Motorcyclists are more vulnerable to severe injury than those in passenger cars because other motorists can find it difficult to spot motorcycles. In addition, motorcycles offer much less protection to riders than cars. As a result, motorcycle riders are typically involved in more catastrophic accidents than other vehicles.
If you were injured in a motorcycle accident in Louisiana, you can protect your legal rights by working with a Lafayette motorcycle accident lawyer familiar with state law. Learn more about your legal options during a free consultation with our Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers team.
You Could Recover Damages In Your Motorcycle Accident
The severity of your motorcycle accident injuries determines whether you can collect damages and how much compensation you will receive if you win your case. An injured motorcyclist may wish to have a motorcycle wreck lawyer in Iberia Parish or New Iberia file a personal injury claim to fight for damages.
Damages you can claim in a Lafayette motorcycle accident differ depending on the severity and circumstances surrounding your accident. You may seek to recover:
- Past and future medical costs: These include any ongoing medical visits, physical therapy, occupational therapy, emergency room visits, and ambulance rides.
- Lost wages due to time missed at work: If you missed work while recovering from the accident, you could be entitled to compensation for lost wages. This also includes lost future earning capacity.
- Career change education and training: If you are permanently injured or disabled because of a motorcycle accident, you may be able to seek compensation for any vocational education or training required to establish a new career or line of work.
- Property damage: You can include motorcycle repair or replacement costs in your claim.
- Emotional distress: Many people may suffer from anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder after a motorcycle accident. Damages can be awarded to those suffering from these conditions.
- Pain and suffering: Any ongoing physical or mental anguish due to injuries from the accident can be included in recoverable damages.
Our lawyers who handle motorcycle accident cases in Louisiana can review your Lafayette-area accident to see how much you can seek from the liable party or their insurance company. We can also investigate your accident to see if additional evidence can boost your case. Such evidence may include medical bills, pay stubs, testimony from your doctor and other experts, witness testimony from the accident scene, images and video of the accident, and more.
For a free legal consultation with a motorcycle accident lawyer serving Lafayette, call (337) 777-7777
Wrongful Death Damages After A Lafayette, LA Motorcycle Crash
Unfortunately, some motorcycle accident victims do not survive their injuries. If you lost a loved one due to another person’s negligence, you have our sincere condolences. Our wrongful death lawyers may be able to help you pursue a wrongful death action against the liable party. We can help you seek damages if you decide to move in this direction.
Common damages you could seek in a wrongful death case include:
- Final medical expenses for the decedent
- Funeral and burial costs for fatal accidents
- Loss of income if the decedent contributed to the household
- The decedent’s pain and suffering before they died
- Loss of companionship, guidance, and affection
Calculating a fair value for complete compensation can be a complex task, and personal injury lawyers often call upon medical experts or accountants for assistance. The attorneys at Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers have relationships with local experts and are familiar with the evidence necessary to establish and prove the monetary value of your losses.
Your lawyer will look at all documentation of your damages in your Lafayette-area motorcycle accident and uncover any that you may have missed. This gives you and us a full picture of your case’s value and the compensation for accident expenses you can expect. While we understand that money cannot bring back your loved one, financial compensation can help to lighten the financial load, so you can take the necessary time to grieve and recover.
Lafayette Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Near Me (337) 777-7777
Why Is It Important To Know What Your Louisiana Motorcycle Injury Case Is Worth?
The value of your case is a critical aspect of your Lafayette motorcycle injury claim. This information puts you ahead because you will know if an insurance company’s settlement offer, should you receive one, will adequately compensate you for your losses. Insurance companies will sometimes offer less than the full value of a claim to reduce their financial liability. Our attorneys are familiar with these methods and will actively negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf.
We will advise you if we think an offer is too low, but the final decision to accept or reject the offer is always yours. If you are offered less than what you deserve, you should consider rejecting the offer and going to trial. We are well-versed in insurance negotiation tactics and comfortable in the courtroom. In fact, our firm has won numerous large verdicts and settlements on behalf of clients.
If you or a loved one was injured in a motorcycle crash due to someone else’s actions, you should not settle for anything less than what you believe you are owed. Our attorneys are here to help you seek the maximum settlement for your losses. While we cannot guarantee a specific outcome, you can rest assured that we will use our substantial knowledge and resources to fight for your right to fair compensation.
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How Much Can I Recover For A Lafayette, LA Motorcycle Accident?
Louisiana has no cap on the amount of money you can collect as damages. However, the law limits the total amount of damages you can collect. For example, if you were injured in a car accident caused by someone else’s negligent driving, you can only collect up to $100,000 per person.
If you were injured in two separate accidents involving different vehicles, you would be limited to collecting $200,000 in total. However, if more than one person injured you, you could collect damages from each person responsible for causing your injuries.
This is why getting legal representation early in the process is important. Our lawyers will work with you to determine which parties are liable for your injuries and how much compensation you are entitled to.
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We Know How To Gather Strong Evidence To Support Your Lafayette Motorcycle Accident Claim
With more than 100 collective years of personal injury law experience, our attorneys know what it takes to help our clients recover from accidents. We have helped our clients across Louisiana recover millions of dollars in injury cases and will gladly take your case all the way to the courtroom. Our results speak for themselves. We have successfully pursued multiple motorcycle accident claims, including a substantial trial verdict of $1.2 million.
Hiring a lawyer to represent you can save time and ensure someone is looking out for your interests. We know what evidence to look for to establish liability and negligence on the part of the person who caused your accident. Your lawyer can investigate the cause and do any of the following:
- Visit the motorcycle accident scene
- Review the responding police officer’s report
- Review your medical records about your injury
- Talk to people who witnessed your accident
- Review photos and videos of your injuries and the accident scene
- Consult with accident reconstruction specialists to understand how your accident occurred
We can also consult with other experts, such as economists and experts in the medical and mental health fields, who can help us understand the extent of your losses. Let our attorneys do the footwork necessary to build a substantial case on your behalf. We will handle the legalities and negotiations so you can focus on your health.
We Will Communicate With The Insurers On Your Behalf
When you become our client, we’ll take the time to build a strong case for your compensation. We will handle all communications for you and negotiate with all involved parties on your behalf, including insurers.
We aren’t afraid to aggressively defend your right to full compensation for your losses and will not accept a lowball settlement if we think we can obtain a higher payout. If we cannot settle, we can file a motorcycle accident injury lawsuit and seek a court award for you.
Our attorneys will keep you informed every step of the way, and the ultimate decision to settle or take your case to court will always lie with you. We encourage you to contact us to learn more during a free consultation.
We Can Help You Prove Liability
Most lawsuits stemming from motorcycle accidents are based on the legal concept of negligence. Under a theory of negligence, a person or company that causes an injury due to their failure to exercise reasonable care may be liable for the harm they caused.
As our Lafayette lawyer builds your case, we must determine who to hold responsible for your motorcycle accident. Multiple parties could be held liable for your motorcycle accident injuries. The responsible party is not always the person who hit you. It could be:
- A distracted driver who caused you to crash after making a driver error, such as swerving into your lane
- The motorcycle’s manufacturer, whose product contains a defective part that caused the accident
- A repair shop that failed to repair your motorcycle or the other driver’s vehicle properly
- The driver’s employer if the driver was working at the time of the crash
- A municipality or town that failed to maintain roadways under its care
- The establishment that over-served alcohol to a patron who then drove under the influence, causing an accident
We also must establish that the opposing party in your case acted negligently. We must show:
- The driver owed you a duty of care. Duty of care requires a person to act towards others and the public with watchfulness, attention, caution, and prudence. If a person’s actions do not reach this level of care, they are considered negligent.
- The negligent driver breached their duty to you. Their conduct failed to meet the applicable standard of care.
- The reckless driver’s breach caused your accident and injuries.
- The accident brought harm that allows you to seek compensatory damages.
In some situations, an accident will have multiple responsible parties. Work with a Lafayette motorcycle accident lawyer to determine all the at-fault parties so you can take appropriate legal action. By pursuing all the at-fault parties, you may be able to obtain a greater settlement value while ensuring that all the responsible parties are held accountable.
What To Do Immediately After A Motorcycle Accident
A motorcycle accident can be a scary and overwhelming situation. If you can, get out of traffic and to a safe location. Once the environment is safe, do the following:
- Check on others involved in the accident to see if medical attention is needed.
- Call the police to file a report. Also, ask for an ambulance if needed.
- If you received any injuries during the accident, seek medical care. Even if injuries are minor, it is important to have the injury documented.
- Take pictures of the scene, including the at-fault driver’s car.
- Collect contact and insurance information from other parties involved in the accident.
- Consider hiring a Lafayette motorcycle accident attorney from Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers to help you recover damages from the accident.
You have a limited time to act with motorcycle injury accidents, so it is best to reach out to a Lafayette accident lawyer right away. Once the deadline passes, you will no longer be able to receive compensation for your injuries. If you contact our firm after the accident, we will ensure you don’t miss any deadlines.
You Generally Have One Year To File An Injury Lawsuit In Louisiana
If a motorcycle accident occurred due to another driver’s negligence, you might want to pursue a personal injury lawsuit or file an insurance claim. In Louisiana, the law mandates that lawsuits for damages be filed within one year of the date the accident occurred, per CC § 3492. The same one-year deadline applies to wrongful death actions. For wrongful death suits, the time starts on the date the person passed away.
A Lafayette motorcycle accident attorney at Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers can help you recover the compensation you deserve.
By contacting our attorneys as soon as possible, you ensure that we have the time to gather evidence, negotiate with insurance companies, and file a lawsuit all within the appropriate legal deadlines. We can review these deadlines with you during a free case evaluation.
What Happens If A Motorcyclist Is Partially At Fault?
Some motorcycle crash cases involve a careless driver who is solely responsible for causing the accident. In other cases, the accident victim can be held partially responsible. For example, if a motorcyclist was speeding when a motorist failed to yield and collided with them, the other driver may claim the victim was partially at fault. In Louisiana, an injured party who was partially at fault may still be able to recover damages.
Under CC § 2323, an injured party who was partially responsible may still recover compensation with a reduction in proportion to their share of fault. Your lawyer will help you determine whether comparative negligence applies in your case and what you can do to protect your right to fair compensation.
Not all cases involve comparative negligence, but it is best to be prepared for all contingencies. An Iberia Parish motorcycle accident attorney can help you understand the legal arguments you might face during negotiations or a trial.
Can You Afford A Personal Injury Lawyer?
When you hire legal representation, you may worry about affordability. This is a common concern, and many injured people see cost as a barrier to proceeding with their case and decide not to move forward.
We are aware of this concern, which is why we are a contingency law firm. For you, this means that if we take you on as our client, you do not have to pay us up front to start on your case. In addition, you do not have to pay us for costs and legal fees if we don’t win your case.
Instead, our payment will come from your settlement if we win. This arrangement allows us to go to work for you without financial barriers, and you do not have to worry about the cost of your legal representation.
Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers Will Advocate For You During A Motorcycle Accident Lawsuit
After a motorcycle accident, we will cover all legal matters while you focus on recovery. Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers will be there for you every step of the way during your case. Although we cannot guarantee an outcome, we will work tirelessly to achieve the best possible results. When you work with us, you can expect the following:
- We offer a free consultation, during which we will review your case and determine if we should move forward. We will inform you of the legal process and answer your questions.
- Someone in our office is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to answer your questions.
- We focus on helping people get fair compensation.
- We have more than 100 years of combined personal injury experience.
- Our clients do not pay for our legal services until they receive a settlement or win their case in a trial.
Let our motorcycle accident attorneys assist you today to help you fight for fair compensation in your motorcycle accident claim. We are here for you and will advocate for you during each case step.
Get Help from Our Lafayette Motorcycle Accident Attorney Today
We are ready to speak with you about your motorcycle accident during a free, no-obligation consultation. Contact us today to speak with a Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers team member.
Our team can go over your accident and answer your questions. The sooner we hear from you, the sooner we can start working on your case.
Call or text (337) 777-7777 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
