When another driver’s “oops” puts you in an auto accident, you are legally entitled to be compensated for the losses you suffer as a result of that accident. And we believe that you should seek to be justly compensated for your accident – for your own and your family’s well being, and for the long-term safety of everyone else on the road.
Your health is our top priority. Auto accidents don’t just dent metal. If you’re feeling any pain or soreness after an accident, we recommend getting professional medical help as soon as possible. We can help you to find a caring and qualified medical professional to treat you. Seeking treatment as soon as possible is not only important to your health – some insurance adjusters will view a delay in treatment as a demerit on your claim.
We would next evaluate who caused your accident and your potential paths for recovery. Some personal injury attorneys will only take your case if you were hit by a “big rig” or by someone driving for work. This is because trucking companies must carry $1,000,000 insurance policies and employers often have insurance policies that provide additional insurance for their employees’ negligent driving above and beyond the employee’s auto insurance. It is far easier to collect on a judgment against an insurance company than on a judgment against an individual. We want to help people even when recovery is not easy, but we always want our clients to know what they’re likely to be able to recover.
Next, we’d start negotiating your case with the negligent driver’s insurance company. Some people mistakenly believe insurance companies will only give money to “junkyard dog” lawyers. That is why you see so many attorneys advertising variants of “sic’ us on ‘em.” That’s not us. Experience has taught us that insurance companies evaluate cases based on the admissible evidence and the risks it presents at trial. Attorneys who properly work their cases by getting the best available evidence and ensuring it will be admissible at trial can settle cases more effectively if they don’t alienate the insurance adjusters they’re working with.
After we’ve dealt with the insurance adjuster on your case for a while, we’ll be able to let you know how likely it is we’ll be able to get your case settled out of court.
If your medical treatment will take more than a year or the insurance company drags their feet in offering a reasonable settlement, our next step will be to file a lawsuit. Louisiana law requires you to file suit within a year of the date of your accident.
If we file a lawsuit, the dynamic of your case changes. We begin dealing with an opposing attorney rather than the insurance adjuster. In some cases, we can convince the opposing attorney of weaknesses in their case that the adjuster was having trouble seeing. That’s not always the situation though. When the other side for whatever reasons fails to offer you a reasonable settlement, we will take your case to trial and fight to have a jury award you every dollar you deserve for the losses you suffered due to the other driver’s negligence.