North Texas Teachers Can Win a $200 Amazon Gift Card. Click here to join

Let us fight for you

If you have been in an accident, it is a good idea to contact a personal injury lawyer. Please share your story with us below and let us know how we can help!

Frequently Asked Questions

Got questions about personal injury? We’ve got you covered! At Snellings Law, we’re always here to answer any questions related to your case.

What qualifies as an injury?

In personal injury law, an “injury” means any harm or damage to your body (or even your mind/emotions) caused by someone else’s actions or negligence. It’s not limited to obvious wounds like broken bones or cuts – it includes a wide range of harm. For example, injuries can be physical (sprains, fractures, head trauma, etc.) as well as financial and emotional.

If you had to get medical treatment, missed work, or experienced pain and suffering because of an incident, those all qualify as injuries in the eyes of the law. Essentially, if you were hurt or incurred losses due to another party’s carelessness or wrongful act, it counts as an “injury” for a personal injury claim.

You likely have a personal injury claim if you were injured because someone else was negligent or violated a safety duty. In legal terms, a valid claim generally requires four things: (1) the other party owed you a duty of care (for instance, drivers have a duty to follow traffic laws and drive safely), (2) they breached that duty by not being careful (e.g. running a red light or texting while driving), (3) that breach caused your injury (the careless action led to the accident and your injuries), and (4) you suffered damages as a result.

Damages just mean you experienced harm – like physical injuries, medical bills, lost income, or pain. If all these elements are present – in other words, if someone’s negligence directly caused you harm – then you have a strong personal injury claim. The best way to know for sure is to consult a personal injury attorney, who can evaluate your situation in detail during a free strategy session.

Be cautious about quick settlement offers. Insurance companies often undervalue injury claims, so that first offer may not fully cover all your expenses and losses. It might seem tempting to accept fast cash, but consider what it needs to cover: current and future medical bills, lost wages if you can’t work, and compensation for your pain and suffering.

Many victims who take the first offer later discover it wasn’t enough – for example, an early settlement might not account for complications or long-term care you need down the line. At Snellings Law, we analyze every offer to determine if it truly covers your costs and future needs. If the offer is insufficient, we negotiate aggressively – or even take the case to court – to secure fair compensation.

In short, it’s usually wise not to accept an insurance settlement without consulting an attorney. A lawyer can help you understand if the offer is fair or if you deserve more. Remember, once you settle and sign a release, you generally can’t go back for more later, so it’s crucial to get it right the first time.

The good news is that it typically costs nothing upfront to hire a personal injury lawyer. Snellings Law (like most personal injury firms) works on a contingency fee basis – this means you only pay legal fees if we win or settle your case in your favor. There are no hourly rates or retainer fees. Instead, our payment is a percentage of the final verdict or settlement we recover for you, and if we don’t win your case, you don’t owe us anything at all.

We even offer a free strategy session to discuss your case and answer your questions. This allows you to get legal advice with no out-of-pocket cost. Essentially, hiring us has very little risk for you – we only get paid when you get paid. This arrangement lets anyone, regardless of how much money they make, afford a quality personal injury lawyer to fight for their injuries.

Every case is unique, so the value of a personal injury claim can vary widely. There’s no set amount for an injury – it depends on several key factors. One major factor is the severity of your injuries and the required care. More severe injuries (especially those causing permanent disability or ongoing medical needs) tend to justify higher compensation because they lead to greater medical costs, longer recovery, or lifelong impacts. Another factor is liability – who was at fault. If the other party is clearly 100% at fault, that strengthens your claim; if you share some fault, your compensation might be reduced (more on that in “What if I was partially at fault?” below). We also look at the damages you suffered – both economic and non-economic:

  • Economic Damages: These are your financial losses. They include things like medical expenses (doctor and hospital bills, therapy, medications, future treatment costs), lost wages from time you couldn’t work, and even property damage (for example, damage to your car in a wreck). Basically, any out-of-pocket costs or financial harm you’ve suffered because of the injury should be counted.
  • Non-Economic Damages: These compensate you for more subjective, intangible losses. Pain and suffering is a big one – the physical pain and emotional distress you’ve endured. Other examples are mental anguish, scarring or disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life or loss of companionship in severe cases. These don’t come with receipts, but they significantly affect your quality of life and are a critical part of your claim’s value.

When we evaluate your case, we will add up all of these damages. We’ll consider things like how much treatment you needed (and will need in the future), how the injuries impacted your ability to work and live your life, and even insurance policy limits that might apply. Because so many factors are involved, there isn’t a quick formula for case worth.

A minor injury case might be worth a smaller amount, whereas a severe injury with long-term effects could be worth hundreds of thousands or even more. Our goal at Snellings Law is to determine the full value of each damage element you’re entitled to and fight for every dollar of compensation on your behalf. It’s often advisable to consult with us so we can give you a more personalized estimate once we know the details of your situation.

It varies – the timeline of a personal injury case can range from a few months to a couple of years, depending on the circumstances. Many cases are settled out of court relatively faster, often within a few months to around a year. For instance, if liability is clear, your injuries are well-documented, and the insurance company is cooperative, a settlement could potentially be reached in a matter of months. However, not all cases resolve that quickly. If the insurance company is disputing the claim or offering too little, your attorney may advise filing a lawsuit. Once a lawsuit is filed, the case enters the litigation process (which includes phases like discovery, negotiations, and possibly a trial). Going through a lawsuit will extend the timeline – it’s not uncommon for a complex case that goes to trial to take one to two years (or even longer) to fully resolve through the court system.

A few things to keep in mind: first, we usually wait until you’ve reached Maximum Medical Improvement (basically, recovered as much as possible) before settling, so that we understand the full extent of your injuries and future needs. That can add time, but it’s important for getting you the compensation you deserve. Second, every claim can settle at any point in the process – even after a lawsuit is filed, settlements can happen before the trial date. Rest assured, our team will keep things moving and will update you at each stage. We know you want closure as soon as possible, but we also don’t want to rush and settle for less. Our approach is to balance speed with achieving the best outcome for you. In a free strategy session, we can give you a better idea of the expected timeline for your particular case, and better understand what your goals for recovery are.

If we don’t win your case (meaning you don’t get any compensation), you won’t have to pay any attorney’s fees. Snellings Law handles personal injury cases on a “no win, no fee” contingency basis – you do not pay us unless we win your case. This means the financial risk of the case is essentially on us, as your lawyers. If the outcome is unsuccessful, you are not responsible for paying our attorney fees. We implement this policy to ensure that clients can pursue justice without fear of an added financial burden. (In most situations, you also would not owe any case expenses that were advanced – those are discussed upfront in the attorney-client agreement.) The bottom line: we only get paid when you get paid. If for some reason we cannot obtain a recovery for you, you can walk away owing nothing for our services. This gives you peace of mind and also motivates us to fight that much harder to win. We’re truly in this together – your success is our success.

Being partially at fault doesn’t automatically prevent you from recovering damages in Texas – so don’t assume you have no case. Texas follows a modified comparative fault rule (also known as proportionate responsibility). In plain language, you can still recover compensation as long as you were not the most at fault for the accident. However, your share of the blame will reduce your compensation proportionally. For example, if you are found 20% at fault for an accident, any award you receive would typically be reduced by 20%. On the other hand, if you were more than 50% at fault, Texas law would bar you from recovering anything at all. This rule is sometimes called the “51% bar rule” – if you are 51% or more to blame, you can’t collect damages from the other party.

In practical terms, if an accident was, say, 80% the other driver’s fault and 20% your fault, you could still make a claim and recover money, just with that 20% deduction. Our attorneys will work to challenge any unfair fault allegations the insurance company might raise. We gather evidence (police reports, witness statements, etc.) to prove exactly how an accident happened. The goal is to minimize your percentage of fault or eliminate it if possible, so you receive the maximum compensation available. Even if you suspect you were partly to blame, it’s worth discussing with us – you may still have a viable claim under Texas law.

Yes – Texas law sets strict deadlines, known as the statute of limitations, for filing personal injury lawsuits. In most personal injury cases (car accidents, slip and falls, etc.), you have two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit in Texas. If you miss this two-year window, you’ll likely lose your right to bring the claim to court forever. There are a few limited exceptions (for example, for minors, the clock might start at age 18; or if the injury wasn’t discovered right away, the timeline might be adjusted).

Additionally, if your claim is against a government entity, you may have to provide formal notice within much shorter deadlines (sometimes within 90 days or 6 months of the incident, depending on the city or county rules). The safest approach is to act promptly. After an accident or injury, the clock starts ticking, so it’s wise to consult a lawyer as soon as you can. We can make sure all paperwork is filed on time.

In summary, there are deadlines – generally two years in Texas – and missing them can be a complete barrier to recovery, so don’t delay in pursuing your claim.

If your injuries are serious enough that you’ll need long-term medical care or ongoing support, this will absolutely be accounted for in your case. One of the factors in determining compensation is the extent of your injuries and whether they lead to permanent effects or continuous treatment needs. For example, if you suffered a spinal injury or traumatic brain injury that requires years of rehabilitation or personal care assistance, your claim should include the projected costs of future care. Courts (and insurance companies, when negotiating) do consider long-term needs – in fact, larger awards are often warranted for life-altering injuries because the injured person deserves funds to cover future medical expenses, therapy, and long-term support.

At Snellings Law, we ensure that any settlement or judgment covers your future needs as well as your current ones. We often work with medical experts and life-care planners to estimate the cost of ongoing treatment, rehabilitation, medications, medical equipment, home modifications, and personal care that you might require due to your injury. Our team fights for settlements that account for long-term medical care and ongoing symptoms – we don’t let the insurance company simply ignore those future expenses.

In practical terms, this means if you need months or years of physical therapy, nursing care, or will never fully recover, we put a dollar figure on those needs and pursue it. The goal is to make sure you have the financial resources to get the care you need for as long as you need it. You shouldn’t have to pay out-of-pocket for future consequences of someone else’s negligence. We take a forward-looking approach so that your compensation truly makes you whole, both now and down the road.