Marksville residents are often involved in minor car accidents or fender-benders. In these situations, car insurance coverage is often sufficient for expenses. In more unfortunate events, though, accident victims may need legal help to ensure they receive the compensation they need.
If you were involved in such a car accident, we advise you to consider contacting Laborde Earles. Our Marksville personal injury lawyers are familiar with different types of motor vehicle accidents. They can review your situation to give you the best advice for your personal injury claim.
Why Hire an Avoyelles Parish Car Accident Lawyer?
At our firm, we serve accident victims throughout Avoyelles Parish. If retained, an attorney from our Marksville office could see whether you could collect damages against those responsible for your accident. If so, our team can file a claim or civil lawsuit on your behalf to help you collect those damages.
The personal injury lawyer who represents you may also guide you in calculating the types and amounts of your recoverable damages, which may include:
- Medical bills
- Income loss
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress or emotional trauma
- Lasting disfigurement
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We Can Help You Resolve Your Marksville Car Accident Case
Not every car or bus accident provides grounds for a personal injury lawsuit. An attorney usually must show another driver acted negligently to collect damages. Our team will attempt to prove that another driver owed the victim a duty of care, breached that duty, and caused the victim harm in the process.
Every personal injury case is different. While some claims can be resolved quickly, others may persist for years. How long a case takes depends on the responsible driver’s or insurance company’s motivation to settle the case. Ultimately, an automobile accident case will either be worked out between the parties via an insurance settlement or go to trial.
Quick Links:
- What Does a Car Accident Lawyer Do?
- Can I Sue Someone Personally After a Car Accident?
- Who Can Be Sued In a Car Accident Case?
- How Much Will It Cost to Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?
- How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After a Car Accident?
- What Are the Main Causes of Car Accidents in Louisiana?
- When Should You Get a Lawyer for a Car Accident?
- How Do I Get a Car Accident Report?
- What Will My Car Accident Lawyer Look for in My Claim?
- Who Is At Fault in a Multi-Vehicle Car Accident?
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Establishing Liability for Car Accidents in Marksville
To recover fair compensation after your Marksville car accident, your lawyer must prove that someone else’s conduct or negligence is responsible for causing your injuries. Car accident claims can often be complex since many parties could share fault for the collision.
You might have assumed the vehicle driver who hit you is at fault. This may be the case if the driver engages in unsafe driving practices.
Some of the types of careless conduct known to cause car accidents in Marksville include:
- Speeding
- Following too closely
- Failing to stop
- Failing to yield to the right-of-way
- Making illegal turns
- Road rage
- Failing to use a turn signal
- Distracted driving
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Drowsy driving
Shared Fault and Liability in Car Accidents: Exploring Potential Parties
You may be surprised to learn that other parties could share fault for your car accident in Marksville. For example, if the roadways were dangerous or hazardous in some way, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD), the city of Marksville, or another government agency could share liability.
This is because they must maintain the integrity and safety of the roadways.
It’s also possible that a vehicle part malfunctioned in one of the motor vehicles involved in the accident. If this is the case, multiple parties may share the blame, such as auto parts designers, manufacturers, distributors, motor vehicle dealers, safety inspectors, maintenance technicians, and other third parties.
Expect your car accident lawyer to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances of your case. In doing so, we will gather the evidence needed to prove the defendant in your case is liable for the injuries you sustained and, therefore, responsible for compensating you accordingly.
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Louisiana Comparative Negligence Laws
While discussing liability for your car accident in Marksville, your attorney must determine whether you share fault for the accident or your injuries. If you were not wearing your seatbelt, texting while driving, speeding, or are otherwise partially at fault for the accident, you may still recover compensation for your damages, but your compensation may be reduced.
After reviewing the details of your case, the judge will assign a percentage of fault to you. You can expect your injury settlement to be reduced by this percentage to account for your portion of liability.
For instance, if you were not wearing your seatbelt when a drunk driver struck you, the judge may find you 10% responsible for your injuries. If you are awarded $100,000, your injury settlement would be reduced by 10%, leaving you with a $90,000 car accident settlement.
Learn More
When you contact our firm, you can learn more about how Louisiana shared fault laws found in CC Art. 2323 could affect your compensation.
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Common Car Accident Injuries to Sue for
Many people are unsure whether their injuries are severe enough to warrant a car accident claim. There are virtually endless types of injuries you could sue for following a car accident in Marksville, some of which include:
- Traumatic brain damage (TBI)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Whiplash
- A concussion
- Broken bones
- Emotional injuries
- Loss of a limb
We Can Work with the Insurance Company, So You Don’t Have to
Sometimes, the person responsible for causing an accident will acknowledge they are at fault. However, that does not mean their insurance company will agree on the amount they owe you. In these cases, an Avoyelles Parish car accident attorney from our team can negotiate with the insurance company or their attorneys to reach an agreement.
Negotiating with an insurance company by yourself can be challenging. While most injured drivers are unfamiliar with the process, insurance adjusters spend their days haggling over the value of these claims. This puts the injured driver at a serious disadvantage.
One of the common tactics insurance companies use is to quickly make a low offer, which is often just enough to cover the direct costs related to an accident, like emergency room visits or rental car expenses.
However, these payments rarely provide enough to cover an injured driver’s long-term medical costs. In fact, it is often the goal of the insurance company to secure a settlement before a driver even knows the full extent of their injuries.
We Could Help You Build a Strong Case
You may have many questions about your legal options if you were in a car accident and suffered injuries or property damage. You could be wondering if you can recover compensation for your injuries or the damage to your car. You might also be unsure how best to pursue a claim and what the legal process looks like.
When you work with our legal team, a Marksville car accident lawyer could help you with these questions by giving you the information and resources you need to decide whether to file a claim. We will also:
- Look into the accident to collect evidence of fault and liability
- Construct a case that proves another party owes you damages
- Evaluate your damages to arrive at a fair case value
- Interview witnesses who were at the scene and may be able to corroborate your claims
- Negotiate with the liable party’s insurance company
- Keep track of your filing deadline and initiate a lawsuit if necessary
Our ultimate job is to advocate for your recovery of damages after a collision. You deserve support and superior legal assistance during this challenging period.
We’ll Be There for You If Your Case Goes to Trial
If an injury claim does not settle, it may go to trial. At trial, the injured person can plead their case before a jury of their peers. If the jury sides with the injured person, they will receive a monetary judgment in an amount the jury decides. However, if they rule in favor of the defendant, the injured person will get nothing.
Your attorney can be there with you at trial, representing your needs and ensuring they’re heard. Also, you can rely on your attorney to fight for a fair resolution to your case.
We’ll Offer Our Services on Contingency
When you contact our firm for the first time, we’ll offer you a complimentary consultation and case review. Afterward, if you decide to hire one of our attorneys, your attorney will provide their services at no cost unless and until it resolves with a payout. Your attorney will only collect a small fee out of the payout, too.
By offering our services on a contingency basis, we make hiring an attorney affordable for anyone. Additionally, we motivate our attorneys to work hard for their clients.
We’ll tell you more about this arrangement during your free consultation.
Learn More About Our Injury Firm
Our firm benefits from a lot of experience. Our attorneys have over 250 years of combined experience in different areas of personal injury law; a great deal of this experience is in car accident law and wrongful death law.
You can be confident your personal injury attorney in Marksville, LA, will know how to manage your case. Over the years, our Marksville car accident lawyers have managed many cases like yours and recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for our clients. Your lawyer will also fight hard for a fair outcome in your case.
As a personal injury firm, we fight for people injured in accidents and their families. We also fight for people who died in accidents and their families. We understand your situation may be difficult now, but we’ll do everything possible to relieve your financial and legal troubles. You won’t pay us for our services if we can’t serve you successfully.
What Our Clients Would Tell You
Our clients would tell you a lot of what we’ve already told you about us, but they may also tell you about their experience with us. One of our clients shared the following with us:
“We met in the curve, and we hit head-on. I knew the hospital bill would be way more than we could imagine. Digger helped me a lot. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be in the position I am right now. I would have nothing. He took care of everything for me. Digger got me back on my feet.” — Carl, a victim of a car accident involving reckless driving.
Types of Damages You May Be Able to Collect in a Car Accident Lawsuit
Generally, a Marksville car accident lawyer from our firm can help you collect the following damages in a civil lawsuit:
- Medical expenses and other healthcare costs
- Lost wages due to missed work
- Compensation for future inability to work
- Intangible losses, such as pain and suffering
The exact damages from a vehicle collision will vary, so we have further broken down these categories below to provide more insight.
Medical Expenses Associated with Your Injuries
Sometimes, a car accident victim may sustain physical injuries that result in significant healthcare costs. After returning home, they may also need ongoing medical care, rehabilitation, assistive medical devices, or permanent nursing care.
For example, suppose a car accident victim suffers a broken leg and needs to pay for physical therapy sessions to regain strength in that leg. In that case, they may be able to collect compensation to cover that physical therapy. Our team can calculate all your medical expenses based on invoices, bills, and records from your doctors.
Lost Wages During Recovery
In some cases, car accident victims cannot return to work immediately following their accident. They may need to spend additional time in the hospital and recuperating at home. In these cases, a car accident victim may be able to recover damages for their lost wages.
Additionally, if an individual is temporarily or permanently disabled due to their injuries, they may be able to collect compensation for future living expenses. A Marksville car accident attorney from our team can provide further information and assistance regarding claiming and collecting damages for lost wages.
Non-Economic Damages
A successful car accident case can compensate for emotional and other intangible damages, like pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life, in addition to physical damages.
To calculate the extent of these losses in your case, we may:
- Interview your friends and family about your post-accident life and how it compares to your life before the accident
- Ask you to talk about how the injuries have impacted your daily activities
- Examine your long-term prognosis and any lasting effects of your injuries
Damages in a Wrongful Death Lawsuit
Your loved one may have lost their life in a car accident. If so, we’re very sorry for your loss. Your family may be struggling a lot emotionally and financially.
In a wrongful death lawsuit, you can demand the damages your family is experiencing. Such damages may be:
- Loss of family income
- Your loved one’s unresolved medical bills
- Mental anguish
- Loss of spousal support
- Lost parental support
The Prescriptive Period for Car Accident Lawsuits in Louisiana
In Louisiana, someone in a car accident generally has one year to file a lawsuit to recover damages, according to CC Art. 3492. This period begins from the date of the incident. A similar deadline applies to wrongful death lawsuits, though the window begins from the date of the victim’s loss of life.
The one-year time limit applies to lawsuits for physical injuries and property damage. Because of this relatively short timeframe, we advise any individual considering filing a lawsuit after a car accident to contact our team immediately. The support of a Marksville car accident lawyer can be most beneficial when they begin your case as soon as possible. Otherwise, the individual may encounter the following obstacles:
- Crucial evidence from the scene may disappear, such as video footage
- Witnesses may forget important details
- The court can dismiss the case if the individual files past the deadline
Reach Out to Our Law Firm for All Your Legal Needs After a Car Accident in Marksville
If you decide to file a claim or lawsuit, a Marksville, LA, car accident attorney from Laborde Earles could represent your interests and work with you to protect your rights. Your attorney can fight for your due damages while you focus on your recovery.
For assistance with any legal issues arising from your car accident, do not delay. Contact Laborde Earles today and receive a free consultation.
Get The HelpYou Need(318) 310-8922To Schedule a FREE CONSULTATION
24 hours a day • 7 days a week
