Practice areas: the injury cases LAWBOSS handles in San Antonio

LAWBOSS – Uvalle Law Firm, PLLC is a Texas personal injury firm. We represent people who were hurt, and families who lost someone, because of another person’s or a company’s carelessness. These are the kinds of cases we handle in San Antonio and the towns around it, with what makes each one different and where on this site it is covered in depth.

Car accidents

Rear-end collisions, intersection and red-light crashes, left-turn crashes, sideswipes in merging traffic on Loop 410 and Loop 1604, and hit-and-run drivers. Most car crash claims turn on who had the right of way and how much insurance there is, under Texas’s 51 percent rule for shared fault. Our accident lawyer San Antonio page covers what to do after a crash and how the claim is paid.

18-wheeler and truck accidents

Crashes with tractor-trailers, delivery trucks and other commercial vehicles on I-35, I-10, I-37 and the loops. These cases involve the federal motor carrier rules on driving hours and maintenance, the trucking company’s own records, and often several parties and insurers: the driver, the carrier, the trailer owner, the shipper and maintenance contractors. Evidence such as electronic logging data is kept for limited periods, so these cases need early action.

Motorcycle accidents

Riders hit by drivers who failed to see them, turned across their path or changed lanes into them. Texas requires helmets unless a rider is 21 or older and has completed an approved safety course or has qualifying health insurance (Transportation Code section 661.003), and insurers raise the helmet question when a rider has a head injury. Riders’ injuries are usually serious, and their own UM/UIM coverage often matters.

Drunk driver accidents

Crashes caused by an intoxicated driver. Beyond ordinary compensation, Texas allows exemplary damages for gross negligence, and the usual cap does not apply to intoxication assault or intoxication manslaughter (Civil Practice and Remedies Code section 41.008). A bar or restaurant that served an obviously intoxicated person can also be responsible under the Alcoholic Beverage Code (section 2.02).

Pedestrian, bicycle and rideshare crashes

People struck on foot or on a bicycle, and drivers and passengers hurt in an Uber or Lyft. Pedestrians and cyclists can often claim on their own auto policy’s PIP and UM/UIM coverage, or a household member’s. Rideshare crashes bring in the special insurance tiers the Insurance Code sets for transportation network company drivers (sections 1954.052 and 1954.053).

Premises liability: slips, trips and falls

Falls and other injuries on property someone else controls: stores, apartment complexes, restaurants, hotels, parking lots and garages. The claim usually turns on whether the owner knew, or should have known, about the hazard and failed to fix it or warn about it. Photographs, incident reports and video taken right away often decide these cases. Our injury lawyer San Antonio page covers them in more detail.

Dog bites

Attacks by a dog whose owner knew, or should have known, that it was dangerous, or who was careless in keeping it. Bites often injure children and the face. Homeowner’s and renter’s insurance policies frequently cover them.

Workplace injuries

Injuries on the job. In Texas, workers’ compensation is generally elective for private employers (Labor Code section 406.002). An employer without it can be sued for negligence and loses defenses such as the employee’s own negligence (section 406.033). Whether or not the employer has coverage, a claim may lie against someone else who caused the injury, such as a driver, a property owner or an equipment maker.

Catastrophic injuries

Traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord and back injuries, paralysis and severe burns. These are the injuries treated at San Antonio’s Level I trauma centers, University Hospital and Brooke Army Medical Center, and they call for a careful account of future medical care, lost earning capacity and how the injury changes a life. Our injury lawyer San Antonio page explains how they are proved.

Wrongful death

When someone dies because of another person’s wrongful act, neglect or carelessness, Texas law gives a claim to the surviving spouse, children and parents of the person who died; any of them may bring it for the benefit of all (Civil Practice and Remedies Code section 71.004). The claim the person would have had if they had lived also survives, for their estate and heirs (section 71.021). The suit must be filed within two years of the death (section 16.003(b)). We handle these cases with care for the family’s time: there is no rush to talk before you are ready, but some evidence and some deadlines do not wait.

How every case is handled

Whatever the kind of case, the stages are the same: evidence, treatment, a demand, negotiation and, where needed, a lawsuit and mediation. Our personal injury attorney San Antonio page walks through them, and our personal injury lawyer San Antonio page explains the Texas law that applies to all of them.