Lafayette Personal Injury Attorneys

Personal injury law deals with compensation for a person harmed as the result of another’s negligence. Various negligent acts fall within the scope of these lawsuits: car and truck accidents, pedestrian accidents, dog bites, premises liability, defective products, dangerous drugs, wrongful death, and many others. Damages suffered can range from minor lacerations to traumatic injuries that bring lifelong medical and psychological expenses.

If you were harmed because of another party’s negligence, you deserve compensation for your injuries, and a skilled attorney can help you fight for it. A compassionate Lafayette personal injury lawyer will investigate your case, assess all your present and future damages, and work tirelessly to ensure you receive the financial recovery that you’re owed.

Proving Negligence for Injury Claims

The state’s negligence laws are codified in Louisiana Civil Code Section 2315 (A). For you to succeed in your personal injury claim, you must prove the following elements of negligence:

Duty: the defendant owed you a duty of care
Breach: the defendant breached that duty
Cause in fact: if not for the defendant’s breach, you wouldn’t have been injured
Proximate cause: the defendant’s breach caused your injury
Damages: you were injured and suffered a loss

A knowledgeable personal attorney could further explain these legal concepts and help you effectively pursue your claim.

Pure Comparative Fault Rule

Louisiana follows the pure comparative fault rules laid out in LA Civ Code 2323. Essentially, if the plaintiff contributes in any part to their own injuries, then their final damages will be reduced in proportion to their degree of fault. For example, if you were speeding when you were hit by the defendant who ran a red light, and the jury decides you are 10% responsible for the collision, your damages will be reduced by 10%. For instance, if you were awarded $10,000 in damages, your final damages would be reduced by $1000.

A skilled local attorney familiar with comparative negligence can fight any allegations of partial fault on your behalf. This is crucial to ensure that you can recover the maximum amount of damages.

What Damages Can You Collect After an Accident?

If you were injured, you could potentially recover both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are quantifiable and cover medical bills (both present and future), lost wages, pain, and suffering, and property repairs.

Non-economic damages include emotional and psychological damages such as:

Pain and suffering
Physical impairment
Emotional and mental distress
Disfigurement
Loss of enjoyment of life
Loss of companionship
Loss of consortium

A Lafayette attorney can investigate your injury case and bring in medical and financial experts to testify on the extent of your damages.

Damages Cap

There isn’t generally a cap on compensation for damages in injury claims. However, some exceptions are best to go over with a qualified attorney practicing personal injury law in Lafayette.

Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Claims

LA Civ Code 3492 states that an injured party only has one year from the accident date to file their claim. If you fail to file within this one-year window, your lawsuit could be barred, causing you to lose your right to compensation.

Exceptions to Statute of Limitations

While the statute of limitations is generally a hard rule, some exceptions may benefit an injured party in certain circumstances.

If the injured person was a minor at the time of the accident, the statute of limitations will pause until their 18th birthday.

In addition, if you were injured but didn’t know the extent or nature of the injury, the statute of limitations won’t run until the injury can reasonably be discovered.

An experienced local lawyer who knows the statute of limitations can help ensure your claim is filed in a timely manner to preserve your right to damages.

Call a Skilled Lafayette Personal Injury Attorney Today

Investing your time into a truck-driving career is typically an excellent investment, yielding a fair amount of income to provide for yourself and your loved ones. Any time you are involved in an accident, performing your job-related duties can become extraordinarily difficult if not impossible.

If you were recently a part of a trucking accident that can be attributed to the negligence of another party or individual, the laws of Louisiana may work in your favor.

Your medical bills can weigh heavy on you, and getting too far behind can put you financially and mentally in a bad place. With our eagerness to assist and free claim review, the reasons not to call are limited. So pick up your telephone and dial (225) 819-3737 today.