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When a drunk driver causes you or a family member to suffer injuries in a drunk driving auto crash in North Richland Hills, it can be overwhelming to deal with the sudden worries about your health and your lack of income while you are off work recovering. Like other DWI crash victims, you are most likely anxious to complete your settlement with the negligent motorist’s insurance company. However, it is important to be realistic about what this time frame really is and understand why it could take longer to receive your compensation than you would like.

Factors That Impact the Time It Will Take to Settle Your North Richland Hills DWI Claim

Unfortunately, even an experienced drunk driving crash attorney cannot tell you precisely how long it will take him to settle your case. This is because each case is unique and has its own set of issues that may cause delays in resolving the claim with the insurance company. However, there are a number of factors that can impact the time it takes for an accident victim to receive their money. Some of the factors that could make the process take longer include:

Your medical treatment.

If you have not fully recovered from your injuries or reached your maximum medical improvement where you have recovered as much as you will or have received a final diagnosis, this could delay your settlement. Your attorney will want to know this information so that he can accurately value your future wage loss, medical expenses, and pain and suffering.

Disputes with the insurance company.

Even if the drunk driver’s liability in causing your collision is clear cut, there is a strong likelihood that the insurance company will raise disputes about fault, the severity of your injuries, or both. Depending on how complicated these disputes are, it could take your attorney longer to obtain the evidence to disprove the insurance company’s position and convince them to be reasonable.

Large claim.

It could take longer to settle your claim if you suffered catastrophic injuries that makes the value of your claim higher—common in DWI wrecks. In general, insurance companies take longer to investigate and resolve these cases.

Insurance company.

Some insurance companies have a reputation for being more difficult to work with—at least in getting what the victims are owed. Part of their goal is to wear the victim down into accepting less than what they are entitled to. If the insurance company for the negligent driver falls within this category, your attorney can file a lawsuit or take other steps to ensure that your case gets resolved as quickly as possible.

Are you frustrated because of how long it is taking to settle your North Richland Hills DWI crash claim? The important thing to remember is that you may need to wait to receive what you deserve. 

Have You Been Injured In A Texas Car Accident?

If you've been hurt in a Texas car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our Colleyville office directly at 817.380.4888 to schedule your free consultation.

We help injured victims throughout Texas including Arlington, North Richland, Grapevine, Bedford, Hurst, Euless, Irving and all points in between.

Related Links: Importance of a Police Report to Your Drunk Driving Claim Wrongful Death and Survival Actions in Texas Drunk Driving Cases What Compensation Am I Entitled to If I Am Injured by a Drunk Driver?

In Texas, a negligent driver is legally responsible for compensating the victims of an auto collision. However, the reality may be that the negligent driver has no or insufficient insurance coverage to compensate you and your family for the injuries he caused in a Grapevine car crash. That is why it is important to be certain that you have enough auto insurance coverage to protect yourself if you end up in this situation.

What Insurance Coverage Should I Get in Grapevine?

You need to have sufficient auto insurance to protect yourself as the victim of a wreck. Not being sufficiently insured can make the stress and financial toll of a car crash all the worse and have long-term consequences to your life and the lives of your family. The following are the required and optional insurance coverages that you should consider purchasing:

Liability insurance.

You are required to carry a minimum of $30,000 per person and $60,000 per wreck for personal injuries and $25,000 for property damage. This will compensate victims of an auto crash that you caused. You should purchase additional coverage to properly protect yourself because a victim’s compensation could be substantially more than this amount.

Collision coverage.

This is optional coverage that you would be required to purchase by your lender if you have an auto loan. It can pay for the cost to repair your vehicle or replace it up to its actual cash value—the current value of your vehicle minus depreciation—if it cannot be repaired.

Comprehensive.

This is optional insurance to pay the repair or actual cash value of your vehicle if it is damaged by fire, vandalism, hail, or falling objects.

Medical payment.

Medical payment coverage is another type of optional coverage that can be helpful. It would pay your medical bills or those of passengers in your vehicle and other injured people up to the coverage limits regardless of who caused the wreck. It will also pay funeral expenses.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage. 

PIP coverage will pay medical expenses, up to 80 percent of lost wages, and the cost to hire a caregiver for passengers, other injured persons, and you no matter who caused the crash. You will automatically receive this coverage unless you reject it in writing.

Uninsured/underinsured coverage.

Uninsured and underinsured property and personal injury coverages pay for your vehicle damage and personal injuries if the other driver had no insurance or too little insurance to fully compensate you. This is another type of insurance that you receive automatically unless you reject it in writing. You should consider purchasing additional coverage over the minimum to protect yourself if you are in a serious crash with a driver who has no or little insurance.

Towing and car rental.

These are both optional coverages that would pay your towing and car rental costs if you were involved in an auto collision and your vehicle was damaged.

Have You Been Injured In A Texas Car Accident?

If you've been hurt in a Texas car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our Colleyville office directly at 817.380.4888 to schedule your free consultation.

We help car accident victims throughout Arlington, North Richland, Grapevine, Bedford, Hurst, Eules and all points between.

Related Links: Compensation You May Be Entitled to in a Grapevine DWI Crash What to Do After Being Hit by a Drunk Driver in Texas Your Rights as a Passenger in a Drunk Driving Collision

Being injured in a drunk driving crash caused by another driver while you are on your way to Tom Thumb or to meet a friend at Winewood Grill is a frightening experience. It is overwhelming to suddenly be dealing with serious injuries and the reality that you will have no income for months or longer while you recover. When you are most vulnerable, the insurance adjuster for the drunk driver could contact you—even before you are out of the hospital—with a barrage of questions and requests. One request that you need to be wary of is to sign a medical authorization for release of information.

Why You Do Not Want to Sign an Insurance Company’s Blanket Medical Release Following a Grapevine Drunk Driving Accident

While it is true that the insurance adjuster will need your medical records regarding your injuries before settling your claim, this does not mean that you should sign the insurance company’s blanket authorization for release of medical information. You should not agree to this because doing so:

Provides too much information.

If you sign the insurance company’s release, you are most likely giving them access to all of your medical records. This can give the insurance adjuster the ability to search through your records for prior injuries or mention of an ache or pain to the same body part in the past or other information that he can try to use to deny or reduce your claim.

Invades your privacy.

By signing the authorization, you are giving the insurance adjuster access to irrelevant medical information about you that may be private and sensitive. This is an invasion of your privacy, and you are not required to disclose this irrelevant medical information to settle your claim.

Weakens your case.

You may make it harder for an experienced drunk driving attorney to settle your claim for what it is worth because you are providing the insurance company with ammunition to dispute your claim. While your attorney will have strategies to defeat some of the insurance company’s arguments against paying you, he may need to compromise on some disputes that are potential weaknesses in your case.

You should never sign a medical authorization, settlement agreement, or other document provided by the insurance company without first having it reviewed by a lawyer. This ensures that you are not waiving important legal rights and are receiving what you deserve. He can also provide the insurance company with the medical records they truly need and not irrelevant ones that invade your privacy and hurt your case. 

Have You Been Injured In A Texas Car Accident?

If you've been hurt in a Texas car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our Colleyville office directly at 817.380.4888 to schedule your free consultation.

We help car accident victims throughout Arlington, North Richland, Grapevine, Bedford, Hurst, Eules and all points between.

Related Links: Compensation You May Be Entitled to in a Grapevine DWI Crash What to Do After Being Hit by a Drunk Driver in Texas Your Rights as a Passenger in a Drunk Driving Collision

Your chances of being injured in a drunk driving wreck in North Richland Hills may be greater than in other nearby communities due to the number of college students attending the University of Texas in Arlington and the University of North Texas. If you suffered injuries or a loved one was killed, you can hold the drunk driver responsible for compensating you for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. When filing your claim with the driver’s insurance company, you do not want to make the mistake of treating your claim like a traditional car accident case.

Key Differences Between North Richland Hills Auto Accident and Drunk Driving Claims

In some ways, a drunk driving crash is the same as a standard car wreck. In both incidents, one or more vehicles causes a rear-end, head-on, T-bone, or other type of collision. However, there are important differences in the settlement of these claims that is important to understand if you are the victim in a drunk driving wreck, including:

Fault may be easier to prove.

While you still have to prove that the driver’s intoxication was the cause of your wreck, this may be easier to prove than fault in other crashes due to how alcohol impairs driving.

A DWI is a criminal case.

Unlike many car crashes, the driver could face DWI criminal charges as well as face civil liability to compensate you. You may need to obtain evidence from the criminal case—such as his blood test to prove his blood alcohol concentration—to help prove his negligence. In addition, if the driver pleads guilty in his criminal case, he may be found negligent per se—which is an automatic finding of negligence—in your civil case against him.

Punitive damages may be awarded.

Punitive damages are awarded in North Richland Hills auto collision cases to punish the driver rather than compensate the victims. However, you are more likely to be awarded this type of compensation if you are hit by a drunk driver than a negligent driver who was not intoxicated.

Other parties may be liable.

You may be able to hold the bar, restaurant, store, or social host who served the drunk driver alcohol liable for compensating you under Texas’ Dram Shop and Social Host Laws.

The value of your claim may be higher.

The value of your claim could be higher because you are more likely to suffer catastrophic injuries or death in a drunk driving wreck. The possibility of being awarded punitive damages can also make your claim worth more.

Insurance companies will sit up and listen.

Insurance companies tend to take drunk driving cases more seriously. However, you will still need the assistance of an experienced car crash attorney to obtain the settlement you deserve.

Have You Been Injured In A Texas Car Accident?

If you've been hurt in a Texas car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our Colleyville office directly at 817.380.4888 to schedule your free consultation.

Related Links: Texas Dram Shop Law and Drunk Driving Claims Wrongful Death and Survival Actions in Texas Drunk Driving Cases What Compensation Am I Entitled to If I Am Injured by a Drunk Driver?

If you were injured in a drunk driving wreck while commuting to UTA on Northeast Loop 420, or on any other busy road in North Richland Hills, one of the most important laws to understand is the statute of limitations. This is the time period you have under Texas law to file a lawsuit against the drunk driver for compensation for your injuries. If you miss the deadline set by the statute of limitations, you may lose your right to hold the drunk driver responsible for compensating you.

Statute of Limitations for Your North Richland Hills Drunk Driving Accident

In Texas, the time period to file a lawsuit against a drunk driver is the same as in other car crash cases. Here are the important deadlines that you must comply with:

Property damage.

The deadline is two years from the date of your crash to sue for the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle and any property in it that was damaged.

Personal injuries.

You also have two years from the date of your wreck to file a lawsuit for compensation for your personal injuries, such as medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Wrongful death.

If a loved one died as a result of a drunk driver’s negligence, the statute of limitations is slightly different. You must file a wrongful death action within two years of his death, not the date of the accident.

If you fail to file a lawsuit within this time period, you may waive your right to sue the negligent driver and the judge could dismiss your case. However, even if you think you missed the statute of limitations, you should consult with an experienced car crash attorney because your collision may fall into a limited exception to this rule.

Why You Should Not Delay in Retaining an Experienced Car Accident Attorney

If your accident in North Richland Hills occurred recently, this does not mean you should wait to retain an experienced attorney. It is always best to contact an attorney as soon as possible after your wreck. By doing so, you give him the opportunity to more thoroughly investigate how it occurred. For example, he may go to the scene of your collision to look for missed evidence and can contact witnesses who saw what happened before they disappear or their memories fade. He can also guide you through the process of filing your claim and help you avoid common mistakes that North Richland Hills crash victims inadvertently make.

Have You Been Injured In A Texas Car Accident?

If you've been hurt in a Texas car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our Colleyville office directly at 817.380.4888 to schedule your free consultation.

We also help injured victims throughout Texas including Arlington, Grapevine, Bedford, Hurst, Euless, Irving and all points in between.

Related Links: How to Prove a Drunk Driver Caused Your Wreck What to Do After Being Hit by a Drunk Driver in Texas What Compensation Am I Entitled to If I Am Injured by a Drunk Driver?

If you are like many employees in Texas, you may work for a non-subscriber employer who does not provide workers’ compensation benefits to workers injured on the job. However, you still have a right to compensation if you hurt at work, as long as you can prove that your employer was at least one percent negligent in causing your injuries. If you are in this situation and need to file a claim, you may be wondering if you should represent yourself or retain an experienced workplace injury attorney.

Times You Can Represent Yourself After Suffering a Workplace Injury

You may be surprised to learn that there are situations when you can represent yourself when settling a workplace injury claim. However, these are limited cases. If all of the following apply to you, you may be able to settle your own claim:

• You suffered a minor injury, such as a sprained wrist or ankle or one requiring stitches.
• You only took a little time or no time off work.
• Your employer agrees to liability for your injury and is paying for your medical expenses and any lost wages.

Why You Need an Attorney in Most Workplace Injury Cases

A non-subscriber workplace injury case is more complicated than a workers’ comp case and can be much more difficult to settle. Here are common issues that arise in these cases that require an attorney’s assistance:

Negligence.

While you only have to prove that your employer was one percent negligent to be entitled to all of your compensation, you still must prove that your employer’s negligence caused your injuries. This can be impossible without the help of an experienced workplace injury attorney who can investigate the incident and collect the evidence necessary to prove your employer’s negligence.

Disputes.

You could have disputes with the insurance adjuster for your employer about the cause of your injuries or their severity. In a non-subscriber case, you are entitled to compensation for your medical expenses and lost wages, and pain and suffering, which is not allowed in a workers’ comp cases. The insurance adjuster may raise more disputes in your case because of the higher value of your claim.

Serious injuries.

Whenever you suffer any serious injuries that require you to take off more than a few days, need surgery, or result in you becoming partially or completely disabled, this will increase the amount of settlement that you are entitled to. This can also make it more difficult to obtain the full amount of compensation you deserve without aggressively fighting for it.

Pre-existing injuries.

If you have any pre-existing injuries to the same body part, the insurance company could argue that this prior injury and not the incident at work was the cause of your current injuries. An experienced attorney will have strategies to defeat this argument.

Value of your claim.

Calculating the amount of your past and future medical expenses and lost wages can be more complex than you think, and you do not have the experience to value the pain and suffering portion of your claim. To ensure that you receive what you deserve, you need the advice of an attorney on how much you should receive in your settlement.

Third-party claims.

You may have a claim of negligence against a third party as well as your employer. Proving liability and negotiating settlements with multiple parties is not something that you can successfully accomplish on your own.

Have You Been Injured At Your Texas Job And Your Employer Doesn't Provide Workers' Compensation?

If you've been injured on the job and your employer is non-subscriber you need to speak with an experienced work injury lawyer as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our our Colleyville office directly at 817.380.4888 to schedule your free consultation.

We help injured workers throughout Texas including Arlington, North Richland, Grapevine, Bedford, Hurst, Euless, Irving and all points in between.

Related Links: Third-Party Claims in Texas Workplace Injury Cases Attorney Fees in Non-Subscriber Workplace Injury Cases Evidence You’ll Need in Your Non-Subscriber Workplace Injury Case

If you are injured at your job in Texas, you have many worries that employees in other states do not have. This is because Texas allows employers to opt out of providing injured workers with workers’ compensation benefits. You will need to file a personal injury claim and prove your employer’s negligence in order to obtain the compensation you deserve when working for a non-subscriber employer. You may know that you need the help of an experienced non-subscriber workplace injury attorney to do this, but may worry that you cannot afford his fees.

How Much Does it Cost to Hire a Non-Subscriber Workplace Injury Attorney?

You may be pleasantly surprised to learn that you most likely can afford to retain an experienced attorney for your work injury claim. Like other personal injury attorneys, many non-subscriber workplace injury attorneys takes these cases on a contingency fee basis. Here is how this type of fee arrangement works:

• You only owe attorney fees if you win your case either through settlement or at trial.
• Your attorney is paid an agreed-upon percentage of your compensation out of your settlement proceeds, so you do not pay any attorney fees directly.
• If you lose your case, you would owe no attorney fees.
• You may owe additional costs, such as the fees for filing a lawsuit, deposition costs, and expert witness fees. You need to discuss these expenses with your attorney before hiring him and understand whether you pay these fees or he will front the cost for you.

Experience as Well as Cost Matters When Retaining an Attorney for Your Workplace Injury Case

While the cost of an attorney should be a consideration in deciding who to hire, it should not be the only consideration that you base your decision on. Retaining an experienced attorney who has a track record of success in settling and trying non-subscriber workplace injury cases—not just workers’ compensation claims—is equally important. You also want an attorney who you communicate well with and trust.

Have You Been Injured At Your Texas Job And Your Employer Doesn't Provide Workers' Compensation?

If you've been injured on the job and your employer is non-subscriber you need to speak with an experienced work injury lawyer as soon as possible. Contact us online or call our our Colleyville office directly at 817.380.4888 to schedule your free consultation.

We help injured workers throughout Texas including Arlington, North Richland, Grapevine, Bedford, Hurst, Euless, Irving and all points in between.

Related Links: Third-Party Claims in Texas Workplace Injury Cases Evidence You’ll Need in Your Non-Subscriber Workplace Injury Case Mistakes Not to Make When Seeing a Medical Doctor in Your Workplace Injury Case

Most people know that an airplane’s black box could lead to important information as to the cause of an airplane crash. You may not be aware that a truck also contains a black box that can also help prove the trucker’s and trucking company’s negligence in causing your truck crash. However, you will need to act quickly to obtain this information from the trucking company before it is lost. This will not be an easy task.

Helpful Information That a Truck’s Black Box Could Contain

Black boxes have been installed in commercial trucks since the 1990s, so it is almost certain that the truck that caused your wreck contained one. These devices are also known as event data recorders (EDR) and consist of sensors and other components linked to the truck’s engine that record information regarding the trucker’s actions and the truck’s operations, including the following:

• Truck’s average and highest speed and the speed at the time of your wreck
• Time the trucker drove
• Time that the trucker drove at 65 miles per hour or faster
• Average engine RPM
• Seat belt usage by the trucker and any co-driver
• Airbag performance
• Truck’s idling time
• Hard braking and sudden stops
• Cruise control usage
• GPS coordinates and location

How Can the Truck’s EDR Information Help When Filing a Claim for Compensation?

The truck’s black box can provide factual information regarding what the truck was doing before, during, and after your collision that may be in sharp contrast to what the trucking company and trucker claim. Some of its uses include:

• The data can be used with other information by a crash reconstruction expert to recreate how the trucker caused your wreck.
• You can use the data to determine how fast the truck was travelling before and during your wreck and whether the truck driver was speeding.
• You can see if the trucker applied the brakes before or during your wreck.
• You can compare the black box data to the daily log of hours driven that the truck driver is required to complete. This can help you determine if he violated federal hours of service regulations regarding the hours he is allowed to drive and if fatigue caused your crash.

Our Experienced Legal Team Can Help to Obtain the Truck’s Black Box

EDR data is often recorded over in approximately 30 days. You need an experienced truck wreck attorney to act quickly and send the trucking company a spoliation letter advising them not to destroy this vital information. At the Hart Law Firm, our experienced legal team understands the importance of obtaining the black box data and other evidence important to your truck wreck claim before it is destroyed. 

Have You Been Injured In A Texas Truck Accident?

If you've been injured in a truck accident you need to speak with an experienced truck accident injury attorney as soon as possible. Please contact us online or call our Colleyville office directly at 817.380.4888 to schedule your free consultation.

We help injured truck accident victims throughout Texas including Arlington, North Richland, Grapevine, Bedford, Hurst, Euless, Irving and all points in between.

Related Links: Compensation That You Could Receive in a Truck Wreck Case How a Truck Crash Case Works Importance of Dash Camera Footage in Your Truck Wreck Case

You will need to make many important decisions if you file a claim for compensation for injuries that you suffered in a truck wreck caused by a negligent truck driver. Some decisions will be complicated enough that you will know to seek the advice of an experienced truck wreck attorney. However, other decisions may seem like not a big deal, but in reality could have an impact on your settlement. One decision that falls in this category is a medical authorization releasing your medical records to the insurance adjuster for the negligent truck driver and trucking company.

Reasons Why Agreeing to Sign a Medical Release of Information Is a Bad Decision

While it is true that you will need to provide medical records to the insurance company in order to settle your claim with the trucker and trucking company, there is a right and wrong way to do this. Here’s why signing a medical release is not in your best interests:

It is not required.

You are not required to sign a medical authorizing allowing the insurance adjuster to request your medical records regarding your injuries. There is another safer and better way to provide this information to the insurance company—through your experienced truck accident attorney.

It leads to disputes.

If you sign the medical authorization, the insurance adjuster can request all of your medical records and very likely would do so. Many of these records have no true bearing on your claim, but they could lead to disputes when settling your case. For example, if you mentioned a pain in the same body part injured in your truck collision, but never needed treatment for it, the insurance company could argue that your current injury is a pre-existing injury not caused by the accident.

It releases private medical information.

If you allow the adjuster to obtain your medical records, you could be providing irrelevant and sensitive medical information about you that the insurance company does not need and is an invasion of your privacy.

Have You Been Injured In A Texas Truck Accident?

If you've been injured in a truck accident you need to speak with an experienced truck accident injury attorney as soon as possible. Please contact us online or call our Colleyville office directly at 817.380.4888 to schedule your free consultation.

We help injured truck crash victims throughout Texas including Arlington, North Richland, Grapevine, Bedford, Hurst, Euless, Irving and all points in between.

Related Links: Compensation That You Could Receive in a Truck Wreck Case How a Truck Crash Case Works Importance of Dash Camera Footage in Your Truck Wreck Case

Filing a claim for compensation for your injuries after a drunk driving wreck can be a stressful time of life. You suddenly have worries about your health and how to pay the bills while you must be off work recovering. You most likely will quickly realize that the settlement process is anything but easy and will wonder how long it will be before you receive your check. This is a common concern of many drunk driving victims. Here, we try to take away some of the mystery about this burning question.

How Long Will Your Drunk Driving Case Take to Resolve?

Unfortunately, no attorney can give you a precise time period for when your claim will settle. However, he can give you a general idea of how long it will take based on his experience in settling other cases and the specific issues he sees in yours. Here are some factors that affect the length of time it can take to resolve your claim:

Maximum Medical Improvement.

Your maximum medical improvement is the point in your recovery where you have recovered as much as you will—whether or not you make a full recovery—or your doctor can give you a final prognosis. You need to wait until you reach this stage to settle your case so that you include any future medical bills and wage losses in your settlement.

Disputes.

Like with any car wreck claim, you have the burden of proving the other driver’s negligence and the amount of compensation you deserve. This means that you must prove that the drunk driving caused your wreck, which is not always the case. If there are disputes with the drunk driver’s insurance company as to the cause of the wreck or how serious your injuries are, this could delay settlement of your claim.

Documentation of your damages.

You must provide the insurance company with the documentation of your medical bills and your wages before settling your claim. While an experienced personal injury attorney can begin collecting this information right away, some of it cannot be obtained until after you complete your medical treatment and are ready to settle your claim. This can take time and delay the process.

Severity of your injuries.

If you suffered more long-term injuries or one that causes you to become disabled, the value of your claim will be higher. In these cases, the insurance company will spend more time investigating your case and may fight harder to deny or reduce your settlement.

Insurance company.

Unfortunately, some insurance companies have a reputation for taking longer to settle claims. They may request more documentation or delay the process in an effort to wear you down and get you to accept a smaller settlement.

Have You Or A Loved One Been Injured By A Drunk Driver?

If you've been injured by a drunk driver in Texas you need to speak with an experienced drunk driver injury attorney as soon as possible. Please contact us online or call our Colleyville office directly at 817.380.4888 to schedule your free consultation.

We help injured victims of drunk drivers throughout Texas including Arlington, North Richland, Grapevine, Bedford, Hurst, Euless, Irving and all points in between.

Related Links: How Can I Help My Attorney in My Case Against a Drunk Driver? How to Prove a Drunk Driver Caused Your Wreck What to Do After Being Hit by a Drunk Driver in Texas