Dallas Car Accident Lawyer

What Happens in a Dallas Auto Accident Claim or Lawsuit?

Most of the car accident claims that our lawyers are involved in do not result in a lawsuit because we are able to settle them before a lawsuit is filed. However, if we believe that a lawsuit would be beneficial for you, we will advise you and obtain your permission to file suit.

Generally, most Dallas car accident claims include some of the following steps:

Investigation

Our lawyers have experience with a wide range of car accident cases, including rear-ending, side-impacts, head-on collisions, rollover wrecks and single-car crashes. We know what to look for when investigating each type of wreck.

Our car accident attorneys will work with our investigators and experts to answer the key questions at this stage in your case:

• Why did your crash occur?
• Who was responsible?

Typically, in a car accident case, we will seek to determine if another party’s negligence caused the crash. Negligence generally means that another person acted (or failed to act) as a reasonable person would under the same or similar circumstances. Negligence we typically discover in car accidents includes:

• Speeding – Driving faster than the posted speed limit or too fast for traffic and weather conditions or the design of the road.
• Aggressive driving – Running through a red light or stop sign at an intersection, tailgating, weaving through traffic, failing to yield or making dangerous passes.
• Drunk driving – Driving with a blood alcohol concentration beyond the legal limit of 0.08 or driving while impaired by any combination of alcohol, prescription or illegal drugs.
• Distracted driving – Driving while texting or talking on a cell phone or while engaging in any other distracting activity such as interacting with passengers or pets in the car.
• Drowsy driving – Driving despite being heavily fatigued or while falling asleep at the wheel – an issue that arises often in crashes caused by truck drivers and other drivers engaged in work activity.

However, fault is not always another driver’s error. Your attorney will also consider whether your accident or injuries were caused by:

• Faulty car repairs – A mechanic who failed to make a repair as warranted, which in turn caused your car to be unsafe.
• Design or manufacturing defect – An auto company or parts manufacturer whose tires, brakes or steering column failed due to a defect or whose safety features such as a seat belt or air bag failed to function properly.
• Dangerous road conditions – A government agency that allowed a road to fall into disrepair, which in turn, led to your crash.

Filing an Insurance Claim and/or Pursuing Litigation

After we fully investigate your case, we will collect the evidence necessary and file a detailed claim with the insurance company. In most cases, we can settle a case without the need to engage in litigation. However, if the insurance company refuses to pay fair value, we will file a lawsuit to attempt to force them to pay you what we believe a case is worth.

During the lawsuit process, we will work towards a settlement by directly negotiating with insurance company attorneys. If no settlement is reached, we can proceed to trial.

Resolution

After a settlement is reached or a verdict is obtained on your behalf, we can take steps to collect the amount owed to you, resolve any claims or liens on your recovery by health care providers or others and disburse payment to you. We will not charge you any legal fee or case costs unless we are successful in recovering compensation for your losses.

Please see our Case Results section for examples of cases our law firm has handled that have resulted in substantial recoveries for our clients after all of their medical bills and legal expenses were paid.

What You Can Expect to Recover in Dallas Car Accident Claim?

At Tate Law Offices, P.C., we understand the serious nature of the injuries that Dallas car accident victims and their families face.

The severity of these injuries depends on the weight of the vehicles involved in the collision, the speed at which the vehicles were traveling and the location of the impact. Car accident injuries can include:

Our goal is to maximize the value of each one of our clients’ cases. We will gather all of your medical records and work records and consult with experts to seek just compensation for you and your family, including:

If the defendant driver in your case was either grossly negligent or engaged in willful conduct, we may also seek punitive damages in order to punish and deter such behavior.

Please see our section on wrongful death and survival damages to learn more about the damages sought if you lost a loved one in a car crash in Dallas.