When a personal injury turns your family’s world upside down, you need a team of attorneys who will aggressively pursue justice. At Dow Law Firm, we understand the financial, medical, and emotional difficulties that follow a personal injury. We are here to help injury victims recover the compensation they need to return to normalcy. Could our law firm be the right one for you?
Call an Austin personal injury attorney today at (512) 240-9951 to schedule your free consultation and learn more about your options.
Why Choose Dow Law Firm’s Austin Personal Injury Lawyers?
- Your case benefits from our firm’s strong reputation with defense lawyers and judges throughout Austin. This standing often helps us negotiate and litigate from a position of strength during court proceedings.
- Attorney Luke Dow holds Board Certification in Personal Injury Trial Law from the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, earned through years of trial experience and peer recognition. Less than 1% of Texas attorneys reach this level of certification.
- Our Austin personal injury attorneys will visit you at home or in the hospital after your accident to gather important details while they are still fresh. We provide free consultations and respond within 24 hours to let you know about your legal options.
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What to Expect When You Work with an Austin Personal Injury Lawyer
When you choose Dow Law Firm, you gain advocates who handle every aspect of your case while you focus on recovery. We start by conducting a thorough investigation, gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and consulting with experts who can strengthen your claim. We also handle all communication with insurance companies, protecting you from tactics designed to minimize your payout.
Throughout the process, our personal injury lawyers will keep you informed about developments in your case and explain your options in plain language. We prepare every case as if it will go to trial, which often leads to favorable negotiations. Insurance companies take notice when they know you have attorneys willing to fight for fair compensation.
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How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Texas?
Texas applies a two-year statute of limitations to most personal injury cases. This will give you two years from the date you were injured in an accident to file a complaint with your local court and begin the process of pursuing compensation from an at-fault party.
There are some exceptions, often involving government tort claims or cases where the victim is a child.
Under the Texas Tort Claims Act, you have 45 days to provide written notice to an Austin city agency and 180 days to notify a state government agency of your intent to pursue a claim. Forgetting this step can be fatal to your personal injury case.
On the other hand, the statute of limitations can be tolled if the victim of an accident is a child. Parents can bring a claim on the child’s behalf within the two-year time period, or the statute of limitations can be paused until the child turns 18, at which point they can pursue a claim on their own.
Common Types of Personal Injury Cases in Austin
Car Accidents
Even a seemingly minor collision can result in life-changing personal injuries. Victims of Austin car accidents often require compensation to pay for medical bills, rental car fees, property damage, and more, but insurance companies are usually reluctant to pay what they should. Personal injury lawyer Luke Dow has helped many car accident victims throughout the course of his career, and he can fight for you.
Truck and Bus Accidents
Operators of commercial trucks and buses drive some of the most dangerous vehicles on the road. When these drivers are overworked, distracted, or not properly trained by their companies, the consequences can be devastating. Truck and bus accidents differ significantly from car wrecks, but our personal injury attorneys understand the complexities of these cases and can help plaintiffs achieve justice.
Dog Bites
Dog bites can lead to serious physical injuries and emotional trauma. Victims may face medical expenses, lost wages, and enduring psychological effects. At Dow Law Firm, we understand the complexities surrounding dog bite cases, including liability issues and the specific laws governing these incidents.
Our experienced Austin personal injury attorneys are dedicated to securing fair compensation for your pain, suffering, and financial losses. If you or a loved one has been bitten by a dog, trust us to advocate for your rights and help you on the path to recovery.
Slip and Fall
Often resulting in severe injuries, including broken bones, head trauma, and spinal damage, slip and fall incidents often occur due to hazardous conditions such as wet floors, uneven surfaces, or inadequate lighting.
At Dow Law Firm, we specialize in handling slip and fall cases, meticulously investigating the circumstances to establish liability and secure the compensation you deserve. If you’ve been injured in a slip-and-fall accident, our dedicated personal injury attorneys in Austin are here to provide the support and representation you need to recover physically and financially.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcyclists frequently find themselves in accidents due to various scenarios. From drivers misjudging their speed or failing to notice their presence to sudden lane changes resulting from distracted driving, these situations pose serious risks. Regardless of the accident’s cause, the outcomes can be severe, leading to long-lasting injuries or, tragically, fatalities.
Understanding Negligence Laws In Texas
Most personal injury lawsuits in Texas are based on the tort of negligence. Negligence involves a deviation from a duty of care that causes another person to suffer damage to property, a personal injury, or wrongful death.
Texas has many laws on the books that can affect negligence-based personal injury lawsuits:
- Comparative negligence: Texas is a modified comparative negligence state. A plaintiff’s damages can be reduced proportionately to shared fault up to 50 percent. If your negligence contributes to an accident in which you’re injured, it can limit or bar a financial recovery.
- At-fault insurance: In Texas, you can seek damages from another party if their negligence caused your accident.
- Statute of Limitations: Personal injury lawsuits are generally required to be filed with the court within two years of the date of a defendant’s negligent actions.
- Contribution among tortfeasors: Liability is shared by anyone whose negligence contributes to an accident in which you’re injured, even if their contribution to the accident was indirect or minor.
Dow Law Firm has decades of hands-on experience handling complex negligence-based claims for Texas injury victims. You can benefit from our knowledge and winning legal strategies as you pursue compensation from a negligent party after an accident in Austin by calling us for help today.
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Calculating Damages in Austin Personal Injury Cases
The purpose of a personal injury lawsuit is to make you whole again following the accident, addressing the damages that you have suffered. Compensation in your lawsuit will fall into two main categories: economic and non-economic.
- Economic damages cover your measurable financial losses. These include medical expenses like hospital bills, surgery costs, prescription medications, and rehabilitation services. You can also recover lost wages from time off work and future earning capacity if your injury affects your ability to work. Property damage, such as vehicle repairs after a car accident, also falls under this category.
- Non-economic damages compensate you for losses that do not have a clear dollar amount. They include pain and suffering, which represent the physical discomfort and emotional distress your injury has caused. If your injury affects your relationship with your spouse, you might recover damages for loss of consortium.
Accurately valuing your claim requires more than adding up bills. At Dow Law Firm, we work with medical experts, economists, and life care planners to capture the full scope of your damages. We consider how your injury will affect you years down the road, not just today. This comprehensive approach helps secure compensation that truly reflects your losses.
What Is My Austin Personal Injury Claim Worth?
Since everyone faces different challenges in the wake of a serious accident, everyone’s claim will be worth something different, too. As our personal injury attorneys in Austin assess your damages and value your claim, we’ll consider:
- The types of injuries you’ve suffered and how serious they are
- Short-term and/or long-term changes in your ability to work and earning capacity
- Allegations of shared responsibility for your accident and injuries
- The strength of the evidence supporting your legal claim
- Changes in your day-to-day and overall quality of life
- Available insurance benefits and the at-fault party’s policy limits
The more you know about what your personal injury case could be worth, the easier it’ll be to identify lowball settlement offers and fight for the full compensation you deserve. Working with our legal team can give you the knowledge and confidence you’ll need to achieve the best possible case results.
How Long Will It Take My Personal Injury Case to Settle?
It depends, because every situation is unique. A lot of different factors can play a part in how quickly (or slowly) your personal injury case progresses and when (and if) it settles.
- Is liability clearly established and accepted by both parties?
- Are you being blamed – even to a small degree – for the accident that caused your injuries?
- How strong is the evidence supporting your claim?
- Is the insurance company handling your claim in good faith?
- Have you reached maximum medical improvement?
- Have you hired a personal injury attorney to represent you?
Some personal injury cases, especially those involving soft tissue injuries or other injuries that don’t require surgery, can settle in a few months, if not weeks. When cases involve more catastrophic injuries, it can take longer to settle.
A quick settlement isn’t necessarily a good thing, especially if your injuries have substantially changed your life. The insurance company will be eager to resolve your claim quickly to minimize costs and reduce your financial recovery.
It takes time, however, to realize the full extent of your injuries, what medical care you might need, how long you’ll need treatment, and how it’ll affect various aspects of your life for weeks, months, or years to come. Until you have all of this information, you can’t really know what your claim is worth. If you settle prematurely, you risk leaving valuable compensation behind.
Working with an experienced personal injury attorney at Dow Law Firm can help you accelerate meaningful negotiations and put you in a position to win your case and achieve the best results in the shortest but most appropriate timeframe possible.
Can Personal Injury Cases Settle Before Trial?
They can, and most do. In fact, only a small handful of personal injury cases are actually resolved at trial. Trials are time-consuming, expensive, and stressful. Parties can, and are encouraged to, negotiate and work toward an agreeable settlement figure before it’s necessary to bring a dispute to a jury.
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What Does It Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney in Austin, TX?
Our Austin personal injury attorneys represent clients on a contingency fee basis. We know you’re under immense financial pressure, and we don’t want to add to that. You pay nothing up front and nothing out of pocket. We assume the risk of litigation by fronting the costs needed to pursue a claim.
We only get paid when we recover compensation for you. Our fees are a specified percentage of your financial recovery, generally one-third or 40 percent, depending on the specific circumstances of your case. If we don’t win your personal injury case, you owe us nothing at all.
Contact a Personal Injury Attorney in Austin Today
If you or a loved one has been injured in a personal injury accident, don’t face the legal process alone. Trust the experienced Austin personal injury attorneys at Dow Law Firm to guide you through every step and secure the compensation you deserve.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and learn more about how we can assist you.