At some point in your life, you may find yourself in a situation where someone you care about suffers a personal injury. Whether it’s due to a truck accident, a slip and fall incident, a construction accident, or another party’s negligence, the aftermath of such events can be overwhelming and life-changing.
If you were hurt due to someone else’s negligence, Louisiana law allows you to hold responsible parties accountable for their actions. This way, you can recover damages for the financial burdens you’ve had to carry due to your injury. Hiring experienced Zachary injury lawyers can make all the difference. They can advocate for your rights and make sure the defendant and their insurance company don’t act in bad faith and undermine your personal injury claim.
Here are various injury cases our skilled personal injury lawyers handle:
Even a minor car crash on Plank Road can lead to severe injuries and significant expenses for everyone involved. A multiple-vehicle collision on Highway 19 can result in catastrophic injuries or even fatalities for drivers, passengers, and other road users. Distracted driving and poor road conditions can cause such accidents.
Data from the Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation Safety reveals that in 2023, there were three fatal crashes in Zachary and 162 suspected injury crashes. Accidents that led to these injuries and fatalities include:
Vehicle owners, drivers, and parts manufacturers are examples of parties that can be liable for injuries victims sustain in car accident cases.
If you sustain injuries in someone’s premises, be it a hotel, mall, or supermarket, you can file a premises liability claim to recover damages. Property owners in Zachary can be subject to lawsuits if they fail to keep their premises safe and free from hazards, such as faulty escalators or broken guardrails. If you take a tumble and hurt your arm, you can file a slip and fall claim against the property or store owner.
If a defective product causes harm that results in injuries, you can file a claim against the manufacturer or retailer selling the defective or dangerous product. You have the right to buy or use products that won’t injure you when using them as intended. Product liability cases may arise from design defects, manufacturing defects, breaches of warranty, or failure to warn users about inherent side effects or risks.
Louisiana law protects you in case you are injured in an industrial accident. These accidents may happen at construction sites, oilfields, and refineries. Causes of industrial injuries may include falls, industrial explosions and fires, hazardous exposures, and industrial equipment accidents.
Being injured due to someone else’s negligence is bad enough. When you lose a loved one in an accident on the Mount Pleasant-Zachary Road, you may feel angry and confused as you mourn their death. During such a challenging time, you can contact compassionate Zachary injury lawyers to file a wrongful death claim on your behalf. You may sue an at-fault individual or entity for damages if their negligent actions led to the death of your loved one.
No two accidents are the same. In a split second, your life can change forever after an accident. Whether it’s a car accident, a bicycle accident, or a slip and fall accident, the consequences of an accident in Zachary can be catastrophic.
The injuries victims sustain in accidents vary depending on the circumstances of the case and include:
Fractured bones are a common occurrence after accidents. Victims of car accidents, truck wrecks, motorcycle accidents, and slip and fall accidents often sustain broken bone injuries. When bones in your hands, legs, or back break, you may miss work, be unable to perform everyday chores, or have trouble sleeping. Broken bones may require physical therapy and follow-up surgeries to help you heal and recover.
Accidents may involve hot surfaces or flammable substances that can cause severe burns. Sustaining burn injuries is a painful experience that can be life-changing and cause scarring. From first-degree burns to third-degree burns, all of these types of burn injuries have their own complications. Burns can happen when you are exposed to dangerous chemicals in the workplace or when your vehicle bursts into flames in an accident.
Medical treatment for burns can take years. To heal, you may require multiple doctor visits, rehabilitation, and surgeries such as skin grafting.
Even minor fender benders can cause painful neck and back injuries. This typically happens due to trauma to the spine. From the skull to the hips, an accident may force the spine to absorb excess pressure that it isn’t meant to handle. This may damage the spinal vertebrae, adjacent joints, muscles, and discs.
Common causes of neck and back pain include:
While this isn’t a physical injury, psychological trauma can leave a lasting impact after an accident on I-110, requiring years of treatment. Feelings of terror, anger, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder can affect your daily life. This may lead to strained relationships and the loss of enjoyment of life.
Commonly known as the backbone, the spinal cord is a delicate structure housed within the spinal column. High-impact accidents on busy roads like Highway 64 can damage your spinal cord and cause chronic pain. This may affect your range of motion. Damage to the spine may lead to permanent loss of sensation, strength, and function below the injury site. You may require months or years of therapy, pain management, and rehabilitation, which may translate to significant medical bills.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when the skull and brain suffer damage due to vigorous physical force. It disrupts normal brain processes and may result in blurred vision, dizziness, and changes in emotional stability.
Common causes of TBI include:
TBI can happen in the blink of an eye, but its effects may last an entire lifetime. Consulting an experienced lawyer after sustaining a TBI is advisable if you want to get every step right in the claims process.
If you have suffered harm as a result of another party’s negligent or wrongful acts, here’s what you should do to bolster your injury claim:
Following these steps after an accident increases your chances of securing fair compensation for your damages. Your attorney can guide you every step of the way to make sure you don’t hurt your personal injury claim.
In the event that an accident leads to severe injuries, you could be entitled to compensation for:
If your injuries were severe, you or someone at the scene may have called for an ambulance to rush you to the hospital. From there, you may have to stay at the hospital for days or weeks. A doctor may have had to run diagnostic tests, or you may have had emergency surgery. Your doctor may also have prescribed you pain medications. You may also require regular check-ups and assistive devices to help you cope with your situation.
All these medical expenses add up, especially if you sustain catastrophic injuries. You don’t have to bear the burden of such costs. You can file an injury claim to request reimbursement from the at-fault party.
Between seeking treatment and staying at home while you recover, you may need to take time off work. When you file an insurance claim for damages, you can claim lost income, hourly wages, lost tips, bonuses, commissions, and missed business opportunities.
If you cannot perform the same job after an accident or if you have to work for a lower wage, this pay difference can be factored in when filing a personal injury claim or lawsuit in Zachary, LA.
After an accident, repair and replacement costs for your property, such as your car, won’t be cheap. You have the option to seek financial compensation for such damages.
An accident can take a considerable physical and emotional toll on you. You may recover compensation for non-economic damages that aren’t generally quantifiable, including:
Non-economic damages are subjective. Calculating the amount you seek from the defendant’s insurance company can be challenging. A knowledgeable injury lawyer near Zachary can assess your situation and determine how the accident has impacted your life.
In the event of the untimely passing of your loved one due to accident-related injuries, you can file a wrongful death claim for final medical costs, funeral and burial expenses, lost financial support, and lost companionship.
These monetary awards, which are rare in personal injury lawsuits, are meant to punish the defendant and deter them and others from engaging in such behavior again. They aren’t compensatory damages.
It’s not advisable to manage your injury case alone. Keep in mind that insurance company representatives may seem to care about your situation, but in truth, all they care about is limiting their liability. They are only concerned about saving their company’s bottom line. This is why you should enlist the services of an experienced attorney who knows the tricks and tactics insurance adjusters use to limit or deny personal injury claims.
Here’s how a dedicated personal injury lawyer can help:
Being involved in an accident can be expensive. It’s important to hold the negligent parties accountable for their actions. To do this, hiring Zachary injury attorneys is your best course of action.
Most personal injury claims in Louisiana hinge on the concept of negligence. Basically, this means the plaintiff must argue that the defendant didn’t exercise a reasonable level of care. So, how do you prove negligence in a personal injury case? There are four key elements to establish negligence:
Proving negligence isn’t as straightforward as it seems. You must gather, analyze, and present evidence showing the defendant is to blame for your injuries and damages. Our Zachary injury lawyers can handle this process on your behalf while you rest and recover.
It’s perfectly normal to wonder what will happen when your case goes to court. Here’s what to expect if your attorney files a personal injury lawsuit:
Consultation in a personal injury case gives you a chance to recount what happened and ask questions about your case. This step also lets lawyers assess the viability of your injury case and advise you accordingly.
This is when your attorney interviews you and any witnesses. They may also review your background, police reports, and medical records. The information your attorney gathers will help determine the next course of action and the legal strategy they’ll use to protect your rights.
Your Zachary injury lawyer will need to file an injury complaint, which is the first document of the case. They must also serve the defendant with the complaint as well as any other related documents. This complaint typically details the nature of the incident and your injuries.
This process involves exchanging evidence before trial. Your personal injury lawyer can send a list of interrogatories to the at-fault party and their legal counsel. Your lawyer may also request documents from the defendant. Both parties may depose witnesses in the case or take sworn statements. Additionally, your lawyer may opt to consult accident reconstruction specialists and medical experts.
Once you have attained maximum medical improvement, your lawyer will file a demand letter for compensation. Seeking compensation before you fully recover could mean you get less compensation that may not cover future medical care. Once the full extent of damages is clear, your personal injury lawyer will begin negotiating with the at-fault party’s insurance company.
If both parties fail to reach an understanding that leads to a settlement, your injury case will move to trial. During trial, it’s the responsibility of the jury to determine if the defendant is liable for the accident and your injuries. If they rule in your favor, the defendant and their insurance company will be expected to pay you for identified damages.
Having an experienced trial attorney represent you in court gives you the best chance of a favorable verdict. An attorney can present necessary evidence and call expert witnesses to the stand to prove that your damages are directly linked to the accident.
In Louisiana, the statute of limitations for injury claims is generally one year from the date of the accident. This means that a victim who has suffered harm due to another party’s negligence must file a personal injury lawsuit within this time frame to recover compensation. As an injured victim, you must be cognizant of this time limit since failing to file a suit within this period could result in the dismissal of your case.
However, there are certain exceptions to this deadline in Louisiana. For instance, if the victim is a minor at the time of the accident, the one-year deadline is tolled until they turn 18 years old. Similarly, in cases where your injury isn’t immediately apparent or if you discover your injury at a later date, the statute of limitations can be extended.
It’s important to note that navigating these exceptions can be tricky in personal injury cases. It’s advisable to seek legal guidance from a reliable Zachary injury lawyer who can safeguard your rights.
“We focus on being the best at 3 things: preparing hard for our cases, making sure we deliver what clients need, and making sure they are treated well throughout the process.”
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