When you have sustained a personal injury as a result of a car accident or other incident, it can feel like your entire financial future is placed in jeopardy. From medical bills and missed work income to out-of-pocket expenses and your own personal pain and suffering, there are any number of financial and personal damages you may have suffered.
Recovering your damages in full can be difficult; in cases where a clear at-fault party is involved, their insurance carrier may still do everything they can to avoid full exposure to liability. In other cases, the at-fault party may not be clear, or there may be multiple parties involved.
Untangling the confusion while fighting for the full extent of your legal rights is significantly easier when you are represented by an experienced San Antonio personal injury attorney. Singh Ahluwalia, Attorneys at Law, has established a reputation for helping those in tough legal situations seek their optimal outcome.
Let us help you understand what damages you could be owed and what strategies you can use to recover them during a free, no-obligation case review. Call 559-878-4958 or contact us online to schedule your free case evaluation today.
How Does a San Antonio Personal Injury Attorney Help Me With My Case?
Putting together a claim for damages after suffering from an injury can be more difficult than it sounds. Not only will you have to document your losses and prove that you have a medically diagnosed condition, but you will also have to connect your injury directly to the actions of the at-fault party.
Assembling all of these aspects for your claim can be challenging, and insurers may frustrate your efforts by demanding more concrete evidence of your injury losses or their policyholder’s liability for your injuries. Working with an experienced personal injury lawyer in San Antonio means having all of the right factors to maximize your chances of success right from the beginning of your case.
We’ll vigorously research the causes of your accident/incident and identify all potentially liable parties involved. We’ll also help you fully diagnose and document your injury, increasing your chances of a speedy medical and financial recovery.
Insurance companies have decades — sometimes centuries — of experience handling injury claims, while most people who file their claims are on their very first one. Don’t go into the situation with an uneven advantage; secure legal assistance so that you are informed, prepared, and ready to fight for the maximum compensation to which you may be owed!
Benefits and Services Provided by a Professional Injury Attorney
When you choose to enlist the help of a personal injury law firm, you can expect to receive all of the following benefits and services:
- Start-to-finish management of your injury case
- Immediate investigation of your accident
- Identification of all potentially liable parties and sources of possible compensation
- Guidance towards getting a full medical evaluation and documentation of your injury and its causes
- Full calculation of your damages, including projected costs of future care and income losses
- Preparation of your proof of loss and demand letter
- Representation during all negotiations and conversations with insurers
- A full examination of appeal options after any denials of coverage
- Preparation for a possible lawsuit and jury trial when a settlement cannot be reached
What Types of Cases Does a San Antonio Personal Injury Law Firm Handle?
A personal injury firm can handle any case where there is a “tort” or a wrongful act leading to a substantial and measurable loss experienced by the injury victim. Some common examples of personal injury cases handled by our firm include:
- ATV accidents
- Aviation accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Boating accidents
- Car accidents
- Construction site accidents
- Dangerous drugs
- Daycare injuries
- Defective medical devices
- Dog bites
- Golf cart accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Premises liability (slip and fall)
- Truck accidents
- Workers compensation (occupational injury)
- Wrongful death
What Should I Do After I Have Been Hurt?
You have three main priorities to keep in mind after you have been hurt in any sort of incident:
- Seek prompt medical attention and get a full evaluation
- Start documenting everything you can, especially your expenses
- Avoid talking about your case to anyone but an attorney, and be especially careful about what you disclose to insurers
1. Seek Prompt Medical Attention
One of the most important factors in any injury case is the time period between the initial injury (or discovery of the injury) and a diagnosis of your medical condition.
Any delay in receiving care can increase your chances of developing a long-term or permanent debilitating condition. Receiving care promptly, on the other hand, enables you to begin treatment while avoiding activities and movements that could cause your condition to worsen.
Delaying care can also have another unintended side effect: making it harder to prove that your injury is connected to the accident or event in question. If, for example, someone who was hurt in a car crash waits more than a week to get an evaluation, an insurer could question whether the injury treatment sought was actually directly connected to the alleged injury event.
2. Document Everything You Can
At the scene of the accident, if it is physically possible to do so, take photos of everything you can. Document the scene where the accident occurred, the hazard or vehicle that injured you, and your injuries themselves.
Speak to any and all eyewitnesses who remain at the scene and request their contact information for future follow-ups. Record a narrative statement as soon as you are able to recount the incident before you begin to forget key details.
When you receive medical care, save any and all documents you are provided with, especially your discharge papers containing documentation of your visit and any receipts or invoices. Start a new journal or digital file to record work missed, the pain you’re experiencing, and the activities you are unable to perform.
Creating this paper trail from the onset of your injury makes it easier to establish your losses, including any reductions in wages as well as the personal pain and suffering you have experienced.
3. Avoid Discussing the Case, and Be Careful About What You Disclose
There are two main concerning parties when it comes to disclosing information about your injury: the general public and the insurer or other party that likely holds liability.
It is advisable to not openly discuss your injury publicly, period, even with close friends and relatives. Any information you disclose could be used in unintended ways that hurt your eventual claim.
One of the most common examples is to post photos of activities you were engaged in following your injury, which an insurer (or other defending party) could use to say, “See, they weren’t as hurt as they said they were if they were out having fun!” Because of this risk, your attorney is likely to advise complete social media silence for the duration of your claim.
Secondly, be extremely careful with what you disclose directly to the party that holds liability. Seemingly innocent statements like “I’m doing well today” could be misconstrued to be admissions of guilt or of a less debilitating medical condition than your claim declares.
You may wish to provide minimal information when giving notice of a claim, only disclosing the full details of your injury and its cause once you have had the chance to perform a full, personal investigation. You can defer most other communications to your appointed attorney, who will act as your representative for the duration of your case.
What Damages Might I Be Able to Claim in a Personal Injury Case?
While every injury case is different, there are a few common types of damages that tend to be claimed:
- Medical bills, past and future, encompassing all care that was “reasonable and necessary” in the face of the initial injury
- Lost wages, which include all reductions in income or available benefits following the injury, such as losses stemming from missed work, reduced hours, reassignment to a lower-earning position, use of sick leave, or an inability to earn commissions and tips.
- Out-of-pocket expenses directly related to the accident and your injury
- Property damage incurred in the accident that either must be repaired or that requires a full replacement of the damaged vehicle or other personal belongings.
- Pain and suffering you have experienced, including physical pain, mental anguish, and your own loss of ability to enjoy life
- Funeral and burial expenses in the event of a wrongful death
Who Is Liable for Paying for the Costs of My Personal Injury?
There are many possible parties who could have contributed liability, depending on the circumstances of your initial injury. Common liable parties include:
- Negligent drivers
- Negligent employers or businesses
- Defective products manufacturers
- Property owners who allowed a hazard to injure you
- Vicious dog owners
- Anyone whose actions endangered you in a public space
- Commercial airlines and public transit companies
- Law enforcement departments and agencies
- Government entities, such as the Texas Department of Transportation or Federal Bureau of Prisons
Your attorney will investigate the situation that led to your injury in detail and identify any and all parties whose wrongful or negligent actions directly led to you getting hurt and incurring damages.
Find a San Antonio Personal Injury Law Firm Near You
Time is of the essence when you have been hurt. We at Singh Ahluwalia, Attorneys at Law, can act fast on your behalf to secure evidence and begin building a claim seeking 100% of the damages you have suffered.
Our firm has built its reputation on serving all communities, including those that are traditionally disadvantaged or told they don’t have legal rights after an injury. We speak English, Spanish, Punjabi, and Hindi for the convenience of our clients.
Get answers to your legal questions, and learn the steps you can take right now to begin building a claim to recover losses inflicted by your injury. Call 559-878-4958 or contact us online to schedule a free, confidential, no-obligation review with a San Antonio injury lawyer today.
