Dallas Injury Lawyer Doug Goyen HomeDallas Injury Lawyer
Attorney Doug Goyen is a personal injury attorney licensed in Texas since 1997 with decades of experience representing individuals in personal injury related cases throughout the State of Texas. Attorney Goyen has successfully negotiated, settled, litigated, and taken to trial thousands of cases. He has obtained millions of dollars in compensation for his clients. Call (972) 599 4100 to speak with Attorney Goyen today.
Attorney Goyen handles his cases from start to finish and stays in contact personally on each case. Goyen graduated from Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law in Dallas, Texas in 1997. He has been successfully representing people as a personal injury lawyer in Dallas and North Texas area since that time. Attorney Goyen has the unique experience of having worked as a bodily injury claims adjuster from 1989 to 1997 prior to becoming a lawyer. During the time he was working for insurance companies handling personal injury claims he attended law school from 1994 to 1997. This experience handling bodily injury cases for insurance companies helped him focus and sharpen his skills as a personal injury lawyer while in law school. After law school Attorney Goyen began solely representing individuals who have suffered injury or death in personal injury cases. His experience, education, and drive to deliver a superior service to his clients has made Attorney Goyen one of the premier Dallas personal injury lawyers in the State of Texas. Contact us today to get started on your case and get the compensation your case deserves.
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If you or someone you know needs assistance in an injury case call (972) 599 4100 for a free consultation and a free strategy session regarding your case. The strategy session includes a summary of your case, identification of the legal issues involved with your case, and identifying those legal issues that will help maximize your recovery in your case. We will email a copy of this strategy session to you for you to keep. Call us today.
Types Of Personal Injury Cases And Claims We Represent:The Law Office of Doug Goyen represents people who need representation for themselves or a family member injured or killed in cases involving car accident injury and death cases, 18 wheeler accidents and other commercial vehicles, bicycle accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian's hit by automobiles, victims of drunk drivers, victims of people texting and driving. Additionally, we represent people injured by dog bites, slip and falls, premises injuries due to dangerous conditions on a property or a business, and workplace injuries. Click the following links for more specific information regarding the types of cases we handle for the clients we represent:
Can I File A Lawsuit For My Injury?Yes, the right to file a lawsuit for injury is guaranteed by the Texas Constitution. Article 1, Section 13 of the Texas Bill of Rights states, "All courts shall be open, and every person for an injury done him, in his lands, goods, person or reputation, shall have remedy by due course of law." Additionally, the 7th Amendment of the United States Constitution also guarantees the right to file a lawsuit. The 7th Amendment of the US Constitution states, "In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law." How are suits at "common law" related to injury lawsuits? Common law lawsuits are interpreted by looking at what those lawsuits were in 1791 when the US Constitution was written. Common law lawsuits at that time included lawsuits for injury and damages caused to individuals by others. Both the US Constitution and Texas Constitution guarantee your right to make a claim for any injury caused to you, and both guarantee your right to file a lawsuit if needed to enforce any claim you may have.
There is strong argument that the 1st Amendment of the US Constitution restricts the government from passing laws restricting your rights in injury lawsuits. The 1st Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees a right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. "Congress shall make no law respecting (the rights of people) . . . to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." There have been very few cases interpreting this part of the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution, but there are several cases that say this right includes the right to court access and the right to file a lawsuit. This section of the 1st Amendment prohibits the government from restricting your right to file lawsuits as the government passing a law restricting your right to file a petition would be government action infringing on the right to sue for harm done to you. This is backed by Supreme Court decision in Marbury v. Madison in 1803 where Chief Justice John Marshall declared that “a settled and invariable principle, that every right, when withheld, must have a remedy, and every injury its proper redress... he “who considers himself injured, has a right to resort to the laws of his country for a remedy."
However, unlike criminal cases, there is no Constitutional right to a lawyer in a personal injury case. So if you file a lawsuit for an injury, or are sued, you must hire your own lawyer. One will not be appointed for you. If you have been injured you will need to hire your own lawyer to pursue your rights. The Law Office of Doug Goyen represents the injured party in cases where people have been injured or killed due to negligence or intentional acts. Contact our Dallas personal injury lawyer to discuss your case.
Do I Need A Personal Injury Lawyer For An Injury Claim?Yes, if you are pursuing a personal injury claim you need a personal injury lawyer. Personal injury cases involve multiple areas of law. Two of the biggest areas of law in personal injury cases are tort law and contract law. A working knowledge in these areas of law are crucial to ensure your rights are protected and you receive the compensation you are entitled to receive.
The injury claim itself is governed by the law of torts in proving liability and damages. You need knowledge of what type of claims are legally available to you. You need to know how to legally prove those claims in ways that convince Defendants and their insurance companies that you pose a legal and financial threat if they do not treat your claim properly.
Knowledge of contract law is needed in personal injury cases because you will be dealing with insurance policies that require an understanding of contract law - and specifically how insurance policies are interpreted under those areas of the law. The most common insurance policies that are used in personal injury cases are liability insurance policies (these cover negligence for vehicles, homeowners or businesses), health insurance policies that may have made payment for medical bills and will want reimbursement out of your injury claim, claims for 1st party insurance coverage such as collision coverage and uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, and government-provided insurance such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Workers Compensation. Due to the variety of different types of insurance that is typically involved, you need to know how these different insurance policies interact with each other in order to ensure you receive the compensation you are entitled for your claims.
Personal injury lawyers with experience will be able to maximize the amount of money you receive out of any settlement. Personal injury lawyers have knowledge and experience that will help determine whether you are being offered fair value for the settlement of your claim. They will be able to help ensure you do not violate the terms of any of the insurance policies involved in your injury case. They will know what elements of damage you are entitled for your particular injury claim and will be able to produce evidence of these areas of damage in a way that ensures insurance companies consider and give full value to your claims for these elements. Good personal injury lawyers will help you negotiate down any amounts owed to any medical facilities, health insurance policies, or anyone else who may have some type of lien or claim against your settlement. Attorneys who know how to do this will be able to get you more money in your pocket from the settlement.
If you want to make sure you receive the compensation you deserve, protect your rights, avoid violating any terms of any insurance policies involved, you need to hire a personal injury lawyer for your injury case.
How Much Will It Cost To Hire A Personal Injury Lawyer In The Dallas Area?Personal injury lawyers charge contingency fees in injury cases. No up-front payment is required. The lawyer is only paid if they are able to recover in your case. The Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1.04(d) Fees, defines a contingency fee as a “fee contingent on the outcome of the matter for which the service is rendered." This means the attorney cannot collect the fee unless a certain result is obtained. In personal injury cases this means that if the lawyer is unable to recover any money in your case, the lawyer is not paid.
Personal injury lawyers charge a percentage of what they can recover for your claims. In practice, this becomes a performance-based contract. The better your attorney does in your case, the better they are paid. This aligns your attorney's interest with your interest in personal injury cases. A contingency fee in Texas depends on the lawyer you hire (some charge a higher percentage), but it is usually 1/3 of whatever is recovered for your injury case and typically goes up to 40% if a lawsuit is required.
What Can I Recover In A Personal Injury Case?Damages that are often recoverable in personal injury cases include the following: Money for pain and suffering and mental anguish, past and future medical bills: the amount of medical bills necessary to treat your injury, both in the past and future, lost wages or earnings, physical impairment, disfigurement, property damage, among other types of damages.
We seek all damages that you are entitled. Examples of other types of damages for harms, losses, or injuries that someone suffers from car crash can include the following categories:
Injury Related DamagesThese types of damages are related to the injury of a person. They include:
*Past and future medical bills;
*Past and future pain and suffering;
*Past and future mental anguish;
*Past and future lost earning capacity and lost income;
*Past and future physical impairment;
*Past and future disfigurement;
*Loss of body member or mental function;
*Loss of consortium (spouse, parental, child/filial);
*Loss of inheritance in wrongful death cases;
*Loss of services; and
*Emotional/mental trauma (bystander injury).
Other DamagesThese types of damages are related other damage, such as to your motor vehicle. They include:
*Property damage,
*Loss of use of your property - including rental car bills,
*Storage of your vehicle (at the city pound, etc),
*Total loss of property, and
*Diminished value of property.
Punitive DamagesPunitive Damages or Exemplary Damages (punitive or exemplary damages are actually meant to punish the wrongful actor rather than compensate the injured party. The idea is to punish the bad actor for his bad actions in certain situations and to send a message to the community that with certain types of conduct, not only will you owe the damage you caused - which is considered compensation, but you may also get hit with punitive or exemplary damages as a form of punishment). One example where punitive damages could be awarded would be a drunk driver causing harm to another person. Liability insurance, such as auto insurance companies do not typically cover punitive damages - so this may be difficult to collect against individuals or the individual's personal liability insurance.
Other damages that may be recoverable in accident and injury cases include prenatal injury, prejudgment interest, attorney's fees (in suits against your own insurance - if it is a contract issue), and court costs.
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF A PERSONAL INJURY CASE?
The value of a personal injury case depends on several factors including the severity of the injury, liability issues, and the ability to collect against a defendant.
First to consider is the severity of the injury. A more serious injury typically demands more compensation due to the medical bills, future treatment needed, loss of earnings, physical impairment, disfigurement, pain and suffering, and other possible damages caused.
The next factor to consider is liability. If the defendant is 100% at fault then you should be able to relate 100% of your damages to the defendant that caused the damages. If a jury decides that the injured person was partly at fault for the accident, then they will reduce the amount that person can recover by whatever percentage they place on the injured party. So if your case is worth $100,000, but a jury thinks you were 30% at fault due to speeding or some other improper action, then the amount you can recover will be reduced by that 30% by the judge after the jury returns its verdict. If you are 51% at fault or more, then you cannot recover at all from the other person. In negotiating claims with insurance companies, they will investigate the facts of the accident, and if there are facts that allow it they will reduce the amount they offer based on whether they believe you were partly to blame or not.
Another important factor to consider in determining the value of your case is the ability to actually collect from a Defendant. If the person who caused your injury is indigent, has no insurance, no property, and no money to speak of then you may not ever be able to collect from that person. Even if your injury is worth $1,000,000 or more, if you cannot collect anything from them then the actual value of your case is greatly reduced. As they say, it is not worth the paper it is written on if you cannot collect.
The Law Office of Doug Goyen gathers the evidence needed to prove what your damages are, prove liability on your case, and find whatever insurance or other assets are available to cover your claims. We have a long history of protecting our client's rights and ensuring they are compensated for their injuries.
What Will Your Dallas Injury Lawyer Do?:
You will have a premier, experienced, and diligent personal injury lawyer handle your case from start to finish.
1) We handle your case on your behalf: Your personal injury lawyer will reduce the amount of time you spend calling and waiting to talk to insurance company personnel regarding your injury claim or case. How much of my time will this take in dealing with the insurance company? Your personal injury lawyer from our office will keep in contact with the automobile insurance company or liability insurance company regarding your injury claim. You can then avoid the nightmare and frustration of being on hold for hours, and making call after unreturned call to the insurance adjuster handling your claim. Your lawyer will take over contacting the insurance claims departments regarding your personal injury, and we gather the information they need to evaluate your claim and get the best settlement available.
2) Concerns after an injury accident: Medical Care: You may not know who to see for your injury. Should you see a back injury doctor, a doctor who specializes in auto accident cases, or just go through your health insurance? What if you don't have health insurance, what then? If you need to see a doctor, we will help you find the kind of doctor you need. If you cannot afford a doctor, we will help you find a doctor who will postpone receiving payment on your case until the auto insurance company sends the settlement check.
See the following page for more information: (Car Wreck Doctor - What Doctor Can I See After An Accident).
Bills and Records to Prove Claim: If you have hospital bills, doctors bills, radiology bills, ambulance bills, and other medical bills related to your treatment, we will obtain all the information the insurance company requires for payment, to ensure your case is paid fully, and paid as quickly as possible.
Contact with Insurance Representatives: Once we start working on your case, we take over dealing with the insurance company regarding your injury claims. You will not be required to wait online for hours waiting to speak to an adjuster - we take care of that for you.
Negotiations: When settling your case, we will negotiate with any medical providers or others that claim they are owed out of your settlement - to ensure you are not overpaying any bills. You may have a health insurance company, workers comp, Medicare, or other entity involved that claims they are owed out of your settlement. We will investigate these claims and advise whether you have a legal obligation to pay them out of your settlement funds.
Each step of the way, we will keep you informed, so you have the final say on what to do regarding your case.
3) Investigating the claim: If you don't know the insurance claims business, the claims adjusters can delay and deny your claim, and you will not know if the excuses they give are legitimate or not. Our office knows what is needed by the insurance company to evaluate and settle your case. We take the guess-work out of it for you. Things can change that complicate what seemed to be a straightforward case. The Dallas injury lawyer we assign to your case has the experience to know what the traps are in your particular case, and know what is needed to prevent things from going wrong. We know how to correct things when things have gone wrong with your insurance company. We know when the insurance company is "dragging their feet" for no reason. You will likely not know the difference and may get extremely frustrated when dealing with your adjuster. The lawyer working your case will know what documents are needed by your insurance company, and where to get that information, and how to get it in the fastest, most efficient way possible.
We investigate, get reports, get statements from witnesses and parties, get records, get bills, and get the proof of who the responsible parties are and what the insurance available is and what sources of recovery are for those responsible parties. The evidence obtained will show all those who will need to pay, and who will be responsible for the damage, injury, and other claims that need to be paid.
You can sometimes say things innocently that the insurance company can try to spin in a way to make it sound as though you admitted fault, or admitted you weren't hurt, etc. If you say something yourself that is twisted by the insurance company, they can uses it as an "admission" because it was "you" that said it to the adjuster. On the other hand, if your lawyer speaks to the insurance company on your behalf, we can relay what we determine is the relevant information regarding the cause of the collision and injury information to the insurance company. We can relay the information that is relevant to the case, and recognize questions insurers often ask that are designed to help them avoid paying a claim. We can relay your the costs and how the injury has harmed you both physically, psychologically, and financially. We can relay that information in a legal way that ensures you answer the insurance company's questions in a truthful manner, and in a way that avoids stepping into the "traps" insurers often attempt to set for the unwary.
If you speak directly to the insurance company's investigators or adjusters directly, then you are making "admissions" to the insurance company regarding the questions they ask you. Admissions are usable in court against you - if you are the party to the case (the injured or harmed person) then your statements you make are usable against you later. If you accidentally give the wrong number, distance, amount, time, location, or date when they question you regarding something about your case, injury or injury history, they can later use that information against you. Later, when you realize it was really the 15th when you went to the doctor, and not the 14th, the insurance company may try to use your original statement against you and deny part or all of your claim for your mistake.
Your lawyer does not have this legal restriction - since your lawyer is not a party to the case, anything we say is not an "admission" - it is 2nd hand info we pass on, and it is typically correct, but when it is wrong (if you give us a wrong day or time), you are not locked in to that statement as an "admission". We simply tell them we got it wrong, and then give them the correct info, and they cannot use what the lawyer told them as an admission against your case.
Your lawyer will know what information the insurance company needs to process the claim. If your lawyer gets a date wrong when talking to the adjuster, the lawyer can go back later and correct the mistake, because the lawyer is not a party to the case and therefor is not making "admissions" as he talks to the insurance company's investigator or adjuster. Your lawyer cannot make an admission for you - so if a number, distance, amount, time, or date is later found to be in error, we can go back and correct the error and give the insurance company the corrected information. The insurance companies cannot use the "admissions" tactic against your lawyer. If you let your lawyer speak on your behalf in dealing with your claim or case you have more leeway to correct information that may later need correction. If the lawyer makes an error in relaying the wrong information and later discovers he misread, or misheard something, he can go back and correct it without being locked in to the original incorrect information.
4) Types of insurance and recoveries available: Without a lawyer you may miss the biggest part of your claim recovery because you don't know what coverages to look for or ask to use. You want to make sure you receive a full recovery. Often there are multiple types of insurance or responsible parties that may owe part or all of an injury case, claim, or lawsuit. An experienced, smart lawyer will know what to look for in your particular situation.
There may be multiple options available in a particular case to recover money. We investigate what options are available in your case in order to ensure you know all your options and have the ability to maximize whatever recovery you may have available in your injury case or claim.
5) Making the claim against the correct party or business: You cannot afford to miss the person who is actually legally responsible for your injury. It may seem obvious to you, but sometimes the law requires a different result that what seems clear to you. There may be more than one party, person, or company that is responsible for your injury or harm. We investigate what caused the injuries, harms, losses, or damages. This is to determine what the law would consider to be "negligence", and then work from there to determine who owes for your personal injury.
A vast majority of auto accident cases are caused by someone, or a combination of people, who make negligent decisions that cause the accident and injury. Examples of negligent decisions that cause accidents and injuries are speeding, running lights or stop signs, changing lanes without ensuring the lane is clear, turning in front of oncoming traffic, drunk driving, driving while distracted by cell phones or smart phones, driving while fatigued and other actions and factors that cause a driver to not act as a reasonable driver would in avoiding collisions with others.
We investigate what you are able to recover on your case and then collect for those injuries, harms, losses, and damages from the resources of those who negligently caused the injury. Lawyers lump all injuries, harms, and losses into a term we call "damages" - which for a lawyer is anything you are entitled to recover in a negligence, accident, or injury case or claim.
Historic Lawyers from Dallas, TexasThere are great lawyers in and from Dallas, Texas. Many of these lawyers practice in Dallas, Texas. Many practice throughout the United States and internationally. Dallas has a rich history in the law. Dallas has produced prestigious lawyers with careers that have helped mold the law and justice system throughout the United States. I list the following four giants of the law as examples of lawyers who helped pave the way for lawyers practicing today in Dallas, Texas.
Thomas C. Clark (1899-1977), US Supreme Court Justice from 1949 to 1967. He is the only US Supreme Court Justice from Texas. He was born in Dallas, Texas. Attended Dallas High School. Undergraduate and law degree at University of Texas. Civil district attorney of Dallas 1927-1932. Joined the Justice Department in 1937 working in the war risk litigation section. Appointed by President Truman as US Attorney General in 1945. Prosecuted war fraud crimes and antitrust violations. Worked against juvenile delinquency and emphasized importance of rehabilitation and education. Fought to strike down racial covenants in housing contracts that restricted the sale of property to blacks. Helped create a presidentially established committee on civil rights providing a blueprint for things to be done for civil rights. Was a proponent of Truman's anti-Communist policies. As a US Supreme Court Justice he backed decisions supporting laws promoting racial equality, such as holding that black graduate students must be allowed in to white state universities and law schools in Sweatt v. Painter and McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents (1950). He helped lay the groundwork for the holding in Brown v. Board of Education (1954). In Hernandez v. Texas (1954) he helped in the decision that ruled it a violation of the Constitution to exclude people of Mexican ancestry from juries. His background as US Attorney General under Truman influenced his general pro-government positions in criminal cases and in anti-Communism cases. Even so he held to limits on government power. He authored Mapp v. Ohio which broadened the 4th Amendment's prohibition on using improperly seized evidence known as the exclusionary rule - insisting police should not be allowed to use such evidence. In Berger v. New York (1967) he held a state statute allowing electronic eavesdropping unconstitutional. Clark's opinion in Abington School District v. Schempp held that Bible reading and mandated prayer in public schools violated the Constitution stating that "The Constitution says that the government shall take no part in the establishment of religion..."
Harold Barefoot Sanders Jr. (1925-2008), born in Dallas, Texas, attended North Dallas High School, graduated from University of Texas undergraduate and law school. He was counsel to President Lyndon B. Johnson. He was nominated in 1979 for a seat on US District Court for the Northern District of Texas and confirmed that same year. He was Chief Judge of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas and oversaw the lawsuit to desegregate the Dallas Independent School District.
Robert G. Storey (1893-1981), born in Greenville, Texas. Lived in Dallas from 1923 until his death in 1981. Acted as executive trial counsel to Justice Robert H. Jackson of the US Supreme Court in the prosecution of Herman Goering, Rudolf Hess, and other Nazi officials in the Nuremberg war crimes trials. Received the U.S. Medal of Freedom and the French Legion of Honor for his service in those trials. Was the Dean of Southern Methodist University and president of the Southwestern Legal Foundation starting in 1947.
Robert E. L. Saner (1871-1938) - graduated from University of Texas with his law degree in 1896. Began his law practice in Dallas in 1903. Was the land attorney for the University of Texas from 1899 to 1929. Secretary of the Democratic State Executive Committee from 1899 to 1901. President of the American Bar Association from 1923-1924. General counsel for the American Bar Association and chairman of the board of editors of the American Bar Journal from 1920 to 1938.
Law Schools in Dallas, TexasJefferson School of Law: The first law school in Dallas was the Jefferson School of Law founded in 1919 by Andrew J. Priest, Dallas attorney and resident. The school's location was at Harwood and Jackson Street in Dallas, Texas. The Depression in the 1930s brought its demise. This original law school in Dallas no longer exists.
Lawyers in the Dallas area have attended law school throughout the country and world. In the Dallas, Texas area we have the advantage of several great options for aspiring lawyers. These institutions not only educate our
Southern Methodist University’s Dedman School of Law: In 1925 two other law schools were established, the Dallas School of Law, which was an evening program operating out of the YMCA building on Ervay Street in downtown Dallas, and Southern Methodist University School of Law. In 1938 the Dallas School of Law combined with Southern Methodist University's School of Law.
In recent years two other law schools have joined the legal community in the Dallas area.
Texas A&M University School of Law: The Dallas/Fort Worth School of Law was founded in Irving, Texas in 1989 and became the Texas Wesleyan School of Law in 1992. Subsequently in 2012 Texas Wesleyan School of Law was taken over by Texas A&M becoming Texas A&M University School of Law and moved the campus to nearby downtown Fort Worth, Texas.
University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law: The University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law was founded in 2009 and is located downtown Dallas, Texas in the historic Old City Hall and Lee F. Jackson building.
We owe a debt to the lawyers and institutions that have helped train and mentor great young lawyers in our area.
Discuss your case with an experienced Dallas injury lawyer to determine if you need help in your situation. Taking the wrong steps can keep you from recovering the money you will need to cover you in your case.
Call the Law Office of Doug Goyen at (972) 599 4100 so we can start working on your case today.
Directions to our main North Dallas Office:(Click the following link for directions to our Addison office: Law Office of Doug Goyen
15851 N. Dallas Pkwy #605, Addison, Texas 75001
