If you were injured in an accident in or around Sugar Land, Texas, you might feel overwhelmed and anxious with the number of attorneys in your search queue for Houston, Fort Bend County, and the surrounding area.
Being injured in any accident is traumatic, but being injured because of someone else’s negligence can be devastating. At Kolodny Law Firm, our personal injury attorneys in Sugar Land will make you feel more comfortable and confident about pursuing the damages you deserve.
What Is a Personal Injury Lawyer?
The term “personal injury” encompasses many types of accidents and injuries, and a personal injury lawyer may handle a variety of these claims or focus on just a few. Some personal injury claims can involve catastrophic accidents with severe injuries, and others may be more moderate or mild. A personal injury attorney in Sugar Land can help you better understand if you have a valid claim for damages.
Common Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle in Sugar Land
Personal injury claims can involve endless scenarios, and almost any negligent conduct that leads to injury can be the basis for a personal injury action. However, we routinely see several types of personal injury accidents.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
When most people think of personal injury law, they think of motor vehicle accidents. Car, truck, bus, and motorcycle accidents are some of the most common personal injury claims. You may have a viable claim if another driver caused your accident and injuries.
Sometimes motor vehicle accidents are just that, accidents, but often they are caused by another person’s negligence. For example, drunk driving, distracted driving, defective motor vehicle parts, and dangerous road conditions may all be the basis for a car accident case. No matter what may have caused your crash, contact our personal injury attorney in Sugar Land today to review your case and discuss your options.
Product Liability
Product liability cases are another common type of personal injury claim. As technology advances, we rely on more and more products, electronics, appliances, machines, and more in our daily lives. The manufacturer may be liable for damages if a product is poorly designed or contains a manufacturing defect that causes injury. In addition, if the product fails to warn of potential hazards or dangers while using it, the manufacturer may be responsible for the injuries.
Product liability cases can also extend beyond the manufacturer and might involve anyone in the product chain of custody, including wholesalers, distributors, warehouses, and retailers. These cases can be particularly challenging because the responsible companies are often large corporations with deep pockets to defend against litigation. You need a seasoned Sugar Land personal injury lawyer to advocate for you.
Premise Liability
Premise liability claims are a prevalent type of personal injury case. These involve situations in which someone is injured on another person’s property. In and of itself, premise liability encompasses several different types of accidents, including:
- Slip and falls,
- Swimming pool drownings or near drownings,
- Construction site negligence,
- Dog bites or other domestic animal attacks,
- Roof or stair collapse, and
- Escalator or elevator accident.
Premise liability lawsuits are complicated because they involve establishing ownership and control before addressing negligence. In other words, identifying the correct defendant requires determining who is the owner of the property or, at least, who is in control of it.
This can be difficult when dealing with corporations, landlords, and tenants. Generally, people must keep their property safe and warn of dangerous conditions. If they fail to do so, they may be liable for damages. Our attorneys can assist you.
Other types of personal injury claims our lawyers handle include the following:
- Pedestrian accidents,
- Bicycle accidents,
- Catastrophic injury,
- Nursing home negligence,
- Boating accidents,
- Negligent security, and
- Wrongful death.
No matter the type of accident, if someone else’s negligence or misconduct caused you harm, you may have a valid personal injury claim. Our attorneys can provide a free case assessment so you can better understand your legal rights and options.
What Do Personal Injury Cases Involve?
Personal injury cases are often highly complex. Even a minor car accident claim can quickly become complicated. While there is no legal requirement for hiring an attorney, having one can mean the difference in success and substantial compensation. Personal injury cases are highly fact-specific, legally dense, and procedurally precise. They involve many steps, including:
- Investigating the accident,
- Initiating an insurance claim,
- Gathering and preserving evidence,
- Filing a lawsuit,
- Conducting discovery and taking depositions,
- Consulting experts and reviewing expert reports,
- Ongoing negotiations,
- Motion practice, and
- A trial if necessary.
Remember, any civil lawsuit must proceed by the rules of evidence and court rules and be legally accurate. The best way to achieve a favorable outcome is to have a skilled and experienced lawyer on your side.
Types of Damages in Sugar Land Personal Injury Cases
One of the most frequently asked questions we receive as personal injury lawyers is how much compensation our clients can expect to receive. Unfortunately, it is difficult to say because the type and amount of damages range significantly among cases.
Damages will depend on several factors, including:
- The type of case (i.e., car accident, slip and fall, dog bite),
- The severity of the injuries,
- Insurance policy limits,
- Apportionment of liability and fault, and
- Who the defendants are (i.e., individual v. corporation).
While the particulars of your case will influence the damages you can expect to receive, there are generally three categories of damages a successful plaintiff can collect: economic, noneconomic, and, in rare cases, punitive damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are compensatory because they compensate an injured plaintiff for the financial losses suffered because of their injury. These include compensation for:
- Past and future medical bills and expenses,
- Lost wages,
- Anticipated lost earnings,
- Cost to repair or replace damaged property, and
- Lost value of childcare and household services.
Economic damages can be substantial or minimal, but they are fairly easy to estimate by adding pay stubs, receipts, estimates, and invoices. Keeping your bills and other documentation safe and organized will give you the best chance of recovering all of your economic losses.
Noneconomic Damages
Like economic damages, noneconomic damages are also intended to compensate an injured plaintiff for the harm and loss endured. However, these awards exist to compensate a victim for their intangible and subjective losses, including:
- Pain and suffering,
- Emotional distress,
- Mental anguish,
- Loss of enjoyment of life,
- Loss of consortium, and
- Disfigurement.
Noneconomic damages vary substantially among plaintiffs, even if they endured similar accidents and injuries, and are more difficult to determine because they are personal to the individual. However, even though more challenging to equate, an injured plaintiff is nevertheless entitled to them. An experienced attorney can assist you in receiving what you deserve.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages, or exemplary damages, are intended to punish a defendant for their egregious conduct and deter similar behavior from others. They are awarded on a much more limited basis. A seasoned personal injury attorney in Sugar Land can help determine if you are eligible for punitive damages.
Modified Comparative Negligence
Texas follows a modified comparative negligence standard commonly called the 51% rule. In Texas, a plaintiff can recover damages if they are less than 50% at fault for causing the accident, but their award will be reduced by their share of liability.
For instance, if a jury awards a plaintiff $500,000 in damages for their car accident but finds the plaintiff was 20% at fault, their award will be reduced by $100,000. However, if the plaintiff is determined to be 51% or more responsible for the accident, they will be barred from recovering damages.
Because of this rule, insurance companies will always be looking to assign the blame to you. Having an experienced personal injury lawyer can mean the difference in liability and, ultimately, compensation.
Texas Personal Injury Statute of Limitations
A statute of limitations prescribes the amount of time you have to initiate a legal proceeding. In Texas, for personal injury actions, the plaintiff must file their lawsuit within two years of the date of the accident. While this is the general rule, there are several exceptions to be aware of, which may shorten or lengthen the time you have to initiate your case.
For instance, minors will typically have two years from their 18th birthday to file a civil lawsuit, even if that is more than two years from the date of the accident. We encourage anyone contemplating filing a lawsuit to consult with an injury attorney in Sugar Land as soon as they can preserve their right to take legal action. Practically, it is almost always wiser to pursue your case sooner rather than later while witness recollection, memory, and evidence are fresh and readily available.
4 Tips for Finding a Sugar Land Personal Injury Attorney
Finding a lawyer to handle your personal injury claim can feel impossible when confronted with endless search results online. Finding the right lawyer for you is a monumental decision that has the potential to affect the outcome of your case.
Once you retain an attorney, they will begin investigating the accident, contacting the insurance company, negotiating, and handling all legal proceedings on your behalf. To assist you, we have put together this short list of four tips for choosing a Sugar Land personal injury lawyer.
Friends and Family Referrals
The best way to find an attorney to assist you is to ask your closest family, friends, and colleagues. Almost always, someone in your inner circle will have experience with a personal injury lawyer. They can provide you with an honest review of the attorney and how much the attorney helped them.
On the other hand, if they had a negative experience with a lawyer, they may not recommend that one to you. As you would ask friends and relatives for an electrician referral, you should do the same regarding a personal injury lawyer. There is no better review than hearing from someone you trust about their personal experience with an attorney.
Research Attorney Presence Online
In conjunction with other tips, we recommend you check the internet to evaluate the attorney or law firm’s online presence. While we do not recommend only doing this, it can be a valuable tool to help narrow down a list of contenders. You can research an attorney or law firm’s overall reviews, accomplishments, awards, and ratings.
The attorney’s website will provide helpful information, but you can also turn to attorney-rating websites such as Avvo or Yelp for further details. Remember, personal injury law is vast, and not all attorneys handle all types of personal injury cases. By checking their online presence, you may be able to determine if they have experience with the kind of case you have.
Schedule Consultations
Most personal injury lawyers and firms offer free initial consultations. Once you have narrowed down a short list of potential lawyers, you should schedule these free case reviews. Not only is this an excellent time to hear how the attorney can help you, but this is an opportunity for you to learn more about the attorney, including their caseload, availability, and professional approach.
For instance, if the attorney takes several phone calls during the consultation and seems in a hurry, this may indicate that they already have a full calendar and little availability. Perhaps most importantly, trust your gut. Upon meeting with an attorney, you should better understand whether they will be the right fit for you and your case. At Kolodny Law Firm, we always offer free initial consultations with no obligation to hire us.
Reach Out to Your Local Bar Association
Another helpful tip when searching for a lawyer is to contact the state and local bar associations. Attorneys join their referral lists for this very reason. Contact the Texas State Bar Association, Houston Bar Association, or a local association for a list of potential personal injury lawyers near you.
Contact Our Sugar Land Personal Injury Attorneys for a Free Consultation
At Kolodny Law Firm, we never take a fee unless we win. Contact us today to schedule your no-cost, no-obligation consultation with our experienced attorneys.