How to Make the Most of Your Free Accident Consultation
If you’ve endured pain and suffering on account of an accident, you may want to consider a free accident consultation with a personal injury lawyer in Houston. After you have spent some time researching attorneys in your area and have scheduled a consultation, you’ll want to come out of the meeting with as much information as possible.
Grimes and Fertitta, expert personal injury lawyers, offer a free consultation to review your case and options, and discuss your questions and cost details. In this article, we will walk you through what to expect and how to prepare for your free consultation.
What does a free accident consultation include?
In your initial consultation, the attorney will likely start by listening to your detailed account of the accident and reviewing the documents you brought with you. Throughout this, they will be collecting information and asking questions for clarification to determine if you have a case. Other topics of discussion include potential damage, court costs, case options, and attorney fees.
You can expect the first meeting to last half an hour or more depending on the severity of your losses and suffering.
Not every attorney client relationship is a good fit. Receiving a free consultation doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re the right lawyer to help you win your case.
How to prepare for your first meeting with a personal injury lawyer
To make the most out of your free accident consultation, you’ll want to come prepared. Before your initial meeting, do your research, gather any evidence, accident reports, injury and treatment reports, and prepare questions. When in doubt, bring more information than you think you need.
Here is an in-depth overview of what to bring to your free consultation:
1. Research
Whether you’re looking for the best Houston truck accident lawyer or need legal guidance for a slip-and-fall, you’ll want to make sure the law firm you’re contacting provides services for your specific accident case. Do some basic research on who they represent, what they stand for, and what others have to say about them. Google reviews are always a good starting point.
There are numerous forms of personal injury lawyers including:
- Car accident attorney in Houston
- Truck accident lawyer
- Work accident lawyer
- Bicycle and pedestrian lawyer
- Nursing home abuse lawyer
- Drunk driving accident lawyer
- Fatal industrial accidents
- Houston motorcycle accident lawyer
2. Prepare questions
Remember that this is a chance for you to get to know your attorney as much as it is for them to get to know you. You likely have a lot of questions about their abilities, the process, fees, and expectations. This is your chance to get the answers.
Here are some common questions to ask an attorney:
- Based on the information provided, do I have a case?
- What kind of experience do you have related to my case?
- What can I do right now?
- If I hire you, who can I talk to about questions and concerns?
- What would your strategy be for my case?
- What do possible outcomes look like?
- What do you charge?
- Walk me through your process.
3. Bring a detailed report of the accident
A bulk of your consultation will be dedicated to walking your lawyer through the accident details as well as your injuries or illnesses and treatments. Take some time beforehand to map out all of the finer details.
You might feel so overwhelmed by the incident that minute details are hard to remember. If this is the case, tell your attorney what you can. During your report, your attorney will ask questions to gain more insight into what happened and why. If hired, your attorney can help you to gather more evidence to help strengthen your case.
4. Your injuries, treatment, and evidence
Before you meet to discuss your accident case, gather any information you have about your injuries, treatment, and who was at fault. The more information you can give your attorney, the better they can assess your case options. This includes details you may feel work against you. The information you withhold out of fear may actually be what hurts your case.
Some information you should bring to your consultation includes but is not limited to:
- Accident reports
- Your insurance information (automobile and health)
- Other driver’s information (name, phone number, insurance, etc.)
- Witness statements or contact information
- Information regarding the scene of the accident
- Photographs or videos of the accident and injuries
- Copy of police reports and investigation notes
- Citations or tickets
- Medical records (MRI, X-ray, any other testing, doctor’s notes, discharge records, etc.)
- List of prescriptions given as a result of the accident
- Where and when you were treated
- Follow-up treatment (completed and scheduled)
- Cost of medical care to date
- Missed work due to injury or accident
- Lost wages
- Evidence of pain and suffering (medical bills, records, expert testimony, etc.)
Texas Statute of Limitations for Accident Claims
Before spending the time to find a lawyer, you’ll want to make sure that your case has not expired. Statutes of limitations in Texas are generally two years from the date of the accident, but it depends on your case type. For example, the statute of limitations for a car accident claim is two years from the date of the accident.
Don’t wait to file your personal injury claim. Once you have sought out medical assistance for your injuries, contact an attorney immediately to get started on your case.
What’s next?
Should you and the attorney mutually decide that you are a good fit, you will be asked to fill out paperwork including a fee agreement. From here, the attorney will begin building your case, notifying the insurance companies of any demands. Should the insurance companies refuse, your case will be pushed into mediation, arbitration, and potentially a lawsuit.
The timeline for your case will depend on your injuries and any statute of limitations issues. If you are still healing from injuries, do not be alarmed if your personal injury lawyer does not immediately attempt to settle your case. It’s in your best interest to wait as the damage model is not fully developed until after medical treatment has concluded.
What you say and do after an accident matters. Contact your attorney before responding to any letters, statements, or charges.
Schedule your free accident consultation with our Houston car accident lawyers.
Regardless of whether you were injured in a truck accident, car accident, or suffered a workplace injury, you have a limited time to seek damages for your losses. The personal injury attorneys from Grimes & Fertitta are some of the top attorneys in Houston and The Woodlands.
Our attorneys have decades of experience offering client-first representation to help you get the results you deserve under Texas law.
Call 713-224-7644 or visit us online to schedule your free consultation today.
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