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The Importance of Legal Representation In Accident Situations

Published October 18, 2019 by Seerden Law Firm

People are injured across America every day. Some are hurt in freak accidents. Some accidents are entirely preventable. Some injuries are minor. Some are catastrophic. Regardless of the kind of accident or severity of the injury that you have experienced, it’s imperative to handle these situations correctly to protect your legal rights. 

Protecting yourself means effectively communicating with insurance companies, consulting with medical professionals and seeking out competent legal assistance.

The Texas Department of Transportation and Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles data about injuries in Texas accidents. During a recent year:   

  • One person was killed every two hours in an auto accident. 
  • One person injured in a wreck every two minutes and four seconds.  
  • One crash was reported every 59 seconds. 
  • There were 230,500 annual cases involving nonfatal injuries or illnesses in Texas. 
  • More than 500 motorcyclists were killed in crashes on state roadways. 

Though auto accidents are a leading cause of death and injury, there are many other kinds of incidents that result in serious injuries, lost wages and terrible distress. Because these situations are not only common but extremely stressful, it’s important to seek out professional assistance so you’re not handling everything on your own. 

Even a minor auto accident can result in overwhelming anxiety. Add children, legal battles or worsening injuries into the mix, and reaching a resolution can seem impossible. Thankfully, an experienced personal injury attorney can help you every step of the way. 

The Seerden Law Firm is a small Houston injury law firm that focuses on personalized service and maximum results. We’ve helped people who have suffered all kinds of injuries to get the results they deserve. If you’ve been involved in any kind of accident, whether it’s at the hands of another driver or in the workplace, you deserve to work with a legal professional who will offer kind, compassionate and experienced assistance. Our team will listen to you and develop a customized legal strategy so that you feel at ease about the entire process.

Dealing with corporate defendants and deep-pocketed insurance companies can put accident victims at a distinct disadvantage. That’s where we come in. We have the experience and resources to defend your rights. We can help in all kinds of personal injury and accident matters. 

Here are some of the main types of accidents and injuries that we handle:

Car Accidents

Car accidents happen all the time.Thankfully, most crashes are minor. Regardless of the severity of the crash, you should still consult with an experienced Houston car accident lawyer because you may be entitled to financial compensation. 

For instance, a minor fender bender might not seem too bad at first. However, you may find later that you have suffered neck injuries that weren’t apparent immediately after the crash. Without speaking to a trusted attorney, it can be difficult to convince an insurance company that you are entitled to damages for injuries discovered at a later date.

Even when you’re not injured after a car crash, you still have to get your vehicle repaired or replaced. Skilled legal professionals can help calculate the amount that will be needed to fix your vehicle and whether you may be entitled to additional compensation for your losses. 

Client Testimonial — R.J.:

I could not recommend enough! Excellent service, communication, and results. I will highly recommend to all of my family and friends. I feel like I have a lawyer for life.

Truck Accidents

Getting into a crash with a passenger car can certainly be horrific, but that’s not always the worst-case scenario. If you’ve been involved in an auto accident with a commercial vehicle, the damage can be devastating. 

An average car weighs about 4,000 pounds. A truck can weigh more than 80,000 pounds — 20 times more than a car. This means that the force of impact in a truck collision is at least 20 times greater than the force involved in a passenger car crash. 

Because Texas truck accidents can be devastating experiences, you need to work with a skilled and experienced truck injury attorney. During a truck crash, there are multiple parties whose negligence could have caused the accident, including the truck driver, another driver, the trucking company, a shipper or loader of cargo, a municipality and/or the truck parts manufacturer.

Many at-fault parties try to deny responsibility after a trucking accident because the penalties can be enormous. Our truck accident lawyers will do everything they can to successfully handle these complex injury claims and help you move on with your life.

Motorcycle Accidents

A motorcycle accident can be a terrifying sight. Even with high-quality protective gear, the chances of serious injury are high in motorcycle collisions. If you or any member of your family was injured in a motorcycle accident, you need to contact a skilled motorcycle accident attorney as soon as possible. 

At Seerden Law Firm, we represent motorcycle accident victims all across Texas. We can evaluate your claim in a free and confidential consultation, giving you and your family the peace of mind knowing that your situation is being handled with the utmost care and respect.

When it comes to accident claims, Texas is a fault-based state. This means that when a collision occurs, the negligent party (the person or party who was responsible for causing the accident) can be held legally liable. Determining liability is critical in every negligence claim, so it’s essential to contact one of our motorcycle accident attorneys for help.  

Here are a few of the main causes of motorcycle accidents across Texas highways:

  • Unsafe lane changes by other drivers
  • Road hazards
  • Vehicles making left-turns 

Depending on the facts of your motorcycle accident case, you could be entitled to receive financial damages for the following:

  • Motorcycle repair or replacement
  • Emergency room treatment
  • Ambulance fees
  • Medical bills
  • Prescription drug costs
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Permanent disability
  • Scarring and disfigurement
  • Loss of income
  • Emotional distress
  • Reduced earning capacity
  • Pain and suffering
  • Wrongful death compensation (for the deceased’s family members)

Client Testimonial — Cesario C.:

Mr. Seerden is very professional, friendly, great communication skills and gets the job done! He has an amazing team that helps you out throughout the case. Highly recommend for a personal injury case.

Boat Accidents

The roads are certainly dangerous, but so are Texas waterways. A single mistake can lead to a catastrophic boating accident. If you were involved in a boating accident, it’s important to talk with an experienced attorney who cares about your health, your family and your entire future. 

Common causes of boating accidents include: 

  • Inattention by operator
  • Lack of safety devices on board (e.g.,missing life jackets)
  • Distracted driving
  • Impaired driving
  • Unsafe conditions on the boat
  • Unsafe turning and excessive speeding
  • Improper lookout for hazards
  • Failure to conduct adequate maintenance
  • Violations of basic navigational rules
  • Undertraining of boat operators

In order to hold someone legally responsible for boat-related injuries, the injured person must be able to prove fault. That’s where we come in.

Our Houston boat accident attorneys will work to build a strong and solid claim for maximum compensation on your behalf. From conducting a thorough investigation to gathering evidence and witness testimony, our lawyers prepare every case as if it is going to trial. It’s our job to demand the compensation that you deserve.

Pedestrian Accidents

Injuries can also happen when you’re simply walking down the road. If you’ve been injured in a pedestrian accident, you likely have rights to compensation. Contacting a skilled pedestrian injury attorney is the first step towards identifying whether you have a viable legal claim.  

Every driver has a responsibility to keep an eye out for pedestrians and maintain a safe environment for all. Sadly, over the last three years, 1,695 pedestrians were killed in Texas collisions. In addition, Texas has the eighth-highest pedestrian fatality rate of any state in the country. Thousands of incidents happen every year that could have been avoided with a little extra care. 

Since pedestrian accidents can result in life-altering injuries, a personal injury lawyer can be a valuable ally to help you and your family. Our knowledgeable lawyers will conduct a free review of your pedestrian injury case, explain your rights and answer all your legal questions. If you choose to work with us, our legal team will investigate your accident to build a solid claim for compensation. 

We also assist with all communications with the insurance company and represent you during settlement negotiations. Approximately 95 percent of all personal injury cases are resolved through a settlement, not by going to trial. 

Bicycle Accidents

Cycling is becoming much more popular across Houston, especially after the city and Harris County announced a joint partnership to construct 50 miles of new bike lanes throughout the region. 

Bicyclists have the same rights as any motorists on the roads. Unfortunately, those rights are not always respected. According to Share the Road Texas, roughly 2,000 Texas bicyclists suffer serious injuries after colliding with motor vehicles each year. If you or a loved one was hurt in a bike accident in Texas, you should contact a professional legal team right away. Take advantage of the Seerden Law Firm’s free consultation policy to learn your legal rights.

Personal injury claims are handled under Texas’s comparative negligence standard. Under comparative negligence, an injured victim’s compensation may be reduced if they are found to be even partially at fault for the accident. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are barred from compensation completely.  

As long as the injured person is not declared more than 51 percent responsible for the accident, it is possible to recover compensation. 

Imagine that a bicyclist suffered $30,000 in total damages in a crash. If the cyclist was found to bear no fault for the accident, he or she would have a right to seek the full value of the damages: $30,000. 

Conversely, if an investigation determines that the victim was at fault for 30 percent of the accident, the amount of possible compensation would be adjusted down by that percentage. Instead of $30,000, the maximum the cyclist could collect would be $21,000.

Because so much rides on being assigned the correct portion of fault, having an experienced bike accident attorney by your side is crucial in the fight for you to be treated fairly. 

Workplace Accidents

Texas workers and their families can suffer all kinds of devastating losses after an on-the-job accident.These injuries result in physical pain, but also take an unimaginable emotional and financial toll in the aftermath of the accident. Medical bills add up, wages are lost and pain and suffering can be prolonged for months or even years.

After any kind of work-related injury, it’s important to act fast and consult with a seasoned team of legal professionals like the ones at Seerden Law Firm.

Employees who have been injured or diagnosed with an occupational illness have rights under Texas’s workers’ compensation laws. But it’s not always easy to access the full benefits that you are entitled to. We will fight for and pursue all compensation possible for you based on the facts of your case. 

Here are some of the essential steps you should take after suffering a workplace injury:

  • Stop working — No matter the injury or how severe it is, you need to stop working immediately. This might seem obvious, but far too many U.S. workers try to finish their shift or a project after an injury. You should stop all work-related activities right away. Failure to do so could make your injuries worse or jeopardize your workers’ compensation claim later on.
  • Seek medical attention — For any life-threatening injury or illness, you should head to the emergency room right away. If you suffered a less severe injury, you still need to act quickly. Head to an urgent care center or visit your physician. Make sure to let them know your injury happened at work. Keep in mind that your employer’s insurance company may have the right to choose your provider for you.
  • Report your injury or illness — You have 30 days to report the incident to your employer. But it’s recommended to do so immediately after the incident. Additionally, you’ll have to make sure you’re following your organization’s internal policies for reporting on-the-job medical concerns.
  • Contact Seerden Law Firm’s workers’ compensation lawyers — Once you are physically able, contact us and inform an attorney about what happened. Keep in mind that you should never make any formal statement, accept an interview request or sign any documents prior to seeking legal counsel. Doing so could potentially relinquish certain rights or cause legal challenges in the future. 

 

Our Dedicated Lawyers Fight to Win 

At the Seerden Law Firm, we pride ourselves on offering injured victims the personalized, one-on-one attention that is the cornerstone of our practice. We offer compassionate care to every client, but our tough lawyers are not afraid to push back against insurance companies and corporations who try to deny accident victims the compensation that they are entitled to. 

No one should feel alone after an accident or injury in Texas. If you have been hurt and believe someone else is to blame, contact Seerden Law Firm today. 

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