Lafayette Truck Accident Lawyer

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Were you or a loved one injured in a truck accident in Lafayette, Louisiana? The truck accident lawyers at Kenny Habetz Injury Law will help you every step of the way, call us at (337) 399-9000.

You might have the ability to file a claim for compensation against the responsible driver. In that claim, you can pursue a monetary award for your pain and suffering, repair bills, medical costs, and other types of losses.

Our founding Lafayette truck accident lawyer, Kenny Habetz, has more than ten years of experience practicing law. In that time, he’s helped his deserving clients recover millions of dollars in compensation for their injuries in cases involving car accidents, Lafayette motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, Lafayette brain injury cases, and more.

He and the rest of our personal injury law firm are confident that we can help you too.

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How Kenny Habetz Injury Law Can Help With Your Lafayette Truck Accident Claim

Trucks are generally the largest vehicles on the road at any given time; in some ways, they are some of the most prone to accidents. Commercial truck drivers, in particular, are often fatigued or on a time crunch, which can lead to poor decision-making and driving ability. In addition, these trucks have sizable blind spots that make it more challenging for them to notice other vehicles at times.

Regardless of how your accident occurred, Kenny Habetz Injury Law can help you obtain the compensation you need to be made whole again.

When you hire our Lafayette personal injury lawyer to take on your case, you’ll level the playing field with the other party, especially if an insurance company is involved.

Insurance adjusters are trained to minimize the value of your claim; we won’t let them get away with that. We can do the following to assist with your case if you choose our personal injury law firm to represent you:

Conduct an investigation into your case to identify the liable party or parties, as well as collect the evidence required to prove your claim
Hire experts to go over your case and increase the strength of your compensation claim
Negotiate a fair settlement on your behalf and take your case to court if the other side refuses to arrive at an adequate amount

Whether you’re ready to begin forming an attorney-client relationship or just want to learn more about how we can help, contact our law office today in Lafayette, LA. Your initial case review is free of charge, and there are no strings attached.

How Often Do Truck Accidents Occur in Lafayette Parish?

The Center for Analytics and Research in Transportation Safety (CARTS), part of Louisiana State University (LSU), publishes detailed statistics for almost every type of motor vehicle accident across the state. The data for truck accidents in Lafayette Parish over the past three years are as follows:

2022 (as of December): 38 injury-causing truck accidents
2021: 75 injury-causing truck accidents
2020: 76 injury-causing truck accidents

Based on these figures, there is a truck accident resulting in an injury in Lafayette Parish around every 5-7 days, on average.

How Valuable Is My Lafayette Truck Accident Case?

The value of your Lafayette truck accident case will hinge on the facts and circumstances involved. Though the cases involving the most catastrophic injuries (or even the wrongful death of a loved one) are usually worth the most, the calculation is more complicated than that. Other factors that could affect how much your case is valued include:

How old you were at the time of the truck crash
Whether you’ll make a full medical recovery from your injuries
How much of the blame you share for the accident
The amount of evidence available to prove your claim
The extent to which you’ve missed work due to the accident

Ultimately, the best way to find out your case’s value is to contact a Lafayette truck accident lawyer. An attorney can look at the facts of your case and provide you with a more personalized estimate.

Common Causes of Truck Accidents in Lafayette, LA

Some causes of truck accidents in Lafayette, Louisiana, are more prevalent than others. These include, but are not limited to:

Fatigued driving
Distracted driving
Poor weather or road conditions
Defective parts or machinery
Drunk or intoxicated driving
Negligent hiring practices
Violating Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulations
Oversized cargo loads
Speeding

Reach out to Kenny Habetz Injury Law today for legal advice and assistance with your truck accident case, no matter how it was caused.

What Damages Can I Recover from a Truck Accident Claim in Louisiana?

After a truck crash in Louisiana, you can recover economic damages as well as non-economic damages.

Economic damages are for your financial losses, such as:

Medical bills
Rehabilitation
Repair costs
Out-of-pocket expenses

Non-economic damages are for the other losses you may have experienced, including:

Emotional anguish
Pain and suffering
Scarring and disfigurement
PTSD, anxiety, and other similar types of conditions

You might also be able to collect punitive damages after a truck accident, but only in rare cases where the at-fault party acted outrageously and was also intoxicated at the time of the crash.

Can I Still Receive Compensation if the Truck Accident in Lafayette Was Partially My Fault?

Yes – you can. Louisiana follows a pure comparative negligence standard when it comes to the issue of contributory fault.

The way pure comparative negligence works is that each party involved in the case will be assigned a percentage of fault, and your financial award as the victim could be reduced based on your percentage. So if you are awarded $100,000 but are found to be 30% at fault, that amount could be reduced to $70,000.

Because this doctrine can impact the value of your claim so heavily, it’s important that you have a lawyer in your corner. With the help of a skilled Lafayette personal injury attorney, the other side won’t be able to get away with unfairly blaming you for the accident.

How Do I Prove Liability in a Truck Accident Case?

Most truck accident cases require you to prove that the at-fault driver was negligent. You might also be able to hold the trucking company itself liable for negligence under a theory of vicarious liability. There are four legal elements required to establish negligence:

Duty of Care – Were you owed a duty of care, given the situation? Drivers owe a duty of care to other drivers in terms of obeying the laws of the road, for example.
Breach of Duty – Did the other driver’s actions or inactions amount to a violation of that duty? Running a red light is an instance where this element is likely satisfied.
Causation (proximate and factual) – Did the other driver cause the accident, and did they cause it in a foreseeable way?
Damages – Did you suffer losses as a result of the accident?

Other truck accident cases, such as those based on a defective part, may be based on strict liability instead of negligence. In these instances, you won’t have to prove that the other party was negligent. Primarily, you will just need to demonstrate that the product was defective and that the party had a hand in its production or sale.

As the personal injury victim, you have the burden of proof to supply evidence in support of the elements of negligence (or strict liability). Forms of evidence you can provide include medical records, eyewitness testimony, and pictures and videos of the accident. The standard of proof you must meet is “by a preponderance of the evidence,” meaning you must show it is more likely true than not that each element is met.

Our Lafayette truck accident attorney can help you with your case regardless of the cause of action it entails, and we’ll conduct a comprehensive investigation to collect evidence in support of your case. Call us today for further information.

How Much Time Do I Have To File My Truck Accident Lawsuit in the State of Louisiana?

In Louisiana, as per state law, you’ll usually have just one year from the date of the truck accident to file your lawsuit. If you file your lawsuit too late, the court will refuse to hear your case, and you won’t be able to collect compensation.

There are possible exceptions to this deadline; feel free to contact our law office if you’re unsure of whether you still have time to file a lawsuit in your case. We can fill you in during your free consultation.

Schedule a Free Case Review With a Trusted Lafayette Truck Accident Attorney

Experiencing a truck accident is never easy for you and the rest of your family. It might seem like the situation has no end in sight and that you’ll never be able to fully recover.

If you hire Kenny Habetz Injury Law to help with your case, you’ll be able to focus on what’s most important: your health and well-being. In the meantime, we will vigorously fight to hold the at-fault party responsible for their actions. We’ll be able to take care of virtually every aspect related to your claim for compensation.

Call or contact us online today to set up a free consultation with our experienced Lafayette truck accident attorney.

Lafayette Auto Repair Shops

Tire Choice Auto Service Centers – 2014 NE Evangeline Thruway Lafayette, LA 70501
Dave’s Car Care Center – 1400 W Pinhook Rd Lafayette, LA 70503
Chabill’s Tire & Auto Service – 2306 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy Lafayette, LA 70506
Express Oil Change & Tire Engineers – 2964 Johnston St Lafayette, LA 70503

Lafayette Emergency Rooms

Orthopedic Urgent Care – 4231 Ambassador Caffery Pkwy Ste 102 Lafayette, LA 70508
MinuteMed Walk-In Clinic – 3619E Ambassador Caffery Pkwy Lafayette, LA 70506
Lafayette General Medical Center – 1214 Coolidge St Lafayette, LA 70503

*Disclaimer – we do not endorse these companies or profit from having them listed on our website.