San Antonio Personal Injury Lawyers

Personal Injury Accident Attorneys in San Antonio, TX

After spending 20 years caring for injured victims and serving as a U.S. Army Combat Medic, Dr. Louis Patino started his law practice in San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Patino’s background provides a unique perspective that he leverages to help his clients. Patino Injury and Accident Attorneys is a veteran-owned business that seeks to make a local impact to help injured victims. We strive to hold parties accountable for their actions and to compensate victims for their injuries.

Patino Injury and Accident Attorneys represent San Antonio victims in various cases, including personal injury, car accidents, truck accidents, premises liability, burns, head and brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, slip and falls, and wrongful death. Reach out today for a free consultation.

How Our San Antonio Personal Injury Attorneys Can Help You

San Antonio Personal Injury Lawyer, Louis Patino
San Antonio Personal Injury Lawyer, Louis Patino

Personal injury attorneys specialize in helping victims or plaintiffs navigate the legal complexities that follow harm incurred due to an accident as a result of another party’s negligent or reckless actions. Personal injury attorneys seek to protect your legal rights while achieving “justice,” whether through financial compensation or otherwise.

Your San Antonio personal injury attorney can:

  1. Evaluate your case: Personal injury lawsuits are complex, and each personal injury case is unique. An attorney with a focus on personal injury can help identify the likelihood your case will succeed, how much compensation you should potentially recover, and what steps to take to advance your legal claim.
  2. Inform you and help you exercise your legal rights: Personal injury attorneys help determine what legal steps and remedies to apply to your case. For example, an attorney can help you decide whether you need to turn over certain documents or evidence to an insurance company. They can help evaluate what you can and should say or what you should withhold.
  3. Help you get medical care: Personal injury attorneys seek to provide the best care for their clients. Personal injury attorneys work with your doctor or refer you to specialists and experts to get the care you need. Additionally, your attorney works with medical professionals involved in your case to determine the extent of your injuries and how much compensation you should potentially receive. A personal injury attorney can also advise you on how you should pay or postpone payment for your medical care while waiting for a settlement.
  4. Collect and evaluate evidence: Courts set strict evidentiary and burden-of-proof requirements for plaintiffs in personal injury cases. Plaintiffs must present substantial evidence linking their personal injury to someone else’s actions. To do so often involves collecting medical records, accident reports, and witness testimonies. Also, during discovery—a stage of litigation in which the parties search for and request evidence—attorneys help prepare interrogatories, depose witnesses, and otherwise identify any evidence needed to succeed in a case.
  5. Negotiate a settlement: Insurance companies often try to lowball injured parties. They do so out of necessity to maximize their profits and avoid massive payouts affecting their bottom line. Hiring a personal injury attorney puts insurance companies on notice that you are serious about seeking appropriate and fair compensation. Personal injury attorneys help to negotiate a more favorable settlement offer on your behalf. Your attorney knows what insurance companies and other defendants typically pay for a specific type of injury. They can coach you on whether you should accept or reject an offer.
  6. Litigate your case: Litigation is complex involving the trial and numerous motions before trial that help guide and determine the outcome. A trial often includes complicated issues that require extensive legal research. As a result, if your personal injury case goes to trial, having a knowledgeable attorney litigate your case can potentially increase your chances of success.
  7. Help potentially increase your compensation: Victims of personal injuries can recover compensation for a wide range of incurred damages. No matter what stage of the litigation process you are in, having an attorney to represent you and present your claims can potentially increase the amount of compensation you receive. Personal injury attorneys often do not get paid unless they successfully secure their clients’ compensation because they represent their clients on a contingency-fee-basis. So, it’s in both your interest and the attorney’s interest to reach a favorable result.
  8. Handle your legal issues: Another benefit of having an attorney is that they can act as the middleman. You don’t have to make or answer calls, manage an investigation, or regularly interact with the opposing party. Your attorney will be the point person for your legal problems. Your attorney can also keep you up-to-date on your lawsuit and let you know of any significant developments.

Patino Injury and Accident Attorneys seek justice for our injured clients. We work to preserve your rights and assert your claims confidently and adeptly. We prioritize our clients. Our goal is to obtain compensation for your injuries, so you can recover, be made whole again, and get back to living. If you suffer from a personal injury, reach out for a free consultation. We are ready to take your call.

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Find Your San Antonio Law Firm

 

Patino Injury and Accident Attorneys

 

901 NE 410 Loop #700

San Antonio, Texas 78209

210-646-9100

Available 24/7

What Does Your San Antonio Personal Injury Attorney Do on Your Case?

Preparation for a lawsuit begins before the initial filing of pleadings. Personal injury litigation includes several complex stages.In general, personal injury litigation occurs in the following phases:

  1. Pre-litigation research: Your attorney helps gather background information, evaluate your case, and conduct preliminary legal research.
  2. Filing a complaint: Lawsuits officially start with the filing of a complaint or a legal document stating your legal claims, the facts that support your claim, and what type of relief you seek.
  3. Discovery: During the discovery process, both parties trade information, interview witnesses, and hold depositions. Your attorney seeks to obtain physical evidence, eyewitness testimony, and depose key witnesses in a personal injury case. Your attorney will also help identify medical experts, engineers, scientists, or other individuals to help establish how you were injured or the extent of your injury.
  4. Pre-trial motions: Throughout the pre-trial stage, attorneys make motions or requests for the court to act or force someone to act, as needed. Specific motions can include a motion to compel the other party to turn over damaging evidence or a motion to dismiss the lawsuit if the plaintiff fails to file properly or if their claims are frivolous or unsupported by the evidence. Your attorney can help draft, interpret, and respond to motions, which play a vital role in determining your case’s outcome.
  5. Trial: In Texas, following discovery, parties can request a trial to bring their personal injury lawsuit before a judge or jury. At a trial, both parties present facts and evidence to support their case and its accompanying claims and defenses. The judge or jury will render a verdict that determines the case’s outcome based on what they find.
  6. Appeals: Plaintiffs and defendants may seek to appeal a case as a matter of law. In other words, your attorney can help render an unfavorable outcome moot but only as it relates to an error of law.
  7. Settlement: Settlement can happen at any point before or during litigation. Settlements are legally binding contracts between two parties in a lawsuit to resolve the issues. Settlements often involve financial compensation and other requirements (e.g., a public apology or non-disclosure agreement).

Common Personal Injuries in San Antonio

  • Car accidents: The most prevalent and well-known type of personal injury suit involves car accidents. Most traffic accidents occur at an intersection where motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians must cross paths. In many cases, intersections consist of complex and confusing maneuvers. A person who negligently causes a car accident might be liable for resulting damages, including property damage and personal injuries. Schedule a free consultation with our San Antonio car accident lawyers to learn more.
  • Truck accidents: Truck accidents are distinct from car accidents. While car accidents can be catastrophic, accidents involving trucks have a higher likelihood of causing serious injuries and extensive property damage. Trucks can sometimes weigh thirty times more than a car, and the destruction they cause is catastrophic. One study found that approximately 16 percent of truck accident deaths were truck drivers, while sixty-seven percent occupied other vehicles. Because of the heightened risk, federal, state, and local governments have enacted special regulations relating to trucks. Violations of these regulations by truck drivers, truck companies, truck manufacturers, and truck maintenance and repair companies can lead to liability.
  • Traffic accident hotspots in San Antonio: San Antonio has several hotspots, including certain intersections where collisions are more likely to occur. According to one report, traffic accidents historically happen at higher frequencies at the following intersections: Loop 1604 and Interstate 10; Northwest Loop 410 and Interstate 10; U.S. 281 and Interstate 35; West Loop 1604 North and Highway 16; Northeast Loop 410 and Interstate 35; North Loop 1604 East and Interstate 35; Alamo Ranch Parkway and Westwood Loop; Northeast Loop 410 and Walzem Road; Northwest Loop 410 and Wurzbach Road; and Northwest Loop 410 and San Pedro Avenue.
  • Premises liability: A premises liability lawsuit aims to hold a property owner responsible for an injury arising on that person’s property. A property owner must take “reasonable” care to maintain a safe environment. When the property owner fails to do so, they might be liable for damages under premises liability laws. Commonly, premises liability lawsuits include property owners who fail to cure a defect in a building they own, who misuse property for something it cannot handle, or for otherwise maintaining dangerous conditions.
  • Slip and falls: Slips and falls are a common subset of premises liability claims. Usually, successful slip and fall cases involve dangerous conditions created by a property owner’s failure to construct or maintain a facility properly. For example, if a property owner fails to mark off or dry a wet floor, the property owner might be liable for injuries sustained when someone slips and falls on the floor.
  • Burn injuries, head injuries, brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries: Common injuries that people file suit over include burn injuries, head injuries, brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries.
  • Wrongful death: A family member or estate can file suit on behalf of a decedent (deceased person) in a wrongful death case. Wrongful death lawsuits include compensation for incurred damages, such as loss of support, funeral expenses, medical expenses, loss of companionship, and loss of consortium.

A San Antonio Personal Injury Primer: Negligence

Tort law is an area of civil law that deals with harms recoverable through monetary damages. In a tort case, the defendant harms the plaintiff, and now the plaintiff seeks to hold the defendant liable for the harm done.

Intentional torts, such as assault and battery, include an act that someone carries out with the intent to harm you. More commonly, personal injury attorneys handle negligence cases. Negligence is a subset of tort law. Some consider negligent law “the law of accidents.”

Attorneys generally divide negligence into four or five elements.

In San Antonio, the plaintiff must prove each of these five elements to bring a suit successfully:

  1. Duty: People have a general duty to take “reasonable” or “ordinary” care under the circumstances concerning their activities and instruments. Broadly, most people and businesses owe a duty to everyone else, with some exceptions (e.g., trespass).
  2. Breach: For breach, a court asks whether the defendant breached a duty of care. In general, the plaintiff must identify a specific act or omission that exposed the plaintiff to an “unreasonable risk” that is “reasonably foreseeable” and “reasonably preventable.”
  3. Actual harm: The plaintiff must prove that she suffered legally cognizable harm. If someone is physically injured, then harm almost always exists.
  4. Causation: Sometimes referred to as but-for causation, courts require evidence that the plaintiff’s injury would not have resulted but for the defendant’s actions. For example, in a rear-end collision, courts will often find that “but for” the negligent driver’s actions, the accident would not have happened, and the injuries would thereby not have followed.
  5. Scope: Whether a plaintiff’s injuries fall within the scope of liability depends on whether the harm was a type of harm the negligence was likely to cause based on the accident’s circumstances.

San Antonio Personal Injury FAQs

Here are answers to questions we commonly receive:

What cases do your San Antonio personal injury attorneys handle?

Personal injury attorneys handle a variety of cases in which an individual suffers injury. Each injury and its related circumstances might differ, but the legal requirements to recover for a personal injury are often the same. Patino Injury and Accident Attorneys handle cases involving personal injury, car accidents, truck accidents, premises liability, burns, head and brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, slip and falls, and wrongful deaths.

What do I do after a personal accident in San Antonio?

If a reckless or negligent driver injures you in an accident, you should first seek medical attention. Above all else, you need to ensure that you receive proper medical care to resolve any issues before becoming more serious.

In cases in which you do not seek immediate medical care after an accident, you should document the accident as thoroughly as possible. You can take photos and videos, jot down names and contact information of witnesses, and contact the police to file a report. Do not admit fault or make any deals with the other party. Also, do not exchange anything other than information, such as cash.

Do I have a San Antonio personal injury case?

You should consult an attorney to determine if you have a case. Often, evaluating a claim on your own is difficult. As a layman, you will likely spend an excessive amount of time conducting legal research and surveying complex case law that’s challenging to interpret correctly on your own. Personal injury attorneys know the relevant law and where to find information on your case’s specific facts.

Your attorney can also compare your case to previous cases to determine the likelihood of success for recovering compensation, how much you might recover, and whether you should proceed with a claim.

At Patino Injury and Accident Attorneys, we offer a free consultation to determine whether you have a viable case. We can provide a general evaluation of your case and advise you on your next steps.

When should I file my San Antonio personal injury case?

When an injured party should file their case varies. It may be more strategic to file a lawsuit earlier than later, but this is not always the case. Most importantly, you must ensure that you file your claim before the statute of limitations expires. If you wait too long, you waive your ability to bring a lawsuit and recover compensation for your incurred damages. In Texas, you typically need to file a personal injury claim within two years from the accident date.

Contact an attorney to evaluate your case and determine whether you can still file a claim. Patino Injury and Accident Attorneys handle personal injury cases often and aim to help compensate victims within the allowable time. A U.S. Army medic veteran who pays careful attention to his clients’ needs and deadlines related to their case owns our law firm.

What types of financial compensation can a San Antonio personal injury lawyer help me recover?

Personal injury attorneys can help secure the following types of financial compensation to cover your damages:

  • Compensation for actual expenses, including medical expenses; future medical expenses, such as surgeries, follow-up appointments, and medication; and property damage or replacement of lost property;
  • Compensation for lost wages, including future lost wages and loss of earning potential;
  • Compensation for pain and suffering, including physical and emotional suffering;
  • Compensation for loss of a body party or other disfigurement (e.g., scarring);
  • Compensation for loss of companionship or consortium;
  • Compensation for wrongful death; and
  • Monetary punitive damages in some circumstances.
How much will I recover from my San Antonio personal injury suit?

It’s difficult to predict precisely how much compensation you can or will receive for your injuries. Personal injury cases are often unique, requiring a case-by-case examination to determine proper compensation. The best way to get an accurate estimation of how much you might potentially recover is to contact an attorney.

At Patino Injury and Accident Attorneys, we offer a free consultation to help evaluate your case. Our attorneys have concluded many personal injury lawsuits and can help determine your likelihood of success and what that success might involve. We can decide what types of damages you can reasonably recover and answer any other questions you might have about the viability of your claims.

How long does a San Antonio personal injury lawsuit take?

The length of time a case takes will vary depending on many factors, including:

  • The type of injury;
  • The amount of evidence you need to gather;
  • The size of the court’s docket;
  • The judge’s preference on which cases he or she will hear first;
  • The strength of a plaintiff’s claim; and
  • Whether the parties prefer to settle.

In many cases, parties can agree to settle relatively quickly. In other cases, the parties may prolong the lawsuit (e.g., the plaintiff might want to litigate the case to receive maximum financial compensation, or the defendant might believe they’re not at fault). Often, cases that settle early in the litigation stage occur within a few months. In other instances, though, cases may take years to litigate fully.

Will my San Antonio personal injury case settle?

Whether your case settles depends on many different factors. Most importantly, both the defendant and plaintiff must agree on a settlement amount and its terms. There are many reasons why parties might want to settle. Often, trials are uncertain, while a settlement guarantees a satisfactory result for all. Parties might wish to settle a case to avoid an unreasonably low or high payout.

What if I am injured while at work in San Antonio?

Workers’ compensation becomes the exclusive mechanism for recovering from an injury while at work in most situations. A successful workers’ compensation suit will cover any medical bills, a portion of your lost wages, vocational rehabilitation assistance if needed, or a lump sum for specific injuries. Arguably, workers’ compensation suits are easier to win; however, the trade-off is that there are fewer opportunities to recover for all incurred damages.

If someone else’s actions caused your injury while at work, you might have a personal injury claim directly against that person. For example, in O’Gee v. Dobbs House, a plaintiff sued Dobbs House, a supplier, for failing to secure a buffet cart in an airplane. Even though the plaintiff, a flight attendant, was injured while working for United Airlines, she brought a negligence claim against the third-party supplier for negligently placing the buffet cart.

What if a San Antonio personal injury happens at a government entity or a government employee injures me?

Several complex and complicated statutory and common laws (i.e., laws created through judges’ past case decisions) determine whether a government might be accountable for its negligence. For example, the Federal Tort Claims Act provides liability in some circumstances when a federal employee acts negligently. The Federal Tort Claims Act essentially waived the federal government’s sovereign immunity, which would otherwise bar all lawsuits, for some claims.

Patino Injury and Accident Attorneys can help evaluate whether your lawsuit against a government will likely succeed. If a negligent or reckless government employee injured you in San Antonio, you can contact us today for a free consultation about your legal case.

What if I contributed to my San Antonio personal injury accident?

States take different approaches to determine whether you can recover compensation if you contribute to an accident. Texas uses the modified comparative fault model. Comparative negligence divides the blame for an accident by assigning a proportionate share of responsibility, but how fault is determined is based on your specific case.

If you or multiple individuals contributed to an accident, you should contact an attorney for an evaluation of your case. If you suffered an injury in the San Antonio area, you should reach out to Patino Injury and Accident Attorneys today for a free consultation.

Do I need a San Antonio personal injury attorney?

Yes, especially when substantial injuries involve more facts and complex laws. Additionally, if the at-fault party seeks to contest liability or you are suing for a large amount, you should hire an attorney to advocate on your behalf.

Not only are personal injury attorneys knowledgeable about personal injury laws, they’re professionals trained to handle these types of confrontations. Personal injury attorneys specialize in seeking compensation for their clients. If a negligent or reckless driver injures you in an accident, you should reach out to an attorney to potentially increase your chances of bringing a successful lawsuit.

At Patino Injury and Accident Attorneys, we have helped many victims recover from past injuries. We offer a free consultation to ask questions about your case, answer your questions, and provide our advice on your case’s viability.

What do I need to prove to win my San Antonio personal injury case and recover damages?

The plaintiff bears the burden to prove “by a preponderance of evidence” that the defendant is legally liable for their injury. It must be more likely than not that the defendant is responsible for the plaintiff’s injuries. This high standard often requires a substantial amount of corroborating evidence. Your attorney will seek to collect a wide range of evidence, such as medical records, expert testimony (e.g., from a medical doctor), video or photographic evidence, eyewitness testimony, and written or oral communications.

How do I pay for my attorney in San Antonio personal injury cases?

Personal injury attorneys can create individualized payment options. Personal injury attorneys will often offer to take a case at no initial charge and instead receive a percentage of any settlement or judgment obtained. This payment arrangement is called a contingency fee agreement. Patino Injury and Accident Attorneys use this fee schedule. Speak with one of our attorneys today to determine how charges might apply specifically to your case.

Call Our San Antonio Personal Injury Lawyers Today

Were you injured by a negligent person, company, or government entity in San Antonio? If so, please give Patino Injury and Accident Attorneys a call today at 210-646-9100 or write to us through our confidential contact page. We’ll start with a free consultation and case evaluation to help you determine your best path forward. If we feel you have a good legal claim and you decide we’re the best San Antonio personal injury law firm for you, we’ll start investigating your case right away and work to secure for you the best settlement or judgment allowed by the law. We look forward to hearing from you!

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