A severe injury can cause you and your family physical, mental, and emotional pain and suffering. You may struggle to make ends meet due to medical expenses, treatment costs, and time off work. If someone else’s negligence injured you or killed your loved one, a Missouri City personal injury lawyer from the Ramsey Law Group wants to help you rebuild your life.
While no amount of financial compensation can take away your suffering or bring back a loved one, money can help pay accident-related expenses and improve your quality of life. It can also expand the quality of medical care and treatment you or your loved one receive.
Ramsey Law Group’s Missouri City personal injury attorneys will fight for justice and fairness on behalf of you and your family by demanding the compensation to which you are entitled and holding any negligent parties responsible for their actions.
Our personal injury attorneys are experienced and proven successful in all areas of personal injury law. They are also:
When you need confident, compelling legal representation on your side, call Ramsey Law Group. Ramsey Law Group offers free initial consultations and will take the time to review the details of your claim with you. Our Missouri City personal injury lawyers will present you with any available legal options and give you the information you need to move forward.
Contact Ramsey Law Group today to schedule your free consultation.
At Ramsey Law Group, we get to know you and your legal goals. We believe it is important for you to understand the personal injury process and stay updated on your case as it progresses.
Ramsey Law Group will speak with you and your family to understand how your accident affects your overall life. We also want to know what accommodations and health care would make a difference for you day to day. Our Missouri City personal injury attorneys will include these items when calculating your current and future medical compensation needs.
Ramsey Law Group will work tirelessly building and pursuing your personal injury claim in the following ways:
Our injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis. This means you do not have to pay any fees until after we have successfully helped you reach a settlement, verdict or judgment.
The lawyer who represents you in your personal injury case can significantly impact whether you recover compensation and if it is the amount you deserve. Here are some tips on what to look for when choosing an attorney.
Experience
Choose a lawyer specializing in personal injury law, with extensive experience in your specific type of case. For instance, if your case involves an accident with a commercial vehicle, there are personal injury attorneys who know how to bring a claim against at-fault drivers and their employers. In addition, experience in negotiating, representing clients in trial, and taking on potentially complex personal injury cases can be critical to your success.
Successful Track Record
To ensure you recover full compensation, a personal lawyer should have a solid track record of success. The higher the number of cases that have resulted in a settlement or award, the better, especially if they are various types of personal injury cases. However, it is typically best to steer clear of firms with a high client turnover rate, as they often quickly settle claims for less than their worth. Their goal is to increase profits by avoiding costly litigation.
No Upfront Fees
When a lawyer takes your case on a contingency fee agreement, it means they believe you have a good chance of recovering compensation and will work hard to make sure you do. A contingency fee arrangement means that your attorney will cover any upfront costs of handling your claim, and you only have to pay for their legal services if you win.
Time to Dedicate to Your Case
Be sure to ask which attorney will work on your case and how many cases they take on at once. The lawyer you choose should have the time to give your claim the attention it deserves.
To hold another party responsible for your personal injury accident, you must be able to prove that their negligence is what caused it. Negligence is the failure to provide the expected standard of care in a given situation. To prove another party was negligent involves demonstrating the following four elements:
Proving elements of negligence to hold another party responsible for your injury requires substantial evidence to support your claim, such as:
Evidence can quickly be lost or destroyed, and witnesses’ memories fade. The sooner you begin to gather evidence or hire a personal injury lawyer to do it for you, the better the chances that critical evidence can be preserved.
Part of holding another party responsible for your personal injury due to their negligence involves proving causation. Causation is a direct link between the at-fault party’s actions, or lack thereof, and your injuries. If the defendant had behaved reasonably, you would not have been injured. Causation is one of a personal injury claim’s most critical and contentious parts.
Causation is divided into cause-in-fact (but-for cause) and proximate cause. Both types must be proven to satisfy legal causation.
Cause-in-fact, also known as actual cause, is the simpler of the two. It can be proven by asking, “Would there be an injury if not for the defendant’s actions?” For example, suppose a driver runs a stop sign and crashes into your vehicle, and you suffer a fracture in your leg. You would not have sustained a fracture if the driver had stopped at the stop sign, which proves actual cause.
Proximate cause is more challenging and involves determining whether your injuries were foreseeable. For example, the types of questions the court will consider are:
A defendant can only be liable if predictable harm was done to predictable victims (proximate cause). In the example of the driver running a stop sign, the defendant should have foreseen that running a stop sign could cause an accident and injuries to another driver on the road (you). Therefore, the defendant is the proximate cause of your injuries.
In some cases, proximate cause can be unclear. For instance, if a driver crashes into another vehicle that then crashes into a pole that falls onto your vehicle, the initial driver who caused the chain reaction may not have been able to foresee the harm they would cause you. Therefore, they may not be considered the proximate cause of your injuries.
Negligence is a blanket term for the failure to use reasonable care, and different types are recognized under Texas law. The most common types of negligence that apply to personal injury cases in Texas are:
Texas courts apply the rule of modified comparative negligence to personal injury cases. Under this law, each party to the lawsuit is assigned a percentage of fault. In turn, that percentage will reduce the individual’s awarded compensation. Therefore, victims who are partially to blame for their injury can still potentially recover compensation as long as they are 50% or less responsible. This is also known as the 51% bar rule in Texas.
For example, suppose you are pursuing a car accident case. If the court awards you $100,000 and determines that you were 30% at fault for the collision, you will receive 70% of your award or, in this case, $70,000. On the other hand, if the court determines you were 51% responsible, you will not receive any compensation.
This form of negligence holds a defendant liable for the harm caused by the actions of another person or animal they are responsible for. Vicarious liability is often used in cases involving:
Gross negligence is a much more severe form of negligence and is considered a conscious disregard for the safety of others. Examples include a driver hitting a student because they were speeding through a school zone or a physician prescribing a medication listed as an allergy in the patient’s medical history.
Emotional distress caused by a personal injury accident can, in some cases, be worse and longer-lasting than the physical injury. The symptoms can vary, but if you are experiencing mental suffering due to the accident, you have the right to sue for emotional distress damages. Emotional distress can result in various psychological conditions, such as:
Unlike a physical injury that can be substantiated with medical records, emotional distress can be much harder to prove. The reason is that there is rarely documentation or not much of it to establish financial losses related to emotional distress.
To have the best chance of success, you must treat emotional distress just as you would a physical injury. Seek medical treatment immediately, whether it is from a doctor, psychologist, therapist, counselor, etc. Medical records and physician notes verifying the treatment you have received will be critical.
Personal injury law is a field of civil law. It allows victims to file a claim or sue in court to recover compensation for their injuries. For a victim to recover their losses, their injuries need to be the result of someone else’s negligent, reckless, or intentional misconduct.
A personal injury can include any of the following:
Personal injury law is separate from criminal law. In criminal law, the state seeks to punish wrongdoers through fines and jail time.
Common types of personal injury accidents include:
The victim of a personal injury has a right to fair compensation for their injuries and any related losses from the at-fault party. Compensation in a personal injury claim usually comes from an insurance company, since most individuals and companies carry some type of accident insurance.
The amount of compensation in a personal injury claim varies according to:
Every case is unique, and there is no one-size-fits-all formula for determining the value of a personal injury claim. Consulting an experienced personal injury attorney is crucial in assessing the specific factors that apply to your case and obtaining a realistic estimate of the potential compensation you may be entitled to.
There are two types of damages available in a personal injury case. These are economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are damages with a specific cost or accountable dollar amount, such as:
Non-economic damages have no affixable dollar amount and may include:
If a victim dies at the accident scene or later due to accident-related injuries, the immediate family may file a wrongful death claim with a Missouri City wrongful death attorney. A successful wrongful death claim reimburses the victim’s estate for the victim’s personal losses and compensates the family for personal and financial losses resulting from their loved one’s death.
A civil court can award punitive damages to a victim in cases of extreme disregard or intentional negligence by the at-fault party. These damages are to punish the wrongdoer and to deter similar actions by others in the future.
The time limit, or statute of limitations, as provided by the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code § 16.003, is two years for most personal injury cases in Texas. This means you have two years from the time the injury occurred to file a claim or lawsuit. However, it is always best to contact a personal injury attorney who can use their legal resources to ensure that you do not miss the deadline.
To learn more about the claims process, contact Ramsey Law Group anytime. We are here to help you recover the compensation you need and deserve for your injuries. Our attorneys at Ramsey Law Group can offer you advice on your personal injury whether you live in Texas or another state, so do not hesitate to call today at (713) 489-7577. Or send us a message online.