One of the most potentially dangerous activities we perform each day in our daily lives is taking to the roadways. Serious car accidents occur on East Texas highways, the streets of Houston and Beaumont, along the Gulf Coast and nationwide. The causes are as diverse as the drivers and vehicles involved – from drunk driving and gross negligence to simple driving mistakes and mechanical failures.
After a minor crash, you may find it fairly straightforward to recover an insurance settlement for property damage. However, when serious injuries or a fatality is involved, it can be essential to work with an experienced personal injury lawyer who will investigate the auto wreck thoroughly and pursue fair, just compensation.
Protecting and Pursuing Your Legal Rights After an Auto Wreck
At Provost Umphrey Law Firm, L.L.P., we are extremely aggressive in pursuit of justice and fair recoveries for car accident, trucking accident and motorcycle accident victims. When possible, you should protect your case by:
- Making sure you get copies of police reports and names of any witnesses
- Refusing to give statements to insurance company adjusters or other representatives
- Visiting the doctor and following any discharge instructions you receive
- Contacting an attorney you can trust as soon as possible after the accident
Evaluating All Factors and Angles to Build Your Case for Compensation
Successful car accident litigation – targeting the maximum financial recovery for victims who may face lifelong medical expenses and the burden of lost income – calls for an all-out investigative effort. We call on qualified accident reconstruction experts and engineers to analyze factors that may be critical in determining fault and liability, including:
- What the position of vehicles, an impact analysis and other evidence reveals about the cause of the crash
- Whether the other driver involved was intoxicated, distracted or otherwise negligent
- Whether auto defects such as tire or brake failure, air bag or seat back failure, or other vehicle design shortcomings may have caused or worsened the outcome
Benefits of Working With an Experienced Car Accident Attorney
After a car accident, the negligent driver’s insurance company may be quick to offer you a financial settlement. However, even if the settlement seems fair or reasonable, it’s probably not.
Do not accept a settlement offer from the insurance company until you have talked with a lawyer.
The insurance company is in the business of making money and settling claims as quickly as possible. They are not in the business of protecting your best interests. At Provost Umphrey Law Firm L.L.P., we work on a contingency fee, which means we don’t make money unless we earn a favorable settlement on your behalf.
We work with nationally recognized medical experts, economists and other experts to help ensure our clients receive compensation for the full value of their cases – not whatever the insurance company offered in an effort to close the case quickly.
Determining the Value of Your Car Accident Case
At a basic level, the value of a car accident case is determined by damage done to the accident victim. This includes damage to your car, as well as the physical, mental and monetary cost of injuries caused by the car accident.
By working with medical and financial experts, our lawyers are able to estimate not only the immediate cost of the accident, but also the long-term effect it will have on you. Our personal injury lawyers consider the past and future value of several factors, including:
- Medical expenses: This includes medical expenses you have already accrued because of the crash. However, it also includes the estimated cost of ongoing or future expenses such as rehabilitative therapy or additional anticipated surgeries.
- Income: You may be entitled to compensation for the wages you lost while recovering from you injuries. If your injuries will prevent you from returning to work or returning to the same level of work, your future lost wages are also calculated into the value of your case.
- Damaged property: If your car, clothing or other personal items were damaged because of the accident, your compensation can include the expense of replacing that property.
- Pain and suffering: If you suffered serious injuries and have had a painful recovery, you may be awarded pain and suffering for the physical and emotional discomfort you endured because of the accident.
- Loss of consortium: Loss of consortium refers to the impact the victim’s injuries will have on his or her loved ones. For married couples, loss of consortium could be awarded if the injuries will prevent maintaining physical intimacy. Parents may also be awarded loss of consortium if their injuries interfere with their ability to care for their children.
Learn more about the value of your case by scheduling a free initial consultation with one of our attorneys.
Free Consult With a Caring, Trial-Proven Lawyer
Our decades of experience in high-stakes personal injury litigation enables us to readily call on the right experts to assess your immediate and long-term damages. We seek recoveries that address the true costs of work-ending and life-changing injuries or a tragic wrongful death in your family. For a free case evaluation after your serious car accident, please contact our firm anytime.