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People get hurt every day, but these accidents and injuries are sometimes someone else’s fault. An injured victim should not have to pay hefty medical bills because of someone else’s negligence. If you were hurt in an accident, get a lawyer as soon as possible.
Personal injury claims involve damages related to bodily injuries. While plaintiffs may claim various other damages, such as property damage, bodily harm must be present in a personal injury lawsuit. You may claim damages such as medical bills, lost income from missing work due to your injuries, pain, distress, and more. You must contact a lawyer to begin your case. Your attorney should help you gather evidence and information needed to draft a formal complaint against those responsible for your injuries. The process can be time-consuming, and it is best to contact a lawyer right away.
Call The Queenan Law Firm at (817) 476-1797 to request a private legal review from our personal injury attorneys, free of charge.
What Damages Can You Claim in a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Bryan, TX?
Damages vary from case to case. Plaintiffs often underestimate their damages or fail to include certain damages in their claims. As such, you should review your damages with your attorney to make sure you maximize your compensation.
Medical Bills
Physical injury should always be treated by a physician as soon as possible. Medical treatment is unfortunately very expensive, and even minor injuries may lead to big hospital bills.
If your injuries are severe, you may be able to claim damages for reasonably expected future medical costs. This is more common when treatment lasts for a long period of time or victims experience permanent injuries.
Property Damage
Accidents that cause bodily injuries often also cause property damage. For example, if you were hurt in a car accident, your car was likely also badly damaged. You might lose personal items that you were carrying at the time of the accident. The cost of repairing or replacing property should be accounted for when you file a personal injury lawsuit.
Lost Income
Injuries tend to disrupt our regular lives, making it difficult or impossible to return to work. The longer you cannot work because of your injuries, the more income you may lose. This lost income should be calculated and added to your claims.
If your injuries are serious and you cannot work for the foreseeable future, our personal injury attorneys can estimate the income you will likely lose and add it to the case.
Pain and Suffering
Many damages do not actually cost money, but they may still deserve significant compensation. Non-economic damages revolve around painful personal experiences and often cannot be proven solely by evidence of financial cost.
Pain and suffering generally refer to mental and physical pain and distress caused by personal injuries. Your injuries may be excruciating, and the pain may last for quite some time, which can take a toll on your mental state. Also, severe accidents can be traumatic, and many victims find it difficult to emotionally cope with what happened to them.
Loss of Enjoyment or Quality of Life
Not all injuries are felt physically. The toll of your injuries, financial costs, and how your life changes after a bad accident may reduce your overall quality of life. For example, a person who loses a limb in a serious accident must learn to live their life very differently. Their body has changed, and they may be uncomfortable and incredibly upset. Such experiences can be overwhelmingly sad and upsetting, and you deserve fair compensation.
How Do You Begin a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
Starting a personal injury lawsuit is highly complex, and you should not attempt to handle your case without a lawyer.
Call a Lawyer
First, contact an experienced personal injury attorney for help as soon as possible. Filing a lawsuit is more than just filing paperwork in court. You must have evidence and specific details about your accident and injuries before anything can be filed in court. If your initial pleadings are lacking, your case could be over before it begins.
Collect Evidence and Information
No personal injury lawsuit can even begin without evidence. No plaintiff can file a lawsuit unless they have some evidence to show that their claims are not baseless. While you do not have to provide enough evidence to meet your burden of proof when we file your initial complaint, we should have enough evidence to show that you have a valid cause of legal action.
Draft a Complaint
Once we have all the information and evidence we need to start your lawsuit, we must compile it into a formal complaint. The complaint must contain very specific and lengthy details about the accident, your injuries, and your legal claims against the defendant.
Complaints tend to be long documents, and we should spend sufficient time drafting them. If the complaint is lacking in any way, your entire case may be in jeopardy.
Notify the Defendant
Once the complaint is filed in the appropriate court, we must notify the defendant almost immediately. The defendant must receive notice so that they may file a formal answer to your complaint, denying allegations or affirming certain details.
If we do not serve the defendant with notice, or notice is served in a way that does not comply with court rules, the defendant may quickly move to dismiss the case.
FAQs About Personal Injury Lawsuits in Bryan, TX
What is a Personal Injury?
A personal injury is a bodily injury. People sometimes confuse the term “personal injury” to include any injuries or losses of a personal nature, such as personal property. While claims for property damage may be included in a personal injury case, bodily harm must be present.
What Kind of Accidents Are Common in Personal Injury Cases?
Personal injury cases often involve accidents, including, but not limited to, auto accidents, workplace injuries, slip and falls, burns, and defective goods or products. Injuries do not have to be severe or life-threatening to be grounds for a personal injury lawsuit.
Who Should You Sue for a Personal Injury?
Whom you sue depends on how the accident occurred. For example, after a car accident, you would likely sue the other driver. If you slipped and fell because of dangerous conditions on the premises, you would sue the property owner. If you are not sure who is responsible for your injuries, your lawyer should help you figure things out.
How Long Do Personal Injury Lawsuits Usually Take?
Civil lawsuits generally take a while from start to finish. We may spend several months gathering evidence and information to build your case up before anything is filed in court. Once a complaint is filed, it might be several more months before a trial is scheduled. Although every case is unique, it is not unusual for personal injury lawsuits to take about a year or even longer in some cases.
Review Your Claims with Our Personal Injury Attorneys in Bryan, TX
Call The Queenan Law Firm at (817) 476-1797 to request a private legal review from our personal injury attorneys, free of charge.