While traveling throughout Louisiana, you cannot visit many places without seeing a commercial vehicle or semi-truck. According to the Truckers Report’s Facts About Trucks, these vehicles can weigh up to 80,000 pounds, so crashes involving them can be especially dangerous.
No matter the severity of the collision, these accidents are often life-altering from a physical, emotional, and monetary perspective. If you or a loved one has been injured in a Lebeau truck accident, you may be eligible for financial compensation. The team at Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers are here to help you. For a free consultation, contact us at (337) 777-7777.
Common Injuries from Truck Accidents
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) reported in its 2018 Fatality Facts that large truck accidents caused 36,560 deaths that year. Since these trucks weigh almost 20 to 30 times more than a passenger vehicle, according to IIHS, it is not surprising that when these two vehicles collide, the occupants of the smaller car typically face the brunt of the impact.
Some injuries that may result from such an accident can include:
- Broken bones
- Spinal cord damage
- Torn ligaments
- Concussion
- Whiplash
- Internal bleeding
- Cuts and lacerations
- Paralysis
- Wrongful death
In the chaos surrounding the aftermath of such a traumatic accident, you may neglect to seek immediate medical attention. We recommend that even if you can drive away from the accident scene with no complaints, you should still speak with a healthcare provider. Some afflictions, such as internal bruising or back injuries, may not be immediately apparent after your collision. Quickly establishing a nexus between your physical condition and the accident can boost your claim should you decide to pursue future litigation.
Laborde Earles injury was great for me they took care of me very fast and professional. If for any reason I need legal help they will be who I use.
ClientYou Can Pursue Compensation from Multiple Parties
If you are the victim of a truck accident in Lebeau and the accident was caused by the negligence of another party, you may be able to collect damages to cover the cost of your losses.
Many elements can complicate legal proceedings in these types of cases. For example, truck accidents may feature more than one liable party.
This may include:
- The individual trucker
- The trucking company
- The manufacturer of the truck itself
- The workers who loaded the truck’s cargo
Handling communications with all of these involved groups can be difficult. They may each have different insurance companies or, to deflect responsibility, place the blame on each other. The Louisiana State Legislature set the statute of limitations for personal injury claims at only one year from the date of the accident. Any days or weeks spent awaiting responses from the other party can quickly eat up precious time. When you work with a truck accident lawyer at Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers, we can work to have your case fall within the state’s imposed deadlines. We can hold these parties accountable for your actions while you recover from your injuries. For more information, call (337) 777-7777.
I thank God for Digger & David. I don’t know what we would have done if it hadn’t have been for them.
Rick Smith | ClientFinancial Recovery Can Alleviate Your Expenses
Once we can determine fault in your accident, we can begin the process of recovering the cost of your damages. Medical bills, receipts from your mechanic, and pay stubs are all useful resources that we can use to estimate the total value of your claim.
Some of the losses that you may be entitled to include:
- Medical expenses
- Rehabilitation costs
- Loss of wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Property damage
- Loss of companionship
- Mental anguish
- Pain and suffering and inconvenience
- Lower quality of life
When pursuing compensation, your losses will be divided into two categories. They are called specific damages and general damages.
Specific damages cover your expenses that have established value. Your medical bills and car repairs fall into this group because a certain cost is attached to them.
General damages consist of items where value cannot be so easily assigned to them. The cost of pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and emotional trauma are subjectable. Typically, how much you will receive for general damages correlates with the extent of how severely you were injured or how much you lost.
The reassurance from Digger and his staff gave me that renewed hope that it’s going to be okay down the road.
ClientThe Truck Accident Claims Process
The team at Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers has the insight and resources you need to navigate the legal process following a collision with a large truck. We can collect evidence from the accident scene to establish fault, file your paperwork to the appropriate offices, and, if necessary, represent you in court if we cannot reach a fair settlement.
To prove that another party was responsible for your crash, we will need to prove that four elements were present in your accident.
They include:
- Duty of care. All people take on this responsibility to act in such a way that it does not harm others. For example, when a driver gets behind the wheel of a car, they must take precautions not to hurt others, such as obeying the speed limit or braking completely.
- Breach of duty of care. We must show that the negligent party violated their duty of care by behaving recklessly. For example, if a motorist drives drunk, they are significantly placing others at risk of harm, thereby disregarding their duty of care.
- By acting irresponsibly, this element shows that the other party caused your accident.
- We must prove that because the accountable party violated their duty of care and caused your accident, you have incurred otherwise avoidable expenses and costs.
After you are involved in a truck accident, you may start to feel overwhelmed with car repairs, medical bills, and calls from insurance agents with settlement offers. This can quickly pile up, and you may feel like it is impossible to get the compensation you need. You are not alone during this time. A truck accident lawyer at Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers can help you navigate the claims process so that you can focus on getting better.
If you have recently been in a truck accident, you should seek legal advice as soon as you can. We work on contingency, which means that we do not request any fees unless we can successfully defend your case. Contact Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers today at (337) 777-7777.
