As someone who has just suffered a severe physical injury, you may be wondering if you have a claim to make against the responsible party. This area of law is known as personal injury. It is based on the premise that you have a right to pursue justice and compensation if someone else’s negligence leads to a catastrophic injury.

What is a Personal Injury?

The exact injury could be anywhere on your body, internally or externally. Some of the most common types we see include:

• Head and brain injuries
• Back, neck, shoulder, and spinal cord injuries
• Internal organ trauma
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Paralyzing injuries
• Severe burns
• Chronic or terminal illness

It’s true that the injuries in these cases are typically severe in nature. They usually require extensive medical care at the time of injury and in the future. The trauma may lead to excruciating pain and suffering, and may cause the victim to lose income from being unable to work. These life-altering outcomes ought to be compensated to the maximum degree.

What Happens in a Personal Injury Case?

Every case is a little different. In general, your attorneys develop a strategy to pursue monetary compensation on your behalf. A decision could be reached in an out-of-court settlement or in a lawsuit. Oftentimes, injury victims are concerned about the idea of a lawsuit, worrying that it could take forever and be a painful process. The lawyers at Shaw Cowart understand these concerns and make sure each of their clients know that we are fully committed to their claims. While many cases are resolved with settlement negotiations, we are prepared and experienced with going to court to reach the best possible outcome in a lawsuit. We will keep you informed of the progress of your case every step of the way, focusing on the negotiations so that you can focus on the path to recovery.

Find Out If You Have a Case

If you or a family member was seriously injured because of someone else’s carelessness, then our experienced attorneys are ready to provide advice. To arrange your case review, please call the law firm of Shaw Cowart in Austin, Texas, at 512-499-8900.

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It’s hard to say for sure exactly what the Number 1 most-common injury is across all motorcyclists in the U.S. Injuries to the thorax, upper and lower extremities, and head are quite common.

What we do know is that motorcycles don’t offer any protection – you probably know this to be true as well, if you are a rider. Having worked with numerous injured motorcyclists over the years, we know bikers to be responsible, aware individuals who end up getting hurt, often through no fault of their own. The idea that motorcyclists are reckless and constantly causing accidents isn’t borne out based on the experiences we are familiar with. All it takes is for the driver of a passenger vehicle to ignore a motorcyclist’s rights or fail to notice the bike on the road, and a crash can easily result.

Here are some of the injuries our clients have suffered:

• Traumatic brain injury
• Extreme burns
• Extensive scars
• Loss of limb, hand, or finger
• Extremity injuries that necessitate amputation
• Spinal cord and back injuries

It goes without saying that these injuries are severe. The pain alone can be life-altering, not to mention the medical expenses and adjustments you may have to make in order to live with your injury.

The experienced attorneys at Shaw Cowart are passionate about recovering compensation for people who have suffered serious injuries. We have represented numerous motorcycle riders who found themselves catastrophically injured because of the negligence of other motorists. We know just how isolating the situation can be, and we are here to help you through it. Although compensation can never be guaranteed, we hope you’ll review our case results and call us to find out how we will build a strategic case on your behalf.

What to Do if You Were Injured in a Motorcycle Accident

If you were injured in a motorcycle accident in Texas caused by someone else’s negligence, please contact the experienced attorneys in Austin at Shaw Cowart. In a case review, we will listen to your side of the story and determine what your options are for pursuing maximum injury compensation. For your case review, please call our team at 512-499-8900.

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When you are seriously injured because of someone else’s negligence, you most likely have the option to pursue compensation from the responsible party. This compensation is known as damages. Compensatory damages may be general (non-economic, not directly tied to financial losses or costs) or special (financial costs and losses directly related to the injury).

Below we list some of the most common examples of damages, but note that other types exist based on the specific circumstances:

Special Damages for Past Losses

• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Prescription costs
• Costs of home modifications and assistive/adaptive devices and equipment
• Transportation by ambulance, helicopter, etc., to the hospital
• Costs of getting to and from medical appointments
• Legal fees
• Courtroom fees
• Property damage

Special Damages for Future Losses 

• Diminished earning capacity
• Future loss of wages from being unable to return to your job
• Future medical costs
• Future rehabilitation costs
• Costs of job retraining

General Damages

• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Trauma
• Diminished quality of life
• Loss of enjoyment of life

Aside from compensatory damages, some cases also award punitive damages. This category is awarded less often. It exists as a means of punishing the responsible party for grossly negligent, egregious behavior. It also serves as a deterrence or warning, discouraging similar behavior from this individual and from society in general.

Calculating Damages

Our attorneys will put all of their resources and experience to work in properly evaluating what amount of compensation we believe you are owed. Calculating special damages for past losses involves a review of all related bills, invoices, etc. Recording, documenting, and gathering evidence of expenses and losses is vitally important.

Calculating potential future losses involves a bit more prediction and estimation based on what we know about your injury and what it will require in the future. General damages are often decided by a judge or jury, but we can discuss what we believe your general damages may be valued at based on our experience with cases like yours. It is of course important to note that compensation awards in personal injury cases cannot be guaranteed, but we do promise to work tirelessly for our clients until we obtain the best possible outcome.

A Custom Evaluation of Potential Compensation

As experienced personal injury attorneys, our team knows that every situation is unique. We first want to get to know you and how this injury has impacted your life, before we can start building a case to pursue compensation. For a case evaluation with our experienced Austin, TX, injury lawyers, please call Shaw Cowart at 512-499-8900.

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You will have a lot of expenses, compounded by financial loss, following a serious car accident. If you are worried about where you will find the compensation to pay for all these things, especially when the accident was caused by someone else, we can completely understand that worry. The experienced attorneys at Shaw Cowart have worked with numerous accident victims over the years and we have seen the devastation wrought by a catastrophic car crash.

If you are considering a current settlement offer or hoping one will come through soon, you may be wondering what makes a good offer. The truth is, every situation is unique. It’s important to talk to our attorneys before signing any agreement for a certain amount of compensation. It is not uncommon for insurance adjusters to undervalue these claims.

Because we are familiar with claims like yours, and know all the relevant case law and state statutes, we will likely have some idea of what your case may be worth after discussing it with you. In general, a monetary award should compensate you for all of the ways the injury has impacted you now and will continue to impact you in the future, including:

• Medical bills, current and projected
• Loss of income, immediate and future
• Pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional trauma

Your case may be worth a lot more than you think. On the other hand, it’s also easy to get misled by friends, family, and television shows that talk about record settlements. It’s important to have an experienced attorney give you the straight facts. As part of your initial consultation, we make sure you know what to expect from the process, if you were to decide to move forward with a claim. That way, you can make sure the decision aligns with your goals.

Schedule a Case Evaluation to Get Started

If you live in Austin or the surrounding areas of Texas, please call the experienced accident attorneys at Shaw Cowart at 512-499-8900. With many years of experience handling claims like yours, we can help you determine what to do next. Although compensation can never be guaranteed, we will not stop fighting for you until we’ve achieved the best results.

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While many car accident injuries are immediate and obvious, other injuries don’t manifest for several hours, days, or possibly for weeks. While many car accident victims end up in the emergency room, others go home after being checked out by EMTs only to develop serious symptoms later on. Those symptoms may include:

• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Aches, pains, soreness
• Changes in vision and hearing
• Loss of sensation
• Numbness or tingling
• Abdominal pain
• Gastrointestinal symptoms
• Swelling
• Nausea and vomiting
• Ringing in the ears
• Lack of coordination
• Sleeping too much or not enough
• Moodiness or mood swings
• Anxiety and depression
• Impaired memory
• Difficulty concentrating
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensitivity to sounds
• Fatigue

This list is in no way exhaustive. There are many ways that a serious injury could become apparent, whether it’s an injury to your internal organs, ligaments and soft tissue, or other parts of your body. It’s important to get a checkup with your doctor after you’ve been in a crash, even if you don’t think you were seriously injured. Your doctor may be able to detect underlying injuries and will provide prompt treatment.

Should I Call an Attorney?

You should consider calling an attorney if you are injured in a crash caused by someone else. It’s not too late to call us if you discovered the injury in the days following the accident. You may be able to pursue compensation in a claim for damages including:

• Medical bills
• Loss of income and wages
• Pain and suffering

In certain cases, an attorney is able to negotiate maximized injury compensation above what the insurance company initially offers a victim or offers a victim who is not represented by an attorney. We cannot make any guarantees as to the outcome of cases, but we can assure you that we will tirelessly pursue the best possible results for you and your family.

Discuss Injury Compensation with an Experienced Attorney

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured in a car accident in Austin or the surrounding areas of Texas, please call the experienced attorneys at Shaw Cowart at 512-499-8900. After listening to your story and learning more about the nature of your injuries, we can explain your options for pursuing maximum injury compensation.

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Semi-trucks are very large, very heavy vehicles. It goes without saying that they cause horrendous devastation when they are involved in collisions with other motor vehicles. If you or a loved one was involved in a truck accident like this, you may be facing life-altering injuries, such as:

• Injuries to the back, neck, and spinal cord
• Loss of limbs, fingers, or toes
• Severe burns
• Disfiguring scars
• Life-threatening internal organ trauma
• Injuries that compromise normal bodily functions

If a family member died in a crash caused by a semi-truck, you have experienced irreparable harm. Although no amount of compensation can undo that loss, a wrongful death claim does provide a means of pursuing justice. In the event of successful monetary recovery, the compensation award helps you pay for losses and expenses related to the crash, such as your loved one’s medical bills, funeral/burial/cremation costs, and it helps to make up for the loss of your loved one’s future financial contributions.

Next Steps

Call our attorneys for a consultation. After listening to your story and evaluating the factors contributing to the crash, we can determine if you have a good claim to pursue compensation. We believe firmly in presenting all of the options available to accident victims. We can give you an idea of what to expect if you decide to pursue a claim, including potential duration, chances of monetary recovery, and other aspects of resolving the case.

Our attorneys have handled cases like yours for many years. We can tell you about verdicts and settlements we’ve achieved in similar cases. The team at Shaw Cowart will not rest until we have obtained the best possible results on your behalf.

What To Do After a Truck Accident

If you or a loved one was injured in an accident caused by a tractor-trailer, or if a family member was killed in a crash caused by someone else, then our experienced attorneys are here to provide guidance during this difficult time. For a case evaluation with the attorneys at Shaw Cowart, please call us in Austin at 512-499-8900.

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Our Austin personal injury lawyers handle cases in which serious injuries are caused by someone else’s negligence. Oftentimes these claims fall into the following categories:

• Motor vehicle accidents, including those involving cars, semi-trucks, commercial vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcycles.
• Construction site accidents, in which workers are injured while performing their job or develop a serious illness as a result of their work
• Birth injuries caused by the negligence of a doctor or healthcare provider
• Defective product injuries, which is also referred to as product liability litigation

There are of course other categories of personal injury lawsuits. The foundational element is negligence: if it was someone’s carelessness that caused your injury, then you probably have a case. The negligence may be linked to a corporation or organization, as opposed to a private individual. For example, a drug manufacturer as a company may be responsible for serious injuries caused by a defective medication.

It takes the skill of an experienced attorney to determine who is at fault, and to demonstrate this fault to insurance adjusters, mediators, judges, and juries. Whether your severe injuries were caused by a drunk driver or a multinational corporation, the attorneys at Shaw Cowart will pursue justice on your behalf. We are very familiar with the tactics involved in devaluing, denying, or delaying the claims of injury victims. We take a proactive approach to pursuing maximum compensation.

Most personal injury cases involve catastrophic physical injury and damages that may include:

• Hospital bills, including emergency care and surgery
• Ongoing medical costs for treating your injury and for rehabilitation
• Loss of wages and income from being unable to go back to work because of your injury
• Pain and suffering caused by the anguish and physical symptoms that persist well beyond the date of the accident

Virtually any type of physical trauma can be grounds for a claim, including injuries to the brain, spinal cord, internal organs, and limbs. One thing is certain: You deserve justice for a serious injury that was someone else’s fault.

Find Out What Your Case is Worth

If you are wondering if you have a personal injury case, please call our attorneys to find out. We proudly represent injury victims in Texas from our Austin law firm. For a case review, call Shaw Cowart LLP at 512-499-8900.

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With Austin students headed back to the classroom this month, it’s a good time to brush up on school bus safety; specifically, how to share the road with school buses that may be making frequent stops in your neighborhood. A little care and caution may prevent catastrophic injuries:

• Stop when the school bus has flashing red lights or when the STOP sign is extended. It doesn’t matter which direction you are going – approaching the bus in the opposite direction or in the same direction. You must come to a complete stop even if there are multiple lanes. You must stop. It’s the law! Not only that, but stopping is how we all keep kids safe as they travel to and from school. The only exception for stopping is if there is a physical barrier median between your side of the road and the bus. Turn lanes do not count as a median. You can begin moving again once the lights have stopped flashing and the bus pulls away, or once the driver motions to you that it’s okay to pass.
• Don’t tailgate school buses. You should allow a safe following distance for any type of vehicle in front of you, including school buses. When you are following a school bus, there’s the additional factor of frequent stops, so following distance is essential to prevent rear-ending the bus.
• Stay alert for pedestrians even if the school bus doesn’t have any flashing lights turned on. Children and parents could still be around, standing or walking on the side of the road. A little bit of attention and caution can go a long way in preventing a serious pedestrian accident. Children don’t always remember the rules about looking both ways before crossing, so expect the unexpected in busy school-bus areas, and in neighborhoods and school zones.

The attorneys and entire team at Shaw Cowart wish our city’s students a safe, productive, fun-filled fall semester!

Experienced Austin Pedestrian Lawyers

If you or a loved one was injured in a pedestrian accident in Austin or the surrounding areas, our experienced Texas accident lawyers are here to provide guidance and information. You may have a case to pursue compensation in a claim handled by our law firm. For a complimentary, no-obligation consultation, please call Shaw Cowart at 512-499-8900.

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Deadly car accidents increased in 2020. This may come as a surprise, given that so many people were at home during the worst of the pandemic, and not out commuting or driving around. Nonetheless, statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show deadly crashes rose about 7 percent compared to the previous year.

At Shaw Cowart, our experienced Austin accident lawyers provide free consultations to accident victims. To review your claim and find out what your options are for pursuing injury compensation, please call us at 512-499-8900.

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There are many types of personal injury cases because they each involve unique circumstances. The core of all these situations is that someone else’s negligence causes an injury. It takes the eye of an experienced attorney to determine if you have a case.

Consult our attorneys if you are wondering if you have a good case, which are typically defined by:

• Catastrophic injuries. A personal injury claim must involve a person who is seriously injured. Catastrophic trauma to the brain, spine, or internal organs are typical. Terminal illness, loss of limbs, burns and scarring, whiplash, and paralysis are other injuries that arise in these cases.
• A clear cut case of fault. Someone else must be at fault for causing the injury. If the injury was the victim’s fault, then there is not a case unless it is a workers’ compensation claim. While the very best cases may have obviously identifiable liable parties, our attorneys have the experience and drive necessary to investigate these complex claims so that we can demonstrate fault whether it is obvious or not.
• A source of compensation. Insurance policies or other sources of compensation must be available, if a monetary award is to be recovered.
• Evidence and documentation. Medical records, pictures of the injury, witness contact information, surveillance video, police records, emails, and other documentation may be crucial to a personal injury case.

Contact our experienced attorneys promptly so that we can first determine if you have a personal injury case. Time is of the essence, and your attorney will begin securing evidence, testimony, and information immediately, before these things begin to degrade or disappear.

At Shaw Cowart, we work tirelessly on our client’s behalf. We want you to focus on your recovery and emotional well-being because a catastrophic injury is a traumatic event. Calling us for a consultation will be a good start to knowing what your options are for pursuing compensation and justice.

Did You Suffer a Serious Injury Caused by Someone Else?

To learn more about personal injury cases and what our lawyers can do for you, please call

Shaw Cowart at 512-499-8900. Our experienced Austin injury lawyers provide a free case review so you can learn about your options for pursuing justice and compensation.

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