Amarillo, TX Injury Lawyers
Personal injury accidents affect thousands of Amarillo, TX, residents every year. Sadly, many of these incidents were preventable and resulted from the blatantly reckless actions of another person. If you are in this predicament, you may face mounting medical bills and lost income that endangers your family’s financial stability.
For many clients that turn to Texas Car Crash Attorney Group, they hadn’t yet realized the long-term consequences of an accident. Our experienced personal injury attorneys advocate on your behalf so that you get the compensation that Texas law says you deserve. We bring decades of trial experience to every case we represent, which is essential in any legal practice you choose.
What Are the Most Common Types of Personal Injuries in Amarillo, TX?
The devastating nature of accident injuries is undeniable because of their toll on our physical, emotional, and financial well-being. While money alone will never be able to remotely make up for the losses you’ve suffered, seeking compensatory damages is your best option.
At Texas Car Crash Attorney Group, our personal injury attorneys have decades of experience representing cases at trial. Because we also act as criminal defense counsel, we know precisely how insurers and at-fault parties try to shift blame or deny responsibility. This helps us build a superior case strategy that other accident lawyers can’t offer. From the moment you choose to work with our law practice, we will begin preparing your case for trial. While a settlement is possible, we are dedicated to only accepting offers that fairly compensate your losses.
Below are examples of the most common personal injury types our clients receive compensation:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Past and future lost wages
- Transportation costs to and from related medical appointments
- Disfigurement
- Loss of a limb
- Diminished work capacity
- Current and future medical expenses
- Temporary and permanently disabling injuries
- Household assistance
- Whiplash
- Pain and suffering
- Wrongful death
- Loss of consortium
- Diminished enjoyment of life
Even when Texas negligence laws are on your side, you must prove your case to bring a lawsuit to trial successfully. This can be challenging when the insurance company assigned to your claim works against you to save money. They will send adjusters that have a single goal: minimize your damages. Through bad faith tactics like claiming your sustained injuries are pre-existing or falsely claiming they hold no liability, insurers can accomplish this goal. Don’t face this challenge alone. Speak with Texas Car Crash Attorney Group about your case today.
How Do I Know If I Have a Personal Injury Case?
Anyone injured in an accident caused by a negligent or reckless person or business may have a valid personal injury case. While this may seem obvious, it’s important to understand what qualifies for this type of action against another party.
To know if you have a personal injury case in Amarillo, TX, you should consult with a seasoned accident attorney as soon as possible. They will help you determine if someone else’s negligence led to you getting hurt. For instance, if you were involved in a car crash caused by a distracted driver. Their decision to focus on their phone rather than on the road created the chain of events causing your wreck.
Using the car accident example above, you would likely need medical treatment for a time. You may not be able to work during this time or be unable to ever return to work again. These are considered damages caused by the driver’s negligent actions and deserve compensation under Texas law. Your attorney will also go over how your sustained injuries have affected you financially and use this to maximize your financial recovery.
Remember that injuries cost you more than just money. You may be unable to enjoy your life as you did before the accident. Worse, what if you suffer a permanent impairment that interferes with performing everyday tasks like bathing or playing with your children? All of these factors support the need for you to pursue a personal injury lawsuit against the negligent party that caused you harm.
What Is the Personal Injury Claim Process All About?
When you and your attorney decide to move forward with a personal injury claim in Amarillo, TX, you may wonder what the process entails. Below is a quick overview of the five primary phases of these cases and what to expect.
Treating Your Injuries
As a client of Texas Car Crash Attorney Group, your full recovery is our top priority. We will focus on gathering evidence during the initial start of your personal injury case while you undergo treatment for your injuries. How long this stage of your claim lasts depends on your body’s ability to recover, and you need to be patient with yourself. You’ve suffered severe trauma, and healing can take time. One way you can keep your case moving forward during this period is to keep a careful record of evidence supporting your claim, including:
- Medical bills
- Treatment journal
- Appointment schedule
- Receipts for any costs related to your care
- Prescriptions you are taking
- Information related to your care plan
Gathering Evidence
At some point during your treatment, your doctor may decide you have reached your maximum recovery level. This means that your injuries have achieved their maximum healing potential but not necessarily full recovery. For example, if you suffered broken vertebra, you may never be able to do certain motions or actions again.
Your attorney will gather together all of your medical documentation, injury-related costs, and other evidence like police reports, witness statements, and more. Sometimes, a reconstruction of your accident may even be necessary. Once this stage is complete, a demand letter is sent to the responsible party, which is often the negligent party’s insurer.
It is not unusual for an insurance company to seek to settle a case before you have completed treatment for your injuries. It’s even rarer for them to be willing to pay a fair-valued compensation amount. This is why you need personal injury attorneys who go to court on your behalf to make these money-making corporations accountable.
Negotiations
It is possible, with the right attorney, you could reach a fair settlement outside of court with an insurance company. This is rarely the case because they want to minimize any payout made on your claim and usually send lowball offers. If you choose to allow the personal injury trial lawyers of Texas Car Crash Attorney Group to represent you, things could go differently. Our firm has decades of experience in the courtroom and we prepare your case for trial from the beginning.
Litigation
When settlement negotiations break down for your claim, litigation is the next stage of your case. This requires filing a personal injury lawsuit in civil court by your Amarillo accident attorney. There are many reasons going to trial is the better option for negligence-based injury actions. Some take this step because they want a sense of justice for what they went through. Other plaintiffs go this route because the insurer refuses to negotiate or offer a fair settlement.
Whatever reason you and your attorney decide on, this step requires strategic and skillful presentation of your case to a judge or jury so that they will determine your compensation fully and fairly. Texas Car Crash Attorney Group has over 600 jury trials to our credit and has witnessed the impact of a solid evidence-based case.
Compensation Disbursement
Whether your claim gets settled out of court or you receive an award verdict from a jury, disbursement of your compensation is the last step. Typically, you will need to release the payment for the claims. This involves agreeing to not bring any further action against the liable parties in your case. Any outstanding medical liens will get paid from this money, your attorney will receive their portion of fees, and the remainder will be paid to you. Texas Car Crash Attorney Group will also walk you through this complicated process as well. Once this stage is complete, your case is considered resolved.
How to Know If Your Amarillo Personal Injury Case Should Go to Trial
Knowing if you should take your personal injury case to trial or not is difficult. The best judge of this is an experienced Amarillo trial lawyer. Your average accident attorney may try to convince you that settling is the only way to go. They may tell you that jury trials are cost-prohibitive or that it isn’t worth it. These reasons aren’t always valid, especially in situations where an insurer is acting in bad faith.
Bad faith practices are tactics used by insurance companies and their adjusters to avoid compensation payouts on valid injury claims. Common red flags that may indicate you need to go to trial for this behavior include:
- Refusing to return your phone calls
- Denying your claim without just cause
- Unjustified delays in processing claim payment
- Making unreasonable documentation demands
- Purposely undervaluing your claim despite the evidence
- Changing the terms of your policy or trying to cancel it
- Hiking your insurance premiums unlawfully
- Use scare tactics to frighten you from pursuing a claim
The best way to determine if you should go to trial or not is to speak with a qualified personal injury trial lawyer about your situation. They can give you the advice and recommendations you need to know if filing a lawsuit will be beneficial.
If I Pursue a Personal Injury Case, What Should I Bring to Our First Meeting?
To successfully obtain personal injury compensation on your behalf, any accident lawyer you visit needs information. They will gather further evidence later, but to initially evaluate your case, there is some documentation you should bring.
Police/Accident Reports
Any police or accident reports that you managed to obtain should be copied by your attorney during your initial visit. These are important because it helps establish the circumstances that caused your injuries.
Medical Records
Whether you only went to the emergency room or are under continued treatment by a team of doctors, any medical records related to your injuries are critical. Bringing these to your appointment will help the personal injury attorney get a quick snapshot of how severely you were hurt. Cost of care, procedures you underwent, and the types of doctors you are seeing will also be made available in your medical history. All of this will help assess your case’s value and any additional steps you need to take.
Insurance Policy Information
While you may have only been able to get the other driver’s insurance information, bringing a copy of your policy is helpful too. Should the negligent party in your case be underinsured/uninsured, your attorney may need to go through your insurer.
Copies of Any Correspondence With the Other Party
Before you even know the extent of your damages, you will likely receive phone calls, voice mails, text messages, and more from the liable insurer or other party involved. Copies of these communications can help your attorney gauge how willing or not the other party is to settle.
Bring Receipts
Any out-of-pocket expenses you paid for accident-related costs like prescriptions, medical care, or property damage should have receipts. Make sure to bring these with you so they are correctly accounted for in your compensation demand later.
Proof of Income
Personal injury cases often involve missed work and lost wages due to the severity of trauma your body suffered. You will need to prove any financial losses you are experiencing, including your income. Previous pay stubs are a great way to accomplish this. If you don’t have those, bring your tax returns or bank statements with direct deposit history.
Trust the Amarillo Personal Injury Lawyers of Texas Car Crash Attorney Group
Even though the road to recovery can be daunting, the personal injury trial lawyers of Texas Car Crash Attorney Group are here for you. With our firm on your side, you can focus on recovering from this traumatic experience. Our team of experienced attorneys possesses decades of experience advocating for individuals whose lives were changed by negligence. You didn’t deserve what happened to you, and you shouldn’t have to bear the financial, emotional, and physical cost of someone else’s reckless choices alone.
Compensation claims can take time, but with the proper case preparation from the start of your case, our personal injury firm will turn over every stone and push every issue. And if the insurers won’t negotiate in good faith, we’ll get your case in front of a jury. As longtime trial lawyers with decades of experience, we don’t play the waiting game. Unlike other law firms, our legal team pursues action on your compensation needs immediately when insurers balk. Contact us today to set up a free initial consultation to evaluate your injury case and discuss the best options for your situation.
