I was in a auto accident. We were stopped in traffic and were rear ended by a dodge truck.

I am only licensed to practice in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, and therefore, I'm not familiar with Texas auto law, but you should definetly contact an attorney in the Dallas area who practices personal injury/auto law, since your auto insurance may have a medical payments provision. This provision allows you to submit your medical bills to your own insurance company. But in order to find out if your insurance policy has such a provision (which would be governed by Texas law), you should read the Declarations Page (usually the first page of the policy) and then contact a lawyer.

In the mean time, I suggest you do the following:
1) Contact an attorney experienced in handling personal injury/auto claims.
2) Gather Info and Preserve Evidence: photograph the scene if it can be done safely and your vehicle.
3) Follow up with your primary care doctor to document your injuries. Many serious injuries do not always cause immediate pain.
4) Report the accident to your insurance agent/carrier.
5) Report the accident to the police if they did not respond to the scene
6) Don't discuss your case with anyone except your doctor and lawyer. You may be contacted by the other driver's insurance company wanting to record your statement. You should contact a lawyer to learn your rights before agreeing to give such a statement.
7) Keep a journal to document how the accident occurred, pain, doctor’s appointments, lost time from work.

As I am licensed in Florida and Vermont, I cannot offer you specific legal advice as to Texas state law. However, I suggested you may want to review some of the Legal Guides I have published on Avvo.com, many of which deal with the situations you are now facing.

I recommend that you immediately seek to retain a personal injury attorney to represent your interests following the collision. In the interim, you should decline to give any statement to the adverse insurance carrier as well as your own carrier, until you have had an opportunity to speak with your attorney. Do not give any medical releases to any insurance carrier without first speaking with your attorney. You may find it helpful to review some of the Legal Guides which I have published on Avvo.com, many of which deal with the situations you are now facing after the collision.

Your attorney can review your auto policy to see whether or not you have any coverage which may pay on your medical bills now (Medical Payments Coverage, Family Coverage, PIP etc.)

Do Not Delay in Seeking Counsel.

Get a personal injury lawyer licensed in the state where you might have to bring suit to be your advocate.

You might get some ideas from my Legal Guide " Successful Start for a Personal Injury Lawsuit"

http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/successful-start-for-a-personal-injury-lawsuit

You might find my Legal Guide helpful "How to Choose A Lawyer For You"

http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/how-to-choose-a-lawyer-for-you

You might find my Legal Guide helpful " What Do I Tell My Lawyer"

http://www.avvo.com/legal-guides/ugc/what-do-i-tell-my-lawyer

You need a lawyer. Check with a lawyer in your locale to discuss more of the details.

Good luck to you.

God bless.

NOTE: This answer is made available by the lawyer for educational purposes only. By using or participating in this site you understand that there is no attorney client privilege between you and the attorney responding. This site should not be used as a substitute for competent legal advice from a licensed professional attorney that practices in the subject practice discipline and with whom you have an attorney client relationship along with all the privileges that relationship provides. The law changes frequently and varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The information and materials provided are general in nature, and may not apply to a specific factual or legal circumstance described in the question.

Our law firm is located in Fort Worth but we handle cases in Dallas and throughout Texas so feel free to give us a call to discuss further. Jason Stephens (817)920-9000.

As a Dallas lawyer who handles cases like yours all the time, you're smart to ask the question.

Yes, you do need to get a lawyer as there are real uncertainties about what is ahead for you medically.

But I want to make one further suggestion. If the three of you get along well, you will have a lot more leverage if you choose the same lawyer. The first advantage of doing that is the one attorney would avoid incurring redundant expenses. But, more importantly, with all three cases to use as leverage, a single lawyer could most effectively use the extra power that comes when the potential claims could conceivably exceed the available limits. And this is a big a deal.

The real disadvantage is that, if it turns out that there is not enough insurance, a third person could be at odds with the other two. But I don't hear much hint of that problem in your situation, and it can be easily addressed by bringing-in other caring counsel for the team should that arise.

I hope you'll give my firm consideration. In addition to what you'll see on our web page and avvo profile, I've just hired a wonderful attorney who also is a registered nurse, but she is not yet on the website. Between us, you'll have an excellent firm looking out for you.

Feel free to call any time at all,
Marc Lenahan
http://www.SevereInjuryLawFirm.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUQ6ffUoAiQ&fmt=18

I agree with the things to do as listed by the first posting attorney. You need to contact a Dallas TX personal injury attorney.

Please visit my website at www.kiplawfirm.com or contact us at (214) 800-3454.
Please also visit my free guides posted on Avvo.com by typing in Dallas TX Personal Injury or Dallas TX Accident under Search for Legal Guides.

Sincerely,

Jason