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What Should I Do if an Insurance Company Makes a Low Settlement Offer?
After a car or truck accident, one of the most frustrating experiences can be opening a letter or getting a phone call from an insurance company, only to discover that their "offer" will not even cover your expenses. Medical bills, lost wages, and property damage can add up quickly, yet insurers often come back with numbers that do not come close to meeting what you need.
If this has happened to you, you are not alone. Insurance companies have one goal: paying out as little as possible. The good news is that you are not required to accept their first offer. In fact, most initial settlement offers are deliberately low. Understanding why insurers do this and how you can respond is the first step to protecting yourself, and our McKinney, TX personal injury attorneys can help.
Why Do Insurance Companies Make Lowball Offers?
Insurance companies are businesses, and like any business, they want to protect their bottom line. Offering a quick, low settlement saves them money. They know that accident victims are often stressed, overwhelmed, and worried about paying bills. By dangling a check early, they hope you will accept less than what your claim is actually worth.
What If I Was Hit by an Uninsured Driver in Texas?
Texas drivers are required by law to carry liability insurance, but that does not mean everyone follows the law. When someone is injured in a car crash caused by a driver who does not have insurance or whose policy is too small to cover the losses, this adds stress to an already challenging situation. Uninsured and underinsured drivers are a serious concern on Texas roads.
Fortunately, you may still be able to recover compensation. If you were injured by an uninsured or underinsured driver, speak with a qualified Collin County, TX personal injury lawyer to understand your options for moving forward.
What Does Texas Law Say About Drivers’ Insurance?
Texas law requires all drivers to carry minimum liability insurance coverage of:
Is Distracted Driving Still a Problem in Texas?
Despite laws against texting and public awareness campaigns, distracted driving continues to injure and kill people across Texas. Distracted driving was a contributing factor in over 91,000 wrecks in the state in 2024, causing more than 370 fatalities. In fact, distracted driving was the second-highest contributing factor in 2024 accidents.
Although Texas distracted driving laws focus on hands-on cell phone use, drivers engage in other forms of distraction that can be just as dangerous. A distraction does not have to be illegal to be negligent. Another driver’s negligence can give you the grounds you need to seek compensation if a distracted driving accident injured you. Our Plano, TX personal injury attorney can investigate your crash and help you in your pursuit of maximum compensation.
How Much Compensation Can I Get After a Pedestrian Accident?
In 2023, 5,921 pedestrian accidents in Texas caused 807 deaths, 1,457 suspected serious injuries, and 2,412 suspected minor injuries. An additional 1,233 pedestrians may have been wounded in these collisions. Nationwide, over 68,000 pedestrians were injured and 7,314 were killed in 2023.
Pedestrian accidents affect thousands of families every year. After medical care has been seen to, some of the first questions that victims have are whether they can pursue a compensation claim and how much their settlement could be. Our experienced McKinney, TX personal injury lawyer will fight to maximize your damages.
How Is Compensation Calculated for Pedestrian Accidents?
Some people believe there is an average settlement amount for personal injury cases, but that is not true. Each accident has unique factors, and it is those that determine how much compensation you could receive. Working with an experienced attorney is vital if you hope to collect as much as you deserve.
How Many Motorcyclists Die in Texas Wrecks Every Day?
On an average day, 1.3 motorcyclists die in Texas wrecks. In 2023, 599 people were killed. Helmets cannot prevent fatalities. However, they may lower the number of deaths and reduce the severity of head injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the chance of wreck fatalities is 37 percent less for motorcycle riders and passengers who wear helmets. A related study revealed that bikers are three times more likely to sustain brain injuries when unhelmeted.
The Texas Department of Transportation reminds drivers to "Share the Road: Look Twice for Motorcycles." Understanding why these wrecks happen can help prevent them. If you are injured in a motorcycle accident or your loved one was a fatal victim, our dedicated Collin County, TX personal injury lawyer can help you secure the compensation you deserve.
Can I Get a Settlement for Catastrophic Injuries?
If you sustain injuries in an accident, they could be minor, allowing you to heal fully over time. However, some injuries are extremely serious, leaving you with permanent conditions that may never completely heal. Catastrophic injuries can alter your life physically, emotionally, and financially. If someone else’s intentional act or negligence caused your catastrophic injuries, you could be eligible for compensation.
Your damages could be quite high. Sadly, the more your case is worth, the harder the liable insurance company will probably fight against paying your claim. Your skilled McKinney, TX catastrophic injuries lawyer will fight to see you collect as much compensation as you deserve.
What Kinds of Injuries Are Considered Catastrophic?
Whether your catastrophic injuries resulted from a motorcycle, pedestrian, car, or truck accident, your life could be forever changed. Catastrophic injuries include:
Who Pays Me for My Texas Truck Accident Injuries?
Texas plays a significant role in the U.S. supply chain, with our shipping ports and freight routes handling a significant percentage of the nation’s goods. While Americans rely on tractor-trailers to transport goods, large trucks are capable of causing catastrophic injuries and property damage when they cause crashes. Preliminary 2023 data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration reports 19,531 truck crashes in Texas, responsible for 11,386 injuries and 764 fatalities.
If a truck crash injures you, who is liable for paying compensation? How do you know if you qualify to file a claim? The skilled lawyers at Burress Injury Law must investigate your accident to answer those questions. Call us today for your free consultation to learn more.
Do I Have To Go To Court For My TX Personal Injury Claim?
If you have been injured due to someone else’s negligence, securing experienced legal representation is essential to understanding your rights and pursuing compensation. One common concern for those filing a personal injury claim is whether they will need to go to court to recover damages. While some cases may proceed to trial, most personal injury claims are resolved through negotiations. A skilled attorney at Burress Injury Law will work diligently to secure a full-value monetary recovery — whether through a pre-suit settlement, during litigation, or, if necessary, by presenting your case to a jury of your peers.
What Is a Personal Injury Claim?
A personal injury claim is based on proving that another party’s negligence caused your injuries and resulting losses. Negligence occurs when someone fails to act as a reasonable person would under similar circumstances, either through action or omission, leading to harm. Accidents that commonly lead to personal injury claims include:
What Is a Wrongful Death Claim, and Who Can File One? | TX
Texans are injured in accidents every day. While some victims can recover from their wounds, others lose their lives. You probably know that injured accident victims may be entitled to compensation through a personal injury claim, but did you know that by filing a wrongful death claim, eligible survivors might also receive compensation for fatal accident victims?
To file a wrongful death claim, you must meet specific criteria. A knowledgeable McKinney, TX lawyer from Burress Injury Law can determine your eligibility and help you proceed with your claim.
What Is Wrongful Death?
This term refers to someone losing their life as a direct result of another party’s negligence or intentional actions. The responsible party might be an individual, a group, a company or corporation, or an organization. While many wrongful death claims involve accidents, others are the result of assaults.
What Is Modified Comparative Negligence in Car Accidents? | TX
You may know that if you are injured in a car accident, you might qualify to seek compensation. Did you also know that Texas’s modified comparative negligence can disqualify you?
Understanding how modified comparative negligence affects car accident claims is a necessary step in your fight to obtain reasonable compensation for your injuries and damages. An experienced car accident lawyer can increase your chance of a favorable outcome.
What Is Negligence?
In legal matters, negligence is failing to act as a reasonable person would in the same situation. For car accidents and most other kinds of personal injury claims, you have to show evidence of someone else’s negligence to seek compensation from them.
You must prove these four elements are true to establish negligence:
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Someone owed you a duty of care.
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That party breached their duty of care.