Automotive collisions can cause a wide variety of injuries that vary in their severity. Under Texas law, you may be entitled to financial compensation for the damages you suffered if you are injured in a car wreck caused by another driver’s negligence.
At Bush & Bush Law Group, our Dallas personal injury attorneys understand the gravity of the situation when your life is upended by a car accident. You may be unable to work, wracking up medical bills, and in mental and physical anguish. Our attorneys understand how Texas law compensates people injured in car crashes, and we will fight for you to receive every penny of the financial compensation you are owed because of those injuries.
Call us at (469) 977-7777 to schedule a consultation about your legal options in the wake of your car crash. We do not charge for initial consultations, and you only pay us if we win.
Why Choose Us for Your Personal Injury Claim?
When you’ve been injured due to someone else’s negligence, selecting the right car accident lawyer is vital. Here’s why we’re the best choice:
- No Win, No Fee
- Cash Advance in 24 Hours (via third party)
- Free Consultation
- 24/7 Support
With our experience and network of experts, we build a strong case to maximize your compensation. We take the time to understand your story and goals, ensuring personalized service and the best possible outcome.
Common Car Accident Injuries
People injured by car crashes are often shaken to their core even when they are able to walk away from the wreck of their own accord. According to the Texas Department of Transportation, 4,283 people lost their lives due to motor vehicle accidents in 2023.
In March of 2023, Forbes released an article categorizing injuries caused by automotive collisions and listing injuries commonly sustained by people involved in car collisions. The injuries commonly caused by car accidents are broadly categorized into two different categories: impact injuries and penetrating injuries.
- An impact injury occurs when a vehicle’s passenger strikes any component of the interior of the car or is thrown from the car.
- A penetrating injury happens when objects flying around the vehicle—such as glass from a shattered window—strike the passenger.
Injuries caused by car accidents are commonly sustained on (1) the injured person’s head or back, (2) their neck or chest, (3) in their soft tissue, or (4) in their arms and legs. Regardless of the nature of your injury, it is imperative that you visit your trusted medical professional to receive prompt medical care to ensure maximum recovery from and proper documentation of your injuries.
Head & Back Injuries
Among the most severe non-fatal injuries a person can sustain in a car accident are those to the head and back. These types of injuries include:
- Traumatic Brain Injury (“TBI”): A TBI is an injury to the brain that occurs when the brain is jolted. TBIs often occur in car crashes when the injured person’s neck snaps forward on impact or when their skull hits the window, steering wheel, or dashboard. Sadly, even mild TBI can have long-lasting effects on those who sustain them. Contact our expert brain injury attorneys in Dallas if an accident results in you having a TBI.
- Spinal Cord Injuries: spinal cord injuries require immediate medical attention and can be life-altering. Spinal cord injuries are referred to as complete (meaning that there is no feeling below the area of the injury) or incomplete (meaning that there is some feeling below the site of injury). If any of this applies to you or someone you love, a professional Dallas spinal cord injury lawyer can help you with filing a lawsuit.
Neck & Chest Injuries
Injuries to the neck and chest are also very common. These injuries are caused by the momentum of being thrown forward against the steering wheel, seatbelt, or dashboard. A few specific injuries to the neck or chest are:
- Broken or Bruised Ribs: rib injuries are common in car accidents, but they usually heal on their own. Broken ribs specifically can cause additional issues such as punctured blood vessels or internal organs.
- Whiplash: Whiplash is among the most commonly sustained injuries in car accidents. Whiplash happens when the neck snaps backward or forward, causing tremendous strain on the neck muscles.
- Heart Attacks: automotive accidents are stressful events that can trigger heart attacks. One of the specific dangers of heart attacks in the aftermath of car accidents is that they are not always as noticeable as other types of injuries sustained in the car accident.
Chest pain is a symptom of both complications caused by broken ribs and heart attacks. If you experience chest pain in the aftermath of your car accident, tell a healthcare professional.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries include bruising and muscle strains and sprains. Bruising is the most common injury after car accidents, and most bruises will heal on their own. In severe car crashes, it is possible to receive a bruise so severe that it threatens your health, especially if your chest is hit or punctured.
Muscle sprains and strains are similar injuries that often occur in car accidents. A sprain occurs between the two bones of a joint, such as at the knee or elbow. A muscle sprain occurs within the muscle or tissue connecting the muscle to the bone.
Arm & Leg Injuries
Injuries to the arms and legs range from dislocation and broken bones all the way up to loss of limbs. Each of these injuries will be addressed in turn:
- Dislocated Joints: dislocations happen when the two bones that meet at a given joint pull apart. These injuries present themselves immediately and will be painful.
- Broken Bones: car crashes frequently cause broken bones, including limbs. Sometimes, people injured in automobile accidents do not know they have broken a bone until
- Loss of Limbs: some of the most automotive accidents can result in the loss of limbs. Severance of the limb can occur at the scene of the accident, but it can also be caused by complications later on.
Should I hire a Dallas Car Attorney?
An experienced car accident lawyer can:
- Help you understand your legal rights and protect them
- Fully understand your injuries and determine the full value of your claim
- Handle the insurance process and all communication
- Gather necessary evidence to support your case, including eyewitness testimony, medical records, dash cam and surveillance footage, and accident reconstruction.
- Negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf or take the insurer to court if they do not offer one
Why Your Car Accident Injuries Entitle You to Compensation: Actual Damages in Car Accident Cases
In Geters v. Eagle Insurance Company, 834 S.W.2d 49 (Tex. 1992), the Texas Supreme Court succinctly defined damages as monetary compensation imposed by law for loss or injury. When they are awarded, damages are intended to put the injured person in as nearly the position that he would have been if not for the injury he suffered.
In order to receive compensation, Texas law requires people injured by car wrecks to prove that they suffered an actual pecuniary loss because of the other driver’s wrongful act. When bringing a lawsuit for the injuries you sustained in a car accident, it is important to understand
The damages awarded for the pecuniary loss due to the other driver’s wrongful act are known as actual damages. Actual damages can be broken down into two categories: (1) non-economic damages & (2) economic damages.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages, which are often referred to as direct damages, are an important calculation in any bodily injury claim. These damages flow naturally and necessarily from the wrongful act that caused the car wreck.
Non-economic damages are available in personal injury cases for the following categories of injuries:
- Physical Pain and Suffering: juries have broad discretion to award damages for pain and suffering when the injured person’s attorneys are able to show with reasonable probability that physical pain and suffering will be endured by the injured person.
- Mental Anguish: damages are awarded for mental anguish when the injured person suffers from mental anguish that causes a substantial interruption in his or her daily routine.
- Disfigurement: damages can be awarded for disfigurement when the car accident causes scarring, deforming, or leaves the injured person feeling that they must hide their disfigurement.
- Physical Impairment: Texas juries may award damages for physical impairment when the injuries sustained result in a substantial effect on the injured person’s life activities or daily functions. These damages include damages for loss of physical capacity or loss of enjoyment of life.
Texas law recognizes that non-economic damages are inherently difficult to calculate because many of the alleged injuries—such as physical pain, suffering, mental anguish, disfigurement, or physical impairment—are not able to be analyzed objectively in terms of dollars. Still, anyone injured in a car crash must prove that the non-economic damages he or she is seeking flowed from the actual injury they suffered.
Economic Damages
Economic damages the other category of actual damages available to plaintiff’s bringing a lawsuit for personal injuries such as those sustained in a car crash. In Golden Eagle Archery, Inc. v. Jackson, 116 S.W.3d 757 (Tex. 2003), the Texas Supreme Court held that economic damages compensate parties for:
- Loss of Past Earning Capacity: loss of past earning capacity is the injured person’s diminished ability to work during the time between the car accident that caused his injury and the resolution of his or her case. These damages are calculated based on what has already happened.
- Lost Earning Capacity: damages for lost earning capacity are measured by calculating the difference in the injured person’s ability to earn a livelihood prior to the car crash from that person’s ability to earn a living after he or she was injured in the car accident. Damages for lost earning capacity are based on what will happen in the future.
- Medical Expenses: a person injured in a car crash is entitled to economic damages for his or her medical expenses. Economic damages for medical expenses extend to the future, and they may be awarded to an injured person who proves future medical expenses to a reasonable medical probability.
Texas Courts recognize that calculating the extent of damages such as those for lost earning capacity has some degree of uncertainty. Because of that uncertainty, Texas juries have discretion in deciding how much to award in damages.
That discretion is not totally unbounded: juries still have to make their decisions based on the facts and evidence provided to them in an individual case. To that end, a plaintiff seeking economic damages must prove them with the degree of certainty appropriate for a given case.
The Car Accident Lawyers at Bush & Bush Law Group Know How to Prove Your Case
At Bush & Bush Law Group, our attorneys spare no expense in gathering the most qualified scientific experts to properly document your injuries and prove the damages you have suffered because of your injuries. Our attorneys begin a prompt, thorough investigation of your case as soon as we take your case to obtain and preserve the evidence we will need in order to negotiate with the insurance company.
Our investigation can help you get access to state-of-the-art medical treatment to make sure there is documentary proof of the the injuries you sustained in the car accident. Our attorneys work with some of the most respected medical professionals in the country, leveraging these relationships to get our clients the best treatment available for their injuries and fully document the effects of those injuries.
From the jump, our car accident lawyers will begin developing a customized legal strategy to prove that your injuries were caused by the car accident you were in. Often, these strategies include the use of highly qualified biomechanical engineers to demonstrate the impact of the force produced by the collision on your body.
Biomechanical engineers are scientists who study the relationship between force, acceleration, and deceleration and their impact on the human body. Our attorneys use only the most qualified biomechanical engineers capable of providing analogies and examples to help the jury understand your story.
Our attorneys’ use of the highest quality medical professionals and biomechanical engineers has created a record of success. You can trust that you are receiving sound counsel to help you make the best decision for you and your family when you hire the car accident attorneys at Bush & Bush Law Group. Our award-winning attorneys have recovered millions of dollars for our clients through their legal brilliance, dedication to our clients, and our partnerships with the highest quality experts available.
Call the Dallas Car Accident Attorneys at Bush & Bush Law Group to Get Started on Your Case
The process of investigating and litigating car accident cases is complex. At Bush & Bush Law Group, our attorneys have mastered this process by engaging with it every day. They have litigated innumerable car accident cases, but our attorneys understand that your case is one of them.
Our attorneys understand and appreciate that you are entrusting us with one of the most stressful problems in your life when you choose to hire the car accident lawyers at Bush & Bush Law Group. We are honored that you chose us to represent you in your case.
High-quality legal representation can be expensive, but rest assured: our automobile collision attorneys at Bush & Bush will not charge you a penny for your initial consultation. If we decide to accept your case then you will only pay for our services when we win your case. You can reach us to schedule your free consultation online or by calling (469) 977-7777.