Accidents resulting in serious injury are never something we want to consider, but they happen too frequently. They lead to long, painful, and sometimes expensive recoveries, loss of jobs, homes, and quality of life. If the accident was due to another person’s negligence or corporate liability, the attorneys of Portner Bond, PLLC are here to provide you with the experienced representation you need to get the compensation you are due.
Call us at (409) 838-4444 for a free, confidential consultation about your injury. We can discuss your case and help you determine what your next step should be.
Practice Areas
Here at Portner Bond, PLLC, we’ve dedicated our practice to helping people who were injured by the wrongdoing of others pursue compensation for their injuries and losses. Among the kinds of cases we take on are:
- Car Accidents. Vehicle accidents are the most common type of personal injury case because of our reliance on cars for every daily routine. Eventually, nearly everyone is involved in some kind of car accident, often because of someone else’s negligent behavior.
- Motorcycle Accidents. They share the same roads but are a quarter of the size and have a tenth of the protection as cars. Motorcycle accidents can be especially devastating for the riders, and lead to lasting physical injury.
- Four-Wheeler/ATV Accidents. Off-roading is a fun way to spend a weekend, but it can end in tragedy, thanks to another person’s carelessness. Remote locations and complex injuries can lead to costly medical bills, and you should not have to pay if someone else was entirely responsible.
- Boat & Jet Ski Accidents. Fun on the water can become a day in the hospital unless everyone is careful and obeys the rules of the waterway. When someone else’s carelessness ruins your enjoyment of your watercraft, you could pursue compensation for your injuries and other losses.
- Work Injuries. If you are injured on the job, you may be covered by worker’s compensation. But you may need to sue your employer instead or sue a third party to recover some of your damages. An attorney should evaluate any workplace injury before you decide on your best course of action.
- Industrial Accidents. Our oil, gas, and chemical industries are the pride of Texas. But what happens when something goes wrong? Injuries caused by major accidents at an industrial plant are catastrophic and need to be handled by an attorney who understands the intricacies of this type of law.
- Truck Accidents. Big rig and semi-truck accidents can be deadly because of the size of the truck and trailer. Bringing a claim against the driver or trucking company may only be part of the case since the owner of the cargo or a variety of other parties may also be involved.
- Wrongful Death. Nothing is worse than the death of a loved one caused by someone else’s negligent acts. Although monetary compensation is not the cure, it can help ease some of the pain, and assist with the financial harm caused by the loss.
- Premises Liability. Property owners have a responsibility to keep their property reasonably safe for those who come there. If their carelessness leads to an injury, you have a right to fair compensation for your harm.
About Our Attorneys
The attorneys of Portner Bond, PLLC have a combined 70 years of experience in the practice of personal injury law.
Founding partner Chris Portner got his start in Houston, TX, before relocating to the Beaumont area to begin his practice in personal injury law in 2000. Mr. Portner is a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an honor for attorneys who have won those awards for their clients.
Trent Bond has been serving the people of Jefferson County, TX, since receiving his law degree in 1992. Mr. Bond started out as a prosecutor for the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, before entering private practice. He has also served as Vice-President of the Jefferson County Bar and is a Life Member of the Texas Bar Foundation. The Texas Board of Legal Specialization has declared him to be Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law. Contact us today.
Filing a Personal Injury Claim or Lawsuit
To pursue a personal injury claim, you must first file a claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company. There is usually no hard-and-fast timeline by which you must file. Many insurance companies require filing “as soon as possible” or within 90 or 180 days.
Filing a personal injury lawsuit in Texas is time-sensitive. Personal injury suits are subject to a two-year statute of limitations, meaning that you have two years from the date of the injury to file a claim against the person or agency that caused your injury.
You need to begin thinking about pursuing compensation even before you leave the accident scene. While you are still at the scene, if you are able, you should get all the information you can about the other party, including:
- Names
- Addresses
- Insurance information
- Vehicle description, including license plate, make and model, and color
- Responding agencies, such as police and fire departments
- Witness information
- Police report number
You will not receive a police report at the scene. It takes up to ten days for the police report to be filed. You will need the report number to access the report later, and if multiple agencies responded (such as the state police and the county sheriff’s deputies) each agency may file its own report.
You should seek legal advice right away, before speaking to any insurers or agreeing to sign any documentation. It is in the insurance company’s best interest to assign fault quickly and in a way that lets them avoid paying any compensation.
Texas follows a “modified comparative fault” rule, which means that parties can only recover in a personal injury case if they are found to be less than 50 percent at fault in their case. In other words, if you are involved in a car accident, and you are held to be 45 percent at fault, and the other driver is 55 percent at fault, you can still recover 55 percent of your compensable losses. But if you are 51 percent at fault, and the other driver is 49 percent at fault, you cannot recover any money.
How We Can Help
Understanding your options before agreeing to anything is essential in this type of case. The attorneys of Portner Bond, PLLC recommend seeking legal advice immediately after any type of accident in which you were injured. Even if you decide not to pursue legal action, you should have your case analyzed by an attorney before making that decision.
Contact the Bridge City lawyers of Portner Bond, PLLC at (409) 838-4444 for a free consultation if you believe you have grounds for legal action due to someone else’s negligence. Our legal team will review your case and advise you on the best way to proceed.