Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Blog

No matter what type of injury accident you are involved in, it is probably a traumatic experience. It is only natural that you would want to resolve the issue as soon as possible. State Farm’s catch phrase is “like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.” The truth about insurance companies like this is they aren’t the good neighbor. Insurance companies have two goals: 1) Not pay you a dime over what they have to and 2) They won’t pay you until they are ready. Then once they are ready to give you a number of how much you will be compensated, that number is much lower then it should be.

For example, let’s say that you are in a car accident in Fort Worth, Texas. You might first think your injury is minor, but it could turn out to be very serious in the months to come. But if you’ve already settled your claim for a small amount of money, then there is nothing you can do, you simply have to pay for the additional medical expenses yourself. The best thing to do is to wait and see how your injuries will affect you down the road before accepting any sort of car wreck settlement. An experienced Board Certified Texas Personal Injury Lawyer can advise you on the appropriate amount of time to wait in order to evaluate the full extent of your injuries.

Insurance companies try to settle these claims quickly because it is more cost efficient for them. The sooner they get you to settle, the less money it costs them. An important tip to remember is that when you accept the check the insurance company gives you, you can no longer reopen the claim. You only get one chance! Before you accept any offer from an insurance company it is in your best interest to talk to a Texas Personal Injury Attorney who can evaluate your claim and help you battle these “good neighbors.”

Information is provided by Fort Worth Personal Injury Attorney Mark A. Anderson. Anderson Law Firm can be reached in Fort Worth at 817-294-1900. If you have questions about any personal injury accident, please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

If you have been injured in a car accident in the Fort Worth/Tarrant County area, it is important that you understand what the term “statute of limitations” means. Stated simply, you have two years to either settle your car accident injury case or file a lawsuit at the courthouse. Many people are under the mistaken belief that after their car wreck, all they have to do is call the other driver’s insurance company and start a claim. That is simply not enough. While that is the first step, you must either resolve the claim by settlement or file the lawsuit at the courthouse before the two year anniversary of your motor vehicle accident. Otherwise your claim is forever barred.

I write about this today because just this week I received a phone call from a lady I had initially spoke with approximately two years ago. She called me regarding her injury she received in a motor vehicle accident in Ft. Worth. We discussed her injuries and the potential for a claim, but she decided she wanted to try to resolve it on her own. I didn’t hear from her again—until this week, which is 25 months after the accident. I very nicely told her that she waited too long to call me back. Unfortunately for her, she has absolutely zero options now. She should have hired me sooner as I could have filed the lawsuit in time. Like many other people before her, she was under the belief that she had done everything she needed to do by calling the insurance company. That is just not enough.

So if you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident in Tarrant County, Texas you need to remember that the two year mark is a very strict rule. If you have any questions regarding your car accident claim, please give me a call at (817) 294 1900. Don’t wait too late!

Yesterday I received a call from a person regarding a tainted oyster eaten by his brother at a seafood restaurant in Arlington. The tainted oyster contained bacteria which caused this person's brother to be hospitalized with a serious medical condition. He went to Harris Hospital, where he stayed over a week until he was stabilized (and incurred over $100,000.00 in medical bills) and then transferred to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth. This man is hanging on for his life. Approximately 80% of the people who are exposed to this bacteria end up dying.

I did some quick research to try to determine what his potential cause of action would be against the restaurant for serving him a tainted oyster. Amazingly, I found out that in 2007 our Republican dominated Texas legislature and our Republican governor passed a law protecting the manufacturers and sellers of bad oysters. I couldn't believe it, tort reform had even reached out to protect the oyster lobby! This horrible law is found at Civil Practices and Remedies Code Section 82.004.

I am continually amazed at how far the tort reformers will reach to protect all business interests. If I were to ask ten people on the street if they lost a loved one due to a bacteria tainted oyster, would they think it would be right to pursue a claim against the sellers of this tainted oyster. I feel like 10 out of 10 of these people would be mad as hell and desire to bring a claim. Unfortunately, every single one of these claims would be thrown out of court due to this horrible law.

Information and commentary provided by Texas Board Certified Personal Injury Lawyer Mark A. Anderson, who can be contacted in Fort Worth, Texas at (817) 294 1900 or contacted online for a free consultation.

All across Tarrant County people lose their lives at the hand of distracted driving. Working as a Fort Worth wrongful death attorney, I have seen the devastation these horrible distracted driving accidents can bring to both the victim and the at fault driver. Phones ringing, texting, Twitter updates, blaring radios, drinking sodas, and even women doing their makeup are all common sights while driving down the road. Distracted driving has become quite an epidemic. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration were released Monday showing that 16 percent of the fatalities and one-fourth of all driving accidents are due to driving distracted.

There is no doubt that driving distracted is innately dangerous and has serious consequences.
People need to limit their cell phone usage while driving and people need to limit their distractions or face possible grim consequences for themselves and everyone on the road. In January, federal safety regulators proposed a set of guidelines for states to create laws restricting texting while driving. Under these guidelines, officers would be allowed to stop a vehicle and issue a citation with a minimum fine of $75.

Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have outlawed texting while driving and seven states have outlawed the usage of cell phones while operating a motor vehicle altogether. In Texas, it is illegal for any driver under the age of 18 to operate a cell phone, and it is illegal for a cell phone to be used in an active school zone, potentially opening the door for more legislation restricting usage.

It will be a challenge to regulate laws permitting distracted driving. Despite what the legislature has tried to pass, it is not plausible to expect every driver not to be somewhat distracted while they are driving. The easiest and smartest thing to do is plan ahead. Set your GPS, insert your cd, and eat your McMuffin before you start driving.

This information is provided by Ft. Worth wrongful death attorney Mark A. Anderson. If you have questions about car accidents or wrongful death, please fill out our contact form online or get your free copy of my book 15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case.

Texas placed 13th in the nation for state highway performance and cost effectiveness in a recent study of America’s highways by the Reason Foundation, a nonprofit organization that has released an Annual Highway Report for the past 19 years. Overall, the study found that highway conditions across the country are in the best state they have been in since the organization began researching them in 1984. The recession is attributed for these improved highway conditions, explains Fort Worth accident attorney Mark A. Anderson. With less people on the road, the rate at which pavement deteriorates decreases and fewer collisions and fatalities occur.

While Texas places much lower than California when it comes to cost effectiveness, its ranking for fatality rates is much higher, explains the Fort Worth accident lawyer. In 2008—the most recent year with complete highway statistics and on which the study is based—$93,464 was spent in administrative costs for every mile of state road in California, none of which ever actually reached the roads. Compare this to the $6,529 spent by Texas. While California placed 13th in the fatality rate per 100 million miles driven, Texas ranked 35th—more than twice as high as California.

“California’s roads may be in poor condition and congested,” commented a California car accident lawyer, “but everyone here was relieved to find out that we placed well in the category of safety.” Although the 19th Annual Highway Report gave state officials some numbers to be proud of, it also identified areas that need to be improved upon. The California car accident lawyer expressed a wish to see California undergo a reform in highway spending, and the Fort Worth car wreck lawyer hopes that Texas will rank lower in fatality rates in next year’s report.

Information and commentary is provided by Fort Worth Car Accident Attorney Mark A. Anderson. If you have questions about a car accident please fill out our contact form online for a free consultation.

When you are driving down the street and the gas light comes on in your car, what do you do? You’re right, fill up with gas. If you don’t the chances of being stranded down the road are pretty good. This gas analogy is similar to hiring an injury attorney when one gets hurt. If you wait too long to hire a lawyer, the more mistakes will be made and in the long run it will hurt the value of your claim.

If you are injured in a car crash the main focus is to get better. How can one avoid wrecking their injury case during a recovery period? Simple! Hiring a good, reputable lawyer will better your chance of avoiding many costly mistakes. My job is to represent the injury victim, help avoid mistakes, and get him or her a good settlement. I provide my clients with guidance and counseling as to how to be a good patient and a good client. I view the entire claim and litigation process as a team effort and I want my clients to succeed at not only getting better-medically speaking, but also at winning their claim. I am a firm believer that success simply can’t happen if mistakes are made along the way.

Here is some information you might find helpful:
•What To Look For In An Injury Lawyer
•How To Value Your Case
•Getting Monetary Compensation For Your Claim

For questions about injuries from a car accident please order your free copy of my book “15 Mistakes That Will Wreck Your Texas Accident Case”or go to our website and feel out a free consultation.