Serious car accidents cause lasting physical, financial, and emotional consequences that can impact all aspects of daily life, from the ability to work to completing routine daily tasks and engaging in social and recreational activities you once didn’t give a second thought. When someone else’s actions caused the accident, it’s even more troubling, knowing that the impacts could have been avoided with reasonable care.
Although a successful La Porte car accident claim cannot heal the injury or erase the harm caused, it can bring compensation for the consequences of the accident—the “damages” in a car accident claim.
What Damages Can I Recover In a Texas Car Accident Claim?
Texas operates under a modified comparative negligence system that allows an injury victim to recover compensation for their damages as long as they are less than 51% at fault for the accident. If they contributed to the cause of the accident—according to the results of the insurance company’s investigation—the insurance company subtracts their percentage of fault from the amount they pay out on the claim. If the other party is completely at fault for the accident, an injury victim can recover full compensation for damages such as the following:
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Compensation for future medical expenses
- Out-of-pocket injury costs, such as for travel to see specialists
- Lost earnings
- Lost future income or reduced earning ability due to disability
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- If the injury victim suffered a permanent or catastrophic injury, they could recover additional compensation, such as for loss of limb, loss of one of the senses, permanent scarring, organ loss, loss of enjoyment of life, or diminished quality of life
- Wrongful death compensation to the close surviving family member of a fatal car accident victim
An experienced personal injury attorney in La Porte, Texas compiles evidence of the other driver’s liability and defends their client against an insurance adjuster assigning them an undue portion of fault so they may recover full compensation for their damages within the limits of the at-fault driver’s insurance coverage.
How Does a Car Accident Lawyer Maximize an Injury Victim’s Damages?
An experienced, assertive car accident attorney pursues all avenues for compensation to maximize a car accident victim’s financial recovery. For instance, if you have uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and your damages exceed the limits of the at-fault party’s insurance, your attorney can file a claim for additional compensation against that policy.
Under the state’s contributory fault system, if any other entity contributed to the accident, such as a negligent road maintenance agency that left a dangerous pothole or a road planning agency that placed inadequate signage at a dangerous intersection, an experienced Texas car accident attorney seeks additional compensation from any party that contributed to the cause or severity of the crash. If a seatbelt or airbag malfunction adds to the severity of car accident injuries, an attorney may pursue additional compensation for damages through a product liability claim against the manufacturer.
How Can a Texas Car Accident Lawyer Help?
Instead of leaving your claim for car accident damages in the hands of an insurance company that is not on your side, but instead works for a company that prioritizes profits at your expense, call Linebaugh, Dority & Associates, LLP. Your La Porte car accident attorney will provide the experienced representation you need to get the most favorable result possible when recovering compensation for your car accident damages.