Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer

To help car accident victims recover from serious injuries and financial losses, it's important to hold drivers and others accountable if they cause an accident, forcing them to compensate victims and their loved ones. While you may plan on filing a car accident claim in Fort Worth, TX, after an accident, you must know what to expect and how to proceed with a successful case. A reliable and experienced attorney may help you build your case if you want to seek compensation.

The Fort Worth car accident lawyers at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, have plenty of experience handling car accident cases nationwide. We have over 120 years of combined experience, enabling us to give our clients the representation they need.

Why Turn to Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA?

After a car accident occurs, it may be possible for victims or their loved ones to file an insurance claim or lawsuit against the people or entities responsible for the accident. The goal of doing this would be to recover total financial compensation for all injuries and damages resulting from the accident and the liable party's wrongdoing.

With a Fort Worth personal injury attorney by your side during the claims or legal process, you may be able to prove negligence in a car accident case and recover the full amount of compensation you deserve. A good attorney will provide trustworthy and responsive representation, collect and present evidence, and calculate all damages to determine how much compensation clients can seek.

At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we've worked with many clients to settle over 400 cases, many of which have involved vehicle accidents. As a result of our diligence and experience, we've reached settlements worth millions of dollars in many cases. One of the main benefits of working with our attorneys is the ability to effectively negotiate with insurers to reach a favorable settlement, as we know how insurers work and adjusters' tactics to reduce or reject claims.

Contact us for your free case evaluation with one of our attorneys today, and we'll determine your options.

Car Accident Compensation 

If you file a claim or lawsuit against a liable party in a car accident case, you may recover economic and non-economic damages. In rare instances, victims may also recover punitive damages.

Understanding the different types of compensation can help you determine what a potential settlement is worth.

Economic Damages

Economic damages refer to the financial losses victims and their loved ones sustain from an accident.

The many economic damages that you may recover in a case include:

• Medical expenses, including the costs of ambulance rides, hospital stays, diagnostics, and treatment
• Lost income sustained because of recovery or disability
• Lost earning capacity
• Damage to property, including vehicles and other belongings
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation
• Modifications made to a home or vehicle to increase accessibility
• Wrongful death costs, including the above expenses plus funeral and burial costs

Non-Economic Damages

Car accident cases also frequently involve non-economic damages that account for the personal losses that victims experience. They're not as tangible as economic damages, which can make them harder to prove and quantify, but there are ways to show how an accident resulted in these damages.

The non-economic damages in a car accident case could include:

• Physical pain
• Psychological distress
• Trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Depression and anxiety
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium or companionship
• Disfigurement

Punitive Damages

Fort Worth car accident cases may also warrant punitive damages to victims after a judge or jury finds the defendant acted with egregious negligence or malicious intent. These damages prevent the defendant and others from engaging in the same or similar behavior.

Want to determine which damages your case could involve? Consult a Fort Worth car accident lawyer at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, to discuss a potential case and identify all relevant damages.

Where Car Accidents Occur in Fort Worth, TX

The U.S. sees car accidents every day, with a large number of these accidents occurring in Texas, one of the country's largest states. Data from the Texas Department of Transportation (TDOT) has found around 500,000 accidents in the state every year.

In one recent year, TDOT also found that Fort Worth counted thousands of these accidents.

Specifically, TDOT reports concluded that:

• There were 14,679 accidents
• 4,412 potential injuries resulted from these accidents
• 130 deaths resulted in 119 accidents

We see more accidents on some roads and intersections than on others. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), one of the city's most dangerous roads is Interstate 20, which travels through the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Other dangerous intersections and roads in this area include:

• West Weatherford Street and State Highway 199
• Western Center Boulevard and North Beach Street
• Interstate 35-West and East Berry Street
• Bryant Irvin Road and West Vickery Blvd
• East Lancaster Avenue at South Sargent Street
• Texas 183 at Texas 360

If you plan to file a claim or lawsuit to recover compensation for an accident in Fort Worth, you must also consider the statute of limitations in Texas. This gives you a specific amount of time to file before you cannot seek compensation. The statute of limitations in Texas is two years from the accident or discovery of the injury. After that, you're out of options, with some exceptions.

The Different Types of Car Accidents and Injuries

Some of the most common car accident types include:

• Rear-end crashes - This is the most common car accident in the U.S. Often, the rear driver is liable due to tailgating, which doesn't give the rear driver time to slow or stop as needed.
• T-bone accidents - Drivers could also get into an accident when they fail to acknowledge or yield to another driver with the right of way when entering an intersection. The result is one vehicle crashing into the side of another, forming the T shape that gives this accident type its name.
• Sideswipe collisions - A sideswipe accident occurs when a vehicle hits the side of another, essentially "swiping" it instead of hitting it head-on, like in a T-bone accident. Some potential causes of these accidents may include speeding, reckless driving, and making improper turns or lane changes.
• Head-on accidents - Vehicles that collide head-on in opposite directions end up in a head-on accident. The speed and force of impact in these accidents make them particularly dangerous, with many of them resulting in serious injuries or fatalities.

These and other car accidents can cause a wide range of injuries, including:

• Whiplash
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
• Back, neck, and head injuries
• Spinal cord injuries
• Scrapes, cuts and bruises
• Scarring
• Burns
• Arm and hand injuries
• Broken and fractured bones
• Roadrash
• Crushes
• Amputations

Negotiating Car Accident Claims With Insurance Companies

After a car accident in Fort Worth, your first plan may be to file an insurance claim against the responsible party's insurer. This process would entail communicating with an adjuster who will review your case details and negotiate the settlement. As you attempt to negotiate a fair settlement, you must provide supporting details and documentation that prove negligence and the nature of your injuries and other damages. 

The negotiation process may appear easy and efficient for an accident involving minor damages, but it can be harder to reach a fair settlement if injuries and damages are extensive. Even if the adjuster seems friendly and eager to help you, the fact is that adjusters work for the insurer and, subsequently, want to find reasons to reduce or deny a claim. You could compromise your case if you don't have sufficient evidence to support your claim or make the wrong statement at any point during negotiations and investigations. Also, if you accept the initial offer that insurers make, you may not be able to recover the full compensation your case is truly worth later.

To help you successfully navigate the claims process with insurers and get the compensation you deserve, it's best to consult a Fort Worth car accident lawyer before contacting insurers. An attorney may help you determine precisely how much your case is worth, obtain and organize relevant evidence that supports your case, and continue negotiations with insurers after the first offer. The legal team at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, knows how to handle these cases and can help you get the total compensation you may receive.

What to Do After a Car Accident in Fort Worth

In the event of a car accident in Fort Worth, you can take certain critical steps to build a case and increase your chances of successfully reaching a fair settlement.

The steps to follow could include:

Consulting an Attorney

After seeking treatment, one of the most important steps you can take is to speak with a Fort Worth car accident lawyer. A lawyer should be able to meet with you in a free initial consultation to discuss a potential case and review all details currently available. The attorney may then decide to represent you in a car accident case and figure out the right steps to take to reach a fair settlement.

Gather All Relevant Evidence

You must prove negligence and your damages to succeed with a car accident case in Fort Worth. In doing so, you must have plenty of evidence to persuade insurers or courts and support your arguments.

Car accident cases can involve many types of evidence that may support victims as they seek compensation, such as:

• Medical records, bills, and receipts
• Police reports
• Proof of lost income
• Visual evidence of the accident and injuries, including photos or video footage
• Proof of damaged property, such as receipts for repairs or replacements
• Journals that detail all non-economic damages, including physical pain and psychological distress

If you cannot access this evidence for any reason, a lawyer may obtain it for you.

Don't Wait to File

The statute of limitations dictates how long you have to file a car accident claim or lawsuit before you can no longer recover compensation from liable parties. In Texas, this statute gives you two years to file, which may seem like plenty of time, but it's always best to file sooner rather than later. The earlier you start working on your case, the sooner you'll be able to recover compensation for all losses and avoid running out of time.

Reach out to a Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer

If you or a loved one gets into a car accident in Fort Worth, you may file a successful claim or lawsuit against all liable parties. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we can help determine if you have a viable case and guide you in the right direction with a potential case. We can also represent you when negotiating with insurers or taking your case to court.

Schedule a free case evaluation with our Fort Worth car accident lawyers today by calling our offices at 833-552-7274 (833-55-CRASH) or contacting us online.

Dolman Law Group works with local counsel in any jurisdiction outside Florida for the purpose of filing lawsuits in jurisdictions wherein we are not licensed. Thus, we will follow each State's ethical rules to ensure a local attorney is involved.