If you suffered injuries in a car accident in Rapides Parish, Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers could help you seek compensation. With the help of an experienced Alexandria car accident lawyer, you could recover compensation for your losses when your injuries result from another’s negligent actions.
If these injuries have a direct impact on your everyday life, you should take the steps necessary to pursue compensation from the legally liable parties. We can help with your car accident case. Learn more during a free consultation.
The personal injury lawyer who represents you may also guide you in calculating the types and amounts of your recoverable damages, which may include:
- Medical Bills
- Income Loss
- Property Damage
- Pain & Suffering
- Emotional Distress
- Lasting Disfigurement
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Damages You Could Recover in Rapides Parish
The compensation you could recover in your car accident will depend on various factors, including the severity of your injuries and the property damage.
If a civil court finds the defendant liable for damages, the judge will order them or their insurance company to pay = the plaintiff. The types and amounts of damages vary by case.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are those with a specific monetary value. These are common and could be awarded even in minor car accidents. Examples of economic damages include:
- The costs of replacing or repairing damaged property, including your vehicle
- Present and future medical bills for hospital stays, surgical procedures, medications, and physical therapy
- Lost income, including wages, benefits, and retirement contributions
- Reduced earning potential
Non-Economic Damages
Noneconomic damages are often difficult to quantify without an attorney’s assistance. These damages are subjective and may be worth different amounts depending on the circumstances. A lawyer who handles car accident cases in Alexandria can calculate these damages for you.
Common noneconomic damages include:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Physical impairment
- Shortened life expectancy
- Disfigurement
- Loss of consortium
- Diminished quality of life
We can add your noneconomic and economic damages to present you with a complete picture of your case’s worth. Having a case value informs your decision on how much compensation to pursue. In addition, it helps you determine if an insurer’s settlement offer is too low.
Wrongful Death Damages
You could recover for wrongful death if your loved one passed away from injuries resulting from an accident in the Alexandria area. If we pursue your case and win these damages on your behalf, you could receive payment for:
- Your family member’s burial, funeral, or cremation costs
- Final medical expenses
- Lost income if they supported your family financially
- Pain and suffering they endured before passing away
- Loss of companionship and emotional support
It is important to note that plaintiffs are not subject to damage caps or limits for car accident awards in Louisiana. As such, courts are free to determine what they believe is a fair award for the plaintiff without the constraints of a damage cap.
Quick Links
- What Does a Car Accident Lawyer Do?
- Can I Sue Someone Personally After a Car Accident?
- Who Can Be Sued In a Car Accident Case?
- How Much Will It Cost to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?
- How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Car Accident?
- What Are the Main Causes of Car Accidents in Louisiana?
- When Should You Get a Lawyer for a Car Accident?
- How Do I Get a Car Accident Report?
- What Will My Car Accident Lawyer Look for in My Claim?
- Who Is At Fault in a Multi-Vehicle Car Accident?
How Working With a Car Accident Lawyer From Our Alexandria Team Can Help
Recovering from a car accident can take considerable time as victims heal from their injuries. Seeking legal action to hold the responsible party accountable for an accident puts unnecessary weight on your shoulders.
Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers can take your case on for you, allowing you the space you need to care of yourself while we handle your legal matters for you. In addition, our car accident attorneys can save you time—one of the most significant benefits of hiring a personal injury lawyer. When you become our client, we will:
- Investigate your case and collect evidence that supports your claims of the other party’s liability for your accident.
- Represent you at meetings, including negotiations with the at-fault party’s insurance companies and legal representatives.
- Handle negotiations to secure a fair settlement that meets your needs.
Evidence We Can Use
The evidence we present must prove the person’s negligence and can include:
- Photographs
- Videos
- The official police report from officers who responded to the scene
- Medical records
- Witness statements
We can also file your lawsuit and represent you in civil court if negotiations do not produce a favorable settlement. We will handle essential paperwork and daily correspondence while providing updates on any developments in your case. We will also explain how state laws apply to your case and how they could impact the outcome.
Why Hire Us for Your Car Accident Case?
Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers’ legal team has more than 100 years’ worth of personal injury experience, so we know what our clients need to recover from the aftermath of a life-changing event. We want to help you get the compensation you are entitled to receive and assist with putting your life back in order.
We have someone available 24/7 who can speak to you about your accident. In addition, we’ll offer you a free consultation to tell us more about your accident. This way, we can review your situation and determine if we can help you.
We Can Start Working on Your Case Without Any Upfront Fees
We are a contingency law firm, meaning you pay no upfront fees for us to start work on your case. Our payment is contingent on the outcome of your case. If you receive compensation, payment for our services will come from your settlement or court award.
The Louisiana Deadline in Car Accident Cases
Like other states, Louisiana has a prescriptive period—the statute of limitations—that applies to personal injury claims arising from any injury accident, including car crashes.
According to CC Art. 3492, injury victims only have one year following a car accident to file a personal injury lawsuit seeking compensation for their losses.
If injury victims fail to file a lawsuit within this time frame, they lose the right to do so. Therefore, it is highly advisable to contact an Alexandria car accident lawyer as quickly as possible following a collision in which individuals have sustained injuries. We can explain more about this deadline and answer your questions during a free case review.
Compensation for Recoverable Damages
The amount of compensation that injury victims can recover in car accident claims depends on the nature, severity, and expected duration of their injuries. Eligible expenses for compensation may include medical bills, lost wages, and compensation for permanent disabilities. With the assistance of a car accident lawyer, plaintiffs in Rapides Parish could recover compensation for all their losses related to an accident.
How Will I Get Compensation?
You will receive damages in one of two ways—a pretrial settlement or a jury award.
A pretrial settlement is often the faster, easier way to get money following an accident. You can get a settlement by allowing us to sit down and negotiate with the liable party’s insurer. Then, once we reach an agreement and you sign it, you get your compensation.
A jury award is money given to an accident victim by a jury of their peers at a courtroom trial. We generally only take a case to court if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement. However, insurers readily negotiate in most cases as it is less expensive than going through a trial.
When Will I Get Compensation?
It is natural to wonder how long it will take to get your money, especially as you struggle to pay bills or support your family following your crash.
The amount of time it takes to secure a settlement or jury award depends on factors such as the insurer’s willingness to cooperate, how long it takes to identify the at-fault party, if we find multiple liable parties, and so on.
No matter how long it takes, we always:
- Fight to get clients the largest possible settlement in the shortest amount of time
- Provide clients with regular updates about their case’s status
- Explain our clients’ rights, responsibilities, and options in accessible terms
- Help clients make informed decisions about how to handle their cases, including whether to accept a settlement offer
- Make ourselves available to answer client calls, take their questions, and address new developments
- Care deeply about our clients and do everything possible to make their experience as stress-free and straightforward as possible
Proving Liability for Your Accident
The basis of most personal injury claims that arise from car accidents is the legal theory of negligence. Negligent drivers typically fail to act as a reasonably safe driver would under similar circumstances.
One strong indicator of negligence is the failure to abide by traffic laws. For instance, if drivers fail to stop at a stop sign or traffic light, this might be strong evidence of negligence in a personal injury case.
Comparative Negligence
Even if you were partially at fault for the accident that led to your injuries, you could recover compensation from other parties who also share in the blame. Louisiana’s pure comparative negligence statute (CC Art. 2323) decreases the amount of compensation injury victims can recover by a percentage equal to their degree of negligence.
Therefore, if injury victims qualify to receive damages but are 25 percent at fault for an accident, they would recover only 75 percent of their total damage award. However, unlike other states, there is no upper limit to how much responsibility an Alexandria plaintiff may bear before being barred from recovering entirely.
Determining Which Driver Is at Fault in Automobile Crashes
In Louisiana, the at-fault driver is responsible for any harm they caused in a collision. If the driver has car insurance, their insurance company might cover the losses up to their policy limits.
You might benefit from speaking to an experienced car accident lawyer in Rapides Parish before dealing with an insurance company. An attorney can help you value your damages and fight for the compensation you deserve.
Why Hire an Attorney to Deal With Insurers?
When someone causes an accident, their insurance company often has to shoulder the financial burden of their negligence. However, insurers do not want to pay any more than necessary. Therefore, they may do everything possible to reduce the settlement you receive, including:
- Interpret evidence in a way that makes you look guilty, thus reducing how much you can recover under the state’s comparative negligence rules
- Ask you to give a recorded statement, then scrutinize it for inconsistencies or inadvertent admissions of guilt
- Offer you an insufficient settlement and urge you to accept it immediately, perhaps implying that you will not get a better offer
- Hire lawyers to intimidate you into taking a lowball offer
If an insurance adjuster or attorney tries to contact you, you do not have to reply right away. Instead, you can retain an attorney from our firm. We will manage communications with insurance companies on our clients’ behalf, thereby protecting them from predatory tactics and giving them more time to recover in peace.
Minimum Car Insurance Coverage Drivers in Louisiana Must Carry
As per RS Art. 32:863.1, drivers must have automobile insurance and provide proof of such coverage when law enforcement officials ask. Page 4 of the Louisiana Department of Insurance’s Consumer’s Guide to Auto Insurance outlines the minimum amounts of liability insurance coverage that drivers in Rapides Parish must carry:
- $15,000 for bodily injury or death of one person
- $30,000 for total bodily injury or death liability
- $25,000 for property damage per accident
Drivers who do not have automobile insurance coverage may not only face tickets and fines, but they also could be held personally liable for the damage they cause.
An Attorney at Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers Can Help You
Get advice about any potential personal injury claims that you have following a crash by contacting an Alexandria car accident lawyer for help. Call (318) 777-7777 today to schedule a free consultation with a team member.
