No one expects an injury to suddenly send their life off-course, but it only takes an instant to suffer an injury that requires many months of recovery to heal. Some injuries have life-altering effects like permanent disability, impairment, or disfigurement. When the injury was preventable and only happened because someone else failed to take reasonable measures to prevent it, it’s even more distressing. Fortunately, the civil court in Texas provides legal recourse for those injured through no fault of their own but due to someone else’s careless, reckless, or wrongful actions.
If you’ve suffered an injury due to another party’s negligence, contact the personal injury lawyers at the Law Office of Wawi Tijerina by calling or texting (956) 489-1300 so we can take prompt action in recovering compensation for your injury damages.
Why Choose The Webb County Personal Injury Lawyers at Wawi Tijerina Law?
Webb County native, Wawi Tijerina, has been a decades-long advocate for injury victims, standing firm against profit-protecting insurance companies and liable individuals or businesses. Our law firm in Webb County offers significant advantages for your personal injury claim, including the following:
- We never charge upfront fees. Instead, we offer free initial consultations and only take our legal fees after we obtain your compensation
- Our legal team includes fluent Spanish speakers so we are welcoming to Hispanic community members regardless of their migrant status
- Wawi Tijerina believes in open, honest communication so you are always included in decision-making and apprised of all progress in your case
- We are a compassionate team of attorneys who use our skills, experience, and resources to make the most compelling case for the maximum compensation
Don’t try to take on the legal hurdle of an injury claim or lawsuit alone. You are not alone. We are ready to assertively seek the best possible outcome for your financial recovery while you focus on your physical well-being.
What Types of Personal Injury Cases Do We Handle at Our Webb County Law Firm?
Injuries happen every day, but it is personal when it happens to you, especially when an injury is temporarily or permanently life-altering and only occurred due to someone else’s actions or negligence. At Wawi Tijerina Law, our injury lawyers handle all types of serious injury cases, including the following:
- Car accidents
- Commercial truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian/bicycle accidents
- Workplace injuries
- Premises liability claims
- Medical malpractice
- Defective product claims
- Catastrophic injury claims
- Wrongful death
Personal injury claims in Webb County and elsewhere are based on the legal premise that we all owe a general duty of care to others in our orbits, requiring us to take reasonable action to avoid causing injuries. When someone breaches this duty of care, and it causes an injury with damages like medical expenses and lost wages to someone else, the at-fault party is legally responsible.
Most personal injury claims end with a settlement from the at-fault party’s insurance company, like auto insurance after a car accident, or malpractice insurance after a medical malpractice accident.
Common Injuries in Webb County Personal Injury Claims
Even relatively minor injuries can cause more than pain and inconvenience. A single large emergency room bill and a few days of missed pay can generate financial hardship for families. More serious injuries cause catastrophic, life-altering damages like disability or death. In Webb County personal injury claims, the at-fault individual or business is held financially accountable. Common injuries claimed in personal injury cases in Texas include the following:
- Back injuries
- Neck injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Broken bones
- Soft-tissue injuries to shoulders, knees, ankles, or wrists
- Lacerations, contusions, and abrasions
- Burns
- Dog bites
- Facial trauma
- Traumatic limb loss
- Loss of vision or hearing
- Internal organ damage
- Spinal cord injuries
Serious injuries have long-term physical and financial consequences for the injury victim. These consequences are the “damages” claimed in a personal injury case.
The Importance of Duty of Care In a Web County Personal Injury Case
Most personal injury claims are centered on the general duty of care that all individuals, businesses, and other entities have toward those in their orbit. This duty requires parties to take reasonable actions to avoid causing injury to others, such as a driver’s duty to follow traffic laws. Breaching this duty of care through careless, reckless, or wrongful actions (legal negligence) leaves the at-fault party liable for damages to an injury victim who is harmed by the negligent action. Evidence of a breach of the duty of reasonable care often includes accident reports, eyewitness testimony, photo and video evidence, and expert testimony.
For some categories of personal injury, the duty of care standard departs from the general duty of care. For example, in a medical malpractice claim, a physician or other medical provider is held to a higher duty of care. Their duty is to treat their patients at the standard of care accepted as appropriate by the medical community. Another example exists in defective product claims. Manufacturers have strict liability for their products. An injury victim does not have to prove a manufacturer’s negligence. Instead, they must prove that the product has a design flaw, a manufacturing mistake, or a marketing error.
Texas Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury
Like all states, Texas has stringent time limits in place for filing a personal injury claim. Under Texas Sec. 16.003. In most cases, the claim must be filed within two years of the date the injury occurred. A court will not hear a case filed after the two-year statute of limitations. For this reason, insurance companies also adhere to the statute of limitations for personal injury claims. Only under limited circumstances does the Texas civil court extend the two-year time limit. This may occur when an injury victim is a minor, in which case they have two years from their 18th birthday to file a claim, or if an injury victim discovers their injury later. Under the Delayed Discovery Rule, the two-year time limit begins on the date of the discovery.
The statute of limitations for personal injury in Texas ensures that evidence remains available in a case and also protects defendants against the long-term threat of lawsuits.
How Long Will a Webb County Personal Injury Case Take?
The timeline of a personal injury claim from filing to resolution depends on the complexity of the case and whether or not it requires a trial. Only about four percent of personal injury claims require a court case. In most cases, a personal injury case takes six months to two years to resolve through the following process:
- A personal injury attorney conducts an independent investigation into the accident and documents compelling evidence of the at-fault party’s liability
- The attorney carefully calculates their client’s economic and non-economic damages
- They send their findings to the appropriate insurance company in a demand package
- The attorney enters assertive negotiations to maximize the compensation available to their client
- The claim ends in an ample settlement for damages, or proceeds to court within the state’s two-year statute of limitations
During an attorney’s initial evaluation of your case, they can give you a better understanding of the timeline in your case based on the unique circumstances of your case.
What Can I Get Out of a Personal Injury Claim in Webb County?
All successful personal injury claims are different, with the amount of compensation depending on the type of injury, the severity of the injury, and the types of damages the victim experiences. Common damages awarded in Webb County personal injury claims include the following:
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Future medical care costs
- Reimbursement for lost wages
- Future income loss
- Diminished earning capacity due to disability
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Compensation for pain and suffering
Depending on the individual circumstances, an injury victim may recover additional compensation for specific damages like loss of limb, disfigurement, trauma, PTSD, loss of quality of life, or the loss of one of the senses or an organ. If the negligent party’s actions were particularly egregious, the court may award the injury victim punitive damages as well. If the accident results in loss of life, you can fight for compensation for your loss of a loved one with the help of a wrongful death lawyer in Webb County, Texas.
Do I Have to Go to Court for a Webb County Personal Injury Case?
Approximately 95% of personal injury cases are settled outside of court through an attorney’s direct negotiations with the appropriate insurance company. After investigating the cause of the injury, documenting evidence, and carefully calculating the damages, your attorney from Wawi Tijerina Law will send a demand package to the insurance company of the at-fault party and begin negotiations toward a settlement. The case only becomes a lawsuit litigated in front of a jury if the insurance company doesn’t offer an acceptable settlement or wrongfully delays, denies, or disputes the claim.
Call the Webb County Personal Injury Lawyers at Wawi Tijerina Law
The personal injury lawyers at Wawi Tijerina Law have seen the impacts of serious injuries on injury victims and the ripple effects on all aspects of their lives. We have deep compassion for our clients and have devoted our careers to advocating for their financial recovery while they concentrate on their physical recovery. Dealing with a complex legal claim can be overwhelming after a serious injury. Sadly, insurance companies and liable parties often take advantage of injury victims while they are vulnerable, resulting in a lowball settlement offer or unfair denial of a valid claim.
Contact the personal injury attorneys at Wawi Tijerina Law after a serious injury and before accepting a fast settlement offered by an insurance company or dealing with a denied claim. Call or text Wawi Tijerina Law today at (956) 489-1300 so we can begin strategizing the best path forward for your case.