Jason Stephens | January 20, 2022 | Car Accidents
Have you been involved in a car accident in Fort Worth, Texas? Texas is an at-fault state. If you’re injured in a car accident due to another driver’s negligence, you can seek compensation for your medical bills and other losses by filing a claim with the insurance of the negligent party. Alternatively, you can file a lawsuit if their insurer won’t offer a fair settlement.
However, not all car accidents cause physical injury. Many only cause property damage. In some cases, they might also result in mental or emotional distress. In these circumstances, you might wonder if you have legal grounds to file a claim or lawsuit.
Keep reading to learn more. This general overview will answer your questions on the subject.
Seeking Compensation After a Fort Worth Car Accident That Didn’t Result in Physical Harm
Texas law requires that drivers have the ability to compensate victims of accidents they cause. The majority of drivers will meet this requirement by purchasing insurance.
An insurance policy must offer at least $30,000 of coverage per person for injuries resulting from an accident. However, insurance policies must also offer a minimum of $25,000 in coverage for property damage.
Quite simply, this means you can recover compensation after a Fort Worth car accident even if you were not injured. If your car was damaged, you can file a claim to seek compensation. Plain and simple.
Because Forth Worth is relatively “spread out” for a major city, lack of access to your car can result in difficulties such as:
- Inability to get to work
- Reliance on potentially costly public transportation
- Inability to easily perform basic daily tasks
- In some cases, limited ability to perform one’s duties as a parent or caretaker
Those are just some examples. They highlight the importance of hiring a Fort Worth car accident attorney when filing a claim.
What to Know About Accident Claims
First, it’s important to understand that the negligent party’s insurer will not be inclined to pay the full value of your claim. It’s likely they will try to convince you to settle for an unreasonably low payout. They may even try to deny your claim entirely.
An attorney can help you guard against these tactics by conducting an investigation to help prove negligence. This is likely a task you don’t have the resources or experience necessary to handle on your own.
Your lawyer can also help you go about the process of documenting the full extent of the property damage. Thus, when submitting a claim, you’ll be better-equipped to demonstrate to an insurer why you deserve to be paid more than its initial offer.
A lawyer can also help you document other losses. Again, perhaps the damage to your car has prevented you from traveling to work. This could potentially result in temporary lost wages. If so, your lawyer could argue that you also should be compensated for this related loss.
Although rare, car accidents that don’t cause physical harm can still result in non-economic damages. This term refers to losses that don’t have an objective dollar value. For example, perhaps your car accident has left you with severe anxiety that is making it difficult for you to feel comfortable driving.
You may account for this when pursuing compensation. Your attorney can’t promise you will receive compensation for such losses. However, you may be able to cite this in your claim or lawsuit.
The main point to take from all this is that you don’t have to be injured to be eligible for compensation after a Fort Worth car accident. Discuss your case with a lawyer for more information about your options.
Contact Our Car Accident Law Firm in Fort Worth, TX – Stephens Law Personal Injury | Wrongful Death | Truck Accidents
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Fort Worth and need legal help, contact our Fort Worth car accident lawyers at Stephens Law Personal Injury | Wrongful Death | Truck Accidents to schedule a free consultation.
Stephens Law Personal Injury | Wrongful Death | Truck Accidents
1300 S University Dr # 300
Fort Worth, TX 76107
(817) 420-7000
Open 24 hrs.