Fort Worth Car Accident Lawsuits and Settlements

On this page, our car accident lawyers will look at Fort Worth auto accident lawsuits. We will review key points of Texas law relevant to auto tort cases and we will discuss how much settlement compensation plaintiffs typically get in Fort Worth car accident cases.

Auto Accidents in Fort Worth

Fort Worth has a population of 956,000 people, which makes it the 13^th biggest city in the U.S. Fort Worth is part of the larger Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, which is one of the most populous areas in the country.

Based on the most recent data from the Texas Department of Transportation, Fort Worth averages around 15,000 police-reported car accidents every year. Around 4,400 (or close to 30%) of those accidents resulted in physical injuries to drivers, occupants, or pedestrians. On average, there are just over 100 fatal car accidents in Fort Worth each year.

Fort Worth Demographics

Fort Wort is the 5th biggest city in Texas, with a population of just under 1 million. The median age of the population in Fort Worth is 33.2 years. 38% of the population is White, 35% is Hispanic, and 18% is Black.

The median household income in Fort Worth is $67,000, which is slightly above the median income for Texas, but slightly below the national median income ($69,000). Around 28% of the adult population in Fort Worth has a college degree and 88% have a high school diploma. That is slightly higher than both the U.S. and Texas averages.

Fort Worth Auto Accident Laws

Fort Worth car accident injury cases are governed by Texas law. At least 3 different areas of Texas law can potentially be relevant in an auto accident case: traffic laws (rules of the road), (2) vehicle insurance laws, and (3) tort law which applies to liability for injuries. The traffic and insurance laws are statutory while tort law is a mix of common law rules and statutes. Below is a brief outline of all the key Texas laws that apply in car accident lawsuits.

2-Year Statute of Limitations for Fort Worth Car Accident Lawsuits

In Texas, all auto accident injury lawsuits are subject to a 2-year statute of limitations. Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.003. The law is like a legal deadline for filing your case. If you don’t file a car accident lawsuit before the 2-year SOL deadline expires you will lose your right to file suit. The 2-year SOL period for a car accident lawsuit in Texas begins running from the date of the accident. So if you get in an accident on April 1, 2022, you must file your lawsuit by April 1, 2024.

Shared Fault in Fort Worth Auto Accident Cases

Only 1 driver can ultimately be held “at-fault” for a car accident in Texas. However, in many auto accident cases, both drivers are guilty of some degree of negligence or traffic rule violation that may have contributed to causing the accident.

In these shared fault cases, Texas follows the legal rule known as modified comparative fault. Under comparative fault, a plaintiff’s damages are reduced by their percentage share of fault.

So if a plaintiff is found to be 10% at-fault for their own injuries, their damages would be reduced by 10%. Under the modified version of comparative fault adopted in Texas, if a plaintiff’s share of fault exceeds 50%, then they are totally barred from recovering any damages.

Damages Available in Fort Worth Car Accident Cases

Although Texas has very caps on the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice cases, Texas does not have any maximum limits or caps on the amount of damages that plaintiffs can be awarded in an car accident injury lawsuits. Plaintiffs in Fort Worth auto tort cases are entitled to the full range of economic and non-economic tort damages available in personal injury cases. These categories of damages in Fort Worth car accident are listed below:

Mental Pain & Suffering: If you suffer physical injuries in a car accident caused by another driver’s negligence, Texas law entitled you to get financial compensation for mental pain and suffering related to those injuries. The more severe and painful the injury, the more pain and suffering damages. The judge or jury determines pain and suffering damages if a case goes to trial.
Medical Expenses: Plaintiffs in Fort Worth auto tort cases are entitled to get compensation for any and all medical or healthcare expenses that they incur as a direct result of injuries caused by the accident. This includes not only past medical expenses that have already been incurred, but also the estimated cost of future medical expenses that you will need years down the road. For example, if you injure your back in a car accident and you doctor says you need back surgery next year, that cost can be included in your damages.
Lost Income: Plaintiffs in Fort Worth are allowed to get compensation for any and all lost income or lost wages that they incurred as a result of injuries caused by the car accident. This includes not just past lost income, but also future lost income. For example, if you suffer a permanent injury that will prevent you from working for the next 6 months or a year, you would be entitled to lost wages for that period.

Settlement Payout Value of Fort Worth Auto Accident Cases

The settlement value of a car accident injury case in Fort Worth is driven by a variety of different factors including injury severity, age and medical history, and venue. The nature and severity of the plaintiff’s injuries is always the most significant factor driving the settlement value in Fort Worth accident cases. More serious injuries involve more medical expenses and more pain & suffering, which equates to a higher settlement value.

The chart below shows the average settlement value range of Fort Worth car accident cases based on the severity level of the plaintiff’s injuries. Level I includes “minor” injuries such as sprains, whiplash, and other soft tissue injuries. Level II would be “moderate” injuries and includes things like herniated discs or bone fractures. Level III is the most serious injuries such as death or permanent impairment.

INJURY SEVERITY LEVEL	SETTLEMENT VALUE
LEVEL I	$16,000 – $32,000
LEVEL II	$51,000 – $1115,000
LEVEL III	$160,000 – $420,000

Fort Worth Car Accident Settlements and Verdicts

Below are recent 2022-2023 verdicts and reported settlements from Fort Worth car accident lawsuits. These cases are provided for informational purposes only and are not a guarantee of value in your case. The verdicts below are from the 4 counties in the greater Fort Worth area, Tarrant County, Johnson County, Parker County, and Wise County.

$10,862 Settlement (Tarrant County 2023): The plaintiff, 13-years-old at the time, claimed to suffer headaches, and pain in both shoulders, neck and lower back after the vehicle she was a passenger in, stopped for a stop sign, was rear-ended in downtown Fort Worth by a vehicle operated by the defendant. Liability was not contested and the case was settled.
$21,893 Settlement (Tarrant County 2023): The plaintiff, a mentally disabled adult, claimed that he suffered unspecified personal injuries while a passenger in a vehicle when the defendant driver had a collision with a fixed object. The settlement included $1,900 for medical expenses and the rest for pain and suffering.
$170,901 Verdict (W.D. Texas 2023): The plaintiff was driving a motor vehicle in the right westbound lane of State Highway 29. The defendant attempted a right turn into a parking lot from the left westbound lane of State Highway 29 outside of Fort Worth, causing a collision with the plaintiff’s vehicle. The nature of the injuries were not specified.
$42,250 Verdict (Tarrant County 2023): The plaintiff was driving a motor vehicle eastbound in front of a vehicle being driven by the defendant. According to the plaintiff, as he slowed for traffic ahead of him, the defendant was following too closely and struck his vehicle in the rear, resulting in unspecified injuries. $25,000 for past medical expenses, $13,000 for past pain and suffering, $2,500 for future physical pain and mental anguish, $750 for past lost wages, $1,000 for past physical impairment.
$14,000 Verdict (Tarrant County 2023): The plaintiff was allegedly injured in a low speed parking lot accident caused by the defendant’s failure to maintain a lookout while exiting a parking space. The verdict included $12,000 for medical expenses and just $2,000 for pain and suffering.
$25,876 Verdict (Parker County 2022): The plaintiff, a female in her 30s, was driving southbound while the defendant was driving in the lane to her left. The defendant allegedly made an unsafe lane change without slowing down and struck the rear of the plaintiff’s car. The plaintiff was seeking $12,000 for past medical expenses and $20,000 for future medical expenses. The jury awarded all of the past medicals, but only about half of the future medical expenses.

Hire a Fort Worth Car Accident Lawyer

The personal injury attorneys at Miller & Zois can help you with your Fort Worth car accident lawsuit. We work with local counsel in Fort Worth at no additional cost to our clients to deliver the maximum possible compensation for your case. Contact us today at 800-553-8082 or contact us online.