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 personal 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 Personal 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 law firm can help you pursue fair and just monetary compensation for your damages. Our office 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 accident that was caused by someone else, you may 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 in order to improve or correct. Some common injuries sustained by accident victims in Lafayette truck accidents include the following:
- 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 Personal Injury Lawyers as soon as possible. Our experienced legal team can work toward helping you obtain the monetary recovery you deserve in order 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 9-1-1 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 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 personal injury claim or lawsuit later on.
Speak to witnesses at the scene – If any 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 witness’ 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 into a police report. When a trucking company disputes liability—or fault—in a truck accident case, 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 in order to get checked out. You should either go in an ambulance or have someone you trust 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 so as 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 with regard to 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.
Retain legal counsel – 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 Personal Injury
Open a claim against the negligent truck driver/trucking company – Following your accident your attorney 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 which you sustained 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 give the insurance company an opportunity 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 personal injury claims.
Negotiating a settlement in a personal injury case is an art and involves careful strategy. The team of Lafayette truck accident attorneys and legal professionals at Stewart J. Guss Personal Injury Lawyers will emphasize the strengths of your case and downplay any weakness, in an effort to obtain a favorable settlement offer in your case. 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.
Taking a Truck Accident Case to Trial
The Lafayette legal team at Stewart J. Guss Personal 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 case to trial and can help you make an informed decision about how to proceed forward with your case.
Important Witnesses in Truck Accident Cases
When it comes to taking a Lafayette truck accident case 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 wages/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 wages that the accident victim is expected to incur.
- Vocational rehabilitation experts – In some cases, the injuries which 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 as to an accident victim’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 Personal 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 Case
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. In order to prove that you are entitled to monetary recovery, you must be able to show that your injuries directly resulted from the truck accident. 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 attorneys and legal professionals at Stewart J. Guss Personal Injury Lawyers are ready and willing to help you with pursuit of your case.
Stewart J. Guss Personal 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 for your to schedule a free 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 a DIME unless we win your case. Let the experienced personal injury law team at Stewart J. Guss Personal Injury Lawyers assist you with recovering fair and just closure for your case today. 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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