Personal Injury

A Personal Note From Rob Henry

If a family or friend of mine is injured and has asked me what they should look for in hiring an attorney, I would say number one, the big thing is you want somebody you can work with. A big part of that is somebody you trust.

The important thing about it the attorney-client relationship is that you have to let the lawyer work for you. You have to go on with your life. You have to go to the doctor, get treated and get better. Or if it’s something unfortunately where you can only get to a certain level and it’s something you’re going to have to live with, you’re going to have to learn how to get used to that. That’s not easy.

So, the big thing is trust. You have to trust to let them work for you. You want somebody who’s loyal to you, somebody who’s going to take you seriously. Some attorneys say they’re the guerilla lawyer and they’re going to fight for every dime. I think personally that’s just nonsense. I don’t think that that type of thinking and attitude gets you anywhere. I think that that does more harm than bad. I think particularly in this area, you want an attorney who’s going to be civil and who’s going to look for a compromise and try to find the best solution for that client.

So, you want somebody who you think can work with the other players, work with the defense attorney and work with an adjustor to try to get you the best outcome possible. In my experience, the best way to do that has always been just through negotiation, good faith and compromise.

Those are the important things. You want trust, you want somebody you find to have good character, somebody you think is loyal, somebody who’s not just looking at your case like it’s just some file, just some potential money for them and their pocket, somebody who’s going to treat you like a human being. I think that’s the big thing, and I think that’s what separates a great lawyer from an average or a mediocre lawyer.

Introduction to Personal Injury

When you or a loved one is injured in an accident that was caused by another person’s negligence, you have the right under Texas law to file a personal injury lawsuit. Personal injury law is a complex area where the victim must show the responsible party acted in a negligent manner. In some cases, such as a drunk driver causing an accident, this is simple to accomplish. However, in other cases, such as truck accidents, the cause and the responsible parties may be difficult to identify.

Working with a personal injury attorney after an accident is a necessity. For most victims, insurance companies will try to get the victim to accept part of the responsibility for the accident, they may make a settlement offer that is completely unreasonable considering the injuries a victim has suffered or they may simply deny the claim and hope the victim goes away quietly.

Accidents caused by someone’s negligence can result in steep out-of-pocket costs including medical bills and treatment. However, there are other financial losses such as the time you lose from work, damage to your personal property and even money that may not be added to your retirement accounts because you are not working. You should be focused on recovering from your physical injuries and someone else should be looking out for your financial interests.

When you are injured in a Texas car accident, truck accident or a slip and fall accident, you need to know what options are available to you and how to proceed.

This is when it is time to consider working with the skilled personal attorney Robert L. Henry Attorney at Law, P.C. who will fight hard to get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries and make sure you understand your rights and your options.

Frequently Seen Personal Injury Claims

There are all kinds of ways to get hurt. Many are due to the negligence of others. Here are some of the most common cases we tend to see in Texas.

Catastrophic and Traumatic Brain Injury

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) car accidents are one of the leading causes of traumatic brain injuries. These as well as other injuries which can be considered catastrophic turn your life upside down after an accident. Whether you suffer severe burns in a car accident, lose a limb because of crushing injuries or suffer spinal cord damage after a slip and fall accident, your life will never be the same.

When a serious injury prevents you from working, impacts your quality of life or when your injuries require you to have constant medical care, the stress from mounting medical costs is going to have an impact on your healing. Therefore, victims of serious injuries should always contact a Texas personal injury attorney as soon as possible. It is important to let someone else deal with the financial matters while you focus on your recovery.

Victims often believe they should deal directly with the responsible party’s insurance company. The problem with this is insurance adjusters are going to be working as hard as possible to prove your injury was not caused by their policyholder. This is to protect the bottom line of the insurance company and not to look out for your best interests.

Victims of catastrophic injuries or traumatic brain injury will spend month recovering and during that time, they will be losing income and incurring steep medical bills.

Robert H. Henry, Attorney at Law helps victims recover compensation for their injuries. Contact the office immediately and schedule a consultation to discuss your options and learn what steps should be taken to help you recover financially.

Wrongful Death

Texas law defines wrongful death as a “wrongful act, neglect, carelessness, unskillfulness, or default” that results in the loss of life. These cases are difficult on family members as they are not only mourning the loss of a loved one, they are also painfully aware that if not for the actions of another person their loved one would still be with them.

Texas requires wrongful death actions to be filed within two years of death and they may be brought by spouses, children or parents. The suit may be filed individually by any one of these persons or may be filed jointly with all parties joining one lawsuit. In many cases, the person responsible for the death may also be facing criminal charges. However, this is not a requirement for family members to file a wrongful death suit.

When someone loses their lives as a direct result of a wrongful act or negligence, they sometimes live for days, weeks or even months after the incident. The law provides for the wrongful death case to include the pain and suffering of the decedent during the time they were alive. Other compensation may include the loss of future wages, funeral and burial expenses as well as loss of companionship and other damages.

While it is understandable that family members feel no amount of money will make up for the loss of a loved one, this should not prevent survivors from filing a wrongful death lawsuit. As difficult a decision as this may be, their financial future is at stake.

Robert H. Henry, Attorney at Law has experience helping family members recover financially when they have lost a loved one due to the carelessness or deliberate action of another party.