As Dallas car accident lawyers, we know that there are many major misconceptions about personal injury lawsuits among injured victims and their families. One of the most common is that people who are partially at fault for their accidents and injuries can’t file injury claims.
While that’s true in a handful of states in the U.S., it’s not true in Texas. The Lone Star State has a modified comparative negligence law for injury claims. It means that as long as you are less than 51% at fault for your accident or injury, you can still sue for your damages for things like medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
However, the amount of money you can receive is reduced by your percentage of fault. That means if you’re hurt in a car accident that was caused by a driver who ran a stop sign at night, but you were assigned 10% of fault for driving with a burned out headlight, you will lose 10% of your settlement. In other words, a $10,000 settlement would be reduced to $9,000.
The amount of money you may be eligible to receive, even with a reduced settlement, is likely to be significant and enormously helpful when it comes to paying for your accident-related expenses. That’s why you should always contact a lawyer after a crash, even if you were assigned partial fault.
Contact the experienced legal team at Ferrer, Poirot & Wansbrough for a free consultation after a crash. We’ve helped victims with a wide range of fault assigned to them after accidents, and we know how to maximize our clients’ compensation.