After an accident that results in severe injuries, you may feel as though an overwhelming amount of information comes your way. You will have doctors telling you about your injuries and what your long-term recovery will look like. You may also have insurance companies contacting you to learn more about the accident or talking to you about settlement options.
In the midst of that chaos, it can prove difficult to figure out your options, including how to maximize the compensation you can recover as you deal with the financial losses related to your accident.
If you suffered injuries in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, a lawyer can provide much-needed support. This runs the gamut from collecting evidence to establish liability for the incident, to laying out the damages you sustained so that you can include them as part of your quest for compensation.
An injury lawyer at Morris & Dewett can streamline the claim process, decrease your stress, and help you feel more confident that you have maximized your claim.
You can file a personal injury claim when another party’s negligence leads to your injuries. Insurance companies will look at several factors to get a better idea of whether their covered party bears liability for the incident that led to your injuries.
Personal injury claims can take many forms, depending on how the incident occurred. However, some types of injury claims occur more commonly than others.
Thibodaux, like much of Louisiana, sits in the midst of a series of oil fields. As a result, the oil and gas industry makes up a large percentage of business in the area, and many Louisiana workers are employed by that industry.
However, other industries can also prove incredibly hazardous. An estimated 20% of Louisiana’s workers are employed in high-risk occupations, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
Each year, across Louisiana, the construction industry sees an estimated 34 fatal injuries and hundreds more devastating accidents. Construction sites pose a number of potential dangers to both workers on and visitors to those sites, including the use of heavy equipment, working at heights, and the use of dangerous tools.
Often, construction site injuries can permanently limit the injured party’s quality of life.
Many Thibodaux residents work in offshore facilities. Offshore accidents, however, can cause catastrophic injury and loss of life. They may include explosions, exposure to toxic chemicals, equipment malfunctions, fires, or crashes on the water. In many cases, offshore accidents result from improperly-maintained equipment or inadequate safety gear or training for workers.
In Thibodaux, around 2.6% of workers work in oil and gas extraction. Oilfield work, however, often proves dangerous. Workers must work in and around heavy machinery, which can increase the risk of both malfunctioning equipment and entanglement/caught between incident.
Furthermore, oilfield workers can face exposure to toxic chemicals. The risk of explosions and fires can also prove serious. Not only are oilfield accidents dangerous for workers on the job site, they are risky for others around the area, including those who live and work nearby.
Industrial plants and refineries are common sights across Louisiana and in Thibodaux. They do the vital work of refining raw petroleum and other substances. However, many plants and refineries are using old, outdated equipment. They may also fail to conduct necessary maintenance, substantially increasing the risk of a devastating accident.
Workers may not receive needed safety training, especially if they have only been with the plant for a short time. Plant and refinery accidents, like oilfield accidents, have the potential to impact the surrounding area as well as the facility itself.
When a train derails, it can lead to catastrophic injuries and immense loss of life. While train derailments have become increasingly less common, they can still pose a potent hazard across Louisiana. Not only can they lead to immediate injury or death due to the force of the accident itself, many cars carry hazardous substances that can leech into the ground or the air, posing a danger for months or years to come.
Train derailments can result from trains traveling too fast, inadequate maintenance on trains, or inadequate maintenance on the rails.
Motor vehicle accidents remain a serious hazard across Louisiana. In Lafourche Parish, according to the Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation Safety, around 12 people die in car accidents each year. Hundreds more sustain severe injuries. After an auto accident, most injured parties will file a claim for compensation through the other driver’s insurance company.
Often, auto accidents occur as a direct result of driver negligence. Common auto accidents include:
Navigating the aftermath of an auto accident can prove difficult, especially if insurance companies try to minimize the extent of the injured party’s damages or deny liability for the incident.
Despite the strides Louisiana has made toward providing a safe pedestrian infrastructure, pedestrian accidents still pose a serious risk. Pedestrians have the same right to expect safety on the sidewalks or streets of Thibodaux as people in passenger vehicles.
However, because they fit a smaller visual profile and prove more difficult to see, pedestrian accidents still occur all too often. When pedestrian accidents occur, they frequently result in severe injuries, since pedestrians have no protection from the vehicle that strikes them or from any obstacles they may hit.
Motorcycle accidents often result in catastrophic injury or loss of life. Motorcycles are smaller and more maneuverable than the average passenger vehicle. This can make them more difficult to see and means they can move faster than drivers expect.
Furthermore, motorcycles do not offer the same level of protection that cars and other passenger vehicles provide. This increases the risk that their riders will suffer serious injury in an accident. When other drivers fail to look twice for motorcycles or do not yield right of way, they can cause devastating collisions.
Commercial vehicles prove essential in transporting goods through Thibodaux and across the country. Those vehicles, however, pose a greater danger than their smaller counterparts. Commercial vehicles have large blind spots and require more room to maneuver, which means they can prove more difficult to control. Their drivers, while experienced, may have a harder time navigating away from a possible collision.
In addition, commercial vehicle accidents often result in more severe injury to the passengers of smaller vehicles due to the truck’s larger size.
Catastrophic injuries occur when someone suffers life-altering injuries due to the negligence of another party. Injuries may include:
These devastating injuries often cause permanent impact to the victim’s quality of life. Many victims may prove unable to return to their previous jobs following a catastrophic injury. Others may find that they can no longer engage in the hobbies and activities they once enjoyed.
Catastrophic injury claims can result from industrial accidents and auto accidents as well as premises or product liability claims. They can prove more complicated than claims for minor injuries, since the victim has such substantial damages related to the incident.
The compensation you can recover following an accident in Thibodaux depends on several important factors.
Working with a lawyer can provide you with more information about the type of claim you should file, based on the type of injury you sustained, and the compensation you should expect.
Personal injury claims result when another party’s negligence leads to your accident. Most often, you will seek compensation through an insurance company that covers the liable party. For example, most drivers have auto insurance that will provide coverage when the driver’s negligent actions — from driving while distracted to speeding or running a red light — lead to an accident.
A lawyer cannot guarantee what compensation you will recover as part of your injury claim. However, a lawyer can break down the damages you sustained and include them as part of your demand package. There are several common damages that many accident victims claim.
Many auto accident victims have high medical costs. Not only do you have to deal with the cost of emergency transport and treatment immediately after the accident. You may also have to pay for a hospital stay, any surgeries or procedures you need as you recover from the accident, and the cost of long-term medical treatment.
In addition, you can include the cost of durable medical equipment and physical or occupational therapy. Keep track of all medical bills as they come in so that you can accurately lay out all the costs you faced after the accident. Note that you can receive more than one medical bill for the same procedure: For example, if you have surgery, you may pay a separate fee for the facility and the surgeon.
Severe injuries often lead to significant time out of work. Many injured workers cannot adequately or safely perform their job duties while recovering. Not only that, as you recover you may have follow-up appointments or further procedures that limit your ability to take care of your usual work tasks. You can include that missing income as part of your injury claim.
In addition to compensation for your tangible financial losses, you can include compensation for the emotional challenges you faced after the accident. Discuss your physical pain and emotional distress with your lawyer to get a better idea of how to include all relevant elements as part of your claim.
If you suffered an accident at work, even if your employer did not behave negligently, you have the right to file a claim through Louisiana workers’ compensation. Workers’ comp, unlike a personal injury claim, pays out over time, as you recover from your injuries.
Workers’ comp does not offer any compensation for pain and suffering. But it does take care of some of the direct financial losses that result from a workplace accident.
Workers’ comp will pay for your medical bills directly after the accident. Although, you may have to receive approval before seeking non-emergency treatment for workplace injuries.
During your recovery after a workplace accident, workers’ comp will pay out approximately two-thirds of your income. Those payments will continue until you are cleared to return to work.
When someone else’s negligence leads to your injuries, do not try to handle the claim on your own. Contact a Thibodaux personal injury lawyer at Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers for a free consultation that will provide you with a better idea of your next steps a
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