Rio Grande Valley Personal Injury Attorney

After an accident, the insurance company will likely contact you quickly. They might even offer you a settlement right away. But as a representative of the insurance company you’re claiming against, their job is to investigate your claim and find ways to minimize what the company pays out, not look out for your best interests.

Insurance adjusters are trained professionals who know exactly what they’re doing. They’ll ask questions designed to get you to downplay your injuries or admit fault, or push for a quick settlement before you’ve even seen a doctor or understand the full extent of your injuries.

Having a Rio Grande Valley personal injury attorney levels the playing field. Your lawyer can handle all communications with the insurance company, protecting you from their tactics. We know what your claim is truly worth, including damages you might not even realize you’re entitled to. We won’t let you accept a settlement that doesn’t fully cover your medical expenses, lost income, and future needs.

In Texas, the statute of limitations for most personal injury claims is two years from the date of your injury. This is a hard deadline. If you fail to file a lawsuit within this two-year window, you lose your right to seek compensation.

Two years might sound like plenty of time, but it passes faster than you think. Building a strong case can take months. Your attorney needs time to investigate, collect evidence, consult with medical experts, and negotiate with the insurance company. Waiting too long runs the risk of evidence disappearing, witnesses moving away or forgetting what happened, and records becoming harder to obtain.

Some situations have even shorter deadlines. For example, claims against government entities in Texas often require notice within six months. Contacting an attorney as soon as possible after your injury is the best way to protect your legal rights.

Texas follows what’s called a “modified comparative negligence” rule, also known as the 51% rule. Under this rule, you can still collect damages even if you were partially at fault for your accident, but only if your share of the blame is 50% or less.

If you’re partly liable, your total compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you’re found to be 20% responsible for an accident, you can still recover 80% of your damages. However, if you’re found to be 51% or more at fault, you’re barred from recovery entirely.

Insurance companies understand this rule well, and they’ll use it against you. They often try to shift more blame onto the injured person to reduce their payout or reject their claim entirely. An experienced attorney knows how to counter these tactics.

All types of accidents happen across the Rio Grande Valley, and, often, they’re caused by someone else’s negligence. Our Texas personal injury firm handles all types of personal injury cases. Below are the most common, but if you don’t see your accident featured in this list, we might still be able to help.

We offer a free, no-obligation case review so you can find out exactly where you stand.

Car Accidents

Car accidents are the most common type of personal injury claim we handle. The roads throughout the Rio Grande Valley see thousands of collisions every year, from fender benders to catastrophic crashes. Distracted driving (especially texting), speeding, driving under the influence, and failure to yield are the leading causes of accidents in our area.

Building a successful car accident claim requires a thorough investigation into what happened. Your attorney needs to collect the police report, interview witnesses, obtain traffic camera footage if available, and sometimes hire accident reconstruction experts. We negotiate with insurance adjusters who are trying to minimize their liability and calculate all your current and future damages, including medical expenses you’ll need down the road, lost earning capacity if your injuries affect your ability to work, and the pain and suffering you’ve endured.

Truck Accidents Involving Commercial Vehicles

Accidents involving 18-wheelers, dump trucks, and other commercial vehicles are in a different category entirely. The sheer size and weight difference between a commercial truck and a passenger vehicle means these crashes are often catastrophic. Victims suffer severe injuries like traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, multiple fractures, and internal organ damage. Sadly, fatalities are also common.

These cases are legally complex. Multiple parties might share liability, including the truck driver, the trucking company that employs them, the company that loaded the cargo, and the manufacturer if a vehicle defect contributed to the crash. Federal regulations from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) govern how long drivers can work, how trucks must be maintained, and how cargo should be secured. Violations of these regulations can be crucial evidence in your case.

Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcyclists are particularly vulnerable on Texas roads. Despite the common stereotype of motorcyclists being reckless, the majority of motorcycle accidents are caused by other drivers who fail to see the rider or violate their right-of-way. A car making a left turn at an intersection and colliding with an oncoming motorcycle is one of the most common scenarios we see.

Insurance companies and juries sometimes bring unfair assumptions to motorcycle accident cases. They might assume the rider was speeding or driving recklessly just because they were on a motorcycle. Our experienced RGV attorney combats this by presenting clear evidence of what actually happened. We establish the true cause of the accident and protect the motorcyclist’s rights to fair compensation.

Slip and Fall Accidents and Premises Liability

Property owners and managers have a legal duty to maintain safe environments for visitors. When they fail to address hazards like wet floors, poor lighting, uneven surfaces, or damaged staircases, they can be held liable for injuries under premises liability law.

Slip and fall incidents occur in all types of locations. High-traffic commercial areas like La Plaza Mall, grocery stores, pools, and restaurants are common sites for these accidents.

Proving liability in a slip and fall case often comes down to whether the property owner knew or should have known about the dangerous condition. If a store employee mops a floor but doesn’t put out warning signs, they’ve created a hazard they’re clearly aware of. If a broken step has been deteriorating for months and the landlord has done nothing about it, they should have known about the danger through reasonable inspection. An attorney will gather evidence like maintenance records, surveillance footage, and witness testimony to establish the property owner’s knowledge and failure to act.

Workplace Accidents

Construction sites, farms, manufacturing plants, and warehouses can be dangerous environments, capable of leading to serious accidents. While workers’ compensation provides benefits for most workplace injuries (if your employer has it), these benefits are often limited and don’t fully compensate for your losses.

A third-party liability claim might be possible if someone other than your employer was negligent. For example, if you’re injured on a construction site when a subcontractor’s defective equipment fails, you might have a claim against that subcontractor or the equipment manufacturer. If a delivery driver from another company causes an accident at your workplace, you can pursue a claim against that driver and their employer. These third-party claims can provide additional compensation beyond what workers’ compensation offers.

If your employer was negligent and doesn’t have workers’ comp insurance, we can pursue compensation in a standard personal injury claim.

Oilfield Accidents 

Many workers from the Valley work in the nearby oilfields in the Permian Basin. Equipment malfunctions, explosions, fires, falls from heights, and exposure to toxic chemicals are constant risks, and workers face life-altering injuries or death from incidents.

Determining liability often requires specialized knowledge of industry practices. Federal safety regulations from OSHA apply to many oilfield operations. Multiple companies might share responsibility, from the operator of the site to equipment manufacturers to safety inspection companies. Building a strong case means understanding the technical aspects of oilfield operations and identifying all potentially liable parties who contributed to the accident.