Houston Serious Injury Attorney

Call an Experienced Catastrophic Injury Lawyer in Houston, TX

Just what is a personal injury case? Lawyers say that they do “personal injury cases” or “accident cases” or “product liability cases” or “wrongful death cases.” Many times, folks are not really sure what this means. Indeed, people who have known me for years will come up to me and ask me for a referral to a car accident attorney! They do this even though I think that they know exactly what it is that I do. So, a personal injury case describes the type of harm that was caused. A wrongful death suit is a personal injury that has resulted in death. Further, in personal injury cases, there are many different situations, and circumstances which cause harm such as cars, trucks, products, explosion, and premises. These are still personal injury cases which are handled by lawyers who specialize in personal injuries. A board certified lawyer in personal injury law should be qualified to handle all of these cases.

houston personal injury attorney

What kinds of personal injury cases have I handled? The real question is what kind of case have I not handled. I have handled explosions, oil field accidents of all kinds, car wrecks, major truck wrecks, defective products (probably 50 kinds of products), dangerous drugs, medical malpractice, legal malpractice, premises liability, maritime and offshore injuries, brain damage, spinal cord injury, birth defects, fires, and so forth. I have actually prepared and tried cases involving these issues. I've been featured in News and TV coverage involving some of the better known cases, but most of my cases involve the common and ordinary person who needs a lawyer who wants to help them get back on their feet, and to be repaid for what has happened to them. Those are the cases that I am most proud of, not the ones that involve lots of media attention.

Some Personal Injury Cases I Have Worked on Featured Catastrophic Injuries Such as:

  • Burn Injuries

  • Brain Injuries

  • Spinal Cord & Paralysis

  • Head & Neck Injuries

  • Loss of Limbs

  • Loss of Sight or Hearing

  • Wrongful Death

  • Organ Damage

  • Bone Fractures & Breaks

serious injury

How do you find the right lawyer for your case? I have written books to guide you, even if you don’t hire me. Simply contact us and request them, and we will send them to you for FREE with no obligation. The more informed you are the better your decision will be.

accident and injury attorney
If You or a Loved One Has Suffered a Serious Injury You May be Entitled to Compensation. Contact Our Office for a Free Case Evaluation.

Helping Catastrophic Injury Victims & Their Families Live a Normal Life

What will an experienced Houston injury lawyer do on your case? Here is a list of some common things that I may do for you as a client. Remember that each case is different, and that not all of these tasks will be required in every case. They are:

What Does a Personal Injury Attorney Do for Their Clients?

  • Initial interview with you and family
  • Explain what will happen in your claim
  • Gather documentary evidence, including police accident reports, wage documents, medical records and bills
  • Analyze the client’s insurance policy to see whether there are any coverages which the client has that may pay all or a portion of the medical bills while the claim is pending
  • Analyze the client’s insurance coverages and make suggestions as to what coverages should be purchased for future protection
  • Interview known witnesses
  • Hire an private investigator
  • Collect other evidence, such as photographs of the accident scene
  • Analyze the legal issues, such as possible comparative negligence of the client and others
  • Talk to the client’s physicians or obtain written reports from them to understand the client’s condition fully
  • Analyze the client’s health insurance policy or welfare benefit plan to ascertain whether any money they spent to pay your bills must be repaid
  • Analyze the validity of any liens on the case. Doctors, insurance companies, welfare benefit plans and employers may assert that they are entitled to all or part of the client’s recovery
  • Contact the insurance company to put them on notice of the claim, if this has not already been done
  • Decide with the client whether an attempt will be made to negotiate the case with the insurance company or whether suit shall be filed
  • If suit is filed, prepare the client, witnesses and healthcare providers for depositions
  • Prepare written questions and answers and take the deposition of the defendant and other witnesses
  • Produce to the defendant all of the pertinent data for the claim, such as medical bills, medical records and tax returns
  • Set a trial date with the court as soon as possible
  • Prepare for trial and/or settlement before trial
  • Prepare the client and witnesses for trial
  • Organize the preparation of medical exhibits for trial
  • Organize the preparation of demonstrative exhibits for trial
  • Prepare for mediation and/or arbitration
  • File briefs and motions with the court to eliminate surprises at trial
  • If the case merits it, do a focus group, and dramatization of the case (most cases require this preparation in my experience)
  • Take the case to trial with a jury or judge
  • Analyze the jury’s verdict to determine if either side has good grounds to appeal the case
  • Make recommendations to the client as to whether or not to appeal the case
  • Handle the appeal

Do Lawyers Add Much Value to the Majority of Claims?

Before you decide whether to hire an attorney… did you know that a 1999 study found that insurance companies pay higher settlements to injured people who use an attorney than those who do not?

It’s true. In 1999, the insurance industry performed a study to find out if people who had accident claims received more money in settlement by using an attorney than those people who settled on their own. The study was performed by the Insurance Research Council, a non-profit organization that is supported by leading property and casualty insurance companies across the United States. The mission of the IRC is to advance the insurance industry’s view on matters crucial to insurance companies. The IRC found that people who used an attorney received, on average, 3½ times more money in settlement than those individuals who settled on their own.

Do I Need A Lawyer Who Has Handled Cases Just Like Mine to Expect a Good Result?

The more experienced the lawyer, the better likelihood you will get someone who knows what they are doing. Most experienced personal injury lawyers in Katy Texas have handled hundreds, if not thousands of claims similar enough to your situation to do you a good job. However, not all experienced lawyers have the same “experience” in fighting claims, so I advise you to read my book “Hiring the Right Lawyer, the Truth About Lawyer Advertising,” in order for you to pick the right lawyer for your situation. Contact us, and we will send you the PDF version for FREE, right now.

What Must You Prove to Win a Serious Injury Case?

Just because you were hurt doesn’t mean you are entitled to money. In order to bring a personal injury claim, regardless of how it occurred, your lawyer will need to prove that a company or a person carelessly or negligently caused your injury. (or death of a family member, if that is the harm that resulted). If a product hurts or kills someone, the law of product liability applies. This law says that the product manufacturer and seller is liable if a defective and dangerous product harms someone.

If you fail to prove the other party’s negligence or defective product caused your injuries, then you lose. If you sue the wrong person, you lose. If you wait too long to sue, you lose. If you had an injury BEFORE the accident, then you are only entitled to be compensated to the extent your injury is now worse.

So what happens if you were partially to blame. In Texas, if you were in any way at fault, you do not necessarily lose. This is known as the law of comparative negligence. This means that if the “other guy” was 99 percent at fault and you were 1 percent at fault, then you are entitled to recover 99% of your losses. However if you are more than 50% at fault, i.e. 51%, the law says you do not get to recover anything.

Before we accept your case, we must be confident that your actions were not the only cause of the accident.

Also, in Texas, except in extraordinary circumstances, you cannot sue your employer for negligently hurting you if the employer carries worker’s compensation insurance. If the employer’s gross negligence results in death, the family can sue, but these cases can be hard to win. I.e. it has been said that it is easier to uphold a murder case in the Appellate Courts than to get them to uphold a “gross negligence” case.

Sometimes, several persons or companies are at fault, and a jury gets to decide the percentage of blame against each. If one company such as an employer is to blame, but cannot be sued, the jury can apportion fault among the others in most circumstances.

Hire a Houston Serious Injury Law Firm With Experience Winning!

Joe Stephens is a double board certified lawyer who has tried over 100 Houston injury trials during 30+ years of practice protecting the rights of the poor, the injured, the forgotten, and the downtrodden. His specialty in trying cases to a jury has earned him recognition across the country. He has won many important personal injury trials, including wrongful death, and serious injury cases. “Joe Stephens has been chosen by a blue ribbon panel as a “Texas Super Lawyer” (2008 - 2021). Only distinguished lawyers are considered for this honor by Thomson Reuters based on independent and objective research of candidates.

Call Us Today at 281-623-1701. You Only Pay If We Win!