Personal Injury Law

Call 985-888-0640 to speak to a Covington truck accident lawyer about your case. What types of injuries can occur in a truck accident? Truck accidents often result in severe injuries due to the substantial size and weight difference between a large truck and a typical passenger car. Common injuries from these types of collisions include traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, and internal bleeding. These injuries are frequently serious, given that a fully loaded commercial truck can weigh up to 20 times more than a passenger vehicle. Do you handle commercial vehicle cases? Yes!  If the vehicle has a name on it, call us.  We have decades of experience dealing with commercial vehicle injuries and insurance. 1. What are the strategies an attorney might use to secure the best compensation possible? The attorney may negotiate a settlement using the evidence or, if a fair agreement cannot be reached, advance the case to court to seek justice and appropriate compensation. 2. What role does evidence play in maximizing compensation? Evidence plays a critical role as the attorney uses it to evaluate and substantiate the amount of compensation the client rightfully deserves. 3. How does an attorney prevent insurance companies from taking advantage of a client’s vulnerable state? An attorney protects the client by ensuring they do not settle the case too early, when they might be overwhelmed physically and emotionally, preventing insurance companies from exploiting their state. What evidence do I need to collect to prove my claim for compensation? Get the Item Number and Crash Report Number so that your attorney can order what is called the ‘Uniform Crash Report.’ Get the at-fault driver’s insurance information such as their insurer’s name and policy information so that we can contact them and file a claim. Additionally, it’s essential to gather comprehensive evidence from the scene. This includes taking photographs of the crash site, documenting damage to all vehicles involved, and noting environmental conditions such as weather and road status at the time of the accident. Collect debris or any scattered material that could contribute to understanding the events leading to the crash. Further, review critical records including the truck driver’s logbooks, whether physical or digital, and maintenance records of the involved vehicles. Analyze the trucker’s driving record and conduct a background check to ascertain compliance with industry standards. Interview witnesses, including other drivers, vehicle occupants, and first responders who were present at the scene. In-depth analysis should also be conducted on the truck’s black box data, which can reveal details about the truck’s mechanical condition and the driver’s actions before the crash. Examine the truck meticulously for any signs of defective equipment or mechanical failures that could have contributed to the accident. Finally, detail all losses incurred from the accident such as injuries sustained, lost wages, pain and suffering, and property damage. This comprehensive approach ensures a robust collection of evidence, aiding in establishing a clear and detailed claim for your compensation. If you have been injured by a big rig in St. Tammany Parish Louisiana, call us today. Our office is conveniently located in Covington, LA. There are numerous truck accidents that occur on and near I-12 in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana. Many accidents happen where the I-12 bridge crosses the Tchefuncte river. We handle truck accidents from our office in Covington, Louisiana. Have you been hurt in an 18 wheeler accident? Call 985-888-0640 or Email Us We have experience in a variety of personal injury matters and can help you get medical treatment and compensation if you were hurt through another’s negligence. Things to Remember if You Have Been Injured in an 18 Wheeler Accident: Get immediate medical attention if needed. Call the police and provide a detailed and thorough account of the car crash. Get the Item Number and Crash Report Number so that your attorney can order what is called the “Uniform Crash Report.” Get the at-fault driver’s insurance information such as their insurer’s name and policy information so that we can contact them and file a claim Call Kervin Law for a free consultation so we can advise you of your rights and duties and help you get the compensation you deserve.

If you’ve been hurt in an offshore accident, call us.  We are Covington offshore accident lawyers. This is an old offshore case from 1998. In this case, a piston from the engine room fell on the worker. This case is a reminder how serious injuries can be in workplace and offshore accidents. Here is the quantum summary for the case: Abuan v. Smedvig Tankships, LTD Summary Abuan v. Smedvig Tankships, LTD, 717 So.2d 1194 (4th Circuit) , LA , 1998, Report Type: N/A Appellate Panel : N/A Trial Type : judge Trial Judge : N/A Trial Court : N/A Plaintiff’s Lawyer : N/A Defendant’s Lawyer : N/A Injuries Head injury, brain damage, scarring, fractured leg. Tissue : hard Tissue Did Plaintiff Have Surgery? : yes Treatment Length : N/A Pre-existing Conditions : hard Tissue Award change on appeal: unchanged Damages General Damages : $1,500,000 Past Medicals : $0 Future Medicals : $0 Past wages : $0 Future wages : $0 Loss of Consortium : $0 Other Damages : $0 Total : $1,500,000 Case Details Suit Reason : Please see case for specific details. Award Reason : Please see case for specific details.

I get a lot of calls about defamation cases. I tell every prospective client the same thing — defamation cases are hard to win. First, we have First Amendment rights to free speech. Also, opinions are protected speech. It’s not against the law to post your opinion online. Second, you have to actually prove damages. You have to show that the defamatory statements actually caused you financial harm. This is also hard to do. You would have to show that the statements cost you a job, cost you business or something like that. Third, you usually have to prove that the statements were made with malice, meaning, that they were made through the person’s fault. That said, defamation cases are not impossible and sometimes they result in large damages awards. If you think you have a defamation case, call me at 985-888-0640 for a free consultation.

If you’ve been in a car accident, you may want to know whether you need to retain a lawyer in the town where the accident occurred or where you live or work. You may wonder whether it will affect your case if the lawyer’s office is not in the same town where the accident occurred. You’ve probably seen the numerous billboards and television ads of personal injury attorneys relentlessly advertising for car accident cases. Does that law firm have an office in or near your hometown?  Many of the big television advertisers have offices in Baton Rouge or New Orleans but rarely in smaller towns like Mandeville, Covington, or Folsom. Suppose you were in a car accident in Covington, Louisiana.  Do you really need to hire a Covington car accident attorney? Ask yourself, how important is it to you to have individualized, personal service near where you live and work? Is it important to you to have your lawyer’s cell phone?  What about having the same lawyer work on your case from beginning to end. Is it important to you to be able to conveniently drive to your attorney’s office and meet with him to discuss your case? If any of these are important to you, you should consider hiring a local car accident lawyer in the town in or near where you live or work. Our firm is conveniently located in Covington and we offer an individualized personal service experience. Even if you cannot come to the office in person, we can handle many aspects of your case over the phone, through email or online. For example, we can send and receive signed forms simply by signing them and scanning them.  Many clients email us photographs or other exhibits we use for their case. For many clients we work with, it is important to them to be treated like a person rather than a number. If you hire us, you will work directly with David, the lawyer who will handle your case from start to finish. Things to Remember if You Have Been Injured in Car Accident in Covington: Get immediate medical attention if needed. Call the police and provide a detailed and thorough account of the car crash. Get the Item Number and Crash Report Number so that your attorney can order what is called the “Uniform Crash Report.” Get the at-fault driver’s insurance information such as their insurer’s name and policy information so that we can contact them and file a claim Call Kervin Law for a free consultation so we can advise you of your rights and duties and help you get the compensation you deserve. Kervin Law, LLC

So you’ve been in a car wreck in Covington, Louisiana. How much insurance do you need? This is a great question but one I bet most people don’t ask themselves.  My guess is most people buy the bare minimum insurance coverage and never think about it again. First, determine how much (and what kind of) insurance you have. The thing is you really should consider how much insurance coverage you need because it could greatly affect your own personal assets if you were to cause a car wreck.If you drive a car, you obviously need to buy car insurance to legally drive on public roads. But how much insurance coverage should you carry?  My advice is that you first start with conducting a basic analysis of your own financial situation and figure out what your assets and liabilities are. Do you own a home?  If so, how much equity you have in it? Do you own a business? Do you have cash in bank accounts or stocks and bonds in brokerage accounts? If the answer is “yes” to any of these questions, you will want more than the minimum levels of insurance coverage. Second, you need to know how much insurance the at-fault driver has. In Louisiana, drivers are required to maintain a minimum of $15,000 in insurance coverage per person, and $30,000 in coverage per accident. For example, if you rear-ended someone and caused them exactly $15,000 in damages (e.g., $7,000 in medical bills and $8,000 in pain and suffering) you would be covered. With the $30,000 “per accident” coverage, you get covered up to that point if multiple people are injured and file claims against you. If you rear end someone and two or more people file injury claims against you, your insurance will cover you to a maximum of $30,000 per that accident.An Emergency Room bill for one injured person can easily exceed $15,000. Remember, in Louisiana (as in most states) the at-fault party is responsible for paying the “medical specials,” which is lawyer-speak for actual medical bills, in addition to “pain and suffering” which is an intangible dollar amount assigned to the pain and suffering someone experiences after an accident. Are my personal assets exposed if I cause a car wreck? Let’s take the above example and say that you rear end a car with four occupants and they  claim they suffered $50,000 in damages each (e.g., $25,000 in medical bills and $25,000 in pain and suffering). These people could sue you for an “excess judgment” for the amounts over and above what your insurance policy paid them. In that case, your carrier would tender $30,000 (divided up according to their agreement) and then you would personally have to pay them the balance.  Meaning you would personally pay the difference between what your primary auto insurance policy covered and what was owed the plaintiffs. This money might come from your personal bank accounts, brokerage accounts or result in a lien on your house or business. Your LLC or other business might be subject to judgment too depending on whether you were in a company vehicle when the accident occurred, or if the plaintiff pierces the corporate veil through a variety of legal maneuvers. While it is true certain assets are exempt from judgment if certain conditions are met (401(k) accounts, annuities, and certain other financial vehicles) it is not wise to solely rely on such protective measures. This is why we recommend you buy the amount of insurance coverage commensurate with the amount of assets you have. Consider buying an umbrella insurance policy. Most automobile insurance carriers will sell a maximum of between $300,000 and $500,000 in liability coverage.  If you need more coverage than that because you have more assets than that, you will need an umbrella policy which you can usually purchase through the same automobile insurer. Most people are surprised to learn that the price of getting higher insurance coverage is not as expensive as they thought. An umbrella policy can cost less than a thousand dollars a year and raising your limits from $15,000 to $300,000 might only cost $150 more a month.  Call your automobile insurer and ask them about increasing your coverage and in buying an umbrella policy. It’s also important to have a good driving record that is free from tickets and accidents to qualify for better rates.As for your home insurance, homeowners can adjust their personal injury limits as well. In my experience, you usually must buy the highest level of personal injury coverage on your home to qualify for an umbrella policy.  It doesn’t raise the homeowner’s policy premium significantly, but it will raise it some. It is unusual in Louisiana to see a tort victim sue under a homeowner’s policy, although it does happen occasionally.  The accident would have to happen at the person’s home and be caused by the fault of the homeowner in some way and not be subject to a statutory limitation of liability.  I’ve read cases where this happened but it’s not the norm. Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage. One final matter you should consider is whether you are covered under an Uninsured or Underinsured Motorists Policy. This coverage allows you to file a claim on your own car insurance policy if you are hurt by an at-fault driver, but the at-fault driver does not have sufficient insurance coverage to cover your damages. For example, suppose someone makes a left turn from the right lane and turns into you and crashes.  Now assume you go to the ER, then a chiropractor and rack up $30,000 in medical bills and lost time at work.  But the at-fault driver in this case only has $15,000 in coverage. If you purchased UM/UIM coverage from your own insurer, then you can file a claim with them, and they will pay the difference.  The great news for you is that if you are not at fault in the accident, your insurance company is forbidden by law