If another person caused you to suffer injuries in Terrebonne Parish, you may have a legal case against them. Holding them accountable and recovering compensation for your expenses and losses may be possible. A Houma personal injury lawyer from Morris Bart can offer you the legal advice you need.
Our team provides complimentary consultations and case assessments for accident victims. If someone else’s negligent behavior caused you injury, we will evaluate your case, explain your legal rights, and discuss how we could help you get justice from the responsible party.
We Help Injured Victims Recover Monetary Damages for Their Losses and Expenses
Morris Bart seeks fair compensation for clients who suffered injuries because of someone else’s bad behavior in Houma, Louisiana. Under state statutes, victims can hold others legally liable for their carelessness or recklessness when it costs them money and causes harm.
Our legal team is dedicated to seeking the justice you deserve. We will work to build a case proving the negligence and liability of the at-fault party. During this process, we will gather evidence to show the types and value of our client’s damages.
This evidence could include:
- Medical bills
- Proof of time away from work
- Documentation of income before injuries
- Estimates for car repairs
- Receipts for replacing property, such as a smartphone or eyeglasses
- Expert testimony to prove future costs
- Receipts for transportation to doctor’s appointments
- Receipts for related expenses
This evidence allows us to recover damages for clients that could include:
- Medical treatment and related expenses
- Future healthcare needs due to their injuries
- Ongoing care and support needs
- Medical or mobility equipment
- Lost wages, benefits, and other income while out of work
- Diminished earning capacity if they cannot return to their previous position
- Property damages, including vehicle repairs or replacement
- Miscellaneous-related expenses with receipts
We also seek non-economic damages in these cases. Non-economic damages stem from the psychological harm our clients suffered. This includes pain and suffering, mental anguish or emotional distress, reduced quality of life, loss of life enjoyment, and more.
For a free legal consultation with a Personal Injury lawyer serving Houma, call (985) 900-1195
Wrongful Death Damages May Be Available for Qualifying Family Members
If you have lost a loved one due to the reckless or negligent actions of another party, please accept our deepest condolences. You do not have to go through this difficult time alone. The team at the Morris Bart law firm is ready to stand by your side whatever course of action you choose to pursue.
Louisiana law supports family members seeking justice if their loved one dies from their personal injuries. If your immediate family member would have had a valid case, had they survived, you can likely take action and recover compensation under La. Civ. Code Art. 2315.2.
This statute allows certain relatives to seek and secure a financial recovery. These relatives generally are:
- The surviving spouse and children
- The spouse or children, if only one or the other
- The victim’s parents or one parent
- The victim’s siblings, in the absence of surviving parents, spouse, and children
- Their grandparents or a grandparent if there are no other immediate relatives
The costs and losses we pursue for clients in these cases are similar to what your loved one could have pursued before their passing. However, there are additional damages you can seek that are unique to a wrongful death claim.
These damages may include the following:
- Medical bills from their loved one’s injuries
- Funeral and burial costs
- Lost income
- Lost benefits, such as health insurance costs and missed retirement
- Loss of services previously performed by the decedent at home
- Intangible losses experienced by the surviving family members because of their loved one’s death
Our experienced team will review your case for free if your loved one dies in a negligence accident in Terrebonne Parish. We can help you understand your legal options for holding the at-fault parties accountable and getting justice for your family. A wrongful death lawsuit will not bring your loved one back to you but may help you find the closure you need.
Understanding the Insurance Claims Process in a Houma Personal Injury Case
When an injured party works with the Houma personal injury lawyers from Morris Bart, we handle their claim and navigate the entire process on their behalf. In most cases, this requires us to:
- Determine what happened
- Assign fault
- Review the insurance policies, if available
- Value the case
- Prepare a claim
- Demand just compensation
- Negotiate with the insurer
- Agree to compensation that is the appropriate range
Under most circumstances, this is how the case concludes. Often it will not be necessary to sue the liable party or parties. However, there are times when you may need to sue to protect your right to seek financial compensation. This can happen when:
- The insurance company does not believe its policyholder is responsible.
- It claims our client contributed to their injuries.
- It does not think the claim is worth the amount we demand.
Insurance companies are in the business of earning a profit, not helping the public. That means their financial incentives are not always going to be in your best interest. When they put themselves ahead of you, that’s when having legal representation willing to take them to court is your best option.
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Why do We File a Personal Injury Lawsuit?
One reason we sue in civil court is to protect our client’s right to do so. If we approach the deadline set by La. Civ. Code Art. 3492 and are not close to a settlement with the insurer, we may need to prepare the paperwork so that we can sue. This prevents us from running out of time. Louisiana generally gives you one year from the injury date to sue. Even worse, some circumstances may further shorten that time. Once the statute of limitations has expired, you may lose your opportunity for any kind of compensation.
Suing often shows the insurance company that we are serious. They may increase their offer immediately or after they learn more about the case we have against their policyholder. As a general rule, insurance companies prefer to avoid trials. For the insurance company, a trial is costly, but it may result in a judgment that is significantly greater than the initial payout. For these and other reasons, most lawsuits never actually go to trial.
However, if your case goes before a judge and jury, our trial attorneys are on your side and will fight for your rights. We will explain every part of the process and keep you updated every step of the way.
Morris Bart Injury and Accident Lawyers Help Victims Injured in Houma Incidents
While our attorneys handle many auto accidents and slip-and-fall cases, negligence causes injuries in many ways. We manage various kinds of accidents, including:
- Car accidents
- Truck crashes
- Motorcycle collisions
- DUI and DWI wrecks
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle crashes
- Boating collisions
- Slip and fall and premises liability
- Trip and fall
- Pool accidents
- Wrongful death
- Workers’ compensation
- Offshore Injury and Jones Act cases
- Medical malpractice
- Defective product
- Dangerous drugs
This is by no means a comprehensive list. If you do not see your particular accident or incident listed, call the Morris Bart law firm to see if you still have a potential case.
We Have 40-plus Years of Personal Injury Law Experience in Louisiana
Morris Bart and his team have practiced personal injury law in Louisiana since 1980. We know how to protect our client’s rights and recover cash compensation on their behalf, either through a settlement or a court award. We had more than 5,600 wins for our clients in 2022 alone.
Our case results are evidence that we work diligently to secure the compensation injury victims need and deserve. Some recoveries include:
- $852,845 for a victim with neck, back, and facial injuries after a New Orleans car accident
- $650,000 for a client left with multiple broken bones and punctured lungs after a drunk driver hit them in Monroe, LA
- $640,000 for a worker who hurt their back on a job site in Lafayette, LA
- $580,000 for a car accident victim in Hattiesburg, MS, who required neck surgery
- $550,000 for a hit-and-run collision victim with multiple back injuries who had surgery after a Shreveport, LA, crash
We Will Fight for Your Best Interests
If our attorneys represent you in your Houma personal injury case, you can trust that we have your back throughout the process. We will fight for the best possible outcome based on the facts of what happened. We will not settle for a lowball offer or agree to a payout to reach a quick resolution.
We protect your right to fair and just compensation from the day you sign your contract with us. We will brief you on the latest case updates, answer your questions, or address any concerns you may have 24/7. You can count on our team to update you regularly so that you will know what to expect.
Morris Bart Injury and Accident Lawyers Is a Contingency Fee Law Firm
Our firm operates on a contingency fee basis. This means that our attorney’s fees are contingent on the outcome of your case. We never bill for a retainer or other upfront fees. Instead, we use our resources, network, and knowledge to build your case and navigate the claims or lawsuit process.
We will not charge you anything until the conclusion of your case. Then, we only take our attorney’s fees—in the amount we agreed on in your contract—from the compensation sent to us by the insurer or liable party. You never have to worry about paying our fees out of your pocket or writing us a check from your account.
Building a Strong Argument to Support a Settlement or Court Award
A Houma personal injury lawyer’s role is to design a case to support a claim or lawsuit, take action to recover compensation and represent the client’s best interests throughout this process. While injured victims can do this independently, it is rarely the best option.
Managing your insurance claim can be extremely stressful and time-consuming, especially while undergoing medical treatment and working on getting your life back to normal. When you trust your case to our team, we will:
Investigate What Happened
Our team investigates every case we manage at Morris Bart. We will:
- Survey the scene
- Obtain relevant documents
- Gather evidence
- Conduct reconstructions
- Interview witnesses
- Enlist the help of experts
- Watch and analyze any relevant video
- Take other steps as necessary
This allows us to better understand what happened, the role each party played, and how we can support your claim or lawsuit. The evidence we identify and collect also allows us to prove negligence and liability.
Prove Negligence in Your Personal Injury Case
There are four elements required to prove negligence that occurred. We must gather evidence of all four before moving forward with a claim or lawsuit. They include:
- The at-fault party was responsible for keeping the victim safe.
- They failed to do what they should (or what a reasonable person would do).
- Their failure caused an accident or incident.
- The victim suffered harm as a result.
Identify All Potentially Liable Parties
In most cases, the at-fault person is also the liable party. For example, when a driver runs a red light in their car and crashes into you in the intersection, that other driver is likely the sole liable party in the accident. We will file a claim against their insurance or sue them in court.
However, some cases could have more than one liable party. For example, La. Civ. Code Art. 2320 makes the employer of a driver vicariously liable when an accident involves a commercial vehicle. This means that a trucking company is likely legally responsible for your injuries and damages following a Houma tractor-trailer collision.
Assess Your Damages
One of the most significant components of recovering an appropriate payment based on the harm you suffered is putting a fair value on the claim. To do this, we must determine the accurate total cost of the following:
- To-date financial losses
- Current related expenses
- Future costs
- Intangible damages
While much of this requires totaling the bills and receipts, valuing future expenses and intangible damages takes experience, expert testimony, and knowledge of how the local civil courts generally handle this process.
We must also consider other factors that could alter the client’s financial recovery. For example, under La. Civ. Code Art. 2323, victims can still recover compensation if they contributed to their injuries. However, it reduces the value of their possible recovery.
Speak With a Morris Bart Injury and Accident Attorney Serving Houma Today for Free
The Houma injury attorneys from Morris Bart provide complimentary consultations. During this free initial consultation, you can learn more about your rights and options for seeking compensation based on the injuries you suffered.
Visit our Houma office at 1 Church Street, Houma, LA 70364, call, or reach out online. We may be able to hold the liable parties accountable and recover monetary damages for you. Call now to talk to an attorney today.
Questions?Call (985) 900-1195
to find a Morris Bart office near you.
