Car Wreck Injuries in Baton Rouge, near Gonzales

Information And What To Do

Any car wreck has the potential to cause catastrophic injuries and expensive property damage. After going through a wreck in Baton Rouge, you may wonder what next steps to take to secure your rights and obtain the compensation you need to handle your medical bills and vehicle repairs or replacement. The experienced Baton Rouge car wreck lawyers at Murphy Law Firm are here to help.

Our expert car wreck attorneys have built a reputation based on trust and success across communities in Baton Rouge, Gonzales, New Roads, and more. Our family of clients has grown thanks to referrals from past clients who know they can trust our car wreck lawyers to handle even the most complex car wreck injury cases, insurance complications, and intense litigation. If you believe another driver is responsible for your accident and injuries, it’s vital to understand the process of filing a personal injury claim and have some idea of how to handle insurance companies that attempt to delay or deny your insurance claim.

Car wreck victims who suffer such injuries not only have to contend with the damage to their vehicles, but also expensive medical bills and possibly even ongoing treatments and permanent disabilities. If you are wondering if your recent car accident would qualify for a personal injury lawsuit, your first question should be whether the accident was preventable.

Changing road conditions and sudden hazards can cause accidents that are not the drivers’ fault, but when car wrecks occur due to the negligence of other drivers such as drinking and driving, falling asleep at the wheel, texting and driving, and many more negligent actions, injured victims can pursue compensation for their damages through personal injury claims against those negligent drivers. Let the experts at Murphy Law Firm handle your claim and get you what you deserve! Give us a call or stop by our Baton Rouge law firm to schedule your FREE consultation today!

Louisiana Car Wreck Statistics

Injuries, Deaths & Other Factors

Baton Rouge Statistics

Over the past several years, thousands of car wrecks occurred in Baton Rouge, causing many fatalities:

These Baton Rouge Car Wreck Statistics indicate that the risk of getting into a car wreck is very real for residents of the Baton Rouge area. At Murphy Law Firm our clients can count on the full range of our experience and resources to reach the best possible result in their cases. Car wrecks often involve various types of damages, and our team of personal injury attorneys know how to explore every available channel of compensation on your behalf.

Most Common Car Wreck Injuries in Baton Rouge

Car wrecks that happen at higher speeds have a greater chance of causing fatalities and serious injuries, but even crashes at moderate speeds can cause catastrophic damage. Some of the most common car wreck injuries include:

Broken Bones
Deep Cuts
Burns
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Spinal Cord Injuries
Internal Injuries
Whiplash

Why Do You Need a Car Wreck Lawyer?

In Baton Rouge, Gonzales, and New Roads, Louisiana

If you or a loved one recently suffered injuries or other damages from a car wreck, you may wonder if a Louisiana car wreck lawyer can help. While some private citizens manage to successfully represent their own interests in legal matters, this is extremely rare and generally inadvisable. Pursuing a lawsuit without professional representation can be difficult and overwhelming, especially if you were seriously injured.

There are several important reasons to hire a car wreck lawyer in Louisiana. Speaking with a professional can give you time to heal peacefully, while they take care of filing paperwork and deal with demanding insurance companies.

Often, hiring a car accident attorney will make the opposition approach your case differently. Hiring an attorney shows the other parties involved in your case that you are serious and that you intend to fight for your rights.

Our knowledgabel team of car wreck lawyers do much more than handle the courtroom end of a car wreck case. We also help clients gather critical evidence and ensure that insurance claims adjusters work in good faith to process our clients’ claims.

Imagine this scenario:

A driver is using his cell phone, distracted, and speeding through a residential area. He fails to notice a stop sign and drives through the intersection, striking a car passing through the intersection with the right-of-way. The other driver suffers a concussion and multiple broken bones. The other driver’s car sustains severe damage, resulting in the car insurance company totaling the vehicle.

In this scenario, the at-fault driver’s obligation to follow the rules of the road is his “duty,” and the speeding, cell phone use behind the wheel, and running the stop sign all constitute “breach.” The plaintiff’s totaled car and injuries form the “damage” in the case, and the plaintiff only needs to provide enough evidence to show these damages resulted from the defendant’s careless driving and not some other cause.

While this example is very straightforward, reality is rarely this black and white. Hiring a personal injury attorney will greatly increase an injured driver’s settlement or case award following an accident with a negligent driver. Additionally, the right car accident lawyer will know how to gather the evidence necessary for proving causation and securing the maximum amount of compensation possible for his or her client. Whether the at-fault driver was distracted, drunk, or negligent – our team will customize an approach to your specific scenario.

What is Negligence?

Driver Negligence

Personal injury law hinges on the legal concept of negligence, or one party’s failing to uphold a certain duty of care in a given situation. For example, licensed drivers have a duty of care to other drivers to follow posted traffic signs and obey the traffic laws.

Speeding, aggressive driving, running stop signs, failing to use turn signals, and improper lane changes are a few examples of how drivers can violate or breach their duty of care on the road.

How to Prove Negligence in Baton Rouge

Proving Negligence in a Legal Battle Entails 4 Steps:

Duty: The plaintiff has to prove the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care in the given situation.
Breach: Next, the plaintiff must show the court how the defendant violated this duty.
Causation: The plaintiff can only sue for the direct results of the defendant’s negligence, so the plaintiff must prove his or her.
Damage: The plaintiff can only sue if he or she suffered damages, or actual harm.

FAQs About Car Wrecks in Baton Rouge

How Long After a Car Wreck Can You Claim an Injury?

In the State of Louisiana, if you’ve been involved in any type of wreck that results in an injury, you have exactly one year from the date of the discovery of the injury to file a lawsuit. Reporting an injury as soon as you discover it will raise your chances for compensation much higher.

Do I have to Report a Car Wreck to the Police?

If you are involved in a car wreck, it is required by Louisiana State Law to report the crash to the local police if there was at least 500 dollars worth of property damage or if anyone was injured or killed. Failure to report an accident can result in jail time and fines up to $100. You must also file a written report with the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections if more than 100 dollars worth of property damage occurred or anyone was injured or killed. Accidents are required to be reported within 24 hours.

How Do You Get a Police Report After a Car Wreck?

In order to receive a police report after a car wreck, you must first report the accident to the police immediately after it occurs. The police will arrive at the scene and document all the important details of the incident, which you may need later in court. There are 2 options in which you can obtain a police report in Louisiana. One way to obtain the report is by contacting the law enforcement agency, municipal police department, or police officer who responded at the scene and request a copy from them. Another option is to go to the Louisiana State Police Statewide Crash Reports website and request a copy of the car accident online. Both options do require paying a fee for the report.

What To Do After a Car Wreck in Baton Rouge?

There are several important steps to take after you’ve been in a car wreck. Immediately after any car crash occurs, check the health and safety of all parties involved and call 911 if necessary. Next, move quickly to gather as much information through photos, witness statements, and personal accounts as possible. The more details you can get, the better. This is also the time you will need to fill out a police report. Lastly, be sure to contact a Baton Rouge Car Wreck Lawyer.

Louisiana’s Car Wreck Laws

Louisiana Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Claims

Louisiana state laws contain a few issues that drivers should know before engaging in any type of legal battle. First, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims is much shorter in Louisiana than most other states. Injured plaintiffs in any type of personal injury situation only have one year from the date of an injury, or the date of discovery of an injury, to file a lawsuit. It’s crucial to act quickly after a car accident to have the best chance of securing compensation for your damages.

Louisiana Pure Comparative Negligence Law

Louisiana also follows a pure comparative negligence law . Many states use a modified comparative negligence law that allows plaintiffs to secure compensation for damages for which they are partially at fault, up to 50%. Louisiana’s pure comparative negligence law instead allows plaintiffs to secure compensation even if they are 99% at fault for an accident – they would simply secure 1% of the claimed amount.

Louisiana’s pure comparative negligence law highlights another important reason for hiring a car accident attorney: The average person may not know how to fight a claim of partial fault. Handling such a case requires extensive knowledge of state laws, evidence gathering, and testimony from eyewitnesses and possibly even expert witnesses. If a vehicle defect causes an accident, a lawyer can help navigate the subsequent product liability claim against the manufacturer. Some car accident cases wind up involving multiple defendants, cross claims, counterclaims, and many other situations best left to trained car accident attorneys.

Car Wreck Lawyer in Baton Rouge, Louisiana