Car accidents will have many impacts on both your health and finances. In the immediate short-term, you must deal with injuries in an accident that may not have been your fault. At the same time, you are dealing with the financial effects of the accident with high bills and less money coming into your account.
You need the financial compensation you deserve when someone else has caused the accident, but you may not know how to get it. The first step that you should take is to call an experienced Alexandria car accident lawyer.
Stewart J. Guss Personal Injury Attorneys are aggressive Louisiana car accident attorneys helping injured clients in Alexandria. We can effectively battle the insurance company standing between you and full financial compensation for your accident. You can discuss your case with one of our experienced lawyers when you contact us for your free initial consultation.
We are a national law firm based with multiple offices around the country. We also work with affiliate law firms in most states that share our focus and dedication to excellence. No matter where you are located, we may be able to help you, so call or contact us now. We are open, for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 866-980-3955, or you may contact us now by clicking here to submit your case for review. We will review your case and advise you about how to proceed.
Alexandria Car Accident Information
Alexandria is within Rapides Parish, and according to the U.S. News & World Report, Rapides Parish has a vehicle fatality rate slightly higher than the national average. Due to its location in the center of the state, Rapides Parish sees more than its share of traffic. Many people regularly drive on I-49, one of Louisiana’s busier roads that sees more than its fair share of crashes.
Here are some more examples of the dangerous roads in the Alexandria area:
- The Pineville Expressway (U.S. 167) carries considerable traffic over several routes from I-49 for over ten miles.
- I-49 is occasionally the scene of serious and fatal car accidents.
- Louisiana Highway 1 in Alexandria.
In Alexandria and Louisiana, in general, road safety is deteriorating. After the pandemic, drivers paid less attention to traffic laws, which car accident fatality figures reflect. Last year, the total number of vehicle crash fatalities neared 1,000. This figure was markedly higher than the previous year, and the fatality rate is much higher than the national average.
Stewart J. Guss Personal Injury Attorneys is ready to fight for injury victims when a crash happens.
Common Car Accident Injuries
Many different injuries can result from the trauma of a crash.
Here are some injuries that you may suffer in a car accident that require medical attention:
- Broken bones and fractures
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Scarring and disfigurement
- Cuts and lacerations
- Amputations
- Internal Injuries
- Neck and back injuries
Some car accident injuries immediately appear at the scene, and you know you need emergency medical treatment. Other car accidents will take their time to show symptoms. That you may not have known you suffered an injury at the scene does not mean you walked away unscathed. You should see a doctor in the days after the car accident if you suspect that there is even a chance that you might have suffered harm. Your time clock to file a lawsuit begins to run when you should have known that you had an accident-related injury.
You Have the Burden of Proof in a Car Accident Case
The other driver’s insurance company will not automatically write you a check for your injuries. You must carry your burden of proof to show that you are entitled to money before qualifying for financial compensation.
You have to show that the other driver was more likely than not negligent in your case. You do not need to prove anything with 100 percent certainty, but you need evidence that backs up your side of the case.
Here are some examples of things that drivers do wrong that can qualify as negligence in a car accident case:
- Sideswiping a car when the driver does not check their blindspot or see a car before changing lanes or making a turn
- Rear-ending a car when the driver did not stop in time because they were going too fast or did not allow enough room between themselves and the car in front of them
- Failing to yield the right-of-way at a stop sign or red light and being involved in a T-bone accident (either striking another car or being struck by one)
- Losing control of a vehicle because the motorist was speeding or driving recklessly
- Texting or other distractions
To prove that the driver was negligent, you need evidence showing that they did something a reasonable driver should not have done. This evidence is often in the form of witness testimony, but your lawyer knows how to gather additional proof that may show what happened to cause the accident.
You do not have much time to put your car accident case together. The evidence you need to prove your case can disappear when the authorities clear the car accident scene. While your injuries might have prevented you from immediately pursuing your case, call us as soon as possible. If you wait too long, you may give us a cold accident case to investigate.
The Steps in a Car Accident Case
Many things must happen before you can receive financial compensation for your car accident case. You must proceed methodically through these steps to have the best possible chance of getting the most money that you can.
Here are the steps in the car accident legal process:
- You find a car accident lawyer and speak with them at your free initial consultation.
- Your lawyer investigates your car accident and determines the responsible party, gathering evidence to prove liability in a claim or court.
- Your attorney drafts the claim or legal complaint that begins the legal process.
- Your lawyer will communicate with the insurance company for you during the claims process.
- If and when the insurance company makes a settlement offer, your lawyer will review it and help you determine whether to accept or reject (the first offer, and maybe a few more after that, are usually not enough to compensate you, and you will most likely reject them)
- Your lawyer will continue to negotiate compensation, with your figures hopefully coming closer together.
- You will execute and sign a settlement agreement if you agree on a number.
- If there is no settlement agreement, your attorney can try your case before a jury, which will decide liability and award damages.
Your car accident case can take up to a year, or even longer, to resolve. The insurance company is not hurrying to write you a check, so you should be prepared for a lengthy legal process. You must be patient to have the most leverage in dealing with an insurance company. If the insurance company senses that you are desperate or that you have a weaker hand, they will feel that they are the ones who have leverage over you.
You Must Act Quickly in a Car Accident Case
There is a time limit for filing a car accident case. In Louisiana, you have only one year from the date you suffered an injury (or discovered that you had injuries) to file a car accident claim. Once this deadline (called the statute of limitations) expires, you lose the ability to file any lawsuit. Louisiana’s statute of limitations is much shorter than the period in other states.
You must do a lot in a short time. If you rush filing your claim, you may not put your best foot forward, and you can risk the insurance company denying your claim entirely. There is all the more reason why you need to contact an attorney from Stewart J. Guss Personal Injury Attorneys right after your car accident to begin the legal process.
Your Car Accident Case Will Most Likely Settle
Most attorneys talk about your car accident settlement instead of your car accident trial. The reason is that most car accident cases will never see the inside of a courtroom. You must agree not to sue the insurance company’s driver in exchange for a check. When you take their money, you are signing away your legal rights for more compensation.
You may settle your case at any point in the legal process. You may not even need to file a lawsuit at all. If you take your case to court, you will likely reach a settlement agreement before the trial. Jury trials only happen in a very low percentage of cases where the insurance company denies your claim outright or will not offer a reasonable settlement. The insurance company has very keen adjusters and risk management professionals who know when to get serious about settling a case.
What Happens When You Cannot Settle
You may not reach a settlement agreement at first. It will take some time because the insurance company will make you a series of lowball offers. They know what your case is worth but want to settle it for less than that.
The insurance company is not a judge or jury; they must listen to what the court decides in your case. You can always file a lawsuit against the other driver. Trials are rare, as most cases will settle.
What Your Car Accident Lawyer Does
When you hire a car accident attorney, you can let them handle all the claim’s details. As the client, you are still the one who is making the decisions after consulting with your attorney and hearing their advice.
When you hire our attorneys, we will work as your tireless advocate, with the end goal being full financial compensation for your injuries. Your car accident lawyer from Stewart J. Guss Personal Injury Attorneys stands up to the insurance company for you. They protect your legal rights and keep the insurance company from pushing you around.
Never represent yourself in a car accident claim. You can cost yourself a lot of money, thinking you are saving money. While you may congratulate yourself for getting a check from the insurance company on your own, you will never know how much less it was than what you might have gotten with the right legal help.
How You Pay Our Car Accident Attorneys
Our car accident attorneys will not hand you a bill upfront or anytime during your case. In fact, we will never bill you for our services.
Our car accident attorneys do not receive legal fees if you do not win your case. If the claim is unsuccessful, they will not receive any money for their services. There is no risk to you in hiring a lawyer for your case.
When you sign a representation agreement with your attorney, you promise to pay them a part of the proceeds from your case if you receive any money. The agreement will specify the percentage that they receive. Your attorney might receive slightly more money if your case went to trial because of the extra work involved.
Contact an Alexandria Car Accident Lawyer Today
When you need a determined and fearless car accident attorney, call Stewart J. Guss Personal Injury Attorneys. We can bring the insurance company to heel by standing up for you when they try to take advantage of you. Our lawyers have earned a reputation for toughness, and insurance companies know we mean business.
The legal team of Stewart J. Guss Personal Injury Attorneys is nationally recognized for protecting the rights of injured victims for more than 20 years. If an Alexandria car accident injured you, call our office right now for a free consultation! Because we take all of our Alexandria personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, you will not owe us a dime unless we win your case. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so call us today at 866-980-3955 or contact us now by clicking here.