If you’ve recently been injured in Youngsville, LA in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, you may be able to recover compensation for your losses. This compensation may help cover lost wages, medical expenses, and other unexpected costs that arise after an accident.
To recover compensation, you will need to pursue a personal injury claim in Youngsville, Louisiana. But this isn’t always as straightforward as it sounds. Hiring an experienced Youngsville personal injury lawyer can help you navigate the claim process and ensure that you fight for the compensation you deserve.
Kenny Habetz Injury Law is here to help. Contact us to schedule a free consultation with our Youngsville personal injury attorney or call our law office at(337) 329-8883.
How Kenny Habetz Injury Law Can Help After a Personal Injury Accident in Youngsville
Kenny Habetz has over a decade of personal injury law experience, and he’s helped his clients recover millions in compensation.
He’s received the following recognitions for his work with personal injury victims:
- National Trial Lawyer Top 100 Trial Lawyer
- National Trial Lawyer Top 40 Under 40
- Expertise Best Car Accident Lawyer in Lafayette
- Expertise Best Personal Injury Lawyers in Lafayette
- Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
When you hire Kenny Habetz Injury Law, we’ll help level the playing field between you and the insurance companies.
Our Youngsville personal injury lawyer will take the following steps while fighting for you to receive the compensation you’re seeking:
- Review your case and identify the at-fault parties
- Gather evidence regarding your claims
- Assess the extent of your damages
- Explain your options and develop a case strategy with you
- Contact the insurance companies and negotiate a settlement on your behalf
- File your case and represent you in court, if necessary
Contact our office to schedule your free consultation and learn more about how we can help after a Youngsville, LA accident.
How Common Are Personal Injury Accidents?
Many personal injury accidents go unreported, or cases are resolved through a confidential settlement. However, data concerning some types of personal injury cases is readily available. For example, the United States has approximately 6 million car accidents each year. There are over 1 million emergency room visits each year related to slip and fall accidents.
What Is My Youngsville Personal Injury Case Worth?
The value of your Youngsville personal injury case will depend on several factors, including the following:
- The extent of your injuries
- The amount of any property damage
- The other damages you incurred, such as lost wages or pain and suffering
- Whether you were also at fault in the accident
- The insurance policy limits
There’s no simple formula for calculating the value of a personal injury claim. When you hire us, we will discuss how these factors impact the value of your claim.
What Kind of Damages Are Available to Personal Injury Victims?
If you were injured in a personal injury accident in Youngsville and another party was responsible for the accident, then you can likely seek damages for your losses. The two main types of damages in personal injury cases are economic and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages refer to the financial costs of an accident or injury.
Economic damages may include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Vehicle or other property damage
- Lost wages
- Loss of earning capacity
- Out-of-pocket expenses
Economic damages are also called tangible damages or special damages. They are usually straightforward to calculate as they relate to specific transactions. You can prove them with evidence such as an invoice, treatment plan, or other documentation.
However, anticipated costs such as future medical expenses or diminished earning capacity may be harder to quantify. They may require the use of an expert witness to prove. If you think you incurred economic damages, an experienced personal injury attorney will be beneficial.
Non-economic Damages
In contrast to economic damages, non-economic damages do not relate to direct financial costs. Instead, they refer to the emotional or psychological consequences of the accident or injury.
Non-economic damages include:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Disability
- Deformity
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of quality of life
Non-economic damages are sometimes called intangible damages or general damages. Given their subjective or intangible nature, calculating the non-economic damages can be much more complex. A seasoned personal injury lawyer can steer you through the process of calculating and proving all of your damages.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Youngsville?
Personal injury lawyers—including ours—usually accept cases on a contingency fee basis. A contingent fee is paid at the end of the case, but only if the client successfully recovers compensation. If the client doesn’t win, the attorney doesn’t get paid.
The amount of the contingency fee is usually between 33% and 40%. The attorney will explain this fee to the client at the beginning of the representation, along with any other costs for which the client may be responsible.
You don’t have to pay any attorney’s fees upfront in a contingency fee arrangement. Thus, contingency fees allow anyone to retain legal representation in their personal injury case, regardless of their financial situation.
Can I Recover Compensation if I’m Being Blamed for a Personal Injury Accident in Louisiana?
Sometimes, multiple parties involved in an accident share responsibility for the accident. In Louisiana, being blamed in part for an accident does not bar you from recovering compensation, though it can reduce your financial award.
Louisiana follows the pure comparative fault approach. Under this approach, each party to an accident is apportioned a percentage of fault. An injured victim may recover damages against another at-fault party, no matter what percentage of fault the victim bears. However, the victim’s ultimate recovery in the case will be reduced by the percentage they were at fault.
For example, if you suffered $100,000 in damages in an accident and were found to be 25% at fault, you could still recover up to 75% of your damages—or $75,000.
How Do I Prove Negligence in My Personal Injury Case in Louisiana?
In most personal injury cases, you will need to prove that the defendant was negligent in causing the accident. To act negligently means failing to exercise reasonable care and caution under the circumstances.
To prove that the defendant was negligent in Louisiana, you must prove the following four elements:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care: A duty of care is a legal obligation to act a certain way toward others or the public.
- The defendant breached the duty of care: Typically, this requires showing that the defendant failed to act reasonably under the circumstances.
- Causation: The defendant was the factual cause and legal cause of your injuries. The “factual cause” means that the accident or injury would not have occurred without the defendant’s actions. The “legal cause” means your actions were reasonably foreseeable consequences of the defendant’s conduct.
- You suffered damages: You suffered injuries or some type of loss due to the accident or injury.
You must prove each of these elements “by a preponderance of the evidence.”
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit in My Personal Injury Case in Louisiana?
Each state provides a deadline for filing an accident or injury lawsuit. In Louisiana, you have one year after an accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. This deadline is called the statute of limitations. Louisiana’s statute of limitations is one of the shortest in the country, so it’s crucial to know the deadline for filing your case here.
If your case is not filed within the one-year statute of limitations, you will not be able to successfully file your lawsuit. This can seriously hinder your ability to collect compensation after an accident. Consider hiring a personal injury lawyer to ensure that your case is filed on time.
Contact Our Youngsville Personal Injury Lawyer for a Free Consultation
If you’re a Youngsville, LA resident who was recently injured in an accident, you may be entitled to compensation to help cover your medical expenses, lost wages, and more. Kenny Habetz Injury Law is here to help you fight for full compensation for all of your injuries.
Contact our office today or call our law office at (337) 329-8883 to schedule a free consultation with our Youngsville personal injury attorney.
