When tragedy strikes, you face more than physical pain. You face mounting medical bills, lost income, and a legal opponent that’s already several steps ahead of you. From the moment your accident occurs, insurance companies and corporate defendants are in motion — hiring investigators, mobilizing defense lawyers, and deploying claims adjusters with one mission: protect their bottom line by paying you as little as possible.
Without a skilled Texas trial lawyer on your side from the start, critical evidence can vanish, witnesses can be coached or intimidated, and your case can be quietly weakened before you even realize it. Every hour that passes without aggressive legal action increases the risk of losing the proof you need to win.
That’s where David P. Willis comes in. For over 40 years, he has gone head-to-head with some of the largest corporations and insurers in America, delivering landmark verdicts and settlements for people whose lives were turned upside down by catastrophic injuries and wrongful death. His credentials speak volumes:
With David Willis in your corner, you have a proven advocate who knows the tactics the other side will use — and how to dismantle them in negotiations or in the courtroom. He doesn’t just react to their strategy; he’s been defeating it for decades.
When a devastating accident or injury turns your life upside down, the attorney you choose will make all the difference. For more than 40 years, Board Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer David P. Willis has focused his practice on the five areas of law where the stakes are highest and the injuries most severe. These are not “routine” cases — they often involve catastrophic harm, multiple liable parties, and companies with the resources to fight every step of the way.
Our proven approach combines rapid evidence preservation, aggressive legal strategy, and the willingness to take a case to trial when the other side refuses to pay what’s fair. The five core areas below each link to dedicated pages with full details on causes, case strategies, and what to do immediately to protect your rights.
Crashes involving 18-wheelers, semi-trucks, and other large commercial vehicles cause immense destruction due to their sheer size and weight. These cases require immediate, aggressive investigation because trucking companies often have legal teams and rapid-response investigators at the scene within hours. Without swift legal action, vital evidence such as driver logs, black box data, dashcam footage, and maintenance records can be “lost” or destroyed.
Our team takes fast steps to protect your claim — sending spoliation letters to preserve evidence, interviewing witnesses before memories fade, and working with accident reconstruction experts to pinpoint the cause. Many of these cases involve violations of federal trucking safety regulations, driver fatigue, speeding, improper cargo loading, or defective equipment. We hold not just the driver, but also the trucking company, shippers, and maintenance providers accountable for the harm they cause. Major areas of truck accident litigation include:
Maritime and offshore injury cases are governed by specialized laws like the Jones Act, and General Maritime Law — all of which have unique requirements and deadlines. Representing injured seamen, crew members, and offshore workers demands a deep understanding of how these laws interact and how maritime employers try to limit their liability.
We take immediate action to secure vessel inspection reports, maintenance logs, safety records, and witness testimony from fellow crew members. Many cases involve unseaworthy vessels, defective safety equipment, employer negligence, or failure to provide proper medical care. Injured maritime workers are often pressured to accept quick settlements that do not come close to covering long-term medical needs or lost wages. We fight to ensure you receive the full compensation you are entitled to under the law. Many of the Jones Act Cases involve:
Rollover accidents are uniquely dangerous because they often result in roof crush injuries, partial or complete ejection from the vehicle, and severe head and spinal trauma. These crashes can be caused by driver error, but many are linked to defective vehicle design or components. SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks with high centers of gravity are more prone to rolling over, and if their roof structures are too weak, occupants can suffer devastating injuries even in survivable crashes.
Our team works with engineering experts to examine vehicle design, roof strength, stability systems, and tire integrity. We frequently uncover manufacturer knowledge of dangerous flaws that was hidden from the public. Proving these failures not only strengthens your individual case but can also force industry-wide safety changes to prevent similar tragedies in the future. These may include:
Catastrophic injuries from accidents like traumatic brain injuries, paralysis, severe burns, amputations, and wrongful death require a legal strategy that accounts for the lifetime impact on the victim and their family. These cases demand more than proving fault — they require detailed documentation of future medical needs, lost earning potential, and the non-economic toll on quality of life.
We work with life care planners, vocational experts, and medical specialists to build a complete picture of your losses. Insurance companies will often downplay the severity of these injuries or claim you can return to work sooner than your doctors recommend. We counter these tactics with hard evidence, expert testimony, and compelling courtroom presentation to ensure juries and adjusters understand the full scope of your damages. Including serious and life altering injuries:
Industrial, oilfield, and refinery accidents often occur because companies prioritize production and profit over worker safety. Explosions, chemical leaks, and heavy machinery failures can leave workers with life-changing injuries or worse. These cases require quick action to secure the scene, gather physical evidence, and document safety violations before they are hidden or altered.
We represent workers, contractors, and in some cases, bystanders injured due to defective equipment, unsafe work practices, and violations of OSHA or industry-specific safety rules. Industrial accident claims can involve multiple responsible parties, including employers, subcontractors, manufacturers, and property owners. Our job is to identify all of them and hold each one accountable for the harm they caused. These include:
Before we file an injury or wrongful death lawsuit, we have to secure the evidence, object or vehicle that failed or caused the injuries. One of the first steps we take is sending a spoliation letter to all potentially responsible parties. This is a formal legal demand that requires them to preserve all relevant evidence — including maintenance logs, inspection reports, photographs, surveillance footage, email,, texts, safety records, driver logs, vessel reports, and employee files. If they destroy or alter this evidence after receiving our letter, the court can impose penalties and even instruct a jury to assume the missing evidence would have been harmful to their defense. If the defendants ignore the preservation of evidence letter, and the evidence preservation is at risk, we immediately file a lawsuit.
By acting quickly, we make sure no critical proof is lost — whether it’s black box data from a truck, a damaged machine from an industrial site, or safety inspection records from a vessel.
Injury victims sometimes wonder if they should “wait and see” before hiring a lawyer or try to negotiate with the insurance company themselves. That’s exactly what the other side hopes you’ll do. The longer you wait, the more advantage they have.
Without a lawyer:
With an experienced trial lawyer from day one:
We believe everyone should have access to top-tier legal representation, no matter their financial situation. That’s why we work on a contingency fee basis:
This levels the playing field against billion-dollar corporations and insurance carriers. You get the same high-
A lawyer protects you from insurance companies and corporations that are working to limit or deny your claim. We gather evidence, handle all negotiations, and take your case to trial if necessary. Without legal representation, you risk losing crucial evidence and settling for far less than your case is worth.
Immediately. The sooner you call, the sooner we can send spoliation letters, preserve evidence, and start building your case. Delay gives the other side a head start.
It’s a distinction awarded by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization to lawyers who have proven significant trial experience, passed rigorous testing, and been vetted by judges and peers. Fewer than 1% of Texas lawyers hold this certification.
Nothing upfront. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning we only get paid if we recover compensation for you.
A contingency fee means our payment is a percentage of the amount we win for you. If we don’t win, you owe us nothing — including the costs we’ve advanced.
Many cases settle before trial, but we prepare every case as if it will be tried in court. This preparation gives us leverage in negotiations and the ability to succeed if a trial becomes necessary.
It depends on the complexity of the case, the amount of evidence, and whether the defendant is willing to settle. Some cases resolve in months, others can take over a year.
We evaluate the strength of the evidence, the severity of your injuries, and the potential liability of the other party before agreeing to represent you.
We focus on truck accidents, maritime injuries, rollover accidents, catastrophic injuries, and industrial accident cases — the high-stakes cases that require serious trial experience.
Board Certification, 40+ years of trial experience, hundreds of millions recovered, and a record of representing clients in more than 30 states give us the skill and credibility to take on the biggest opponents and win.
A spoliation letter is a legal notice we send immediately to require the other side to preserve all relevant evidence. If they ignore it and destroy evidence, the court can penalize them and instruct the jury to assume the missing evidence was harmful to their case.
In some cases, hours. Black box data can be overwritten, security footage erased, and damaged equipment “repaired” before inspection. Acting fast is critical to preserving proof.
In Texas, most personal injury claims must be filed within two years of the injury, but deadlines vary in other states. Missing this deadline usually means losing your right to recover compensation entirely.
No. Insurance adjusters are trained to get you to say things that can weaken your claim. Let your lawyer handle all communication to protect your rights.
Yes. While licensed in Texas and New York, David P. Willis has represented clients in more than 30 states through partnerships with local counsel, ensuring national reach while complying with all licensing rules.
Every day you wait, the other side gains the upper hand collecting evidence, shaping their defense, interviewing witnesses, and working hard to defeat your case or minimize what you’re paid. Their lawyers and insurance adjusters aren’t wasting time, and neither should you.
When you hire David P. Willis, you get a Board-Certified Personal Injury Trial Lawyer with over 40 years of experience who knows how to lock down evidence, stop their tactics cold, and fight for every dollar you deserve. We’ve recovered hundreds of millions for clients facing the same uphill battle you are now facing.
Call 1-800-883-9858 today or Submit Your Case Online below for a free, no-obligation consultation. Let us take immediate action to protect your rights, preserve the proof, and put you on the strongest possible path to justice. No Fees Charged Unless We Win
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