Call For A Free Case Review (972) 599 4100
WHY HIRE AN ATTORNEY AFTER AN AUTO ACCIDENT IN LANCASTER?The Law Office of Doug Goyen represents people injured in accidents. We provide a variety of ways we assist. The following are the common areas we assist with car accident injury claims:
Getting the insurance company to pay the medical bills from your accident. Including ambulance, emergency room, ER doctors, radiology, family doctors, specialists, chiropractic, therapists, or any other medical bill related to your accident.
We help our clients find medical facilities that can treat them for their accident-related injuries.
We help our clients find medical facilities willing to defer collection on their bills until the insurance company releases payment related to their injury.
We get the evidence needed to prove liability so there is no excuse for the insurance company to delay or deny payment.
We gather the evidence needed to get our clients paid for their lost income from missing work due to the accident.
We get the evidence needed to get the full value of pain and suffering, and other ways the injury has caused damage to our clients, so our clients get the full settlement value for their case.
Call (972) 599 4100, or contact us on our website contact form. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless you win!
No Fee Unless You Win Call (972) 599 4100
What Is the Value of My Car Accident Case?This is determined by the specific facts of your auto accident, the physical injuries you sustained, and any other damages, if any. Some cases involve clear liability on the defendant’s part but only moderate damages. Other cases involve severe physical injuries, such as brain and spine trauma, but there may be a disagreement over who is to blame for the accident.
We can arrive at an estimated range of values for your case after reviewing the facts of your case and the injuries you have suffered. This is critical for reaching a favorable settlement. One of the reasons insurance companies don’t want you to hire a lawyer is that you’ll learn the true, full value of your case.
In a car accident case, common damages include:
If the accident was fatal, or the victim later died as a result of their injuries, the victim’s surviving spouse and family members may be able to recover compensation for their pain, suffering, and mental anguish through a wrongful death lawsuit.
CAUSES AND TYPES OF AUTO ACCIDENTS
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are killed or injured in traffic accidents across the country. Understanding how injury-causing and fatal motor vehicle accidents occur is the first step toward preventing them. Knowing the most common causes of vehicle collisions can help you avoid at least some accidents by making you more aware of certain situations.
Collision victims have a legal right to compensation for their injuries and losses, and they deserve caring, compassionate legal representation when pursuing that compensation from the parties who caused the collision. The following are some of the most common causes and types of car accidents:
The following checklist is for people involved in an accident. The list includes things to do if there is an injury involved. It also includes specific resources for people involved in accidents in Lancaster, Texas.
Check if anyone is injured. Make sure you are not hurt worse than you realize. Accidents are traumatic, sudden, and unexpected. The shock of the accident often causes people not to realize the severity of their injury. Next, check on your passengers. Then check on people in the other vehicles involved. If anyone is injured, get help.
Call 911. If anyone is hurt let the dispatcher know. They will send police and paramedics to help. Police will secure the accident scene, help assist injured people until paramedics arrive, and then take the statements of those involved in the accident.
Write down witness contact information. If there are witnesses at the scene of the accident, get their names, phone numbers, email, and anything else they use for contact. The other driver may seem like they are admitting fault, but they may change their story when the police arrive, or when they report it to their insurance company. If this happens you need the witness information.
NOTE: If you are too injured to do anything on this checklist, call a friend or family member to come to the scene and help with the checklist.
Get IDs and insurance information. Exchange your identifying information and auto liability information with all other drivers. Texas law requires anyone involved in an auto accident to exchange this information regardless of who is at fault in the accident. Take photos of the IDs and insurance.
Get pictures of the vehicles involved in the accident. Get photos of the damage to the other vehicles, the points of impact, and the license plate numbers. Get pictures of any skid marks on the ground and any debris on the ground.
Take pictures of the roadway in the direction you were traveling and in the direction you came from. Take pictures of the direction the other drivers were heading and where they came from as well.
Cooperate with the police officer. The officer will write a report on the accident. You want your statement to be in that report. Tell them your side of the story. Let them know if you are hurt, feeling pain, or have any discomfort you did not have before the accident. It will all be listed on the police report.
Lancaster Police Accident Reports: The Lancaster Police Department has their accident reports available online here: Lancaster Police Accident Reports.
Texas DOT Accident Reports: Another place to locate accident reports is through the Texas Department of Transportation. If it has been 2-3 weeks or longer since your accident, the report is likely on this database as well: Texas Department of Transportation Accident Reports
Tell paramedics if injured. Let the paramedics check your condition. They are trained to recognize symptoms and signs that your injury may be worse than you realize. Tell them of any pains or discomfort you have.
Emergency Rooms: If you decide to go to the emergency room on your own, the following emergency rooms are located in the Lancaster area:
Call For A Free Case Review (972) 599 4100
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS AFTER LEAVING THE ACCIDENT SCENETexas law requires the wrongdoer to “right the wrongs” that they caused. If they cause harm to someone or damage to someone’s property, they are required to “right the wrongs” they caused. A person injured by a negligent driver is entitled to compensation from the negligent person and their insurance company. In order to protect your rights to compensation, you need to hire a lawyer that does personal injury cases related to car accidents. Speak to the actual lawyer before hiring them. Do not sign up unless you are able to talk to the lawyer first. The lawyer represents you, not the case manager, so you want to be comfortable that the lawyer will do the job needed to protect your rights and get you the results you need.
Do not talk to any auto insurance companies if you are hurt. If you have been injured, let your lawyer do the talking for you. If you are hurt the insurance adjuster’s job is to try and minimize your claim as much as possible. If they can get you to say something that gets them out of paying at all, they will do so.
Get follow-up care for your injury. If you do not know where to go or do not know how you can afford treatment, the Law Office of Doug Goyen can find medical facilities that can treat you and will defer collecting on their bill until the insurance company releases payments for your injury.
Take pictures of visible injuries. Take photos of bruising, cuts, abrasions, or anything else that is visible. The insurance company will want proof of any injury, and photos of injuries from the accident help.
Get an estimate for the repair of your vehicle. Get your own estimate. The insurance company will write an estimate that is lower than the actual cost to repair your vehicle. They do this because some people do not actually repair their vehicle after an accident and use the money for other expenses they have incurred. This allows the insurance company to save money by paying less than what damage was caused.
If there is a dispute about liability that arises, you need your own estimate to prove the amount of damage that was done.
Body shops often write free estimates – they want your business. Body shops in the Lancaster, Texas area that can write estimates and do repairs for your vehicle include:
Keep copies of bills and receipts. Anything you have had to pay or owe due to the auto accident needs to be reimbursed. Give copies of everything to your lawyer so you get reimbursement for these expenses.
Watch what you post on social media. Assume everything you post will be seen by the adjuster or the insurance company lawyers. They will use anything they can to call your injury into question, so be careful what you post.
Call the Law Office of Doug Goyen. Speak to our lawyer. We will start working on your case immediately. Call (972) 599 4100.
Call For A Free Case Review (972) 599 4100
TYPES OF CASES WE HANDLEThe Law Office of Doug Goyen handles personal injury cases throughout the state of Texas. This includes car crash cases (automobiles, 18 wheelers, motorcycles, pedestrians struck by vehicles, etc.), premises cases (such as injuries caused by a dangerous condition on a property), dog bite cases (or other animals where the owner let their animal loose or had a dangerous animal and the owner’s negligence causes injury to someone else), workplace injuries, and other injuries caused by the negligence or harmful acts of others.
We deal with the insurance company and protect your rights while you focus on what you need to do to get better and take care of yourself and those around you.
Large commercial trucks do serious damage and cause serious injuries. We will fight for you to get you the compensation you deserve and protect your rights while you recover.
Drunk drivers cause serious injuries and death every year. We fight their insurance companies to get you compensated for the damage and injury they have caused you.
Pedestrians struck by vehicles can suffer serious injuries. We represent people injured in by negligent drivers and help our clients get compensation for their injury.
Bicyclists are at risk of serious injury if they are hit by a vehicle. We represent bicyclists who have been hit by careless drivers.
When bars or restaurants continue to over-serve drunk people, and those people cause accidents that result in injuries, we assist clients in obtaining compensation for their injuries.
We fight for the rights of motorcyclists who have been hurt by careless drivers. We are fighting for full compensation from the insurance company.
When someone dies as a result of negligence from a motor vehicle accident, the family and estate have a claim against the negligent parties. We represent families and estates in obtaining restitution for their losses
Call For A Free Case Review (972) 599 4100
FREE CASE REVIEWSIf you or someone you know needs the assistance of a Lancaster car accident lawyer in an injury case call (972) 599 4100 for a free consultation and a free strategy session regarding your case. The strategy session includes a summary of your case, identification of the legal issues involved with your case, and identifying those legal issues that will help maximize your recovery in your case. We will email a copy of this strategy session to you for you to keep. Call us today.
By Doug Goyen, douggoyen@goyenlaw.com
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