An 18-wheeler truck accident can leave you with catastrophic injuries. While each accident differs, you may have a right to compensation for your damages, including medical costs, lost wages, and emotional trauma. If you lost a loved one, you may be able to file a wrongful death claim.
No one should pay out of pocket for expenses that result due to an accident beyond their control. If this happened to you, call Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers for help at (337) 777-7777.
18-Wheeler Truck Accidents and Your Injuries
According to Louisiana State University’s data reports on traffic information, more than 9 percent of all crashes involving fatalities or injuries in 2019 occurred from collisions with large trucks. An 18-wheeler truck requires proper maintenance and a skilled driver. Louisiana law requires all drivers of these types of large trucks to carry a commercial driver’s license (CDL). When the motorist of an 18-wheeler engages in risky driving behaviors, they place everyone around them at risk for serious harm due to the size of their truck.
Dangerous Behaviors That Lead to 18-Wheeler Truck Accidents
Companies sometimes pay truck drivers per mile, meaning that the faster they reach their destination, the sooner they can begin their next delivery. These tight schedules may influence a trucker to take dangerous risks.
Dangerous behaviors for 18-wheeler truck drivers include:
- Distracted driving, such as texting, which can seriously impair reaction time
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Aggressive driving
- Drowsy driving
- Speeding
- Carrying an excessive cargo load
- Failure to drive defensively
When the truck driver takes their eyes off the road even for a second, the results can be disastrous for not only themselves but for other motorists.
Drivers Need Special Training to Operate an 18-wheeler
The average 18-wheeler can weigh around 80,000 pounds, according to the Truckers Report. As you can imagine, colliding with a passenger vehicle can result in disastrous injuries. Truckers must employ specialized driving skills to ensure safe travel for themselves and other motorists.
If a trucking company does not train and certify its drivers, or if it fails to follow the state’s weight restrictions on cargo, it provides the opportunity for accidents to occur on the roads. When we investigate the cause of your accident, we take all these factors into consideration. A Lafayette 18-wheeler lawyer may investigate the last time the truck underwent maintenance repairs, check the trucker’s logbook, and interview eyewitnesses to build an account of what happened.
The last thing you want to do while recovering from your injuries is trying to decide how to investigate your own accident. Our legal team may help determine liability for your injuries.
If you experienced serious injuries as a result of an accident involving an 18-wheeler truck, call Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers without delay at (337) 777-7777.
For a free legal consultation with a 18-wheeler lawyer lawyer serving Lafayette, call (337) 777-7777
Filing a Wrongful Death Claim
While no amount of money can replace your loved one, compensation may help ease your financial burden.
Some expenses for which you may qualify include:
- Funeral and burial costs
- Lingering medical debt
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of inheritance
- Emotional trauma
- Pain and suffering
After a free evaluation of your case, our legal team can determine your losses that qualify for compensation from a liable party.
Lafayette 18-Wheeler Lawyer Lawyer Near Me (337) 777-7777
Proving the Four Elements of Negligence
To successfully pursue your case, your legal team will need to prove the presence of these four elements:
- Duty of care: Whenever a driver gets behind the wheel, they automatically assume a responsibility to not cause reasonable harm to others.
- Breach of duty of care: By performing negligent behaviors, such as distracted driving, we may show that the driver violated their duty of care.
- Causation: Your legal team must prove that, as a result of the other party’s actions, your otherwise avoidable accident occurred.
- Damages: Finally, we must demonstrate that because of your accident, you suffer a physical, emotional, or financial strain. To prove this, we may use medical receipts, bills from your mechanics, and other relevant documents to show how you have suffered from the collision.
Showcasing these four factors can prove challenging. Having to do all this legwork may take your focus off recovering from your injuries. We aim to use solid evidence to show how these elements influenced your accident and caused you undue stress.
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How Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers May Help You
The impact of a crash from an 18-wheeler truck can leave you not only injured but anxious about your future. Injuries sustained in an accident may result in long-term medical conditions that do not display any symptoms immediately after the accident.
Insurance company representatives may contact you soon after the accident in the hopes of settling the claim quickly. Accepting or signing any paperwork regarding compensation can prevent you from seeking additional funds if other costs arise in the future. Legal representation may help you obtain fair compensation.
Sometimes, we resolve a claim without having to bring it to court, but we understand that negotiations do not always allow for this kind of resolution. If this is the case for your situation, we have no problem going before a judge and jury.
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Protecting Your Best Interests
As your legal team, our 18-wheeler accident attorneys may represent you in negotiations with insurance companies. Knowing that you have someone on your side, protecting your interests, may help relieve you of the legal burden as you focus on your recovery.
The statute of limitations in Louisiana generally allows you to bring a personal injury case one year starting from the date of your accident.
If you sustained injuries in a collision involving an 18-wheeler in Lafayette, we want to help. Call Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers at (337) 777-7777 as soon as possible for a free case evaluation.
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