Houston Personal Injury Lawyer

Areas of Houston Personal Injury Law

It may be hard to chose a Houston personal injury lawyer as there are so many available. Not only is Houston the largest city in Texas, it is also the 4th largest city in America. Just like every other city, large or small, in the United States, the people of Houston also face the very real possibility of suffering an injury or accident, for which they can enlist the help of a Houston personal injury lawyer to help them file a personal injury lawsuit in order to recover compensation for their injuries.

Filing a Houston personal injury claim is something that thousands of Houston residents do every year. Personal injuries are a fact of life. Did you know that 5 million people get bitten by dogs each year in America? Over 0.8 million of these bites are seen by doctors and deaths, though very rare, do happen from dog bites. When serious personal injury happens a Houston personal injury lawyer can help you understand which actions to take and when to take them.

A Houston personal injury claim is different than those filed in other cities and states. Understanding these differences can help you make the right decisions about your personal injury claim. These differences include:

Only 2 years to file a personal injury claim: The statute of Limitations in Houston states that all types of personal injury must be reported and a complaint filed within 2 years of occurring.
Malpractice Cap: While there are no caps on the awards of other Houston personal injury claims, certain caps exist for medical malpractice complaints.
Nothing Serious: There is no serious injury threshold in Texas.
Texas is a “Fault” State: This means that the wrong party (whoever is at fault) must be proven to be at fault and once this has occurred, the party at fault pays the assessed damages. Having a Houston personal injury lawyer that understands the specifics of “fault” State law is important when fault is questionable.

The differences between filing a Houston personal injury claim and filing a claim in another state are important, but they aren’t everything. Knowing the process of how to file a personal injury claim in Houston is far more important than knowing the differences between doing it in other states, if you are to successfully make a personal injury claim in Houston. There are basically three parts to the claim process:

Part 1: File Your Complaint Here is where you make your initial claim for your personal injury. A complaint or petition is sent to whoever is said to be at fault and they have a chance to reply. In certain cases, where this complaint is sent isn’t clear. If you aren’t sure where to start with your claim, a Houston personal injury lawyer can help.

There are two ways in which a complaint is answered. It is either approved or denied. In the case of an approval, damages requested are paid and the complaint is resolved. If the complaint is denied the, process must continue.

Part 2: Discuss Your Claim If a Houston personal injury claim is denied, a period of information exchange and meetings takes place between clients and their Houston personal injury lawyers. A deposition meeting is held and both parties talk about whether a solution can be found outside of the courts. Often times personal injury cases can be settled at this point by having a Houston personal injury lawyer, who is experienced in handling these meetings, in attendance. If a resolution cannot be found, the personal injury claim goes to the next step in the process.

Part 3: Trial Commences The last step, if no other resolution is found, is a trial. Though many cases of personal injury can be solved out of court, some need a trial before a resolution can be found.

It is important to have a Houston personal injury lawyer present if your claim goes to trial. A Houston Personal Injury lawyer can use their experience and expertise to give you the best advice regarding your claim and they will also make sure your case is presented as professionally as possible in the courts.