Friendswood Car Accident Lawyer

If you got hurt in a collision, our car accident lawyers serving Friendswood can help you go after the financial recovery you deserve for your injuries and losses from the negligent party. We can negotiate directly with the at-fault party’s insurance carrier on your behalf so that you do not have to do so.

If we do not reach a settlement with the defendant, we can file a lawsuit and take your claim to trial. You do not have to go through the insurance claims process or litigation on your own.

How Much Is My Car Accident in Friendswood Worth?

It is natural to want to know what your case is worth. There is no automatic amount that everyone gets for their car accident injury claim. Every injury case is different. The amount of financial recovery that you can pursue will depend on the facts of your situation.

Here are some of the more common types of losses that people have after getting injured in a car accident:

• Medical expenses. If you got injured, you will most likely have incurred bills for medical treatment for your injuries. This category can include things like the ambulance, hospital, doctors, emergency room, diagnostic tests, lab work, surgery, prescription medication, and physical therapy.
• Lost income. If you could not work for a while because of your injuries, and you missed paychecks as a result, lost income can be a part of your claim. This category can include lost wages, salary, self-employment, and other regular forms of income.
• Lost future income. After a severe injury, some people cannot earn as much as they could before getting hurt. Whether you had to take a lower-paying position or cut back on your working hours because of ongoing impairment from your injuries, the financial loss can get added to your claim.
• Pain and suffering. This category addresses both the physical discomfort and the emotional distress of getting wounded in a collision. Merely paying a person’s medical bills is not sufficient to address these items.
• Other intangible losses. Sometimes people have non-economic losses as the result of getting hurt in a car accident. For example, if you have extensive scars from your wounds, you might have a claim for disfigurement.

If you lost a loved one because of a car accident, we might be able to seek additional damages on behalf of the legal beneficiaries in a wrongful death claim.

Three Ways a Friendswood Car Accident Lawyer Can Help with Your Injury Claim

There are many benefits to working with an attorney on your injury claim. Here are a few examples:

1. When you have a lawyer representing you on a claim or lawsuit, the defendant and insurance company are not allowed to contact you directly. You do not have to get harassed while you rest and recuperate. If the defendant or insurer emails or calls you, you can tell them to talk to your lawyer.
2. You will not have to worry about accepting a lowball offer only to find out that you should have gotten much more. Most plaintiffs do not have the information they need to determine the settlement value of their car accident injury claims. Without having access to a jury verdict database or years of experience handling these kinds of cases, an unrepresented plaintiff is at an unfair advantage.
3. An injured person without a lawyer usually does not know about the filing deadline for their case, but the insurance company’s claims adjuster does. The court applies the same rules to people with lawyers as people without lawyers. Too many cases get thrown out of court because of an honest mistake by someone who tried to handle their claim on their own without an attorney.

These are but a few examples of reasons why you might want to consider having a Friendswood car accident lawyer handle your injury claim.

There Is a Deadline to File a Lawsuit for Your Losses

All states have time limits, called statutes of limitations, that set deadlines for filing lawsuits. Under Texas law, you have only two years to file a personal injury lawsuit or a wrongful death lawsuit. If your case does not settle, the only way to protect your right to recover from the negligent party is to file a lawsuit.

Merely negotiating with the liability insurance carrier is not enough to protect your right to a financial recovery. If the deadline passes without a lawsuit getting filed, Texas law will forever bar you from seeking damages for your losses.

Three Things that Could Decrease the Settlement Value of Your Collision Injury Claim

Things can happen after a car accident that can decrease the amount of financial recovery you could seek for your losses. Here are some examples:

• If you do not finish your medical treatment before you accept a settlement offer, you could end up with a stack of medical bills you can never afford to pay. You see, if you settle your case and then your doctor says that you need additional medical treatment, you will likely have to pay for those healthcare services out of your own pocket. The defendant will not owe you anything more after you settle.
• Posting photographs or comments on social media cannot help your injury claim, and could destroy it. The insurance company can get access to your social media accounts. The insurer can take things out of context to damage the value of your injury claim.
• The claims adjuster might ask you to give a recorded statement, supposedly for you to tell your side of the story. In reality, the transcript from a recorded statement only helps the defendant, not you. The claims adjuster can “cherry-pick” things from the transcript and twist them into something you did not intend. If you get asked to give a recorded statement, tell the person to talk to your lawyer.

These are but a few examples of the many potential pitfalls that could be waiting for you if you go through the claims process or a lawsuit alone. Your personal injury attorney can guide you through these minefields and help to protect your right to a financial recovery.

How to Get Legal Help for Your Car Accident Injury Claim

At D. Miller & Associates, PLLC™, our clients get to rest and focus on getting better while we take care of their legal matters. We treat our clients with respect and sensitivity while fighting their legal battles for them. We are happy to offer a free initial case evaluation. You can call us today to get started.