There are a few things that need to be done to get your medical bills paid for after a Louisiana truck accident:
- Establishing Negligence
- Calculating Damages
- Negotiating a Settlement
- Hire a Truck Accident Attorney to Help You Get the Compensation You Deserve
How can I pay my Medical Bills From My Louisiana Truck Accident Injuries?
If you’ve been the victim of a Louisiana truck accident, you could be severely injured and facing a long road to recovery. On top of the physical pain, mental anguish, and social isolation a catastrophic injury can wreak on its victim, you could also be facing mountains of medical bills from your hospital visit and follow-up treatment. If you find yourself in this situation after a truck accident in Louisiana, there are avenues available to help you.
Call the experienced truck accident attorneys at Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys for a free consultation and to understand your legal rights. We can help you manage your medical expenses and pursue compensation for your injuries from the liable party.
Understanding Louisiana Law and Liability
Under Louisiana law, individuals and entities that act negligently and cause harm to another can be held responsible under tort law, or personal injury law. The injured party, or plaintiff, can seek remuneration for the damages they’ve suffered due to the other party’s negligence.
However, you’ll need to establish that the other party was acting negligently, caused the accident, and that your injuries were caused by the accident, in order to collect the compensation you need to heal from your injuries. Experienced lawyers with Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys can help you establish negligence and get you back on your feet.
Establishing Negligence
In order to win compensation for your damages, you must prove that the defendant acted negligently and caused your accident. Legally, this means that we must prove the following four points:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care. When driving, every driver owes a duty of care to every other road user to drive safely and predictably.
- The defendant breached their duty, either by driving recklessly, driving under the influence, driving drowsy or distracted, or otherwise neglecting to follow the rules of the road.
- This breach of duty caused the accident to occur.
- The plaintiff or victim suffered harm as a result of this accident. Harm can take many different forms, including economic damages like hospital bills and lost wages, and non-economic damages like mental anguish and a loss of enjoyment of life.
Calculating Damages
Your lawyer will also help you calculate the extent of your damages and craft a demand letter to send to the defendant and insurance. This letter will contain a detailed breakdown of the damages you’ve suffered and their associated costs. Damages typically fall within two broad categories:
- Economic damages, also known as special damages, refer to things like medical bills, lost wages, and property damage, which can be assigned a discrete monetary value. We’ll use your bills, pay stubs, and other documentation to determine the value of these damages.
- Non-economic damages, or general damages, are those which are much harder or even impossible to quantify. These damages include your mental anguish and physical pain due to your injuries, as well as ongoing conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a loss of enjoyment of life due to an inability to do things you previously enjoyed.
Negotiating a Settlement
It’s never a good idea to try and negotiate your truck accident injury settlement yourself. Trucking companies and their insurance companies have full legal teams with the experience and funding to fight providing you with the compensation you need to heal. Remember—even your insurance company is ultimately concerned more about their bottom line than your health or well-being, so the initial settlement they offer will almost never be the actual amount you deserve.
Hiring a personal injury lawyer is a good way to ensure you’ll receive the compensation you actually deserve. Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys have decades of experience negotiating with insurance companies and third parties to win our clients the full compensation they need to pay for their damages and move on with their lives. We’re confident we can help you get the funds you need—if we don’t win your case, you won’t owe us a dime.
Filing a Truck Accident Lawsuit
Thankfully, the vast majority of personal injury claims are resolved before going to court. However, if insurance is refusing to pay out fair compensation, or if the trucking company refuses to admit liability in your case, we can file a lawsuit on your behalf and argue your case in court.
The Role of a Truck Accident Attorney
Why hire a truck accident attorney? We have the experience and training to take on the trucking company and win. When you sign with us, we’ll help take care of the legal side while you focus on healing. Here are some of the services we provide our clients:
- Investigation of the crash, including procuring police and medical reports, interviewing witnesses, and inspecting the scene
- Paperwork filing to ensure your claim moves forward in a timely manner
- Interviewing experts in medicine and crash reconstruction to build your case
- Writing a demand letter to the insurance
- Negotiating your settlement
- Advocating for your interests every step of the way
Don’t face the future alone. Call a personal injury lawyer with Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys for a free consultation today. A dedicated attorney will listen to your story and get you the help you need.
INJURED?
GET HELP NOW!
