Be Conscious About Your Personal Injuries

Personal injuries caused by the negligence of others may be compensable. Personal injury claims include wrongful death, motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, and product liability. Texas law provides for recovery of past and future medical expenses, physical pain and mental anguish, loss of earning capacity, disfigurement, and physical impairment. Begin by looking for an attorney that has represented hundreds of personal injury victims and in the event you have been injured, the attorney can certainly provide you quality representation and years of experience.

When looking for a qualified attorney, your attorney should also be certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in personal injury. In order to be Board Certified in Personal Injury, the following requirements must be met.

* Licensed to practice law for at least 5 years

* Substantial involvement and special competence in Texas personal injury trial law for at least 3 years

* Devoted a minimum of 25% of the law practice to personal injury trial law

* Must have tried as lead counsel at least 10 contested civil cases (5 of which must be personal injury)

* Attended personal injury trial law continuing legal education seminars regularly to keep legal training up to date

* Been evaluated by at least 3 Texas attorneys

* Passed a day-long written examination

The majority of personal injury claims involve motor vehicle accidents. In the event you are the victim of a vehicular crash, you should stay at the scene and call the police. Seek immediate medical treatment and do not admit any responsibility for the accident. Usually, the investigating police officer will ask if anyone is hurt. People have a natural tendency to minimize their injuries due to embarrassment or the shock of being involved in an accident. Because of that, people involved in accidents many times tell the police they are not hurt even though they are. Some victims do not realize they are hurt until hours after the accident. It is important to be conscious of your personal injuries. Telling the police at the scene of a collision you are not injured when you are can cause difficulties later when a claim is made to the insurance company. When you tell the investigating officer you were not injured, he or she checks a box on the back of the police report indicating you stated at the scene you were unhurt. There is another box for the police officer to check indicating you are "possibly" injured. If you are absolutely sure you are injured, by all means, say so to the investigating officer. If you are unsure or actually hurt, tell the officer you are injured or that you are possibly hurt.

If you are injured in a collision, you need to seek medical attention as soon as possible if for no other reason than to document that you are hurt. Many times aches and pains caused by a minor impact will resolve on their own within days without the need for medical treatment. However, it is always better to go to a medical doctor for a physical examination and medical diagnosis and treatment, if necessary