Understanding the Time Limits for Filing an Injury Claim in Lafayette
Louisiana law requires that personal injury cases be filed within one year from the date of the injury. Claims submitted after this deadline are likely to be dismissed by the court. It is essential to contact an attorney and begin working on your case promptly. If you are unsure about your eligibility to file a claim, our law firm offers free, confidential advice to help.
Maximizing Your Compensation in Lafayette Personal Injury Claims
Understanding the types of compensation available is crucial when pursuing a personal injury claim. Claimants can seek both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages provide financial support for quantifiable expenses, while non-economic damages address intangible losses that affect quality of life. We have examples below.
Economic Damages
- Medical Expenses: Covers current and future medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and necessary medical equipment.
- Lost Wages: Compensation for income lost due to hospitalization or recovery periods.
- Loss of Future Earnings: If the injury results in a long-term or permanent disability, claimants can seek compensation for the potential loss of future income due to their inability to continue their line of work.
Non-Economic Damages
- Pain & Suffering: Compensation for physical pain and emotional distress caused by the injury.
- Loss of Consortium: Covers the loss of companionship, affection, and support from a spouse or family member.
- Emotional Distress: Compensation for psychological impact, including anxiety and depression.
Rebuilding Lives After Catastrophic Injuries in Lafayette
Catastrophic injuries are not minor injuries that can be healed quickly. These injuries require extensive medical treatment and often need rehabilitation; in some cases, the goal is not to return to a similar point in life but to adjust to an entirely new lifestyle. Our Lafayette catastrophic injury lawyers are passionate about helping those affected by injuries such as these. We take the time to truly understand the scope of the injury and what will be required to recover from it. Then, we work tirelessly to fight for the level of compensation that truly helps our clients take care of themselves and their families.
Our lawyers help clients in cases involving catastrophic injuries such as the following:
- Amputation
- Brain injuries
- Broken bones
- Burn injuries
- Crush injuries
- Hearing loss
- Spine injuries
- Vision loss
Legal Support for Spine Injury Victims in Lafayette, LA
Spinal cord injuries are among the most serious traumas, potentially causing partial or total paralysis. The spinal cord transmits information between the brain and body, so any damage can profoundly impact life. These injuries are typically permanent, requiring ongoing care and making it difficult for victims to earn a living. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, a 25-year-old with quadriplegia may face about $4.7 million in lifetime expenses.
The injury's location and severity determine its impact. Cervical spine injuries can cause paralysis of the arms and legs, affect breathing, and disrupt other bodily functions. Lower spine injuries may result in paralysis of the legs and lower body. Additional effects include susceptibility to infection, breathing difficulties, and loss of bladder, bowel, and sexual function. A spine injury affects every part of a victim’s life, often requiring reliance on caregivers, family members, and assistive devices for daily functions. Severe cases may confine individuals to a wheelchair or result in paralysis.
Spinal cord injuries can result from direct trauma or unnatural twisting or pulling motions, leading to total or partial loss of sensation and motor function. Common causes include:
- Falls from heights
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Diving accidents
- Workplace accidents
Our Lafayette spinal cord injury lawyers are here to help you get the support and care you need. We focus on the severe impact of spinal cord injuries, holding at-fault parties accountable and pursuing the financial compensation needed.
Lafayette's Premier Attorneys for Burn Injury Victims
Severe burns can occur in various situations, including explosions, electrical accidents, and auto accidents. These injuries result from exposure to heat, fire, chemicals, electricity, or the sun and can range from minor to life-threatening. Severe burns often affect muscles, nerve tissue, and bones, requiring immediate medical treatment to prevent complications.
Burn injuries are classified by severity:
- First-degree burns are the least severe and often do not require professional medical treatment.
- Second-degree burns, while sometimes manageable without professional care, should always be assessed by a doctor, as they extend beyond the first layer of skin and can become infected.
- Third- and fourth-degree burns are the most serious and life-threatening. These burns damage multiple layers of skin and can affect muscles and bones, necessitating extensive treatment.
The repercussions of severe burns are often lifelong. Even after physical recovery, individuals may experience difficulty moving and face emotional challenges related to disfigurement and severe scarring. For this reason, it is crucial to get the help of an experienced Lafayette burn injury attorney who can assess the situation and fight for fair compensation.
Helping the Victims of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Lafayette
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when a blow to the head or a sudden jolt damages the brain. Common causes include falls, traffic accidents, and explosions. While TBIs result from external trauma, acquired brain injuries develop from non-traumatic causes such as exposure to toxins, stroke, near-drowning, or a prolonged lack of oxygen. In both cases, injuries can be minor and be resolved with minimal intervention, while others are severe and affect a person’s ability to think, remember, and speak. They both manifest through various symptoms depending on the extent.
Common signs of a brain injury include the following:
- Loss of consciousness
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Difficulty concentrating
- Memory problems
- Personality changes
- Difficulty balancing
- Speech problems
- Ringing in the ears
- Blurred or double vision
- Cognitive difficulties
Negligence or wrongdoing often underlies these incidents, providing grounds for personal injury lawsuits. Our Lafayette personal injury law firm represents individuals who have suffered TBIs in Lafayette, Lafayette Parish, all of Louisiana, and the entire U.S. We know that these injuries often lead to expensive medical treatments, piling bills, and critical decisions about healthcare and insurance, making it seem impossible to rebuild and move on. At Arnold & Itkin, our Lafayette brain injury attorneys are dedicated to helping victims receive the compensation they deserve.
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Lafayette Offshore Injury Attorneys
Louisianans are the backbone of the maritime industry. Men and women from Lafayette Parish and beyond devote their lives to offshore work, often performing backbreaking labor in hazardous conditions. Whether you handle specialty cargo at the Port of Lake Charles, commute to the Port of South Louisiana, work on a vessel on the Mississippi, or conduct maintenance on one of the many offshore oil rigs that dot the Gulf Coast, the work you do is absolutely vital—and Arnold & Itkin believes you should be protected.
Vessel owners, port authorities, and other maritime employers are required to make sure workers are safe. When they fail to do this, they're responsible for making things right. No worker should suffer physically and financially because of a preventable accident. When one happens, Arnold & Itkin steps in to demand the answers—and justice—workers and their families deserve.
Types of Cases Our Lafayette Offshore Lawyers Handle
When employers overlook safety measures or allow work to be done in unsafe conditions, our Lafayette offshore injury attorneys are here to hold them accountable for their negligent actions. Regardless of whether you or a loved one works on an oil rig, commercial fishing vessel, or a barge, offshore work is demanding. Seamen have to contend with high-stakes work under tough conditions, including storms, hurricanes, heights, heavy equipment, and long, exhausting shifts. As a result, offshore workers have unique and specific rights regarding their health after an accident.
We've helped after offshore incidents such as:
This is by no means an exhaustive list. Our maritime injury lawyers in Lafayette are prepared to handle all types of serious injury and wrongful death claims. If you or someone you love was harmed while working offshore, aboard a vessel, in a harbor or port, or in any other maritime setting, our firm can help.
What Laws Protect Maritime Workers in Lafayette?
For centuries, maritime law has governed how offshore workers are treated after accidents. However, these old laws haven't aged well with the maritime industry. Concepts such as maintenance and cure were crucial to helping workers get the medical care they needed. But, while traditional maritime laws helped workers with the immediate costs of an accident, they failed to account for the complete impact one has on a person.
In the past (and still today), maritime workers often found themselves dealing with lasting health problems and financial difficulty. Meanwhile, their negligent employers faced little repercussions and never had much incentive to increase the safety standards on their vessels or rigs.
To help combat this, the United States created a set of laws that help eligible employees who've been injured while working at sea or in the maritime industry. These laws make sure one thing is possible when a company fails to prevent an accident: accountability.
Some of the most important maritime laws in the United States include:
Each of these laws allow offshore workers or their families to seek compensation from ship owners who were either negligent or whose vessels were unseaworthy, resulting in injury or death. Our Lafayette maritime attorneys have represented countless Jones Act claims and other offshore injury claims, including nearly a third of the Deepwater Horizon crew in 2010 and the widows of the El Faro sinking in 2015. We’re committed to helping offshore workers get the money they need for medical care, lost wages, and other losses. No matter what.
How Are Maritime Injury Claims Different From Regular Work Injury Cases?
Getting help from an experienced maritime law firm is important. While any personal injury lawyer can take a maritime injury case, it's crucial to make sure you're getting help from one that understands general maritime law and the specific offshore laws of the United States that apply to your case.
Our Lafayette maritime attorneys have a history of getting the results that offshore workers deserve. We do this thanks to our understanding of the unique laws that govern offshore work, as well as our dedication to never backing down from a fight. While offshore companies often have significant resources, our maritime lawyers refuse to be intimidated by a challenge.
Our Lafayette Offshore Lawyers Help After Boat Accidents
With so much commercial activity taking place in the Gulf—international and domestic trade, oil transportation, fishing, and more—boat accidents are a serious risk. As a maritime law firm that's based on the Gulf Coast, we help with any accidents involving all types of vessels.
Our Lafayette offshore injury lawyers handle cases involving vessels such as:
Crews have to contend with other vessels, accidents aboard their own vessel, and even natural disasters. It’s under these conditions that our clients have suffered catastrophic injuries of all kinds, robbing them of their lives or livelihoods.
We’ve investigated catastrophic offshore injuries like:
If you think you may have a case, reach out to our Lafayette maritime accident attorneys today to learn how we can help. We offer free consultations and do not charge any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.
Offshore Explosions: One of the Most Devastating Types of Maritime Accidents
While there are plenty of life-changing accidents that never get reported in the news, sometimes there are incidents so devastating that they affect entire communities. Often, these accidents involve explosions due to the relationship the maritime industry has with oil and gas exploration. Our offshore explosion attorneys have experience working on accidents that are so significant that they make national headlines.
In fact, we represented more than a third of the crew of the Deepwater Horizon after the oil rig exploded and triggered one of the worst offshore disasters in United States history. Our maritime explosion attorneys fought to make sure the crew was treated right and that they weren't forced to take the blame for an accident they didn't cause.
Oil rig explosions are often caused by:
- Fires
- Blowouts
- Equipment failure/improper maintenance
- Inadequate training
- Dangerous sea conditions
- Negligence
Offshore explosions are particularly devastating for the toll they take on workers and their families. Survivors of these accidents often have severe injuries that will change the rest of their lives. If a person survives an explosion with no physical injuries, they are likely to still have emotional trauma that can be just as life-altering. When offshore explosions kill workers, their families are left with a list of emotional challenges and financial uncertainties.
Other Types of Offshore Accidents
While offshore explosions often make headlines, they're certainly not the only type of accident that offshore workers experience. Working in the maritime industry means facing many types of hazards at once. Adverse weather, dangerous seas, and inadequately maintained vessels mean that workers face the risk of injury if they aren't protected by their employers.
Common types of accidents our Lafayette offshore attorneys help with include:
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Lafayette Plant & Refinery Accident Attorneys
When company negligence injures or kills refinery workers, Arnold & Itkin holds them accountable to help workers and their families rebuild their lives. Our Lafayette plant accident lawyers have gotten more than $20 billion in verdicts and settlements for our clients, including record-setting results for some of the largest plant and refinery explosions in recent history. More importantly, we’ve helped our clients achieve financial security for medical care, lost wages, lowered quality of life, and more.
We’ve represented workers in accidents involving:
You may not even know what caused the accident or who might be responsible. All you know is that your loved one was in a serious accident that may change your lives forever. Stay focused on them; let our team worry about getting answers and making things right. We’ll fight to get you everything you need, no matter what.
Get Answers & Accountability After Lafayette Explosions
While Lafayette and Louisiana are major parts of the oil and gas industry, it doesn't make explosions that harm workers acceptable. Explosions are often as physically catastrophic as they are visibly terrifying. Workers in the path of explosions face serious injuries that can have life-altering implications. Often, these injuries are so severe that they result in death, forcing grieving families to wonder what to do next.
Louisiana explosions often happen because of:
- Improper gas well maintenance
- Unsafe oil rig drilling practices
- Inadequately maintained refineries
- Pipeline accidents
No matter what the cause of an explosion is, one thing is certain: workers should never suffer from them. Companies are responsible for making sure workers are trained, facilities are maintained, and that every step to prevent explosions is taken. When they fail to do this, our Lafayette explosions lawyers are ready to hold them accountable.
The St. Mary Parish Well Explosion
In May 2021, a gas well exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in St. Mary's Parish, approximately 70 miles from Lafayette. The explosion occurred as Wild Well Control, a contractor, was attempting to cap a well owned by Texas Petroleum Investment Company. Texas Petroleum initially tried to cap the well and called Wild Well Control after failing to do so. Officials remain uncertain where the spark came from that ignited the well came from. The incident injured eight people, sending four of them to the burn units in local hospitals. Notably, the explosion was the second explosion involving a Texas Petroleum Investment Company property in less than a year. In August of 2020, a platform owned by the company exploded, igniting a fire near 15,000 gallons of oil.
Sulphur Chemical Plant Explosion at Westlake Chemical
At least five people were injured by a chemical plant explosion in Sulphur, Louisiana in September 2021. Residents in nearby Lake Charles and Hammond reported feeling the explosion from miles away. As of this writing, we’re happy to report that there were no fatalities. However, one of the workers in the explosion was left with severe burns over half of his body. The cause of the explosion at Westlake Chemical hasn’t been uncovered. However, we do know that the plant was going through a turnaround when the explosion ignited. In our experience, explosions are tied to turnarounds because shutdown operations puts pressure on the system where there’s been corner-cutting or serious neglect.
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Lafayette Work Accident Lawyers
Work injuries are often devastating. Their repercussions on the lives of workers and their families last for years, robbing them of peace of mind, physical health, and financial security. When someone experiences a work injury, they often incur some of the costliest losses of their life while remaining unable to work, sometimes permanently. Burn injuries, wrongful death, and paralysis all subject individuals (or their families) to lifelong hardships.
If you have been injured while working, know that you have legal and financial options. Often, work-related injuries are caused by the negligence of a person or company who was required by the law to keep you safe. When employers, coworkers, and companies cut corners with safety, the Lafayette work injury lawyers at Arnold & Itkin hold them accountable for their actions. Our firm has won billions of dollars for our clients so they could pay for their medical care, replace their lost income, and provide for their families. We've held companies accountable in some of the largest work injury accidents in the US, so speak with us to learn how we can help you move forward.
You Deserve a Safe Work Environment
From industrial worksites to office jobs to work that takes you offshore, our careers take up huge portions of our lives. Tragically, this means that for thousands, these job sites also become the location of life-altering accidents and injuries. At Arnold & Itkin, we’re dedicated advocates for those who’ve been seriously hurt while on the job. We have been there to help countless individuals throughout the years, representing the rights of workers who suffer personal injuries, as well as families who’ve lost a loved one to a fatal workplace accident.
If you have been injured in a work-related accident, we’re here to help:
- Construction accidents
- Gas well explosions
- Crane accidents
- Forklift accidents
- Gas truck accidents
- Oilfield accidents
- Plant and refinery accidents
- Plant and refinery explosions
- Scaffolding accidents
- Workplace falls
The Most Common OSHA Infractions
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was founded in 1971 to help ensure that workers were given the benefit of a safe work environment. Though the organization has helped to improve the safety of the workplace, they are unable to keep up with the size of the American economy. Only a little over 2,000 OSHA inspectors must inspect over 8 million job sites in the United States, and employers frequently take advantage of that fact and neglect safety.
In 2016, OSHA reported that 5,190 workers died while working in the private sector. To reduce the daily fatality rate, OSHA has identified the 10 most common citations that companies receive. By doing so, OSHA hopes to encourage a proactive response on the parts of employers who may not realize the dangers of their work environments.
The top 10 infractions seen by OSHA are the following:
- Fall protection
- Hazard communication
- Scaffolding
- Respiratory protection
- Control of hazardous energy
- Ladders
- Powered industrial trucks
- Machinery and machine guarding
- Fall protection training
- Electrical hazards
If these hazards were given the attention that they deserve, the well-being of every American worker would be improved. Unfortunately, despite being warned of dangers, neglectful employers still ignore these issues. As a result, workers unfairly pay for their company’s neglect with catastrophic injury and death.
Compensation for Work Injuries in Lafayette, LA
Workers who are injured on the job are entitled to benefits from worker’s comp insurance. Louisiana requires employers to carry no-fault workers’ compensation insurance that provides compensation for medical care, lost wages, and other benefits. No-fault insurance means that the benefits must be provided regardless of whether the employee or employer is at fault for the injury.
However, workers’ compensation claims may not always be the best option for injured employees. If an employer’s negligence caused an injury, it may be better to pursue them in civil court. Doing so allows injured workers to claim compensation for the loss of future income, future care, and other long-term needs workers' comp doesn't provide for. Hiring an experienced Lafayette work accident attorney will help ensure that an employer will be held responsible for their negligent behavior and will provide for your long-term needs.
Work Accident Claims in Lafayette: Filing Deadlines & More
If a worker is injured while doing their job, they are entitled to no-fault workers' compensation in Louisiana. However, serious injuries in Lafayette may require litigation outside of workers' compensation. Excessive medical bills and wages lost from being unable to work can make a lawsuit the best option for injured workers.
In Louisiana, a person has one year from the date of their injury to file an injury claim against an employer, equipment manufacturer, or third-party contractor. This makes contacting a lawyer as soon as possible a crucial step towards recovery. If you are making a claim against an employer or insurer, a lawyer can ensure you are getting a fair offer for your needs. If your case is serious enough to require litigation, a lawyer will guide you through every step of the legal process..
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Lafayette Construction Accident Attorneys
Many do not realize that construction workers work under the most dangerous circumstances in the United States. Large machinery, heights, and heavy materials are just a few of the hazards construction workers face daily. In fact, recent data collected by the Occupational Safety and Hazard Administration reveals that 1 out of 5 deaths in the private sector happens to a construction worker. This means that, of the 4,693 worker deaths in 2016, 991 of them was statistically a person in the construction industry.
THE FATAL FOUR
OSHA data reveals that construction accidents have predictable causes. This means that employers have no excuse when an accident occurs at their worksite. According to OSHA, four major sources cause 63 percent of construction fatalities, or wrongful deaths. Sadly, if employers were more diligent with protecting working from these well-known hazards, 624 workers that died in 2016 might still be alive today.
Known as the Fatal Four, these causes are the following:
- Falls (38.7%)
- Struck by Object (9.4%)
- Electrocutions (8.3%)
- Caught-in/between (7.3%)
Other Lafayette-Area Construction Accidents
Not all accidents are fatal. However, injuries sustained from construction accidents are often traumatic and life-changing. Construction sites contain a variety of dangerous hazards known to cause serious injuries.
Employers must protect workers from the following hazards:
- Slips and falls
- Scaffolding accidents
- Exposure to toxic substances
- Accidents involving machines
- Electric shock
- Roofing collapse
- Falling objects
- Fires and explosions
Spotlight on Crane Accidents
One of the most destructive types of accidents at construction sites involve cranes. In fact, about two out of every three crane accidents occur in the construction industry. Crane accidents make headlines because of their spectacular and tragic nature. Our Lafayette crane accident lawyers work with survivors long after the headlines clear to make sure they have the financial means to move on after the incident.
The common causes of crane accidents include:
- Improper usage of the crane
- Improper crane for the job
- Poor weather
- Improper set-up
- Falling debris
- Hazardous environment
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Our Lafayette Wrongful Death Law Firm Has Won $20 Billion
Losing a loved one is devastating, and navigating the legal aftermath can be overwhelming. A wrongful death claim is a civil action filed by the family of a deceased person whose death was caused by another's negligent or wrongful actions. These claims seek to hold the responsible parties accountable and provide financial compensation for the family's losses. In Louisiana, eligible individuals to file a wrongful death claim include children, siblings, parents, spouses or life partners, and other dependents. It is crucial to act quickly, as there is a one-year statute of limitations for these claims.
Our experienced wrongful death attorneys in Lafayette are dedicated to providing compassionate and effective legal representation during this difficult time. We thoroughly investigate the circumstances surrounding your loved one’s death to establish negligence or wrongdoing, identify all liable parties, and handle all aspects of filing the wrongful death claim within the statute of limitations. We pursue maximum compensation for economic and non-economic damages, including medical expenses, funeral costs, lost future earnings, pain and suffering, and loss of companionship. Throughout the legal process, we offer compassionate support and clear communication.
Contact Our Lafayette Personal Injury Attorneys: (888) 493-1629
The road to recovery after a severe injury or the loss of a loved one is long and painful. The party or parties responsible for causing you harm should be held accountable, and that’s why we’re here. At Arnold & Itkin, our Lafayette injury attorneys believe in using the civil justice system for its intended purpose: to help people who have suffered harm through the negligent, irresponsible, and outright illegal conduct of others. Our dedication to results and commitment to never backing down has resulted in billions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for clients.
To learn how you can put our experience to work for you, all you need to do is call (888) 493-1629.
About Lafayette, LA
Named the “Happiest City in America,” Lafayette is located along the Vermilion River in southern Louisiana's Acadiana region. The city had an estimated population of 121,771 as of July 2020. Lafayette, spanning 55.65 square miles, has a diverse population, including many of Creole and Cajun descent, and an elevation of 36 to 49 feet above sea level. Unlike the surrounding wetlands, Lafayette rarely experiences flooding.
Established as Vermilionville in the 1820s and incorporated in 1836, the city was initially an agricultural community. It was renamed in 1884 after General Lafayette, a key figure in the Revolutionary War. Lafayette remained agriculture-based until the 1940s when the discovery of oil transformed it into the state's oil and gas industry hub. The city's economy later diversified into aerospace, technology, banking, healthcare, social services, and retail. Employers include the Lafayette Parish School System, Walmart, Schlumberger, Lafayette General Health, and Wood Group Production Services.
Lafayette is the seat of Lafayette Parish, and the top employers in the area are Ochsner Lafayette General, the Lafayette Parish School System, Wood Group Production Services, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Walmart, Schlumberger, and WHC. Companies with main offices and headquarters in the Lafayette area include Amazon, Albertsons, JP Morgan Chase, CGI, Brookshire Grocery Company, and others. The Mall of Acadiana has also been a source of employment and economic stimulation for Lafayette and Lafayette Parish. The unemployment rate in Lafayette was 3.2% as of May 2022, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
Visitors can explore the historical village of Vermilionville, the Acadian Village, the Lafayette Science Museum, the Children’s Museum of Acadiana, and the Cajundome & Convention Center. Outdoor attractions include the Longfellow-Evangeline State Historic Site and birdwatching at Lake Martin Rookery.
Lafayette Links & Resources
