Louisiana Personal Injury Lawyers

Some of the most disastrous accidents on the road in Louisiana involve 18-wheeler trucks and tractor trailers. Due to the weight and size of commercial trucks, the injuries that may arise from 18-wheeler accidents are often devastating and life-altering. Moreover, there may be multiple accident victims, all claiming against the same policy. It may be necessary to retain an accident reconstruction expert who can determine who contributed to the accident and to what extent. It may be possible to hold responsible a truck driver, a trucking company, a third-party loader, or a truck manufacturer, among other parties. When a truck driver was an employee of a trucking company and was in the scope of employment at the time of the 18-wheeler accident, it may be possible to hold the trucking company vicariously (indirectly) liable for the truck driver’s negligence. In addition, a trucking company can be held directly liable for its own negligence in hiring, training, or supervising its employees.

Louisiana is an at-fault state with respect to car crashes. If you are injured or if a loved one is killed in a car accident, our Lafayette personal injury lawyers can help you file a lawsuit to seek damages or file a claim with an insurer. Often, car accident lawsuits assert that another driver’s negligence caused the victim’s injuries. A driver may have been negligent if they were speeding, weaving, failing to obey traffic signs or signals, tailgating, driving while drunk, driving while fatigued, or driving while distracted. In order to recover damages from another driver, they probably will need to be insured, and the compensation will come from their insurer. Louisiana requires all drivers to purchase uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage unless they decline it in writing. If an at-fault driver is not insured, or if their coverage is insufficient to cover your losses, we can help you make an uninsured or underinsured motorist claim against your own insurance.

Often, maritime work involves hazardous activities. Offshore accidents, whether on cranes, commercial vessels, recreational watercraft, or cruise ships, can cause similar injuries to accidents that occur on land, but the procedure for pursuing compensation is different. Offshore accidents can involve heavy equipment failure, fracking accidents, well blowouts, explosions, and slip and fall accidents. Injuries sustained in these accidents are covered by maritime law. An oil site may involve multiple companies that could have contributed to an accident, and it may be possible to hold responsible several different entities. Maritime law is a distinct practice area that incorporates multiple federal statutes, including the Jones Act, the Longshore & Harbor Workers’ Compensation Act, the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, and the Death on the High Seas Act. It also may involve state statutes, so it is important to work with an attorney who is experienced in these complex matters.

Property owners must provide a reasonably safe environment and post warnings to visitors about dangerous conditions on their property. A property owner that fails to repair dangerous conditions or give warnings may be held liable with the assistance of our Lafayette personal injury attorneys. Premises liability lawsuits may be based on slip and fall accidents, falling merchandise, animal attacks, or negligent security. Many of these claims are brought under Louisiana Revised Statutes Section 9:2800.6, which means that you will need to show that a dangerous condition presented an unreasonable risk of harm that was reasonably foreseeable, the defendant created or had actual or constructive notice of the hazard, and the defendant failed to use reasonable care. It is important to retain a premises liability attorney who understands how to gather evidence to show actual or constructive notice and a failure to use reasonable care.

If you are injured by a defective product, you may be able to hold the manufacturer liable through a product liability lawsuit. In Louisiana, a manufacturer can be held liable for damages caused by an unreasonably dangerous product that is used in a reasonably anticipated way. Products can be unreasonably dangerous in terms of their construction, manufacturing, or design. Liability also can arise if they do not conform to an express manufacturing warranty, or if they come with inadequate warnings about the risks associated with them. For example, in a defective design case, you will need to show that the manufacturer intended the product to perform, but the risk of danger inherent in the manufacturer’s chosen design outweighs the benefits of the design.

Sometimes inattention or a simple mistake results in catastrophic injuries or even death. If you or a loved one has suffered a loss as a result of personal injury or wrongful death, we urge you to contact us today. At Anderson Blanda & Saltzman, we represent victims in Lafayette, Broussard, Youngsville, New Iberia, Scott, Crowley, Rayne, Opelousas and other areas of Lafayette, Acadia, Iberia, St. Mary, St. Martin and St. Landry Parishes. Call Anderson Blanda & Saltzman at (337) 233-3366 or contact us online set up a free consultation.