Truck accidents can cause severe injuries and fatalities to the occupants of passenger vehicles and often lead to complex lawsuits. If you were injured or lost a loved one in a truck wreck, our firm’s Lafayette truck accident lawyer could help you pursue a settlement to cover your expenses.
Call the Lafayette personal injury lawyers of Laborde Earles today to schedule your free consultation. You may be entitled to damages for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. After a crash, take the pressure off yourself by allowing one of our experienced attorneys to handle your case.
Our firm has recovered $600 million for clients, and our lead attorney has been invited into the Top 100 Trial Lawyers Association. There are no fees unless we win your case.
Our Lawyers Have Won Several Multi-Million-Dollar Settlements
Our team of truck accident attorneys has over 350 years of combined experience that we are ready to put to work for you.
Our financial recoveries for our clients are highlighted in the following table:
| Type of Accident | Type of Financial Recovery | Amount |
| Injured 18-wheler driver | Judgment | $7 million |
| Commercial truck accident victim | Settlement | $2.7 million |
| Semi-truck operator | Settlement | $1.8 million |
| Commercial vehicle accident victim | Trial Verdict | $1.75 million |
| Truck accident claim victim | Settlement | $1 million |
Many personal injury cases settle out of court. We are ready to take your case to trial if we cannot agree with the other party. No one should pay out of pocket for expenses due to the negligent actions of another person. If your life was interrupted by a truck accident, our lawyers are here to help.
Laborde Earles injury was great for me they took care of me very fast and professional. If for any reason I need legal help they will be who I use.
ClientCan I Sue for a Semi-Truck Accident?
You could sue for semi-truck damages if your lawyer can prove that your situation meets the criteria for a personal injury case. In seeking to meet these criteria, our team will work to prove that:
- The truck driver, the trucking company, or another liable party had a duty of care toward you.
- By being negligent and causing the collision, the liable party violated their duty of care.
- You suffered damages caused by the collision.
I thank God for Digger & David. I don’t know what we would have done if it hadn’t have been for them.
Rick Smith | ClientFiling a Trucking Accident Claim Allows You to Pursue Compensation for Damages
A truck accident could result in severe consequences in a variety of contexts. Therefore, when filing your personal injury claim or lawsuit, we list all the damages you suffered in a demand letter for fair compensation. Your damages will typically fall into two categories:
Economic Damages
- Medical costs for injuries like broken bones
- Property damage expenses, such as vehicle repair costs or replacement costs
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning potential
- Expenses for medical equipment, such as a wheelchair, crutches, or a neck brace
- Prescription medication costs
- Physical therapy expenses
- Mileage costs to travel to doctor appointments
Non-Economic Damages
Beyond monetary burdens, a truck accident could result in non-economic damages. These intangible damages may include:
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of consortium
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Reduced quality of life
- Permanent disability
- Emotional distress
- Psychological trauma
- Physical disfigurement
Every situation is unique, but our truck accident attorneys in Lafayette will seek the maximum compensation for the recoverable damages that apply to your case. Even if your damages are small, you still deserve compensation, and we’ll help you get it. Here are tips on increasing your personal injury settlement.
The reassurance from Digger and his staff gave me that renewed hope that it’s going to be okay down the road.
ClientWhy You Should Hire a Lafayette Truck Accident Lawyer
A Lafayette truck accident attorney can handle the complexities of these cases and ensure your claim is handled efficiently and correctly. Here are the main reasons to consider legal representation:
Truck Accidents Often Involve Serious Injuries
The forces involved in collisions with large commercial vehicles are immense, and the injuries suffered can be catastrophic. You need an experienced lawyer to help you recover full compensation for your injuries, medical treatment, lost income, and long-term impacts.
Trucking Laws and Regulations Are Complex
Truck accident lawyers understand laws like hours-of-service regulations, required safety equipment, and weigh station requirements. We know how to investigate whether a trucking company violated laws that contributed to the crash.
Insurance Companies Want to Pay as Little as Possible
Trucking insurance adjusters will find any reason to reduce a claim’s payout. You need a lawyer to level the playing field in negotiations and get you the full and fair settlement you deserve.
You don’t Pay Court Costs or Fees Up Front
Truck accident lawyers work on contingency fees, so you don’t pay anything unless we obtain a settlement. This lets you maximize recovery without bearing the financial risk of litigation costs.
We Will Fight Hard in Court if Needed
Most cases settle, but if the insurer refuses reasonable offers, your lawyer is equipped to take your case to trial to seek the full damages awardable by law.
You have legal rights. Dealing with insurance alone can jeopardize your rights and lead to missed deadlines, weakened claims, or an unsatisfactory outcome. By having legal representation, you can rest assured that your rights will be protected throughout the proceedings.
Our Lafayette truck accident lawyers have your back and the skills to effectively handle high-stakes injury claims against commercial motor carriers and their insurers. Our representation can make a life-changing financial and legal difference in getting you fully compensated.
They treated us like no other people would. Whenever we needed something they were there for us. I put my trust in them and I don’t regret it.
ClientHow a Lafayette Truck Accident Attorney Can Protect Your Rights
The trucking company’s insurer may attempt to reduce your compensation, but our personal injury lawyers understand how insurance companies work. They can protect you from unsavory tactics used by insurance carriers or other lawyers.
Our experienced truck accident attorneys can protect you from the following:
- Making statements that might allow an insurance company or attorney to assign fault to you.
- Accepting an unfair settlement (our team calculates your damages to estimate your case’s full value).
- Submitting your case late due to slow responses from the insurance company.
We will help you navigate the claims and litigation process and answer any questions you have as your case progresses. If the at-fault party’s insurance won’t pay, we will take legal action to protect your rights.
How Much a Truck Accident Lawyer Charges
Typically, victims walk away with more compensation when represented by an experienced attorney than they would if they handled their case alone. In addition, since our personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, you won’t have to pay upfront for legal services.
Contingency fees mean that attorneys are only paid if the case results in a settlement or award. The attorney fee is then a set percentage of the total amount recovered. This structure avoids upfront legal costs for clients, so they face no financial risk in pursuit of compensation after a traffic accident.
Our firm believes this fee structure is the fairest approach as it provides dedicated counsel with the resources and will to aggressively advocate at no cost unless we recover compensation on your behalf. We will discuss specific fee percentages during a free initial consultation to evaluate your case.
Do Semi-Truck Accident Cases Go to Trial?
Insurance companies can be aggressive in settling cases quickly. While an initial offer from an insurance agent may seem like a large amount of money, it may not be enough to cover your future medical care and other damages.
In general, approximately 90% of all personal injury lawsuits will settle without a trial. While we may settle your case outside of court, our personal injury law firm uses all available options to recover the most compensation possible on your behalf.
Our semi-truck accident lawyers in Lafayette will take your personal injury case to trial whenever necessary and without hesitation. We are not afraid of taking large insurers to court, and we’ve won cases at trial many times.
How Long does It Take to Settle a Semi-Truck Accident?
In addition to being more complex, semi-truck accident claims may take longer to settle than cases involving only passenger vehicles. While truck companies generally carry a lot of insurance coverage, the insurers do not want to pay because the damages in trucking accident claims can be very high.
Because of this, it can take time for an insurer to agree to a fair settlement. Other factors may also prolong your case, including:
- Case investigation: It may take time for law enforcement or our investigative team to determine the accident’s cause. For example, if a vehicle malfunction caused the wreck, it may take further investigation to determine whether the truck manufacturer or a mechanic is liable.
- Data retrieval: Semi-trucks maintain a device often called a “black box,” which holds data about the truck’s performance. You have a right to request this information from the trucking company. However, the company may resist granting you this evidence, which could stall your legal efforts.
- Witnesses: Eyewitnesses play a crucial role in personal injury cases, as they can provide an objective account of the crash. Contacting people and convincing them to testify in your case may take effort. It could also take time to find them and record their witness statements.
Determining Liability for Your Truck Accident Injuries
Suffering an injury in a commercial trucking accident does not automatically entitle you to monetary compensation. Instead, we must establish that the other party was liable. Our team will help you build an evidence-based case that forces the insurers to pay you because you meet the legal requirements.
Liability for your truck crash injuries can rest on the shoulders of multiple defendants, which may include the following:
- The truck driver behind the wheel during the collision
- The trucking company employing the driver
- The truck’s manufacturer
- The manufacturer of a specific vehicle part
- The maintenance company servicing the truck
- The company loading the cargo
- A municipality governing road conditions where the wreck took place
- A third-party driver who caused you to get into a crash with the truck
You may sue more than one negligent party for your injuries. However, for this to happen, your attorney must identify the responsible parties first.
Our Lafayette Truck Accident Lawyers Will Hold Negligent Parties Accountable
Federal and state laws regarding hours of service and training are in place to keep drivers safe. However, when a commercial driver takes a risk behind the wheel, or a trucking business places profits over people, they harm others.
You can often go after the company, even when the driver is an independent contractor. Our experienced truck accident lawyers in Lafayette will leave no stone unturned when pursuing financial compensation for your injuries.
Comparative Fault and Truck Accidents in Louisiana
An insurer may claim that you shared fault in your truck accident, and they may be right. Louisiana’s comparative fault laws come into play if you’re in this situation. In this state, you can sue and collect damages even if you share fault.
Since we’re in a pure comparative fault state, you can receive damages even if you are more responsible for the crash than the truck driver. However, this doesn’t mean you can receive full compensation if you share the fault.
Your percentage of fault will reduce your compensation by that percentage. So if you’re 20% at fault, then your final award will be lowered by 20%. Insurers will try to use this law to reduce what they have to pay, but we will do our best to counter these claims.
Seeking Compensation After a Fatal Truck Accident
If your loved one died in a fatal 18-wheeler accident, reach out to a wrongful death lawyer from our firm. Managing a wrongful death claim while grieving a loved one’s passing can be emotionally overwhelming, especially when you must relive the traumatic events.
Fortunately, you do not have to face this legal battle alone. Our personal injury law firm is here to help.
One of our Lafayette wrongful death lawyers will organize your case and stand beside you from start to finish. Our team of attorneys, paralegals, and investigators will:
- Complete a full investigation of your truck accident in Lafayette: Our inquiry will be one of the earliest steps in your case. We’ll pursue evidence like police reports, consult witnesses to your truck accident, and preserve all evidence we collect.
- Determine the cost of your damages: We will account for current and future damages related to your truck accident. With the help of experts, we’ll assign a monetary value to each damage. The total cost we calculate will show you how much compensation to pursue.
- Do the paperwork necessary to complete your case: As you might expect, lawsuits and insurance claims are impossible without substantial documentation. Our team takes the administrative burden off our clients as we handle your paperwork and communications.
- Dealing with trucking companies and their representatives: The goal of a liable trucking company is in direct opposition to yours. We will deal with these companies for you, whether to gather evidence, negotiate a settlement, or win in court.
- Fight tirelessly for your financial recovery: We will help you secure the financial recovery you deserve. Whether through an insurance payment, settlement, or verdict, we will never lose sight of this goal.
Our experienced lawyers will fight relentlessly for your financial recovery during this challenging time. This will allow you to focus all your attention on your physical and emotional well-being.
Types of Damages You May Qualify for in a Wrongful Death Case
Depending on the circumstances of your legal claim and your relationship with the decedent, you may be entitled to damages for:
- Funeral and burial costs: Refers to the expenses incurred for arranging and conducting a funeral service and the subsequent burial or cremation of your loved one resulting from the accident.
- Loss of companionship: Involves the emotional and relational impact of losing a loved one due to a wrongful death. It encompasses the loss of your family member’s love, care, guidance, and support that would have been provided to your family members.
- Loss of future income: This represents the financial compensation for the potential earnings and financial support your loved one would have provided you and your dependents over their lifetime had the accident not occurred.
- Loss of inheritance: Relates to the financial losses experienced by you and your surviving family members, resulting in the loss of your assets and inheritance that would have been passed down to you.
- Medical expenses: These include the costs associated with medical treatment, hospitalization, surgeries, medications, rehabilitation, therapy, and any other healthcare-related expenses resulting from the accident.
- Emotional trauma: Encompasses the psychological and emotional distress, anguish, and suffering experienced by your loved one or your family as a direct result of the traumatic event.
- Punitive damages: These are additional damages awarded in certain cases to punish the at-fault party for their intentional misconduct, gross negligence, or willful disregard for the safety of others.
Punitive damages are meant to deter similar behavior in the future and go beyond compensating for the actual losses incurred. Punitive damages are awarded in rare situations where the defendant acted maliciously or egregiously.
Every situation is unique, but a truck accident attorney in Lafayette will seek compensation for the recoverable damages that apply to your case. Families can sue for wrongful death, but you must act quickly after the accident for the best chance of success.
Louisiana’s Statute of Limitations May Apply to Your Lafayette Truck Accident Case
Time is generally not on your side due to Louisiana’s statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits. According to CC Art. 3492, you only have two years to file a civil action, barring extenuating circumstances. This window is smaller than the allowable time frame in other states.
Getting help from a truck accident lawyer in Lafayette right away is one way to ensure you do not miss important deadlines in your case. Taking immediate action also ensures that evidence does not get lost or covered up and memories of the event remain fresh in people’s minds.
Causes of Truck Accidents
We may use evidence from the crash scene, our investigation results, your medical records, and expert opinions to prove negligence. Possible truck accident causes include:
- Distracted driving
- Driver fatigue
- Speeding
- Driving while intoxicated
- Driver error or lapse in judgment (e.g., not checking blind spots)
- Aggressive driving
- Carrying excessive loads
- Improper truck maintenance
- Not exercising caution in adverse weather conditions
- Inadequate training
- Ignoring federal regulations that limit cargo
Trucking companies that fail to invest in their drivers or trucks may violate their duties of care. Often, they are found to be at least partially at fault when an accident occurs.
What Are the Most Common Truck Accident Case Types?
Commercial truck accidents can happen along Interstate 10 and elsewhere under many different circumstances. According to the 2022 crash report provided by Louisiana State University, over 150 accidents in Lafayette Parish involved large trucks.
Understanding the nature of these collisions can be helpful when pursuing compensation. We will gather evidence to support your claim once we determine how negligence played a part in your truck accident. Truck accident types for which we seek compensation include:
- Rear-end collisions: Rear-end collisions happen when a truck strikes the rear of the vehicle in front of it. A rear-end truck collision usually occurs when the truck driver follows the other vehicle too closely or exceeds the speed limit.
- Wide-turn accidents: Commercial trucks require a much larger turn radius than other vehicles. When these massive trucks turn wide, they can strike nearby vehicles.
- Head-on collisions: These devastating accidents occur when the front end of a truck strikes the front of another vehicle. They may occur on two-lane highways, in parking lots, or in dangerous weather conditions with low visibility.
- Jackknife accidents: Jackknife wrecks get their name from the shape of a commercial truck when it loses control. These accidents occur when a truck folds in on itself like a pocket knife before sliding sideways. Sometimes, another vehicle gets caught in the middle.
- Side-impact accidents: A side-impact collision happens when a commercial truck strikes the side of another vehicle. This scenario can happen at intersections or when another vehicle travels parallel to a large truck.
Contact a Lafayette Truck Accident Lawyer Now
Facing long-term health consequences after a devastating truck accident is never easy. While financial compensation cannot undo all you’ve endured, it could provide the support you need to manage your injuries. Laborde Earles is dedicated to every case we handle.
Our experienced legal team will guide you through every step of your case while treating you with the utmost care and respect.
Contact us today for a free consultation with a Lafayette truck accident lawyer.
