Truck accidents can cause injuries, serious vehicle damage, and a number of different financial losses. Unfortunately, since trucks are such large and often bulky vehicles, the injuries they cause in wrecks can be severe and, in some cases, life-threatening.
The team at Laborde Earles has over 250 years of combined experience and has recovered over $600 million for clients. If you were injured due to the negligent actions of a truck driver or company, a Lake Charles truck accident lawyer can help you seek compensation for your injuries.
Damages a Lake Charles Truck Accident Attorney Can Help Recover
If you or a loved one was injured in a truck accident due to another person’s negligence, you may be entitled to civil damages based on the losses you sustained.
Even if you’ve suffered catastrophic injuries or long-term impairments, a Lake Charles personal injury attorney can help you recover a wide range of losses, including the following:
Medical Expenses
Medical expenses might be recoverable if you had to undergo medical treatment for the injuries you sustained in the truck accident. Medical bills for ambulance transportation, surgery, medical equipment, rehabilitation, and hospital stays are the most common medical losses we help clients recover.
Loss of Wages
You might find that your accident-related injury requires an extended hospital stay, multiple medical appointments, or significant rest to heal. Some conditions may also cause pain or disability to the extent that an individual must take time off work.
Whether you’ve had to stay home from work to rest or miss workdays to attend medical appointments, our Lake Charles truck accident attorneys can help you recover lost wages by filing a personal injury claim.
Property Damage
After a truck accident, your vehicle may be severely damaged or need replacement. Fortunately, property damage expenses are also recoverable in a truck accident claim. Our team can demand the financial compensation you need to repair or replace your damaged or totaled vehicle.
Pain and Suffering
You can also recover compensation for the pain and agony the crash caused you. Although placing an objective monetary value on intangible emotional pain is more difficult, it can be an important aspect of a personal injury claim.
The compensation you’re eligible to recover depends on the severity of your crash and injuries. The more impact the crash had on your life, the more damages you’ll be eligible to recover. A truck accident lawyer from our team in Lake Charles, LA, can determine how much you’re owed.
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Types of Truck Crashes a St. Charles Attorney Can Seek Damages For
Truck drivers have a duty to operate their vehicles safely. Likewise, trucking companies are responsible for ensuring truck drivers are properly trained and that the parts on commercial trucks work properly.
Commercial truck accidents may occur when a company fails to train its drivers or maintain its trucks properly. Our attorneys have experience filing claims for wrecks caused by drivers and their employers.
We can help you seek damages for a crash caused by any of the following factors:
- Driver error
- Driver fatigue
- Speeding
- Reckless driving
- Cargo mismanagement
- Equipment failure
- Impairment due to drugs or alcohol
- Impairment due to a health condition
- Distracted driving
When one or more of the above factors are in play, serious incidents can occur. A truck accident attorney in Lake Charles, LA, can help you file a strong claim or personal injury lawsuit if one of the factors mentioned above leads to one of the following types of truck crashes:
- Semi-truck accident
- U-Haul truck accident
- Construction truck accident
- UPS truck accident
- Cargo truck accident
- Fuel truck accident
- Concrete truck accident
- FedEx truck accident
- Delivery truck accident
- Dump truck accident
- Tow truck accident
- Penske truck accident
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Common Types of Truck Accident Injuries
A commercial truck’s size and weight can lead to devastating injuries. Our truck accident law firm in Lake Charles, LA, has worked with clients suffering from various injuries and long-term conditions. They can help you get the financial support you need to treat any of the following injuries:
- Traumatic brain injury
- Internal bleeding
- Organ damage
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Spinal cord injury
After suffering injuries, you should seek medical care as soon as possible. You may have injuries that aren’t showing symptoms yet and could worsen later.
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Other Parties That Could Be To Blame for Your St. Charles Collision and Injuries
As mentioned above, we generally file Lake Charles truck accident lawsuits against individual drivers and their employers. This is because, under Louisiana law, employers are vicariously liable for the actions of their workers in the vast majority of circumstances.
Trucking companies and other large corporations often have larger liability policies than any individual trucker might carry. This larger liability can help when your injuries are severe, and your losses are adding up quickly. That said, the following parties may also be liable for damages:
Mechanic
Commercial trucks have many moving parts that need regular maintenance to function properly. Unfortunately, some trucks receive ineffective maintenance or no maintenance at all, resulting in serious issues and collisions.
If our personal injury lawyers discover the mechanic performed ineffective repair work or failed to fix the truck’s issues, causing a crash, we can help you file a claim against the mechanic.
Another Driver
Our legal team may also hold another driver liable for the pain and losses you’ve suffered due to the incident. If another motorist cut the truck off or swerved into its lane, causing it to collide with your vehicle, we may choose to file a lawsuit against them or a claim with their insurer.
If we determine that filing an insurance claim is the best option, your lawyer will deal with the driver’s insurance company and negotiate to reach a fair settlement. If a lawsuit is necessary, our team of attorneys will fight to recover compensation from the responsible party in court.
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Evidence We Can Use To Prove Your Case and Win Compensation
Since the trucking industry is highly regulated, many forms of evidence, like event recorder data and deriving logs, are unavailable in most car accident cases. However, trucking companies may attempt to destroy certain forms of evidence to protect themselves from liability.
Luckily, our Lake Charles truck accident attorneys can act quickly to send a spoliation letter to the trucking company or other liable party to preserve any evidence they have. That way, our team will be able to use the following forms of evidence to build a sinning claim on your behalf:
- Truck logs showing when the driver last rested
- Data from the truck’s onboard computer
- Maintenance logs
- Post-accident drug and alcohol tests
- Any previous history of accidents
- Dashcam video, if the truck was equipped
- Information about the tractor, trailer, and cargo
Other Evidence Our Law Firm Will Use To Prove Negligence
There are many other forms of evidence that an experienced truck accident lawyer in Lake Charles, LA, must gather and analyze to build the strongest case possible. They’ll collect the following forms of evidence to make your claim as successful as it can be:
- Police and crash reports
- Eyewitness statements
- Video or photos of the collision
- A survey of the accident scene
- Accident reconstruction
- Relevant medical records
- Expert testimony
- Documentation of financial damages and other losses
What Is the Deadline To Sue Liable Parties in Louisiana?
Louisiana gives truck accident victims a short timeframe to develop a case, attempt to reach an out-of-court settlement, and stake further legal action against the at-fault party if a settlement is impossible. Therefore, we need to act quickly to help you recover sufficient compensation.
According to CC Art. 3492, you only have one year from the crash date to file a personal injury claim. That means you must act fast and get in touch with a truck accident attorney in Lake Charles, LA. If you reach out to a lawyer soon, they’ll be able to get an early start on your case and have your suit filed in no time.
How Common Are Truck Wrecks in Louisiana?
Due to the high concentration of commercial businesses in Lake Charles and the fact that the city is positioned in an area of Louisiana with a major freight corridor, truck wrecks are a fairly common occurrence.
According to 2021 crash data from Louisiana State University’s Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation Safety (CARTS) department, there were 306 truck crashes in Lake Charles’ Calcasieu Parish in 2021.
Out of these 306 crashes, eight were fatal, while 137 resulted in severe injuries for the drivers involved. About 17% of all crashes occurred on interstates, and 20% occurred on U.S. Highways. With such a high possibility of getting in a truck wreck, you’ll want to have a trusted attorney on speed dial whenever you drive in Lake Charles.
Talk to a Lake Charles, LA, Truck Accident Attorney Today
If another party’s negligence caused you to sustain injuries in a truck accident, you should not have to shoulder the burden of your injuries and losses alone. Whether your injury is minor or severe, a Lake Charles truck accident lawyer from Laborde Earles can guide you through the legal process and seek fair compensation.
Our team handles motor vehicle accident claims from our Lafayette office. In addition, we provide free case reviews and work for clients based on a contingency fee. Contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation and learn more about your right to financial recovery.
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