If you asked James Shaffer about his daughter Tita, he would lovingly refer to her as one of God’s most precious gifts. In 2016, Tita was a 6th grade student at Liberty Christian with a bright future ahead of her. Tita was always willing to be an honest friend to complete strangers and would actively stand up for anyone in her life. In her free time, she volunteered with the “Someone Please Help Me” program and engaged in competitive cheer at Champion Cheer in Southlake, Texas. She loved both cheer and her team and had been involved in the sport since 2009. Champion Cheer was like a second home for Tita who considered her team to be family. There wasn’t a single person who knew Tita that didn’t have something wonderful to say about her.
Patterson Law Group is looking for students to use their creativity to create & share ways to reduce the number of accidents due to distracted driving in Texas. Submissions can be in the following forms:
According to information provided by the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDoT), 265,076 people were hurt in motor vehicle accidents in the state in 2016.
For this reason, there is no true ‘average’ or ‘standard’ car accident settlement amount. All car accident claims must be viewed on an individualized basis. Two rollover accidents that may appear to be equally devastating could result in wholly different settlement amounts.
When considering car accident settlement amounts in Texas, one of the most important things that you need to know is that a finding of partial fault will reduce the value of your settlement, perhaps substantially so. This is because Texas is a comparative negligence state.
Head-On Collision Injury Case#N#Sutliff & Stout settled Doyle’s case for $350,000. Doyle was involved in a head-on collision in Marshall, Texas. He had a non-operated neck injury. The insurance company did not want to compensate him for his injuries because it said that he had prior neck problems (although those problems were unrelated to the injuries he sustained in the accident). Sutliff & Stout retained various medical professionals to prove that the prior problems were unrelated and that Doyle needed to be compensated for his injuries. Net recovery to client was $176,691.00.
Unfortunately, insurance companies are not in the business of helping victims get the full payment that they are owed. Insurers work aggressively to try to limit settlement offers. Before settling your claim, you need to know its value.
Insurance adjusters are trained professionals. They are hired to represent the financial interests of the insurance company that is defending your claim. You cannot and should not rely on an insurance adjuster for advice. If they can get away with it, they will try to settle your Texas car accident claim for the smallest amount possible. It is not advised that you go up against the insurance company on your own.
In the state of Texas, citizens have to file injury claims within two years of the date of the accident in question. Exceptions for silica-related and asbestos-related claims apply under §16.0031.
Punitive damages require a finding by a court that one party was grossly negligent beyond their simple responsibility for what happened. From the responsible party’s viewpoint (or their insurance company’s), the idea behind negotiating a settlement is to avoid the risk of being assessed punitive damages.
This is the main reason why a seasoned personal injury attorney is needed to evaluate your case. During personal injury cases, juries are often asked to deliver a finding of what percentage of responsibility each party has for the accident.
Pain and suffering is typically treated as a multiplier when calculating damages that are awarded. You take all the other types of damages, known as special damage, and multiply them by the value of pain and suffering. You can use this simple calculator to do the math.
Partial responsibility can reduce the value of a claim, as no party is responsible for more than what was their fault in Texas. There are many situations where it may be beneficial for a Plaintiff to settle out of court, or go ahead and seek a trial. For example, when a Defendant seeks a counter action against the Plaintiff. It may be, or may not be beneficial for the Plaintiff to seek settlement.
Medical bills are the easiest to quantify, but you also need to take into account future care costs. The worth of any property damaged or destroyed in the accident also counts. The wages you’ve lost due to missed work time matter, as do projected future losses. Other types of economic damage count too.