures, therapy, and transport to and from the hospital, as well as any modifications you need to make to your house if you have a long-term injury.
There are two things you should do in order to maximize your chances of recovering these damages.
The first thing is to keep all of your receipts, bills, and invoices as this will allow your attorney to accurately calculate your medical expenses.
The second thing that you can do is to keep a daily diary. In this diary, you should note down any treatment you have received on the day and note down your pain levels and mood.
Loss of Earnings and Lost Wages
Another major worry for the victims of personal injury accidents is that they may have to take time off work in order to recover from their injuries. As the accident wasn’t your fault, you should not have to suffer financially from this.
In a personal injury case, you can claim all lost income and wages. This covers all past and all future losses. If you are no longer able to work in the same capacity, this may mean recovering a lifetime of lost wages.
Pain and Suffering
Your pain and suffering damages are compensation for the pain and suffering you have been through. This can cover emotional trauma and a loss of enjoyment of life.
A loss of enjoyment of life can range from injuries that mean you can no longer swim your daily lengths of the pool to developing a phobia of driving.
These damages are perhaps the most difficult to work out as they will need to be judged by your lawyer using your evidence of suffering. If your personal injury lawyers have experience in similar cases, they will have more experience to draw upon to put sums to your suffering.
Injury Cases Round Rock, TX Personal Injury Lawyers Deal With
Personal injury lawsuits can be raised for a whole range of different injuries. Some are more common than others. These are the most common injuries we deal with following a personal injury accident:
If you are dealing with one of the following injuries following an accident, you most likely have grounds for a claim:
- Burns to the skin, abrasions, and lacerations (cuts).
Drowning and choking. - TBIs (traumatic brain injuries).
- Injuries to the spine.
- Animal bites and attacks.
- Electrocution.
- Back and neck injuries, such as whiplash and crushing.
These are certainly the most common injuries that we deal with on a regular basis, but they are not the only ones. Any injury that has been caused by the negligence of someone else could qualify you for a claim.
Your best option is to get in touch with a law firm that deals with personal injury claims on a regular basis for a free case evaluation.
What is the Process for Hiring a Personal Injury Lawyer in Round Rock, TX Area?
The first step to bringing a personal injury lawsuit in Round Rock, Texas, is to get in touch with a lawyer. This may seem difficult, especially if you have never had a need for legal representation before.
We understand that it can feel overwhelming to make a choice regarding the personal injury law firm you wish to represent you. This is one of the reasons we offer a free consultation here at Chris Morrow Law, PLLC. In this initial meeting, we can provide a free case review and answer any of the important questions you may have. We want you to leave this meeting feeling more confident and more informed about what the process looks like.
If you agree to our fee structure and wish to proceed with representation, we take over, filing paperwork, investigating, and liaising with the other parties and witnesses.
The Importance of Assigning Negligence Following a Round Rock Personal Injury Accident
Negligent behavior, defined by Cornell Law School is:
“A failure to behave with the level of care that someone of ordinary prudence would have exercised under the same circumstances. The behavior usually consists of actions, but can also consist of omissions when there is some duty to act (e.g., a duty to help victims of one’s previous conduct).”
In layman’s terms, if the other party acted in a way that a reasonable, normal individual would not have acted, they could be found negligent.
The Four Elements of a Personal Injury Case
Together with your Round Rock personal injury lawyer, you will need to prove 4 elements in order for your case to be seen as valid in the eyes of the court.
- The at-fault party had a duty of care for the individual who was injured.
- The at-fault party breached their duty of care to the victim by acting in a way that is seen as negligent.
- The injuries of the victim are a result of that negligence.
- The incident led to the victim suffering from economic and non-economic losses.
Maximizing Your Chances of Success
In order to give yourself the best chances of success in a personal injury claim, there are a few things you should do and several important things you need to avoid doing.
Things to Avoid Doing After The Accident
Let us start with the things that you should avoid doing.
Refrain from Apologizing in Any Way, Shape, or Form
One of the biggest mistakes that victims make is apologizing in some way for the accident. Often people don’t even realize they are doing it, but any form of apology can be used against you to reduce the other party’s liability.
Never Allow an Insurance Company Representative to Record Your Conversation
The main job of the insurance companies’ loss adjusters and legal teams is to reduce the amount that they have to pay out. A common way of doing this is ringing victims and recording the conversation. During the conversation, they may trick you into accepting some form of liability.
Never Accept a Settlement Offer on the Spot
Any offer of settlement should be discussed in full with your personal injury lawyer. The offer may seem appealing, and in fact, the insurance company will be counting on you believing so, but usually, the initial offers are lower than what they are willing to pay.
Things You Should Do at The Scene of the Accident
There are certain things you should try to remember if you are ever involved in an accident or are currently at the scene.
Prioritize Your Safety
First and foremost, your safety is the priority. If your accident led to hitting your head or you feel pain in your back or shoulders, you need to remain still and wait for medical attention. If not, try to take stock of your injuries and move away from any further danger.
Check for Injuries and Call an Ambulance
If there are any injuries, call an ambulance immediately. Even if there are no outward signs of injury, an ambulance may still be a smart idea, especially as things like internal bleeding and TBI injuries can have no outward symptoms.
The ambulance team will also file an accident report that can be utilized in your case.
Collect Evidence and Speak to Witnesses
Once you are safe and if your injuries allow it, you should collect as much evidence as possible. Good ways to do this are to write down what happened briefly, take photos of the scene or a video and speak to any witnesses that are willing to give you their details.
Call a Round Rock Personal Injury Lawyer
Once you have followed the above steps, now is the perfect time to get in touch with a Round Rock personal injury lawyer. They may advise you on some things you might have forgotten to do and may send their own investigators straight to the scene. The sooner you get in touch with them, the more time they will have to build your case and the easier it will be for them to obtain the evidence they need.
Do I Really Need a Round Rock Personal Injury Lawyer?
You can seek compensation by yourself, and many people do. Usually, they do this because they believe they will win more or they are worried that an attorney will cost a lot of money.
For the majority of cases, obtaining representation will result in a higher compensation sum with more money left over, even after fees have been deducted. Personal injury lawyers usually work on a contingency fee basis too, meaning there is no upfront cost or fees to pay if you lose your case.
Another smart reason to obtain representation from a Round Rock personal injury attorney is that personal injury cases, especially wrongful death cases, can take several years to settle. On your own, you will be responsible for pushing the case forward for the entirety of the case.
You will also be up against the insurance company of the at-fault party and their legal team of aggressive loss adjusters. They have a lot of experience in reducing their liability and are legally trained, putting you at a massive disadvantage.
Deadline after an Accident
The Texas Statute of Limitations places a time limit on how long you have to make a personal injury claim.
It states that you have no longer than 2 years from the date the incident occurred to make your claim or your case becomes barred.
Round Rock Personal Injury FAQs
An ethical lawyer will never provide a guarantee that they can win a case on your behalf. If your attorney is promising a win, we advise you to stay well clear of them and seek other representation. They may advise you if they think your case is strong or weak, but should never guarantee a victory.
Personal injury cases can take several years to settle. The more complicated the situation, the longer it will take. More complex cases, like those involved with wrongful death or medical malpractice, will take longer than simple car accident cases for example.
No law, regulation, or rule states that you must use a specific medical provider following an accident unless it was in the workplace. In these cases, you may be expected to use the company’s approved occupational health.
You are entitled to use any repair shop you wish for your property damage or repair. Insurance companies may attempt to convince you that you must use their approved shop, but this is not the case.
Following an accident, it may be impossible to avoid speaking to the insurance companies involved altogether. If you do speak to them, ask them if they can liaise with your attorney and be mindful of what you say. Remember that they have their best interests at heart, not yours.
Contact Us Here at Chris Morrow Law, PLLC Today
Suffering an injury at the hands of someone else’s negligence is incredibly frustrating. Especially when you are left with mounting medical bills and other expenses that are outside of your control.
You have a right to be compensated for your suffering and at Chris Morrow Law, PLLC, we won’t rest until we have won a fair settlement for our clients. We have won favorable outcomes by fighting vigorously for numerous clients in Round Rock, and we are ready to do the same for you.
Contact us today to arrange a free consultation with a Round Rock personal injury lawyer at 512-520-8100.
