If you or a loved one was injured in a DHL truck accident, a Lafayette DHL truck accident lawyer may be able to help. Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers may fight for compensation on your behalf, sparing you the trouble and stress of managing a lawsuit alone. For more information and a free case review, call Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers at (337) 777-7777.
Why Truck Accidents Are so Dangerous
DHL is an international shipping company. According to the DHL website, their trucks’ maximum loads may be 24,000 kilograms (nearly 53,000 pounds) or more. If such a heavy vehicle hits yours, you could suffer catastrophic injuries or even lose a loved one.
The Louisiana Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation compiles information on traffic accidents and their consequences throughout the state. According to their data, every year since 2015, large trucks and buses have been involved in roughly 6 percent of all injury crashes in Louisiana. They have even higher involvement in fatal crashes. In 2015, 13% of all fatal crashes involved a large truck or bus. By 2019, that number had jumped to nearly 16%.
If you are considering a lawsuit, you likely have many questions about both the process in general and how your case may go. Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers will explain how a Lafayette DHL truck accident lawyer may be able to help you pursue the compensation you need. Call our office at (337) 777-7777 at your convenience so that we can evaluate your case.
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Suing for Compensation
Before you begin any lawsuit, you must take the statute of limitations into account. This law restricts the amount of time accident victims have to file a lawsuit. In Louisiana, as codified in Louisiana Civil Code (CC) §3492, you have just one year from the date of the accident to file your suit. This is true regardless of the reasons for your lawsuit—whether you are filing a personal injury lawsuit for your injuries or a wrongful death lawsuit for a deceased loved one.
If the statute of limitations has not passed, you can consider what types of compensation you may be eligible to receive.
There Are Two Kinds of Compensation
Truck accident victims are allowed to sue for noneconomic damages, economic damages, or both.
Noneconomic damages include any type of physical, emotional, or psychological trauma you endured because of the accident. For example, you can sue for:
- Pain and suffering: your injuries caused or continue to cause you physical or emotional distress.
- Quality of life: you struggle with activities you used to do with ease, like engaging in a favorite hobby or cleaning the house.
- Disfigurement: you will bear the scars of your accident for the rest of your life.
Economic damages include any type of financial blows you suffered because of the accident. For example, you can sue for:
- Medical costs: treating your injuries was expensive. Maybe you even had to travel long distances to get the care you needed, resulting in travel expenses on top of the cost of medical treatment.
- Repair costs: not only did you have to pay for car repairs, but you also had to pay for alternate modes of transportation until your vehicle was fixed.
- Lost wages or benefits: the time you took off from work cost you and your family needed income.
- Lost earning capacity: your injuries have permanently derailed your career, preventing you from ever earning what you did before.
When you enlist the services of a truck accident lawyer in Lafayette, you increase the probability of obtaining a financial reward that covers all applicable damages.
The above examples are discussed as they would apply to personal injury cases. However, many of them may also be applied to wrongful death cases. For example, you may sue for your loved one’s lost quality of life, the money spent on their medical care prior to their passing, or loss of consortium if you lost your spouse in the crash.
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How Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers May Be Able to Help
When you file a lawsuit, you will have to convince the liable party’s insurance company that:
- The liable party caused your injuries
- Your injuries are severe enough to qualify you for what you are seeking
Your lawyer at Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers will do everything possible to help you meet that threshold. Our services include, but are not limited to, the following.
Collecting All Possible Evidence
After the accident, you may have sought medical attention. The police may have filed a report on the crash. If other people witnessed the crash, they could have taken cell phone footage or been questioned by police. There might even be complaints lodged against the truck driver or company.
Your lawyer may go to all of these sources and more for proof that backs up your account of the accident.
Calculating Damages
How much are your injuries “worth” in monetary terms? Your lawyer will combine the investigation results and legal precedent to help you answer this vital question. They will also identify all possible types of compensation you qualify for, so you do not leave any money on the table.
Pursuing Damages
We are not afraid to go as far as may be necessary for the pursuit of compensation. In an ideal scenario, the insurance company will agree to pay what you asked for with little fuss. If that happens, our job is simple: review the agreement to make sure it is fair and, if it is, have you sign it.
Unfortunately, many cases are not that easy. Insurance companies often need to be persuaded to pay accident victims what they deserve. Your lawyer will meet with the insurance company to present evidence and argue aggressively on your behalf. If negotiations stall, we will go to the next level: the courtroom.
This is only a quick look at the ways a Lafayette DHL truck accident lawyer may be able to help you. For an obligation-free consultation, call the office of Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers at (337) 777-7777. If you do retain our services, you will pay no fees until we get compensation for you.
Get The HelpYou Need(337) 777-7777To Schedule a FREE CONSULTATION
24 hours a day • 7 days a week
