Valley View Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can change every part of a person’s life in an instant. Whether it happened on I-35 near Denton, on a job site off U.S. Highway 377, or in a slip and fall at a local business near the Denton Square, the consequences can be permanent. At Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys, we represent Valley View and Denton County residents who have suffered serious brain injuries because of someone else’s negligence. If you or a loved one is dealing with the aftermath of a TBI, you deserve to know your legal rights and what comes next.

Table of Contents

• What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury and Why Is It So Serious?
• How Common Are Traumatic Brain Injuries in Texas?
• What Texas Law Says About Filing a Brain Injury Claim
• What Compensation Can You Recover After a Valley View TBI?
• How Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys Handles Valley View TBI Cases
• FAQs About Valley View Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney

What Is a Traumatic Brain Injury and Why Is It So Serious?

A traumatic brain injury is an injury to the brain caused by an external physical force. That force can come from a car crash on U.S. Highway 77 near Valley View, a blow to the head in a workplace accident, a fall on a wet floor at a store near Denton’s Rayzor Ranch area, or a pedestrian accident on a busy road. Texas law defines TBI as an acquired injury to the brain caused by an external physical force that results in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment.

TBIs range from mild concussions to severe, life-altering brain damage. Texas recognizes both open head injuries, which involve skull fractures, and closed head injuries, which involve brain damage without the skull breaking. You might experience a coup-contrecoup injury, where your brain bounces inside your skull, or a diffuse axonal injury involving widespread brain tissue damage.

Brain injuries are often called “invisible disabilities” because the effects are not always obvious. You might look fine while struggling with memory problems, mood changes, or chronic pain. That invisibility is what makes TBI cases so difficult to handle without experienced legal help. Insurance companies routinely downplay these injuries because the damage does not always show up on standard imaging tests.

Even a minor brain injury such as a concussion can lead to serious short-term problems with functioning, and more serious brain injuries can lead to long-term disability or even death. When your injury was caused by another person’s careless actions, you have the right to pursue compensation for every consequence that follows.

How Common Are Traumatic Brain Injuries in Texas?

Texas has one of the highest rates of traumatic brain injury in the entire country. Over 144,000 Texans sustain a traumatic brain injury every year, nearly 400 people daily. More than 5,700 Texans become permanently disabled annually from TBI. Currently, approximately 479,000 Texans live with disabilities caused by traumatic brain injuries, about 2% of the state’s population.

Falls account for almost 50 percent of all TBI-related hospitalizations in Texas. Motor vehicle crashes are another leading cause. If you live in Valley View or travel the roads of Cooke County and Denton County regularly, you know how heavy traffic on I-35 can be. Accidents happen quickly, and the results can be devastating.

The Texas Health and Human Services Office of Acquired Brain Injury reports that brain injury diagnoses exceed the combined number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, breast cancer, HIV/AIDS, prostate cancer, lung cancer, and ALS each year. That puts the scale of this problem into sharp focus. TBI is not a rare condition. It is a widespread public health crisis, and it affects real families throughout North Texas every single day.

The Texas Department of State Health Services maintains the Traumatic Brain Injury Registry through its Emergency Medical Services and Trauma Registry (EMSTR), which tracks TBI data statewide. EMSTR includes four registries: the EMS Registry, the Acute Traumatic Injury Registry, the Traumatic Brain Injury Registry and Spinal Cord Injury Registry, and the Submersion Registry. This data helps confirm just how serious and widespread TBI is across Texas communities like Valley View.

What Texas Law Says About Filing a Brain Injury Claim

Texas law gives injured people the right to seek compensation when a brain injury results from someone else’s negligence. That right comes with a strict deadline. Under the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 16.003, most personal injury actions, including those involving traumatic brain injury, must be initiated within two years from the date the cause of action accrues, typically the date of the injury.

Missing that deadline almost always means losing your right to recover anything at all. Failing to file before the deadline means the court will likely dismiss your claim, barring you from recovering compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. Two years sounds like a long time, but when you are in the hospital, going through rehabilitation, and trying to hold your family together, that clock moves fast.

There are important exceptions to the two-year rule. If an injured person is deemed mentally incapacitated at the time of the accident or at any point during the statute of limitations period, Texas law allows for the tolling, or pausing, of the deadline until they regain legal capacity. Mental incapacitation can include severe brain injuries, cognitive disabilities, psychiatric conditions, or coma resulting from the accident. In such cases, the statute of limitations may only begin or resume once the individual is medically and legally deemed competent.

When a child suffers a traumatic brain injury, Texas law provides additional protections regarding statute of limitations deadlines. The statute of limitations in Texas does not begin for a minor until their 18th birthday. In these cases, injured Texans have until their 20th birthday to file a personal injury lawsuit, regardless of when the injury occurred.

Do not wait to find out which exceptions apply to your case. The personal injury lawyers at Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys in Denton can review your situation and make sure your rights are protected before any deadline passes.

What Compensation Can You Recover After a Valley View TBI?

A traumatic brain injury claim in Texas can include several categories of financial recovery. The goal is to put you in the position you would have been in had the injury never happened. Texas law allows TBI victims to pursue both economic and non-economic damages through a personal injury lawsuit.

Economic damages are the measurable financial losses tied directly to your injury. These include past and future medical expenses, hospital stays, surgery costs, rehabilitation and physical therapy, prescription medications, in-home care, and lost wages. For serious TBI cases, future care costs alone can reach into the millions. A brain injury that leaves someone unable to work or care for themselves creates a financial burden that lasts a lifetime.

Non-economic damages cover the losses that do not come with a price tag but are just as real. Pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, and loss of companionship for a spouse or family member all fall into this category. Texas does not cap non-economic damages in standard personal injury cases, which means your full loss can be presented to a jury.

In cases involving especially reckless conduct, such as a drunk driving accident near Valley View or a truck driver who violated federal safety regulations on I-35, Texas law also allows for exemplary damages under Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Chapter 41. These damages go beyond compensation and are meant to punish conduct that was malicious, fraudulent, or grossly negligent.

Proving the full value of a TBI claim requires strong medical evidence and, often, expert testimony. Under the standard established in Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993), courts evaluate whether expert testimony is based on sufficient facts and reliable methods. In Texas TBI cases, this means working with neurologists, neuropsychologists, life care planners, and vocational experts to document your losses completely.

How Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys Handles Valley View TBI Cases

Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys is a Denton-based personal injury law firm that handles serious injury cases for clients throughout Denton County and the surrounding communities, including Valley View in Cooke County. Our firm takes TBI cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.

From the moment you contact us, we get to work building your case. We gather the TxDOT CR-3 crash report if your injury resulted from a vehicle accident, which is the official crash record used by Texas law enforcement and the Texas Department of Transportation. We secure surveillance footage, witness statements, and medical records before evidence disappears. We work with medical professionals to document the full scope of your brain injury and its long-term impact on your life.

Valley View sits along I-35 in Cooke County, just north of Denton. Many residents commute through Denton County regularly, passing through areas like Sanger and crossing into Denton itself, where the Denton County Courthouse handles civil litigation for the region. Our attorneys know these local roads, these courts, and the tactics insurance companies use to minimize TBI claims in this area.

We handle TBI cases that arise from car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip and fall incidents, workplace injuries, construction accidents, and premises liability situations. No matter how your brain injury occurred, if someone else’s negligence caused it, we are ready to fight for the full compensation you deserve. Call Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys at (940) 800-2500 for a free consultation. There is no obligation, and we do not charge you anything unless we win your case.

FAQs About Valley View Traumatic Brain Injury Attorney

How do I know if I have a valid TBI claim in Texas?

You likely have a valid claim if your brain injury was caused by another person’s negligent or wrongful conduct and you suffered damages as a result. Common examples include car accidents, truck crashes, slip and falls, workplace accidents, and assaults. Texas law requires you to show that the other party owed you a duty of care, breached that duty, and that the breach directly caused your TBI and resulting losses. The best way to find out if your situation qualifies is to speak with an attorney. Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys offers free consultations, so call (940) 800-2500 to discuss your case at no cost.

What if my TBI symptoms did not appear right away?

This is very common with brain injuries. Symptoms like headaches, memory problems, mood changes, and cognitive difficulties can take days, weeks, or even months to fully emerge after an accident. Your brain compensates for damage, so symptoms can appear days, weeks, or months after the injury. Texas recognizes the discovery rule, which can delay the start of the two-year statute of limitations in certain cases where the injury was not immediately discoverable. Document your symptoms carefully, see a doctor right away, and contact an attorney as soon as possible to protect your rights.

Can I still file a TBI claim if the accident happened on a government road or involved a government vehicle?

Yes, but the rules are different. Under the Texas Tort Claims Act, you can sue a government entity for certain negligent acts, but if you are filing a personal injury claim against a Texas city, county, or state government entity, a shorter deadline applies. Instead of the standard two-year limit, you must provide formal notice of your claim within six months of the accident. Missing this notice requirement can end your case before it starts. Contact Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys at (940) 800-2500 immediately if a government vehicle or road condition played a role in your injury.

What if the person who caused my TBI does not have enough insurance to cover my losses?

This is a real concern in serious TBI cases where lifetime care costs can be enormous. Your attorney will investigate all potential sources of compensation, which may include your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, the at-fault party’s employer if the injury happened in a commercial vehicle accident, or third parties whose negligence contributed to the crash. In some cases, product liability claims against vehicle or equipment manufacturers may also apply. A thorough investigation is essential to make sure every responsible party is identified and held accountable.

How long does a Valley View TBI case take to resolve?

Every case is different. Some TBI claims settle with the insurance company within several months. Others require filing a lawsuit and going through the litigation process, which can take a year or more, especially when the injury is severe and the damages are significant. One important factor is reaching what doctors call “maximum medical improvement,” or MMI, before settling. Settling too early can mean accepting an amount that does not account for future care needs. Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys will not push you to settle before you know the full picture of your recovery. Call us at (940) 800-2500 to talk through your timeline and options.

Chandler Ross Injury Attorneys is located in Denton, Texas. This content was prepared under the supervision of the attorneys responsible for the firm’s website. Past results in any individual case do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. Each case is different, and results depend on the specific facts and applicable law. This page is attorney advertising.