Houston Personal Injury Lawyer

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If I have sustained a personal injury, what do I do first?

What does a personal injury attorney do?

Your personal injury attorney handles all aspects of your injury claim. Your personal injury attorney ensures your medical, psychological, and financial securities are kept intact. Here are some of the responsibilities of a personal injury attorney:

Rights – A personal injury attorney will fully assess your rights and see what needs to be done within your case. Your attorney can clearly advise what exactly your rights are and how to move forward fighting for your rights in the case. A person’s rights typically vary state by state and dependent upon the severity of the injury, as well as the negligence. There is also a statute of limitations in which a lawsuit can be filed. Each state usually has a time frame in which a case can be filed or else you may be ineligible to receive compensation. It is important to contact an attorney as quickly as possible to ensure your rights are not affected.

Counsel – Your personal injury attorney will provide counsel for your case, every step of the way. Aside from the complex legal jargon present in any legal paperwork, the paperwork that comes with personal injury can include many more complexities; this includes confusing medical jargon and insurance jargon. Your attorney can assist in helping explain any and all complexities, as well as help with every aspect of the paperwork process. Common advice might also be to go to the doctor or hospital as soon as possible to be able to have proper documentation of your injury. Having proper documentation of your injury will help to build evidence to support your case. There is a substantial amount of trauma that comes with a personal injury. This can not only cause physical pain but also psychological pain. When suffering from psychological pain, it can be hard to make clear decisions, especially in terms of important items. Your lawyer can help you see through the pain and advise you in the best path to take, helping to take the stress off of your plate.

Representation – A personal injury case rarely goes to trial. If a settlement is agreed upon, the case moves very quickly, and no courtroom time is necessary. Usually, both parties can settle through an agreement or insurance. Only if one party refuses to agree and/or the insurance denies the claim does the case move to trial. If the case moves to trial, your attorney must be well-versed in the courtroom proceedings. Your attorney will prep you with what to say during the trial, along with help you build a strong case in order to receive compensation.

Investigation – It is important that a personal injury attorney have specialists in their firm that assess and review every portion of the scene of an injury. Documentation could include taking police statements, reviewing police documents, reviewing hospital bills, or doctor’s visits, along with speaking to the other party about their take on the incident. Usually, a personal injury attorney has specialists with their firm that can assist through this process or have a list of professionals that can be used to investigate the case. The investigation is key to building a strong and accurate case for a client.

Doctor/Hospital visit – Your attorney made me able to guide you on who would be best to visit in regard to your injury. This is important due to the fact that some providers may have experience with victims of personal injury. This can be extremely helpful in the use of correct terminology in paperwork and being able to accurately account for how exactly the injury was caused in the accident.

Damage assessment – Most people who have been in an accident, injury or not, typically contact insurance companies first to help cover the damages. If there is injury involved, it is best to contact an attorney to have them advise and help you in the assessment of the damages. Your insurance company may be able to help with your vehicle, but your lawyer will be able to help with the financial assessment in the grand scope of things. Unforeseen expenses such as medical bills, doctor’s visits, and time off work can have a profound impact on someone’s overall bank account. Your lawyer can connect you with specialists and advisors that can take a deep dive into your situation, and better advise and assess how your losses will affect you in the long run.

What types of injury does a personal injury attorney cover?

There are many different types of personal injuries that can occur. If negligence has occurred, it will be easy for your attorney to fight your case. Whether it is a car accident or nursing home abuse, “personal injury” covers a wide range of different circumstances.

Here are just a few of the instances that can be covered by a personal injury attorney:

Car accidents – You are driving home from work and a drunk driver comes speeding up behind you and rear-ends you. You suffer not only damage to the back of your vehicle but also a back injury. You spend hours in the hospital, rack up immense hospital bills, and have to go through at insurance to pay for your damages. A personal injury attorney can assess all damages and injuries, as well as help to prove that the driver involved was in fact under the influence upon impact.

Animal bite – If you are bitten by someone’s pet and sustain an injury, you are due compensation. If a large dog bites you or your loved ones, this could be extremely dangerous, especially if a child is involved.

Plane crash – If a person is killed or injured in an aviation accident, they are due money from any damages caused by the accident. The commercial airline, the pilot, the owner or the manufacturer of the aircraft itself may be held liable for the accident. In some cases, it may be the actions of others that are responsible (i.e. the pilot or flight attendants), which may be cause for investigation.

Bicycle injury – Bicycle accidents are one of the most common types of accidents that occur yearly. This is typically due to cars not being able to see the cyclist. This can be in the form of opening a car door and injuring a cyclist or running a cyclist off the road due to not seeing them. Cyclists are given the same rights to use the road as other vehicles. Most people do not know that cyclists have these rights.

Defective products – If you have purchased a product from a company and it has caused significant damage or injury such as burns, cancer, disease, etc. it is important to contact a personal injury attorney immediately. One of the most recent cases of product defect has been with baby powder due to potentially causing cancer. If a product has not been adequately tested or proved to not impact health, this could be proved in court and you could receive an extreme amount of compensation even when too often, people think they do not stand a chance against a large corporation.

Boating accident - Each state has its own regulations in regard to boating accident regulations. Some of the most common accidents covered can include collision, falling overboard, jet ski accidents, drowning, or slipping and falling on the deck.

Burn injuries – Burn injuries can come from electricity, direct heat, radiation, or chemicals. A chemical burn comes directly from a product, i.e. acid. If someone suffers an acid burn it can literally burn off the skin. Direct heat injuries can be from that of a fire, i.e. an arson fire at home. An electric burn is one of the most dangerous because it is capable of causing not only nerve damage but potentially heart damage.

Nursing home abuse – Many do not know that nursing home abuse is considered a form of personal injury. If you or your loved one is being physically abused by a nursing home staff member and have suffered bruises, illness, burns, bites, etc. this should be reported immediately. Dependent upon the situation, the individual responsible for the abuse or the nursing home itself could be held liable. Your attorney can contact the authorities as well as the nursing home and fight on your behalf to get you compensation for the damages.