TYPES OF CLAIMS
Car Accidents
Get the car accident injury settlement you’re owed.
Experience & Results
If you’re looking for a car accident attorney in Lafayette LA, you’re in the right place. We can help you get the car accident injury settlement you deserve.
Over two million people are injured in car accidents in the United States every year. Many accidents are slight and go unreported, but others cause significant damage and leading to chronic pain, overwhelming medical expenses, disability, and decreased quality of life.
Some people will walk away from a car accident without a scratch, others will spend the rest of their lives fighting the consequences, and many will die, leaving their grief-stricken families responsible for a loved one’s finances. When insurance Goliaths turn their back on you or deny you coverage, we’ll help you stand up to them and get you the car accident injury settlement owed.
Injured? Get Free Consult Now!
Recent Case Results
Big rig hits passenger car
Company pick up hits elderly couple’s SUV
Pick up fails to yield to passenger car
Rear ended by a car with failed brakes
Faculty tire rotation incurred incident
Loaded item falling out of a pick up trunk
If you’re hurt but can get yourself to a hospital or an urgent care center then avoid taking an ambulance. If an ambulance arrives on the scene they will encourage to hop into the back of the ambulance and take a $1,500.00 to $2,000.00 ride to the hospital emergency room. If you can get there on your own then don’t take the ambulance.
Naturally if you are seriously injured then take the ambulance to the emergency room at a hospital.
Some automobile insurance policies have provisions for car rental. If your own policy has a rental provision, you may call upon them to provide you with a rental car. Some insurance companies, when their insured is at fault, will pay for a rental vehicle. Others require you to go rent your own vehicle and get reimbursement from them after your car is repaired. At Brandt & Sherman, we can advise you of the best options.
There’s no requirement that you file a lawsuit. You can, hopefully, settle you claim with the insurance company for the party at fault without having to file a lawsuit. However, in Louisiana, you only have one (1) year from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit if your case has not settled. If you fail to file, the lawsuit within the one-year period then you lose all your rights against the party at fault. There are a few exceptions to this rule and if you have hired a competent personal injury lawyer, they can give you advise on this. At Brandt & Sherman, we can guide you regarding filing a lawsuit.
This depends upon the facts of your case and can change from case to case. In some instances, it is better to settle your case and, in some instances, it is better to file a lawsuit. Sometimes the insurance company for the party at fault does not give you that option and because they are being unfair you may have no other choice than to file a lawsuit. At Brandt & Sherman, we can help you decide what is best for you.
Louisiana is a comparative negligence state. The courts will compare the fault of the parties involved and make a determination of how much fault is yours and how much fault is on the other party or parties. If for instance, your injuries are worth $10,000.00 and you are determined to be 50% at fault you will recover $5,000.00 or 50% of your monetary injuries. At Brandt & Sherman we can present your case to the insurance company or court to maximize your recovery.
Assuming you are not totally at fault in causing the accident you can recover for the damage done to your vehicle, the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle, the rental expense incurred while your car is not drivable, and your medical bills. In addition, there is a type of damage called General Damage which consists of your pain and suffering, your mental anguish, your disability, and loss of enjoyment of life. You may also recover the money you lost from not being able to work during the period of your recovery from the accident. On occasion, your vehicle, after it has been repaired, is now worth less than it was before due to it having been wrecked. A diminution of value claim is possible. At Brandt & Sherman we can present these damages to the insurance company in the best light for you.
This is an extremely difficult question to answer at the beginning of an injury case. Some people recover from their injuries within a few weeks and some people suffer for years, and some people never recover at all. Until you have an adequate amount of medical care it is hard to place a value on any personal injury case. A competent personal injury attorney will be able to give you advice on the value of your case and your injuries. At Brandt & Sherman we will constantly monitor your case in order to maximize your recovery.
Louisiana is one of the states that requires you to have liability insurance on the vehicle you were driving at the time of the accident. If you are uninsured at the time of your accident, then you will be penalized by a law that is referred to as “no pay/no play.” This law requires you to give up or forfeit the first $15,000.00 of your damages for bodily injuries, and $25,000.00 in damages to your vehicle. Doing the math on this if your bodily injury or personal injury case is worth $30,000.00, you can collect $15,000.00 from the other insurance policy because you forfeit the first $15,000.00. The same applies to the damage to your vehicle. If you have $30,000.00 in damage to your vehicle, you are penalized $25,000.00 and can only collect $5,000.00 from the party at fault. There are some exceptions to this rule such as if you are hit by a driver who was intoxicated. They do not get the benefit of the “no pay/no play” law. There are other exceptions. You would need to speak with an experienced personal injury lawyer to determine those exceptions. At Brandt & Sherman we have the expertise to tell you how “no pay/no play” will affect your case.
Absolutely not!!! From the moment you start speaking with them they will be keeping a record of what you say. If at all possible, they will use your conversation against you later. Many people do not realize that they are injured until the day after an accident or sometimes even days after the accident. One of the first questions they will ask you is “how are you doing” and a polite human being you are going say “fine.” This will eventually be used against you. You may also not feel any pain in first few days after the accident and when you report that to the insurance company, they will use that against you as well. At Brandt & Sherman we will be your voice, so you do not have to worry about making a mistake speaking to the insurance company.
You should have your driver’s license, proof of auto insurance, medical insurance card(s), any medical records or bills that hospital may have provided you with and, if you already have one, the accident report. Sometimes the accident report may not be ready for 7 to 10 days after an accident. It is good to consult with an attorney despite the fact you do not have an accident report and the attorney can get one for you. The sooner you get to a competent personal injury lawyer the sooner you will start protecting your rights. At Brandt & Sherman we start protecting your rights from the first day we are hired.
An experienced personal injury attorney can be your voice for all questions that need to be answered. Often the insurance company for the at fault driver will give you misleading information on what your case is worth and make an offer to settle your case immediately. It is much better to have an attorney you can consult with to determine what your case is worth and whether you should settle the case or not. At Brandt & Sherman we have years and years of experience handling motor vehicle accidents. We can guide you and be your voice.
The answer that question is no! Insurance companies are in business to make a profit. The more they take in from premiums and the less they pay out to injured persons the more money they have to keep in their own pocket. They have no motivation to treat you fairly. There are enough stories of insurance companies taking advantage of people that you could fill a whole library.
Most personal injury cases are handled on the basis of a contingency. What contingency means is if you do not get a recovery, you do not owe a fee to the attorney. The standard fee in Louisiana and many other states is 1/3 of the total recovery goes to the lawyer. That’s 33%. If the lawyer collects nothing for you then he gets nothing. Some law firms will charge 35%, some charge 40%, some charge 42%. This is something you should have explained to you by the lawyer on the first day you speak with him or her. Get this agreement in writing. A professional personal injury lawyer will give you a copy of the contract that you sign on the day you leave his/her office after meeting with him/or her.
Most of the time a professional personal injury law firm, like Brandt & Sherman, will pay up front your expenses so that you will not have money come out of you own pocket. The Louisiana Supreme Court has given lawyers rules to follow in regard to advances and loans to clients and we closely follow those rules.
There are many ways that your medical expenses can be covered. Some injured persons have medical payments coverage on their own auto insurance policy. Others have health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, or some other form of medical reimbursement. A competent personal injury firm will help you explore those options and, under certain circumstances, will front you the money to pay for medical expenses not otherwise covered. At Brandt & Sherman we will discuss your options with you to determine what is best for your particular case.
You can use any doctor that you want! The choice is yours. If you don’t know what doctor to see we will give you the option of a number of different doctors who treat your particular issue and injury. We will describe to you the expertise of the doctors that are willing to treat a motor vehicle accident (some doctors do not) and allow you to choose which doctor you would like to see. The choice is always yours.
At Brandt & Sherman, we can advance you the money to hire someone to take you to the doctor and return you home. Some clinics actually provide rides to and from the clinic.
You may visit the Brandt & Sherman website and send us a message requesting an appointment. Someone will call you back with that appointment. You may also call 337-800-4000 and one of our intake specialists will take down all the information about your accident and schedule an appointment to see an attorney.
Unlike most of those billboard lawyers you usually see, the ones every 100 yards along the highway, if you hire Brandt & Sherman you will meet with one of our lawyers who will personally interview you and follow your case from beginning to end. We will be with you every step of the way. That is not to say we do not use paralegals and assistants to move your case along, but you will always have contact with your lawyer. We work as a team and sometimes you will have 2 or 3 lawyers working on your case to make sure that you get the settlement or recovery you deserve.
Client Testimonials
Highly recommend this firm! My daughter was injured in a car accident and Charlie Brandt really came through for us. Everything from start to finish was handled by him and his AMAZING staff. Will definitely choose this firm again if I ever need professional legal representation in the future!
My wife and I were in a car accident with injuries. As soon as Kyle Sherman took on our case, we immediately started feeling better about our situation. He guided us through the entire process and was always available to answer any questions we had. It truly felt like Kyle was fighting for us the entire time, and I can say we are very happy with the results. I trust the Brandt & Sherman firm based on their professionalism and the personal touch they showed us as clients. That is why I recommend them to friends, family, or anyone!
Kyle was such a wonderful advocate for us! He helped us get our case resolved after a battle with the insurance company. He never stopped fighting for us and was always available for any questions or problems we had. We could not have asked for a better attorney to handle our case!