Numerous high-speed motorways, including Interstate 10, surround the southern Louisiana city of Lafayette. Tractor-trailers, big rigs, 18-wheelers, and other large commercial vehicles heavily traverse these roadways.
Due to their large sizes and fast speeds, the drivers of large trucks and tractor-trailers sometimes believe themselves to be the “kings of the road.”
However, this thinking can lead to hurried and careless driving, which in turn can result in serious accidents and injuries.
If you were injured in a Lafayette, Louisiana, accident, time is of the essence in your case. This is because the statute of limitations in Louisiana is only one year from the date on which the accident occurred.
This statute of limitations fully applies to Lafayette truck accidents. In other words, if you do not timely file a claim or lawsuit for injuries arising from your accident, you cannot pursue monetary compensation later on in your case.
Helping Truck Accident Victims in Lafayette Obtain Monetary Damages for Their Injuries
Primary Louisiana Office Location: 400 Poydras Tower, #1975, New Orleans, 70130
If you suffered injuries at the hands of a negligent Lafayette truck driver, seek legal counsel as soon as possible.
The team of experienced legal professionals at Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers can review your case and injuries with you and take the necessary legal steps to safeguard your case from the statute of limitations.
Our truck accident lawyers in Lafayette can help you pursue fair and just monetary compensation for your damages when an at-fault trucker causes your car accident.
Our law firm is available for your free consultation, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 800-898-4877, or you may contact us now by CLICKING HERE.
National Trucking Accident Attorney Stewart J. Guss discusses trucking safety on national news with Mike Papantonio on America’s Lawyer
Common Injuries Suffered in a Truck Accident
If you have been involved in a Lafayette truck crash that was caused by someone else, the chances are you have sustained injuries.
While some injuries, at least initially, are barely noticeable, others may require months or even years of medical treatment, physical therapy, or medical procedures to improve or correct your truck accident injuries.
The following are some common injuries sustained in a semi truck accident
- Soft tissue whiplash injuries
- Severe head injuries
- Scarring and abrasions
- Facial contusions
- Knee injuries
- Broken bones
- Paralysis and spinal cord injuries
- Death
If you or a loved one has sustained any of these injuries, you should contact the team of Lafayette truck accident attorneys and legal professionals at Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers as soon as possible.
Our experienced truck crash lawyers can work toward helping you obtain the monetary recovery you deserve to make you whole again.
Steps to Take Following a Truck Accident
There are certain steps that every accident victim should take following a serious truck accident. Those actions include the following:
Call emergency services - Immediately following your involvement in a truck accident, you should call 911 and summon emergency responders (e.g., police, ambulance, fire, etc.) to the accident scene. If you are incapacitated or otherwise unable to call emergency services on your own, you should have someone call for you.
Exchange insurance information with all other involved drivers - Following your involvement in a Lafayette truck accident, you should immediately exchange your driver’s license and insurance information with all of the other drivers involved in the accident, including the truck driver.
This information is necessary in the event you plan to initiate a truck collision claim or lawsuit later on.
Speak to witnesses at the scene - If there are any eyewitnesses still present at the accident scene—and if you are able—you should speak to them about what they observed in the accident, including vehicle directions and vehicle speeds.
You should also record all witnesses’ contact information, including telephone numbers and email addresses. In the event the trucking company’s insurer disputes fault for the accident, these witnesses could become very important.
Speak to a police officer about what happened in the accident - You should speak to an on-scene police officer about your version of what happened in the truck accident.
You should also make sure that the police officer memorializes what you say in a police report. When a trucking company disputes liability—or fault—in a truck accident claim, the police report can become an important piece of evidence.
The police officer who came to the accident scene may also be able to testify as a witness if the case proceeds to trial.
Visit the emergency room - Immediately after your involvement in a Lafayette truck accident, you should visit a local emergency room to get checked out.
You should either go in an ambulance or have someone you trust to drive you there. While there, you should be thorough about all of the pain and symptoms you are experiencing.
Even if you are not experiencing significant pain or discomfort following a truck accident, you should still follow up with a medical provider.
This is because symptoms of injuries usually do not appear until a day or more after the accident occurred.
If you do not seek this initial medical care, it will appear as though your injuries were not all that significant to warrant monetary compensation.
Follow the emergency room doctor’s treatment recommendations - The emergency room doctor will often prepare a list of discharge instructions to be given to the patient at the time they are discharged home.
You should be sure to follow all of these treatment recommendations, especially concerning future medical care and treatment.
For example, if the emergency room doctor recommends that you follow up with your primary care doctor or physical therapist, you should do so as soon as possible.
Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer - Retain an experienced Lafayette truck accident law firm to assist you with your case ASAP. The knowledgeable team of truck accident attorneys and legal professionals at Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers
Our experienced attorneys have represented hundreds of victims of truck accidents and we know the ropes of negotiating and litigating these serious accident cases.
Our team will advocate for you and can handle all of your case’s legal aspects. This will allow you all the time you need to get better and recover from your injuries.
Open a claim against the negligent truck driver or the trucking company - Following your accident, your semi-truck lawyer should not delay in filing a claim against the responsible truck driver and/or the employer trucking company.
Trucking companies are generally deep-pocketed, and there is usually more than enough insurance coverage on the line to compensate you for the injuries and damages that you received in your accident.
If an insurance adjuster from the trucking company contacts you about giving a recorded statement, you should not do so—even if the adjuster insists that you are required to provide one.
The only reason for a recorded statement is to potentially allow the insurance company to uncover something negative that it can use against you.
You should never agree to provide a recorded statement without having a lawyer present with you, either in person or on the phone.
Negotiating a Truck Accident Claim
After retaining a personal injury law firm, and contemplating all of your necessary treatment, your legal team will begin settlement negotiations, usually with the insurance adjuster for the trucking company.
Trucking companies usually have millions of dollars worth of insurance coverage at their disposal. However, insurance companies will do everything in their power to safeguard this insurance money and keep you from getting it.
The goal of every insurance company is to keep as much of its money in-house and to pay out as little as possible in injury claims.
Negotiating a settlement in a personal injury case is an art and involves careful strategy. The team of Lafayette semi-truck accident attorneys and legal professionals at Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers will emphasize the strengths of your case to obtain a favorable settlement offer.
If the insurance company is not forthcoming with a favorable settlement offer, our litigation team is prepared to file suit in your case and fight for your case up through and including a jury trial.
Can I Sue for a Semi-Truck Accident in Lafayette?
Filing a Lawsuit After a Truck Accident
Just because a legal complaint has been filed in the Louisiana court system does not necessarily mean that your truck injury case will proceed forward to trial.
However, following the completion of the discovery process, if your case is still not in a position to settle favorably, you may decide to take your truck accident case to trial.
Taking a case to trial has its advantages and disadvantages. In some cases, a jury may end up giving the accident victim more than what the insurance company had offered to settle the case. In other instances, however, the jury may award far less.
The Lafayette Parish, LA legal team at Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers has successfully taken hundreds of these cases to trial.
When the time comes, our team of attorneys and legal professionals can discuss with you the potential advantages and disadvantages of taking your truck accident claim to trial and can help you make an informed decision about how to proceed with your case.
Important Witnesses in Truck Accident Claims
When it comes to taking a Lafayette truck accident claim to trial, various individuals can serve as potential witnesses in your case. Those individuals include the following:
- Eyewitnesses to the accident - Eyewitnesses to the trucking accident can testify about what they observed and about who likely caused the accident.
- Expert medical providers - An expert medical provider may be able to connect certain injuries to the accident and may be able to testify that the accident victim sustained a permanent injury or impairment as a direct result of the accident.
- Economists - An economist may be able to testify as to the amount of lost wages or lost income that an accident victim lost because of injuries sustained in the accident. An economist may also be able to testify as to future lost earnings that the injured victim is expected to incur even in a wrongful death claim.
- Vocational rehabilitation experts - In some cases, the injuries that an accident victim sustains can prevent him or her from working at the same job—and in some serious accident cases—in the same career. A vocational rehabilitation expert may be able to testify to a person’s loss of income as a result of having to switch jobs or careers.
When necessary or appropriate, the team of attorneys and legal professionals at Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers can retain the necessary experts at trial to help you prevail in your case and obtain the monetary recovery you deserve.
Recovering Damages in a Truck Accident Claim
The goal of any personal injury claim or trial is to obtain monetary compensation that fully and fairly compensates you for everything that you went through following a Lafayette truck accident.
To prove that you are entitled to monetary recovery, you must be able to show that your injuries directly resulted from the 18-wheeler wreck.
In that case, you may be able to recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, mental anguish, and permanency.
Contact a Lafayette, Louisiana Truck Accident Attorney Today to Discuss Your Case
Truck accidents that occur at the hands of negligent truck drivers can wreak havoc on a person’s life. If you have been injured in a Lafayette truck accident, you need a law firm that can represent your legal interests every step of the way.
The Lafayette truck accident lawyers and legal professionals at Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers are ready and willing to help you with the pursuit of your case.
Stewart J. Guss Injury Lawyers consists of a team of nationally acclaimed legal professionals who have protected the rights of injured victims for more than 20 years.
If you were injured in a truck accident in Lafayette, call our office to schedule a free initial consultation.
In personal injury cases, there are no hourly fees. Rather, our attorneys and legal professionals operate under a contingency fee agreement.
This means that you will not owe us anything unless we win your case. Let our experienced Lafayette truck accident lawyers assist you with recovering fair and just closure for your case.
We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so call us today at 800-898-4877 or contact us now by CLICKING HERE.
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