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Did a drunk driver injure you or someone you love in Fort Worth or nearby areas? Dealing with the days and weeks after a drunk driving accident can overwhelm you. Not only are you coping with painful injuries, medical bills, and missing work—you may struggle with the anger and injustice of it all.
How could someone make such a reckless choice to get behind the wheel intoxicated? And why should you and your family have to pay the price?
At DFW Injury Lawyers, we understand what you’re going through. Our experienced Fort Worth drunk driving accident attorneys help victims in situations just like yours. We know the heartbreak, stress, and challenges you face.
We’re here to help you fight back with the full force of the law. You don’t have to go through this alone. Let us serve as your trusted legal allies and advocates during this difficult time.
Why Choose DFW Injury Lawyers for Your Drunk Driving Accident Case?
When a drunk driver hits you, you need a law firm with the experience, resources, and tenacity to get results.
At DFW Injury Lawyers, we bring the muscle to take on the insurance companies and secure the maximum compensation you deserve. With over 50 years of combined experience, our attorneys have a proven track record of success, including several multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts.
We understand the unique issues involved in drunk driving accident cases. It’s not enough to just prove that the other driver was at fault. We also help you with the criminal justice process and use the drunk driver’s intoxication to your advantage in your injury case.
Our skilled legal team of personal injury lawyers in Fort Worth will gather evidence like police reports, blood alcohol tests, expert testimony, and more to build the strongest case possible.
At DFW Injury Lawyers, we fight for you as if you were family. We know that drunk driving accidents devastate lives, and we’re passionate about holding reckless drivers accountable. With our law firm on your side, you can focus on healing while we handle every aspect of your case.
Our Fort Worth office is conveniently located at La Gran Plaza, just off I-35W and a few miles from downtown. We also maintain locations throughout the DFW metroplex to serve drunk driving accident victims wherever they are.
With our contingency fee arrangement, you won’t pay any legal fees unless and until we win your case. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by reaching out to us after a drunk driving crash.
How Much is Your Drunk Driving Accident Case Worth?
This is one of the first questions on most people’s minds after a drunk driving wreck. What kind of compensation can you expect?
The answer depends on the unique circumstances of your case, but in general, you may recover money for:
- Medical bills (past and future)
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Wrongful death (if you lost a loved one)
In some cases, you may also seek punitive damages from the drunk driver. This extra money punishes the intoxicated driver for their egregious conduct. Texas law caps punitive damages, but they can still significantly increase your total recovery.
At DFW Injury Lawyers, our goal is to identify all your damages—including future anticipated losses—and fight for every penny you’re owed.
We frequently work with experts like doctors, vocational specialists, economists, and more to calculate and prove the full extent of your losses. While we can’t guarantee a specific outcome, our attorneys have a history of securing top-dollar settlements and verdicts.
Where Do Drunk Driving Accidents Happen in Fort Worth?
Drunk driving is a serious problem in Tarrant County and throughout Texas.
While a drunk driving accident can happen anywhere, certain roads and intersections in Fort Worth see a higher rate of DWI crashes, including:
- I-35W
- East Lancaster Ave
- West 7th Street
- University Drive
- Highway 121
- I-30
Drunk driving accidents are especially common late at night, on weekends, and over holidays like the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s Eve—times when more people are out drinking.
But regardless of where or when your accident happened, speak with an experienced attorney who can explain your rights and options for seeking compensation.
The legal muscle you need to win
Understanding Drunk Driving Accidents in Fort Worth
Drunk driving accidents are uniquely complex cases. Of course, as with any car accident claim, you’ll need to prove that the drunk driver’s negligence caused the crash and your injuries. But drunk driving cases have additional layers that require skilled legal representation to resolve.
First, drunk driving is not only negligent—it’s criminal. The intoxicated driver will likely face DWI charges and potentially felony charges if they seriously injured or killed anyone.
While this criminal case will not recover compensation for your injuries, you need a Fort Worth drunk driving attorney monitoring the proceedings and using any evidence that comes to light to support your case.
Blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is a key factor in drunk driving accident cases. Texas law presumes a driver is intoxicated with a BAC of 0.08% or more. But even if the driver’s BAC was below the legal limit, you may still have a case if you can show their alcohol consumption impaired their driving.
Drunk driving accidents also tend to be much more violent and destructive than typical car crashes. Impaired drivers often speed, swerve into oncoming traffic, or fail to brake before impact.
As a result, victims frequently suffer catastrophic injuries like:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Broken bones and fractures
- Burns and road rash
- Crush injuries and amputations
- Organ damage and internal bleeding
- Neck and back injuries
- Soft tissue damage
- Wrongful death
These devastating injuries require extensive medical treatment and lengthy recovery times and may cause permanent disabilities. Victims often can’t work and struggle under the weight of massive healthcare costs.
At DFW Injury Lawyers, we understand the immense toll drunk driving takes. That’s why we fight aggressively to get you the full compensation you need to rebuild your life.
Standing Up to the Insurance Company After a Drunk Driving Accident
Drunk driving accident victims often assume that getting fair compensation will be easy. After all, the other driver was clearly in the wrong. How could the insurance company possibly deny your claim? Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple.
While you’d think otherwise, insurance companies are not on your side after a drunk driving accident. These are for-profit businesses that boost their bottom line by limiting payouts—even to deserving victims like you. The insurance adjuster may try to take advantage of you when you’re most vulnerable, using tactics like:
Contacting You Quickly and Twisting Your Words
After a drunk driving accident, the insurance company may reach out to you within days or even hours of the crash. They think you feel overwhelmed, stressed, and vulnerable. They may take advantage of your fragile state to get you to say something damaging to your claim.
For example, the insurance adjuster may ask how you’re feeling. If you say something like, “I’m okay,” or “I’m just a little sore,” they may later use those words to argue that your injuries aren’t serious. They may also ask leading questions to get you to admit fault, like “Did you see the other car before the crash?”
Remember, insurance adjusters are trained to twist your words and use them against you. They may seem friendly and concerned, but they want to protect their company’s bottom line.
Avoid speaking with them altogether and let your lawyer handle all communication.
Asking for a Recorded Statement or Medical Record Release
Another common tactic insurance companies use is to ask you to give a recorded statement or sign a blanket medical release. They may make it seem like this is a routine part of the claims process and that you have to comply.
Don’t fall for it. You are not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company. And if you do, it can come back to haunt you. The insurance adjuster will be looking for any inconsistencies or contradictions in your story that they can use to deny or minimize your claim.
Similarly, you should never sign a blanket medical release without first talking to a lawyer. These releases give the insurance company access to your entire medical history, not just records related to the accident. They may try to use pre-existing conditions or prior injuries to argue that your current symptoms aren’t from the crash.
Your lawyer can advise you on how to handle these requests and protect your rights. In most cases, it’s best to politely decline and let your attorney deal with the insurance company on your behalf.
Disputing Fault Even When the Other Driver Faces DWI Charges
You might think that if the other driver is charged with DWI, you can easily prove their fault for the accident. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. Insurance companies will often look for any reason to dispute liability and avoid paying your claim.
For example, they may try to argue that you were also negligent in some way, like speeding or failing to yield. Or, they may say that the drunk driver’s intoxication didn’t actually cause the crash.
This is where having a skilled drunk driving accident lawyer can make all the difference. Your attorney will thoroughly investigate the accident and gather evidence to build a strong case for liability.
This may include:
- Police reports and criminal charges against the drunk driver
- Blood alcohol test results
- Witness statements
- Accident reconstruction expert testimony
- Video footage from traffic cameras or dashcams
With this evidence, your lawyer can fight back against the insurance company’s attempts to dispute fault and hold the drunk driver fully accountable.
Arguing Your Injuries Aren’t Serious
Insurance companies minimize drunk driving accident claims by downplaying the severity of your injuries. They may argue you exaggerated your symptoms or the accident didn’t cause them.
For example, let’s say you suffered a concussion in the crash. The insurance company may point to the fact that you didn’t lose consciousness at the scene as proof that your brain injury isn’t that bad. Or, if you have a history of back pain, they may argue that your current spinal injury was caused by a prior condition, not the accident.
To fight back against these tactics, your lawyer will use your medical records, doctor’s notes, and expert testimony to show the full extent of your injuries. They may also highlight how your symptoms have impacted your ability to work, care for your family, and enjoy life.
It’s important to remember that you don’t have to prove that you were perfectly healthy before the accident to recover compensation. Even if you had pre-existing conditions, you can still hold the drunk driver liable for any new injuries or aggravation of old ones.
Offering Fast Cash That Doesn’t Cover Your Losses
In some cases, the insurance company may offer you a quick settlement soon after the drunk driving accident. They may promise fast cash and pressure you to accept the offer before you’ve had a chance to speak with a lawyer.
Be cautious of these early offers. Chances are, the amount they’re offering is far less than your claim is actually worth. The insurance company hopes the prospect of quick money will tempt you to sign away your rights before you understand the full value of your case.
The problem is, once you accept a settlement offer, you typically can’t go back and ask for more money later. Even if your injuries turn out to be more serious than you initially thought, you’ll be stuck with the lowball amount you agreed to.
That’s why you need a knowledgeable drunk driving accident attorney to evaluate any settlement offer before you accept. Your lawyer can calculate your past, current, and anticipated future losses to determine if the offer is fair. If it’s not, they can negotiate with the insurance company for a higher amount or file a lawsuit if necessary.
Dragging Out the Claims Process
Finally, insurance companies may try to wear you down by dragging out the claims process. They know that the longer your case goes on, the more financial strain you face. They may use this as leverage to get you to accept a lowball settlement.
For example, the insurance adjuster may take weeks or months to return your calls or respond to your lawyer’s demands. They may request unnecessary paperwork or repeatedly ask for records you’ve already provided.
Meanwhile, your medical bills keep piling up, and you may be missing paychecks due to your injuries. The insurance company is counting on you getting frustrated and desperate enough to take whatever money they offer, even if it’s not enough to cover your losses.
Your lawyer can keep the pressure on the insurance company and fight back against these delay tactics. They can set firm deadlines, follow up regularly, and keep your case moving forward. If the insurance company still refuses to cooperate, your attorney may advise filing a lawsuit to show them you mean business.
The key is to not let the insurance company bully you into accepting less than you deserve. With a tenacious drunk driving accident lawyer on your side, you can level the playing field and demand the full and fair compensation you’re entitled to under the law.
These strategies are designed to get you to sabotage your own drunk driving accident case. The insurance company is hoping you’ll fall into their trap before you have a chance to speak with a lawyer.
Don’t let them push you around or scare you into settling for less. Call DFW Injury Lawyers first and level the playing field.
We know the insurance industry’s playbook inside and out. Our attorneys have decades of experience successfully going up against major national insurance carriers.
We won’t let the insurance company take advantage of you. Instead, we’ll handle ALL communication, paperwork, and negotiation on your behalf. If the insurer refuses to make a fair settlement offer, we won’t hesitate to file a lawsuit and battle them in the courtroom.
Let DFW Injury Lawyers Fight for You
If you or someone you love has been hurt by a drunk driver, don’t wait to get legal help. These cases require immediate action to preserve your rights. Contact DFW Injury Lawyers today for a FREE, no-obligation consultation. We’ll review your case, answer your questions, and explain your options for pursuing maximum compensation.
You’ll work directly with our experienced attorneys throughout the process and receive the personalized attention, responsive communication, and aggressive advocacy you deserve.
A drunk driver turned your world upside down. Let us help you set things right. Call our Fort Worth drunk driving accident lawyers today at (817) 646-2527. We look forward to being your champions for justice.
Start Your Road to Recovery with DFW Injury Lawyers
An Uber or Lyft accident can turn your whole world upside down in an instant. Suddenly, instead of going about your normal routine, you’re left in pain and struggling to pay your bills. It’s a terrible position to be in – but you don’t have to face it alone.
Turn to the caring rideshare accident attorneys at DFW Injury Lawyers for the skilled representation you need. You can count on our dedicated legal allies during this trying time in your life.
With our extensive experience, knowledge of the local courts, and tireless commitment to justice, we can give you the best chance of securing the full financial recovery you need to heal and move forward with your life.
Don’t let the insurance companies push you around or pressure you into settling for less than you deserve. Level the playing field by putting our proven legal team in your corner. We’ve recovered over $100 million for injury victims in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and we’re ready to fight for you.
Contact us today for a free consultation, either by calling (817) 646-2527 or filling out a quick request form on our website. We’ll evaluate your case and explain your options at no cost or obligation.