Lafayette Train Accident Lawyer

If you’ve been injured or lost a close family member in a train accident in Lafayette, Louisiana, call Kenny Habetz Injury Law. You have rights as a victim, including the opportunity to demand compensation from the train company, a government agency, or another liable party. Our experienced Lafayette train accident lawyer is ready to help you fight for maximum financial recovery.

Since 2010, victims of mass transit accidents across Louisiana have trusted Kenny Habetz Injury Law. Kenny Habetz is an award-winning trial attorney with over a decade of experience handling complex personal injury disputes. Determined legal strategies and tireless pursuit of justice have helped our law firm recover millions in life-changing financial awards.

Contact our law office in Lafayette, LA, to learn more about how we can help you get compensation after your train accident. We offer a free consultation with our Lafayette train accident attorney, so call us at (337) 399-9000 to get started today.

How Kenny Habetz Injury Law Can Help After a Train Accident in Lafayette, LA

How Kenny Habetz Injury Law Can Help After a Train Accident in Lafayette, LA

What caused your train accident? Is the train company at fault? Who else could be liable? What evidence do you need to prove your case? How much is your train accident case worth? How can you know for sure if the settlement offers you get are fair?

You might not have the resources, experience, or specialized legal knowledge needed to answer these (and other) important questions. That’s where our Lafayette personal injury lawyer can help.

Kenny Habetz Injury Law is here to handle the ins and outs of your train injury claim while you take the time you need to get better.

Choosing Kenny Habetz Injury Law not only gives you time to recover but also puts an award-winning Louisiana trial attorney in your corner. Client-driven strategies and top-dollar recoveries are why Kenny Habetz has been recognized as a Super Lawyer, National Trial Lawyer Top 40 Under 40, Expertise Best Personal Injury Lawyer in Lafayette, and a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum.

Here’s what you can expect from our Lafayette, LA, law firm when you ask for our help with your train accident case.

We will:

  • Investigate your train accident and review the results of other inquiries conducted by the government and/or train company
  • Gather key pieces of evidence throughout the discovery process
  • Depose eyewitnesses to the train accident and other parties with relevant insight into your case
  • Collaborate with expert witnesses and specialists
  • Determine what your train accident damages are worth
  • Be available to answer your questions and guide you throughout the claims process
  • Pursue a significant settlement offer from the train service, its insurance company, and other liable parties during negotiations
  • Argue your train accident lawsuit at trial in Lafayette Parish if you don’t receive a fair settlement offer

Train accidents can be devastating and costly. Kenny Habetz Injury Law is here to make your life easier by representing you on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing to hire our law firm unless we win compensation for your train accident case.

Give us a call today to schedule a free consultation with our Lafayette train accident lawyer. Members of our team are available to help right now.

Are Train Accidents Common in Louisiana?

Every year, dozens of train accidents are reported across the United States. Since 2021, there have been 32 train accidents in the state of Louisiana. 

This includes four collisions, 17 derailments, and four highway-rail crossing accidents.

These train accidents have racked up billions in damages and caused at least three reported injuries.

What Causes Most Train Accidents?

Trains play an instrumental role in Louisiana’s economy. Passenger lines like Amtrak and freight trains navigate the state’s more than 3,000 miles of track every day. However, as with any mode of mass transportation, trains carry certain risks. That’s why the train industry is subject to safety regulations established by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and Louisiana state law.

However, regulations are only effective when they’re followed. All too often, train operators, train companies, and other parties ignore important protocols and make mistakes that cause life-changing accidents.

Specifically, some of the most common causes of train accidents include:

  • Human error
  • Operator inattention
  • Speeding
  • Unprotected crossings
  • Track defects
  • Equipment malfunction or failure
  • Train defects
  • Derailment
  • Collision with a fixed object
  • Collision with a motor vehicle
  • Trespassers
  • Reckless passengers
  • Signal errors

Accidents involving trains are complex. You’ll need to get to the bottom of exactly what went wrong – and why – if you want to be able to recover compensation for resulting damages. Our train accident attorney in Lafayette will carefully investigate your crash to pinpoint the underlying cause. Once we have this critical piece of information, we can develop a strategy to help you secure compensation from those at fault.

Who Could Be Liable for a Train Accident in Lafayette?

Train accidents can happen for a host of different reasons. Most often, they happen because someone is negligent. Ultimately, anyone whose negligence (or otherwise wrongful actions) contributes to a train accident in Lafayette can be responsible for a victim’s resulting damages.

This might include the following:

  • Train operator
  • Train crew member
  • Private train companies like Amtrak
  • Train mechanic
  • Property owner or company responsible for track maintenance
  • Government transit companies like the Lafayette Transit System
  • Train passenger
  • The driver of a motor vehicle
  • Trespasser on the tracks
  • Negligent party’s employer
  • Cargo owners

The company that manufactured the train, a train component, or a track could also be strictly liable if a defect contributed to your train accident.

Leave the tough issues like liability up to Kenny Habetz Injury Law. Our train accident lawyer in Lafayette will pinpoint who’s responsible for your injuries and work to hold them accountable for your suffering. You take this time to concentrate on getting back on your feet.

Common Train Accident Injuries

Several factors can influence the types of injuries you’re most likely to suffer in a train accident.

What type of train accident was it? Were you a passenger on the train, a bystander, or an occupant of another vehicle? At what speed did the train accident occur? Did you have any pre-existing medical issues that made you more vulnerable to catastrophic injuries?

At Kenny Habetz Injury Law, we’re here to help no matter how minor or severe your train accident injuries might be.

Contact our Lafayette, LA, law office if you’ve suffered:

Members of our team are always standing by to answer your questions and schedule a free consultation. Call our Lafayette law office today to discuss the details of your train accident case. 

What Is My Train Accident Case Worth? 

The value of your train accident case will likely depend on the following: 

  • The severity of your injuries 
  • The strength of the evidence 
  • The medical treatment required
  • Time missed from work 
  • Limits on available insurance policies 
  • Your ability to return to work 
  • The impact of your injuries on your overall quality of life

An experienced personal injury attorney can help you evaluate what your train accident case is worth. 

Can I Recover Compensation if I’m Being Blamed for a Train Accident in Louisiana?

Louisiana is a pure comparative negligence state. This rule allows you to still recover compensation, even if you’re partially to blame for the accident. However, your damages are reduced in proportion to your share of fault. 

What Damages Can I Recover After a Lafayette Train Accident?

As the victim of a train accident in Lafayette, Louisiana, you shouldn’t be expected to deal with the resulting consequences on your own. Fortunately, you have the right to seek compensation for the injuries, costs, and suffering you’ve suffered.

Compensatory damages – including both economic and non-economic awards – can be awarded to you through a claim for insurance or a train accident lawsuit.

Economic damages are designed to offset the financial pressure of a train accident, helping to cover costs associated with:

Non-economic damages are designed to help you cope with stresses of your train accident that are much more personal, including:

Punitive damages, which are designed to punish a defendant for particularly reprehensible conduct, can be awarded if your train accident lawsuit makes it to trial. In these limited situations, a jury can award you extra damages if there’s evidence that the defendant acted intentionally or displayed a conscious disregard for your safety.

What is the Statute of Limitations on Train Accident Lawsuits in Louisiana?

You’ll have just two years (effective as of July 1, 2024) from the date of a train accident or a family member’s wrongful death to file a train accident lawsuit in Louisiana. All train accidents prior to July 1, 2024 are subject to a one-year statute of limitations.

The statute of limitations has few exceptions. If you miss the filing deadline, you lose the ability to hold the negligent train company accountable for your life-changing locomotive accident.

Schedule a Free Case Evaluation With a Trusted Lafayette Train Accident Lawyer

You don’t have to stand up to a train company or government agency on your own after a train accident in Lafayette, LA. Call Kenny Habetz Injury Law, and let us fight for you.

Lafayette train accident lawyer Kenny Habetz has over a decade of experience handling complex mass transit accident cases on behalf of victims across the state of Louisiana. His determined approach to litigation has helped him win millions in monetary awards.

Today, our law firm is here to get justice for you, too. Contact our Lafayette law office to arrange your free case evaluation now.