You’re not legally required to hire an attorney, but doing so significantly increases your chances of receiving maximum compensation. A Hidalgo personal injury lawyer can calculate all your losses to ensure you receive maximum compensation and identify parties you may not realize might be liable. We’ll also deal with insurance companies so you do not have to worry about making a statement that will be used against you and gather evidence to build your case so you can focus on your recovery.

The value of your personal injury claim depends on various factors, including the severity of your injuries and the medical treatment you require, how your injuries have affected your ability to work, and the strength of the evidence proving another party is responsible.

However, the value of your claim and the offer made by an insurer are rarely the same — at least initially — as the insurance company’s goal is to pay out as little as possible. It’s our job as your Hidalgo personal injury lawyer to maximize the amount offered so you are fairly compensated for your losses.

Insurance companies typically calculate the value of a claim by assessing your tangible losses (such as medical bills, property damage, and lost wages) and applying a multiplier to determine how much you deserve for your pain, emotional distress, and the impact of your accident on your quality of life. The formulas insurers use can vary, making it difficult to estimate exactly how much your claim might be worth.

You can use our Texas personal injury settlement calculator to estimate the value of your claim, but every accident is unique, so we encourage you to speak to an accident attorney for a more accurate figure. We offer a free, no-obligation case review so you can find out where you stand.

Most personal injury attorneys in Hidalgo —Patino Law Firm included — operate on a contingency basis. This means you will not pay any upfront fees for their legal services. You only pay when we win your claim, in which case, we will take a percentage of the compensation awarded. If we do not win your case, you pay nothing, but we are proud to have a strong track record of negotiating substantial settlements and winning life-changing judgments for our clients.

This arrangement allows all individuals, regardless of their financial situation, to access the best legal representation.

The insurance adjuster representing the at-fault party for your accident will likely offer you a settlement, encouraging you to settle quickly to avoid long, drawn-out negotiations or risk going to court and losing your case. They may even tell you horror stories about failed claims and paint a picture of you being able to receive your settlement quickly and pay your expenses so you can begin to put your accident behind you — if you accept their initial offer.

However, you should always consult a Hidalgo personal injury lawyer before accepting any offer to make sure it covers your damages. It can be tempting to accept the first offer from the insurer, but insurance companies are in the business of making money, and they often lowball accident victims to save money paid out in claims. The settlement offered may not even be enough to cover your long-term costs if you need additional medical treatment, and therein lies the crucial problem — you may not even know the full extent of your injuries and how long it will take to fully recover or if your condition will worsen. As soon as you accept a settlement, you release the at-fault party of liability. If you later need corrective surgery and cannot work for months, and you suffer permanent weakness or chronic pain that impacts your quality of life, you cannot negotiate additional compensation or sue, potentially resulting in financial difficulty later on.

Our personal injury lawyer can advise on whether your settlement offer is fair, negotiate a higher sum, and calculate your future losses — seeking expert opinions from specialists as needed to bolster your claim — so you can feel confident your settlement will provide for you for years to come.

Read more: Should you accept the first offer from an insurance company?

Negligence is the basis of every personal injury claim — a person or organization has caused you harm through a wrongful action — or inaction. But some accidents are not solely caused by a single person or party.

Take this car accident example:

You’re traveling across an intersection when a driver runs a red light and crashes into you. The accident would not have happened if the driver stopped when they were supposed to, so they are responsible. However, they argue you are equally at fault because you were speeding and that if you were traveling at the legal limit, the driver would not have hit you. If you are partly responsible for an accident, you may still be eligible for compensation under Texas’s modified comparative negligence laws. This legal doctrine allows you to recover compensation if you are less than 51% liable for your accident. A jury determines the share of guilt in a personal injury lawsuit, and the compensation award is adjusted accordingly. If a jury awards $200,000 but finds you are 49% liable, you will receive 51% of the amount, or $102,000. However, you won’t recover any compensation if they find you 51% at fault.

The issue of shared liability can be complex, especially when multiple parties might be at fault. If you think you may be partly responsible for your Hidalgo accident, you should speak with a Texas personal injury attorney to see if you can claim and determine your next steps.

The statute of limitations — how long you have to file a personal injury claim — is two years in Texas. However, it’s wise to consult an attorney as soon as possible after your accident, as we can investigate your accident, begin gathering evidence, and get negotiations off the ground with the at-fault party’s insurance company. Evidence can deteriorate or disappear over time, especially in road accidents when the scene is cleared quickly. Crucial eyewitnesses might also move away and become hard to track down, and even if they stay put, they might struggle to remember the details months later, making them less credible. When you speak to a lawyer immediately after your accident, they can also advise on what you should do to maximize your chances, such as seeking medical treatment. If you fail to do this, the other party might argue you didn’t sustain your injuries in your accident, affecting the compensation you can recover.

It is also crucial to remember that the two-year deadline is for filing a lawsuit. If you are open to accepting a settlement, negotiations must happen first. Insurance companies may delay the process, and you still need evidence to give yourself an advantage going into discussions. All these things take valuable time, so if you wait too long to begin the process, you risk the statute of limitations expiring on your case should negotiations fail.