Auto Accident Lawyer New Orleans, LA

As an auto accident lawyer New Orleans, LA knows, thousands of car accidents occur in Louisiana and throughout the U.S. every year. Many accidents result in serious injuries, like traumatic brain injuries and spinal cord injuries. However, not all car accident injuries are life-threatening and require months or years of medical care. Some accidents and some injuries are relatively minor. Still, other injuries appear superficial at first glance (perhaps because they don’t cause discomfort immediately) but prove to be more serious as minutes, hours, or even days tick by. This is one of the many reasons why you should both seek medical care and seek guidance from an auto accident lawyer in New Orleans, LA trust in the wake of an accident, even if that accident is relatively minor. By seeking medical attention and speaking with an experienced New Orleans, Louisiana auto accident lawyer at the Reddy Accident Law as soon as you can, you’ll be better able to preserve your legal options in the event that your injuries prove to be more significant than they seem in the immediate wake of a collision. 

Your Injuries May Be More Severe Than You Think

After a traumatic event like a car accident, the body naturally releases adrenaline that can camouflage true injuries. For example, you might only feel minor aches in your body when in reality you have internal bleeding. That’s why it’s critical to seek medical attention after a car accident as soon as possible. Just because you feel fine right now, doesn’t mean you didn’t suffer serious injuries. If you delay treatment for a serious injury, you might experience life-threatening complications. Additionally, if you don’t seek legal guidance from an experienced New Orleans, LA auto accident lawyer after an accident, you may limit your ability to seek compensation from the party or parties who caused your harm. 

Your Symptoms May Be Delayed

If you suffer a broken leg or back injury during a car accident, you’ll likely feel severe pain right away. However, some car accident injuries don’t display symptoms until several days afterward. Whiplash, for example, is one of the most common car accident injuries and occurs when your head moves backward and then forward. The neck injury often doesn’t show symptoms right away, so you might think that everything is okay. However, if whiplash is left untreated, it can lead to complications, like severe neck pain and pain that has spread to the arms.

Minor Injuries Are Still Expensive to Treat

While minor injuries may not be as expensive to treat as traumatic brain injuries, they can still cost a pretty penny. If these injuries are caused by someone else’s negligence, you deserve to be compensated for your medical expenses. However, if you don’t get these injuries treated promptly by a doctor, it will be more difficult to obtain compensation from the insurance company. They may argue that you didn’t actually get injured or that your injuries were caused by something else.

What should you do after an accident?

When you have been in an auto accident, you may be surprised to know that one of the most important times following the accident is immediately after you were injured. If you are healthy enough to stay at the scene (and do not need to go to the hospital) this is a very important time and you should be extremely careful about what you say. Even if you know you were not the one to cause the accident, it may be easy to slip and say “I’m sorry” or get angry at the other driver and start yelling. However, we highly recommend you say as little as possible and do not direct blame toward the other driver or take on any of the blame yourself. If you would like to learn more about what you should and should not do following a car accident, give our office a call. We can go over what should happen and how we can help you with your claim. 

Why You Should Be Careful of What You Say

The accident scene is not the place to make apologies or point the finger. We recommend you proceed with caution when you talk with the other driver or a police officer who is creating a report. Even if you were the one who hit the other driver, it does not mean the accident is your fault. For example, you may have hit them because they:

• Were driving over the posted speed limit
• Ran through a stop sign or a red light
• Were driving in the dark or in the rain and did not have their lights on

Any of these are incredibly dangerous situations and may have caused you to hit the other driver when it was not your fault. However, when you get out of your car and apologize, this apology is all the insurance company needs to hear to refute your claim of the accident. 

What should you do immediately following an accident?

Instead of apologizing or speaking unnecessarily, there are certain things you can do. Always check yourself and your passengers for injuries. If possible, get to safety and out of the road. When you speak with the other driver, make sure you give them all the necessary information and get any information you will need for your attorney. If you see that there were witnesses, you can get their contact information so that your attorney can contact them at a later date. 

Behaviors and Actions that Can Cause Accidents

Following a car accident that was the result of negligence, it is recommended that you call an auto accident lawyer New Orleans, LA recommends. In the U.S., a person will die every 15 minutes in a car accident. Although a number of these collisions happen because of traffic, bad weather, construction, or other factors that are out of control, some happen because another driver fails to adhere to the rules of the road. When a careless decision is made, or a lack of one, an accident happens, the victim(s) should speak up. Call Reddy Accident Law for an immediate consultation. 

All drivers must follow state and federal road safety rules. This includes alcohol consumption rules, cell phone use laws, right of way rules, speed regulations, and more. Sadly, many drivers do not follow these rules. 

• Distracted Driving – During the day, approximately 660,000 drivers will talk on the phones while driving. Several hundred thousand more text message, email, browse social media, or change music. 
• Speeding – One in five drivers will admit to speeding so they reach their destination faster. 
• Drowsy Driving – At least 4.2 percent of drivers reported falling asleep within the last 30 days prior to completing a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control. 
• Drunk/ Drugged Driving – At least 300,000 drunk driving incidents occur every day; many result in an accident. 

Other common causes of accidents include failure to stop, failure to yield the right of way, reckless driving, and more. If you were injured because of any of the following behaviors or actions, as well as those that are not listed, call an auto accident lawyer in New Orleans, LA. 

As a leading auto accident lawyer New Orleans, LA trusts, we know how devastating any collisions can be. Broken bones, bruises, head injuries, and permanent damage are all too common. However, so too are facial injuries. 

Newer cars have been equipped with air bags and other safety features to better protect the body. Many of these features provide limited facial safety which means when a collision happens, the face can be injured. Our firm knows of clients who sustained injuries from windshield glass, hitting the steering wheel, or the detonation of an airbag. If you suffered from facial injuries in a car accident, please call our firm to explore your legal options. When negligence is a factor, compensation may be available. 

Common Facial Injuries Sustained in an Auto Accident

• Broken Bones – There are 14 different bones in the face. Many of these bones are small and prone to breaking in a car accident. When this happens, the eyes, nose, mouth, sinus cavity, or brain can also suffer injuries. Usually broken facial bones are very painful and require surgery. 
• Deformed Face – Even once the face is treated for injuries, it may not heal correctly. A person could experience problems with their appearance; thereby, suffer from low self esteem and a diminished quality of life. 
• Scarring- Glass from the windshield or other objects that impacted the face in the collision could increase the chances of scarring. Scars tend to be permanent and can be an ongoing reminder to the victim of what happened. 
• Burns – If the accident caused a fire, the victim may have suffered burns to their face. These burns could have been the result of direct flames, as well as smoke or heat. 
• Damage to the Eyes – The eyes are very vulnerable. In a car accident, one or both eyes could suffer scratches, penetration, or a significant blow which results in visual impairment or blindness. 
• Damage to the 5 Senses – It is certainly possible for any facial injury to result in damage to any one of the five senses. Hearing impairment, vision loss, or the inability to smell or taste is not uncommon in car accidents. In general, when losses like these are experienced, an auto accident lawyer in New Orleans, LA will seek more damages. 

Medical Care for Facial Injuries 

Victims with facial injuries will likely need long term medical care, such as:

• Surgery
• Eye removal or replacement
• Tissue enhancement
• Cosmetic surgery
• Skin grafting
• Rehabilitation
• Therapy
• Medication
• More

These treatments are usually very expensive, painful, and extensive. Many will take months or years to complete. For this reason it is very important to retain an experienced auto accident lawyer in New Orleans, Louisiana. 

Sadly, the insurance adjuster might downplay a victims’ facial injuries. This is unfair, and can also result in a loss of deserved compensation. Let Reddy Accident Law help you navigate your case and ensure you recover the maximum amount you deserve. 

Legal Action After An Accident

When a driver breaks the rules of the road, the motorist should be held accountable for any injuries or fatalities that result. However, the victim must choose to pursue legal action. It does not automatically begin. The victim also has a responsibility to manage communications with the insurance company, negotiate a settlement, or go to court. However, this requires knowledge, time, and resources. An auto accident lawyer in New Orleans, LA can manage these tasks, and more, on the victims’ behalf. In fact, this is recommended for victims. 

By hiring a lawyer, you can feel peace of mind in knowing that we, at Reddy Accident Law will:

• Obtain the police reports
• Consult with accident reconstructionists
• Ask witnesses for a sworn statement
• Gather evidence
• Communicate with the insurance company
• Walk you through the legal process
• Answer your questions
• Build your case
• Update you on the case
• Negotiate a settlement
• Take your case to trial – if a settlement cannot be reached

Auto accidents can be devastating. Without a lawyer on your side, who can argue the statements made by bold, zealous insurance adjusters, you may risk losing compensation that you need and deserve. Call Reddy Accident Law today. 

Get Help Today

If you were hurt in a car accident, you should speak to an experienced New Orleans, LA auto accident lawyer as soon as possible. Our firm can help you file a timely claim and improve your chances of getting a fair settlement. We will negotiate with the insurance company and look out for your best interests throughout every step of the process so that you can focus on healing. Call our auto accident lawyer in New Orleans today!