Not taking an ambulance from the scene of an accident does not prevent you from going to the hospital at a later time. If you begin to feel pain or discomfort after a collision, it is always best to get a diagnosis and treatment from a healthcare provider.

The cost associated with hiring a personal injury attorney and how payment is collected may vary from firm to firm. At Thomas J. Henry, we work on a contingency fee basis. This means that we don’t charge our clients a penny unless and until we win their case.

Working on a contingency fee basis allows clients access to resources and legal representation they might otherwise struggle to afford. The more serious a case is, the more money it costs to take to trial. This is because complex litigation tends to take longer to resolve and the entities involved fight harder.

This is especially true if your lawsuit is against a large company, as would be the case in a trucking accident or on-the-job injury. Such companies employ teams of lawyers and have seemingly unlimited financial resources. You need an attorney who has the same. Thomas J. Henry employs a team of more than 100 attorneys and has the money to fight your case out to the end.

Finally, by collecting any fees and expenses after a verdict or settlement is secured, Thomas J. Henry can help ensure his clients are able to focus on healing. “The client’s job is to heal. We will handle the rest,” says Thomas J. Henry.

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When you win your Texas personal injury case, there is a multitude of damages you can recover depending on the facts of your case. From past and future medical expenses to lost wages to pain and suffering, a jury will look at the facts of your case to determine exactly what types of compensation you are entitled to.

Among the most common damages recovered in personal injury lawsuits are:

Lost wages – You may be entitled to compensation for the impact an accident or injury has had on your salary or wages. This includes wages lost due to time spent in the hospital, rehabilitation, or the loss of a job due to disability.

Loss of earning capacity – Similar to lost wages, loss of earning capacity seeks to recover income that has been lost due to an accident or injury; however, whereas lost wages is focused on salary or wages that have already been lost, loss of earning capacity seeks damages based on future income.

Medical treatment – Damages almost always include the cost of medical care associated with an accident or injury. Damages can include reimbursement for treatment you have already received as well as compensation for the estimated cost of medical care you will need in the future.

Property loss – If any of your property was damaged or lost as a result of a personal injury accident, your attorney will seek reimbursement for repairs or compensation based on the fair market value of any property that was lost.

Pain and suffering – If your injury has resulted in pain or serious discomfort, you may be entitled to pain and suffering damages. This can include pain experienced when an injury was caused, pain experienced immediately after an injury was caused, and any ongoing pain that can be attributed to the injury or accident.

Loss of enjoyment – These damages attempt to quantify loss of enjoyment in day-to-day pursuits like hobbies, exercise, and other recreational activities.
Emotional distress – Not all injuries are physical. If your accident or injury has had a psychological impact and has resulted in things like anxiety, depression, or sleep loss, you may be entitled to emotional distress damages.

Loss of consortium – Typically applied to wrongful death lawsuits, loss of consortium damages can also be sought when a severe injury has resulted in a loss of companionship or an inability to maintain a sexual relationship with a spouse. Children may also sue for loss of consortium if the injuries have significantly hampered the victim’s ability to provide care, nurturing, or comfort.

Many people view contacting an attorney as a last resort – an action that should be taken if the insurer of the negligent party fails to offer fair compensation. This is an unfortunate misconception. While you are taking the “wait and see” approach, the insurance company has representatives and lawyers actively working to limit their financial liability. Insurance companies do not have your best interest in mind. While they may seem cooperative while on the phone, behind the scenes they are doing everything they can to undermine your claim. A common example of this is the “recorded statement.” The adjuster will claim that providing a recorded statement for reference will help them resolve your claim faster. What they won’t tell you is that they will compare the recorded statement to future conversations for inconsistencies, nor will they tell you that the recorded statement you are providing can be used against you in court. Providing a recorded statement without consulting with an attorney can often result in: Unintentional inconsistencies – Accidents that result in injury are hectic and disorienting. As time moves on, you will likely remember less and less about the events leading up to and following an accident. When an insurance company goes back to compare all the statements you made over a period of weeks or months, they will claim that any inconsistencies were attempts by you to mislead the company and label them as lies before a judge or a jury. Exposure to trick questions – Representatives often ask trick questions or word their inquiries in a way meant to trick or trap you. You may even be pressured into agreeing to facts that are not completely accurate just to get the representative off your back. Even an aggravated response of “I don’t know, maybe” or “I guess” can come back to haunt you later. Exposure to leading statements – Even a statement that seems innocent on its surface can damage your claim depending on your response. For example, by giving a positive response to statements like “I hope your back is starting to feel a bit better” or “Wow, it’s a miracle you weren’t more seriously injured”, you could be tricked into understating the severity of your injuries. Failure to report undiagnosed injuries – Most doctors agree that the full extent of any injuries suffered in an accident may not be evident until several days after the accident has occurred. If a claims adjuster contacts you within 24 hours of an accident and asks about your injuries, chances are you will not be able to provide a complete list of injuries. This will not stop the insurance company from questioning and attempting to dismiss any injuries that became symptomatic after that initial recorded statement was made. Provide material for cross-examination – By the time deposition or trial occurs, chances are the defense counsel will have reviewed your recorded statements dozens of times. They will craft questions for cross-examination with the understanding that you likely don’t remember everything you said or agreed to in that recorded statement. And when you misremember or contradict yourself in a moment of confusion, they will try to claim your misstatement proves your testimony is not credible.