If you have been injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you need to have an essential understanding of your legal rights and interests. You also need to understand the importance of retaining a Dallas law firm experienced in representing an individual like you in a personal injury case.
Compensation in a Personal Injury Case
A key element of a personal injury case that you need to understand is compensation. In the final analysis, when you are injured in an accident arising from the negligent conduct of someone else, your only real way of achieving a sense of justice if through an award of appropriate compensation.
Compensation in a Texas personal injury case depends on the facts and circumstances surrounding an accident coupled with the nature and scope of injuries you sustained in that accident. With that understood, there are certain types of losses, damages, and injuries for which payment commonly is pursued in a personal injury case.
Following an accident, an injured individual typically requires what can amount to a considerable amount of medical care and treatment. This represents a primary type of loss for which compensation is needed in a personal injury case. On a related note, an injured person may endure pain for what can amount to an extended period of time. Pain and suffering represents another type of loss for which compensation may be available in a personal injury case.
Other types of losses for which compensation may be sought in a personal injury case in Texas include mental anguish and emotional distress as well as lost wages or salary. Physical disability or permanent disfigurement may also be compensable in an accident case.
As referenced, some of the losses, damages, and injuries arising from an accident can be persistent and continue into the future. You are entitled to compensation not only for existing losses, damages, and injuries, but for those that persist into the future as well.
Punitive or Exemplary Damages
In some personal injury lawsuits, an injured person like you may be entitled to what are known as punitive or exemplary damages. This represents an additional amount of compensation awarded in some personal injury lawsuits.
Punitive or exemplary damages may be awarded in a personal injury lawsuit when the behavior of the party that caused an accident in the first instance is deemed to be particularly irresponsible or egregious. Punitive or exemplary damages are designed not only to provide an injured person with additional financial recovery, but to serve as a form of punishment to a party that engaged in particularly thoughtless or egregious conduct.
Protecting Your Legal Rights with a Dallas Personal Injury Attorney
The first step in retaining the services of a skilled, experienced Dallas personal injury lawyer is scheduling what is known as an initial consultation. During an initial consultation, an experienced attorney will provide an evaluation of your case. In addition, you have the opportunity to raise any questions you might have about your case. As a general rule, there is no fee charged for an initial consultation with a Dallas, Texas, personal injury attorney.
