car accident injury lawyer near me
If you or a loved one needs a platform drilling, offshore injury, or personal injury attorney anywhere in Louisiana, call us immediately. The initial consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to handle your case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we are only paid if there is a recovery.
WHAT IS MY CASE WORTH?
One of the often asked questions about a personal injury claim is “What is my injury worth?” Unfortunately, the answer is not very satisfying. For most people, no amount of money is enough to pay for their injury. Money cannot heal broken bodies; money cannot restore a person’s dignity and a feeling of self-worth; money cannot bring back a lost loved one.
That being said, money is about the only way we have of trying to make up for an injury or a loss of life. This means that someone must place a value on each injury, each life, and there are some very harsh realities when that happens. Figuring out how much your accident injuries are worth is a critical aspect of any personal injury claim, and it’s the part of a claim that is most difficult to determine; the amount varies depending on your very particular circumstances.
WHAT AN INSURANCE COMPANY MUST COMPENSATE
To determine what your claim is worth, you must first know the types of damages for which you may be compensated. Usually, a person who is liable for an accident — and therefore his or her liability insurance company — must pay an injured person for:
- medical care and related expenses
- income lost because of the accident, because of time spent unable to work or undergoing treatment for injuries
- permanent physical disability or disfigurement
- loss of family, social, and educational experiences, including missed school or training, vacation or recreation, or a special event
- emotional damages, such as stress, embarrassment, depression, or strains on family relationships — for example, the inability to take care of children, anxiety over the effects of an accident on an unborn child, or interference with sexual relations, and damaged property
If you have been injured in an accident, it is important to speak with a qualified attorney that can help you in determining your claim’s worth. Every case is different and it is important to let your attorney help in deciding what is fair and just.
HOW WILL MY BILLS GET PAID?
Let’s talk about how medical bills can get paid if you’re involved in a personal injury accident. Medical bills can be paid in various ways. First and foremost, we would look at the type of automobile coverage that you have on your own vehicle to see if you have med pay coverage. If you have med pay coverage, then this may allow you to file your medical bills with your auto insurer and then seek reimbursement from the at-fault liability carrier. Secondly, at Haik, Minvielle, Grubbs & D’Albor, we’ll bend over backward for our client, and if that means paying for medical bills, well then that’s what we’ll do. There are various ways to assist the client. We can take out a client loan, pay the medical bills directly, we can assist with MRIs, we can assist you with your prescriptions, we can also assist you with your doctor’s appointments.
Whatever it may be, we’re willing to assist our clients with their medical needs. Again, there are various ways, and some of that depends on if the client even has health insurance. If a client has health insurance, then we may advise that you file your bills with the health insurance carrier. Then we will seek reimbursement from your health insurance carrier at the end of the case.
SHOULD I GIVE A RECORDED STATEMENT?
Oftentimes, when you’re in an accident, whether it be a car accident, you’re hurt offshore, or you get hurt at work, someone from your company, or your company’s insurance company, may want to take a written or recorded statement from you. Now, there’s nothing that says you should not necessarily give a recorded statement; however, keep in mind that any statement that you give to an insurance company before you speak with a lawyer could be used against you at a later date.
The good rule of thumb is before giving a statement to anyone, call your lawyer, speak about it, and if need be and you feel like you need to give that statement, your lawyer can at least be present to make sure that your rights are protected.
WHAT SHOULD I DO WHEN I HAVE AN ACCIDENT?
You’ve just been rear-ended, now what do you do? First, you need to take care of your physical safety and make sure that you’re okay. But if you’re able to, here are some important things to remember to do. You should always take a picture. Most of us have cell phones now that have cameras. If you’re able to, take a picture of the damage and then the accident scene as soon as you can. You should also talk to the police officer and give them your full cooperation. Make sure that everyone that was there, look for eyewitnesses, and make sure they give their name to the police officer.
After that, if you need to seek medical treatment, go to a hospital, go to a local doctor and get the help you need to document your injuries. The day after, you’re going to feel worse than the day before. In most cases, the muscles start to become sore, you tighten up and you can probably have a hard time getting off the couch or out of bed. This is when you know you’ve really been injured. What are you supposed to do? It’s important that you continue to go to the doctor and get treatment. You’ve been injured through no fault of your own. Sometimes the insurance companies might want to make you feel like you’ve done something wrong, but you haven’t. Document your injuries by going to the doctor, getting the medicines filled, and as hard as it might be, taking it easy and take time to get better. In the end, you’ll be compensated for the time you may have lost from work for your pain and suffering.
What you do need to do is be careful about talking to the other insurance company. They want to take your statement, they want to do it for one reason, they want to try to pin you down as to what happened. They want to try to get you to minimize your injuries. You need to keep all your documentation: medical pills, prescription pills, estimates from your damages, and those pictures that we talked about. It’s very important that you keep all that and use that as evidence in the future. At some point in time, you may want to talk to a lawyer. If so, we will be glad to talk to you on the first day or whenever you need us.
