What Can a Louisiana Lawyer Do for Me in My Injury Case?

   An injured person in Louisiana may ask himself or herself, “What can a personal injury lawyer do for me?” This is a normal, expected question. Any thinking person should ask it. Broadly speaking, a personal injury attorney’s priority to a client is to help that client recover compensation for an injury caused by the negligence of another person and/or entity. How that help manifests will depend on the complexity of the case, scope of injuries, quality of representation, etc. Regardless of the type of case, however, some basic types of assistance can, and should, be provided. 

A personal injury lawyer can help you track down the responsible, negligent parties. A layperson may not know what party(ies) can be sued in connection with an accident. If an employee is on the job, for instance, and gets in a car accident with Person A, Person A can potentially sue the employee, the employee’s employer, and the employer’s insurer. Those are three parties who can potentially be sued in this example involving vicarious liability. Every case is unique, and who can be sued is determined by applying the law to the facts of any given case. A personal injury lawyer can help an injured person ensure that all responsible parties are held accountable and that no negligent parties are overlooked. 

A personal injury lawyer can help you communicate with insurance companies. As your representative, your lawyer should do almost all of the communication with any and all insurance companies involved in your case. Ordinary people who don’t understand the complexities of insurance and personal injury law may find that trying to communicate with insurance companies can be confusing and frustrating. Fortunately, having an injury lawyer can allow an injured party to delegate this burdensome task of communication to an experienced, informed person. If you are left wondering why the opposing insurer is so frustrating to deal with, remember that the insurer for the adverse party is tasked with protecting its insured, not you. When someone has been badly injured, having one fewer frustrating task to contend with facilitates the healing process and minimizes stress. 

A personal injury lawyer can help you analyze the scene of an accident as well as the scope of your injuries. A personal injury attorney can help you sort out what happened in your accident by interviewing witnesses, obtaining police reports, obtaining body camera footage of investigating officers, obtaining dash camera footage from on-scene police units,  and obtaining surveillance footage, to name a few possibilities. Your lawyer can also help you better understand the physical implications of your medical injuries in consultation with your healthcare providers. An experienced and knowledgeable attorney can help you assess the value of your injuries in an effort to maximize compensation on your behalf. 

A personal injury lawyer can help you understand the law relating to your case. A layperson often does not have the time, knowledge, or desire to competently represent himself or herself even though the law may allow it. Lawyers spend years and decades educating themselves and honing their skills. Skilled lawyers know that graduating from law school is just the beginning of the road to acquiring legal mastery. Having a trained, educated, and intelligent lawyer as an advocate can go a long way to helping you explore what the law is in relation to your case and how to use that law to best assist you. 

A personal injury lawyer can fight for you in court. Usually, it takes more than just legal knowledge to deliver good results for clients. A fighting spirit is paramount in an adversarial system in which the opposing side has goals that are often antithetical to yours. The lawyer representing the adverse driver and insurance company is tasked with representing them, not you. It’s important to remember that reality if you care about the outcome of your case. It’s reassuring to have someone in your corner who will engage in legal combat on your behalf. 

 Regardless of how your case is handled, your personal injury attorney should provide you with a high quality of representation and fulfill these basic expectations of competency. When you or someone you know and care about is injured, a helping and caring hand may make a big difference in the outcome of your case.

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