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Frequently Asked Questions About Texas Personal Injury Cases
What is the difference
between a Personal Injury claim and a wrongful death
claim?
How will I know if I need an attorney to
handle my Personal Injury case?
Should I talk to the insurance company
after my accident?
Can I only recover workers’ compensation if
I’ve been in a workplace accident?
How long will I have to file my Personal
Injury claim?
How much will my claim be worth?
What should I do if I don’t think I can
afford an attorney?
What is the difference between a Personal Injury claim and a wrongful death claim?
A Personal Injury claim is a claim that is brought by a victim who has suffered a severe or catastrophic injury, such as paralysis, a neck or back injury or a burn injury, as the result of the negligent or reckless conduct of another person. A Personal Injury claim may arise in a variety of situations, including car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, drunk driving accidents, construction accident or workplace accidents. Compensation may include damages for medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering.
A wrongful death claim may result from the careless conduct of another person in circumstances similar to those described above. However, in contrast to a Personal Injury claim, the right to bring the action lies with the accident victim’s family, such as the victim’s spouse, children or parents. The available damages differ from a Personal Injury claim and may include compensation for funeral expenses, loss of a family member’s care and companionship and emotional suffering.
For more than 30 years, the attorneys of The Bob Richardson Law Firm have protected the rights and interests of Texans in Personal Injury and wrongful death cases. Drawing on our skill, experience and resources, we have secured favorable verdicts and settlements for our clients throughout Austin, Waco and the surrounding Texas communities of Round Rock, Georgetown, Killeen, Temple, Cedar Park, Lakeway, Taylor and Belton.
To learn how we can help you with your case, call us today toll-free at (800) 880-5100 or use our online form. We can provide you with a free case evaluation, and we won’t charge you for our services unless we recover for you.
How will I know if I need an attorney to handle my Personal Injury case?
If you are involved in any vehicle accident or workplace accident, or if you are harmed by a defective consumer product, you are bound to be confronted with serious and potentially life-changing legal issues. Even when it seems at first that you have suffered only minor injuries, those injuries could worsen over time and lead to more serious consequences for you and your family. If the accident was caused by the negligence or recklessness of another person or company, then you may be entitled to compensation for the medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering you have incurred. That’s why it’s always important to seek medical treatment first after an accident and then seek the assistance of a qualified Texas Personal Injury attorney who will protect your rights and interests.
For more than 30 years, the Personal Injury attorneys of The Bob Richardson Law Firm have represented Texans in accident and injury cases. Drawing on our skill, experience and resources, we have secured favorable verdicts and settlements for our clients throughout Austin, Waco and the surrounding Texas communities of Round Rock, Georgetown, Killeen, Temple, Cedar Park, Lakeway, Taylor and Belton.
To learn how we can help you with your accident or injury case, call us today toll-free at (800) 880-5100 or use our online form.. We can provide you with a free case evaluation, and we won’t charge you for our services unless we recover for you.
Should I talk to the insurance company after my accident?
At The Bob Richardson Law Firm, we know all too well how Texas insurance companies operate. They are in a for-profit business, and when they pay out claims, it damages their bottom line. That means that insurers will often contact accident and injury victims soon after a traumatic event and try to extract a statement or quick, low-value settlement. And even though they have an army of attorneys at their disposal, they will try to convince victims that they don’t need legal representation.
Our advice: Don’t listen to them, and don’t talk to them. Instead, talk to one of the highly qualified Texas Personal Injury attorneys of The Bob Richardson Law Firm.
For more than 30 years, the attorneys of The Bob Richardson Law Firm have protected the rights and interests of Texans in Personal Injury and wrongful death cases. Drawing on our skill, experience and resources, we have secured favorable verdicts and settlements for our clients throughout Austin, Waco and the surrounding Texas communities of Round Rock, Georgetown, Killeen, Temple, Cedar Park, Lakeway, Taylor and Belton.
To learn how we can help you deal with an insurance company, call us today toll-free at (800) 880-5100 or use our online form. We can provide you with a free case evaluation, and we won’t charge you for our services unless we recover for you.
Can I only recover workers’ compensation if I’ve been in a workplace accident?
Many Texans wrongly believe that they are limited to recovering medical expenses and lost wages through the state’s workers’ compensation system when they are injured in a construction accident or a workplace accident. That’s not always the case.
If you were injured on the job and your employer carries workers’ compensation insurance, then chances are that your exclusive remedy will be a workers’ compensation claim. The advantage of workers’ compensation benefits is that they may be available to you regardless of who caused your accident.
However, under certain circumstances, you may need to file a Personal Injury lawsuit and wrongful death claim to obtain the full amount of compensation that you and your family deserve. This arises where:
- The employer does not carry workers’ compensation insurance
- The accident and injury was caused by an employer’s gross negligence or an intentional act
- The accident and injury resulted from the negligent or reckless conduct of a third party, such as a work accident that is caused by a defective piece of equipment or machinery.
Also, in some cases, you may be eligible to seek Social Security disability benefits.
For more than 30 years, the attorneys of The Bob Richardson Law Firm have protected the rights and interests of injured and ill Texas workers. If you suffer an injury or become ill because of a workplace accident or condition, we believe it’s important to contact an attorney right away to learn more about your legal options.
Drawing on our skill, experience and resources, we have secured favorable verdicts, settlements and benefits for our clients throughout Austin, Waco and the surrounding Texas communities of Round Rock, Georgetown, Killeen, Temple, Cedar Park, Lakeway, Taylor and Belton.
To learn how we can help you with your workplace accident case, call us today toll-free at (800) 880-5100 or use our online form. We can provide you with a free case evaluation, and we won’t charge you for our services unless we recover for you.
How long will I have to file my Personal Injury claim?
Whether you have suffered your injury in a workplace accident, vehicle accident or as the result of a dangerous and defective consumer product, you will have only a limited time in which to take legal action. This is known as the statute of limitations.
Under Texas law, the general rule is that you have two years from the date you were injured or discovered your injury in which to either settle your claim or file a Personal Injury or wrongful death lawsuit against the responsible party. But there are exceptions:
- If the State is the potential defendant, a Notice of Claim must be given within six months of the injury;
- If a local government entity, such as a city or county, is the potential defendant, then a Notice of Claim must be filed in some cases no later than 30 days after the injury.
For product liability cases, a special rule applies that is called the statute of repose. Under this rule, you must take legal action within 10 years after the product was manufactured and released into the marketplace.
Because of these time limits, it’s important to contact a qualified Personal Injury attorney right away in order to protect your rights and interests. At The Bob Richardson Law Firm, we will make sure your claim is investigated and dealt with in a timely manner. We won’t let a missed deadline cost you and your family the right to recover the compensation you need and deserve.
Drawing on our skill, experience and resources, we have secured favorable verdicts and settlements for our clients throughout Austin, Waco and the surrounding Texas communities of Round Rock, Georgetown, Killeen, Temple, Cedar Park, Lakeway, Taylor and Belton.
To learn about the statute of limitations that may apply to your case, call us today toll-free at (800) 880-5100 or use our online form. We can provide you with a free case evaluation, and we won’t charge you for our services unless we recover for you.
How much will my claim be worth?
Every case involves different parties, facts and circumstances. No two cases are the same, and that means no two recoveries will be the same. Only after extensive investigation, consultation with experts, negotiation and litigation will we be able to arrive at the final amount of any Personal Injury or wrongful death claim.
However, you should be aware that in most Personal Injury cases, you could be entitled to receive compensation for medical expenses, impairment, disfigurement, lost past and future income and pain and suffering. To recover, you must have suffered those damages and be able to prove them.
In some cases, punitive damages may be available. These damages are aimed at punishing wrongdoers and deterring future similar misconduct by that party and others.
In a wrongful death claim, an accident victim’s family will be entitled to slightly different damages, such as funeral expenses, loss of the care and companionship of a loved one and compensation for their own unique pain and suffering.
A product liability lawsuit also carries with it a different category of damages. In some cases, a party may be eligible to recover attorney fees and treble damages, which are three times the amount of actual damages suffered as the result of a party’s especially egregious misconduct.
To learn more about the potential damages available in your case, contact The Bob Richardson Law Firm today. Drawing on our skill, experience and resources, we have secured favorable verdicts and settlements for our clients throughout Austin, Waco and the surrounding Texas communities of Round Rock, Georgetown, Killeen, Temple, Cedar Park, Lakeway, Taylor and Belton.
Call us toll-free at (800) 880-5100 or use our online form.. We can provide you with a free case evaluation, and we won’t charge you for our services unless we recover for you.
What should I do if I don’t think I can afford an attorney?
If you have been injured in a car, truck or motorcycle accident, or if you have suffered an injury at work, you may be frightened and confused about what to do next. Even though you know that you have been harmed by another person’s careless conduct, you may be concerned that you won’t be able to afford an attorney.
At The Bob Richardson Law Firm, our primary goal is to make sure that injured and disabled Texans receive the benefits and other compensation they rightfully deserve. Just because you lack available funds shouldn’t mean that you and your family are denied justice. That’s why we handle most of our cases on a contingency fee basis. This means that you won’t have to pay for our legal services unless we recover for you.
For more than 30 years, we have secured favorable verdicts and settlements for Personal Injury clients throughout Austin, Waco and the surrounding Texas communities of Round Rock, Georgetown, Killeen, Temple, Cedar Park, Lakeway, Taylor and Belton.
To learn how our Personal Injury or wrongful death attorneys can help you with your case, call us today toll-free at (800) 880-5100 or use our online form.. We can provide you with a free case evaluation, and we won’t charge you for our services unless we recover for you.
