It’s extremely unlikely that a motorcycle accident case in New Orleans would take years to resolve, but it is true that some cases are more complex than others. There are elements of liability that have to be determined, as Louisiana is a state where both parties involved in a motorcycle accident may share liability, which can affect the size of the ultimate award. Additionally, some cases begin with incorrect police reports that misstated eyewitness accounts or reflect a misunderstanding of what police are seeing at the scene. In other cases, a person may have previous injuries that an insurance company can use as a basis to fight giving you fair compensation. The fact is that every motorcycle accident injury case will have details that require an experienced attorney to present in the most compelling way. While most injury cases are resolved in a matter of months, if you have concerns about…Read More
The short answer is: as soon as possible. The longer you wait to consult with an experienced New Orleans motorcycle accident attorney after a crash, the harder it can be to develop the strongest possible case to win you the largest possible award. If you or a loved one consult with an accident attorney right away, the attorney stands the best chance of collecting fresh evidence. Important evidence collected by your attorney can be things such as documentation of the scene of the accident, talking to witnesses while their memories are still fresh, and heading off attempts by insurers to cut you off with quick, but very low, settlement offers. The sooner you act, the better your outcome is likely to be. While things like medical costs that you’re entitled to recoup may not be fully known for some time, an experienced motorcycle accident attorney will know how to project your likely…Read More
When you’re being pressured by an insurance company, you have an even greater incentive to find an experienced, independent attorney who can represent your interests and fight for the largest settlement or award possible. Insurers will go to great lengths to limit their exposure to paying out large damage awards, which can even skirt the line of acceptable conduct and communications in trying to get you to sign on the dotted line when they know that their offer isn’t appropriate. When you work with a New Orleans motorcycle accident attorney, you can count on having an advocate who works for you, not the insurance company. The attorneys at The Gertler Law Firm have spent the past 30 years protecting people from predatory insurance companies and helping them get the resources they need to recover from motorcycle accidents and move on with their lives. Don’t be pressured by an insurance company to accept a…Read More
Motorcycle accidents can be catastrophic events that lead to permanent disabilities, and even death. When a person gets hurt while riding a motorcycle, it’s important that they or a family member act quickly in the aftermath to consult with an injury attorney in New Orleans and begin the process of identifying the specific damages involved. Your attorney will then help you negotiate with insurers, file a claim in court or may even push for a jury trial if they see the need, to recover losses like: Medical expenses, both current and future. In many instances, people suffer head or spinal injuries in motorcycle accidents and may have lifelong expenses that stem from the accident. Lost wages, as a category, may be a modest amount of money reflecting days or weeks lost during recovery, or it may represent all future earnings for people who lose the ability to return to work after a motorcycle…Read More
Drivers and motorcycle riders are both required to carry insurance to cover costs associated with a possible accident. Many people skirt this law without realizing that there are consequences in the event that an accident does happen. If you’re an uninsured motorcyclist and the victim of another driver’s negligence, you’ll find that you may be subject to Louisiana’s no pay – no play rule. Basically, an uninsured motorist or motorcyclist is not allowed to collect the first $10,000 of personal injury or property damage when there’s an accident. No pay – no play is meant to be yet another incentive to carry liability insurance, but in practice, it can result in unfair outcomes. There are exceptions to this exclusion. For instance, if the driver who hit you was drunk, the no pay – no play rule will not be applied. For motorists, no pay – no play doesn’t apply to passengers…Read More
When you win a damage award or settlement following a motorcycle accident in New Orleans, your health insurance company can demand repayment of some or all of their expenses from your motorcycle accident. This is just another reason why an experienced attorney is vital in dealing with the myriad issues that serious injury cases can present to those who’ve been hurt. Not only will your attorney ensure that any settlement or award is maximized, but a good lawyer will ensure that any effort by health insurers to collect for reimbursement of costs is fully scrutinized and that you pay no more than is absolutely necessary. When a person has been injured in a motorcycle accident in New Orleans, their job is to get better, not fight with health insurance companies or the at-fault party’s insurer. Also, it’s important to seek the advice of an experienced attorney prior to accepting a settlement from…Read More
Despite significant reforms in healthcare at the national and state level, the fact is that the cost of a policy remains too high for many. When you’ve been hurt by another’s negligence or recklessness but lack health insurance to pay for necessary treatments after a motorcycle accident, you should work with attorneys who specialize in motorcycle accident and injury recovery to connect with the care you need while your case progresses. There are many doctors in New Orleans who are willing to work with injured people, with payment due at the conclusion of a claim against a driver’s insurance company or other party. The most important concern for an injured motorcyclist is getting better, not trying to work through arcane legal details with insurers or fighting with hospitals or healthcare providers over treatment and billing. The Gertler Law Firm has been helping injured people in New Orleans get the care they need and…Read More
Generally, no, if you accept a settlement from an insurance company in relation to a motorcycle accident in New Orleans, your right to pursue action later is gone. This is why it’s so important that you work with an experienced accident and injury attorney to evaluate the facts of your case and ensure that any agreement you sign on to with an insurance company truly reflects the real costs you have and will incur from the accident. Many medical issues that stem directly from a motorcycle accident are not clear in the short term. Chronic pain conditions can be masked by the immediate injuries you’re facing, and their effects and scope may not be known for some time. People injured in motorcycle accidents are often dealing with long-term recovery, including pain management regimens, which can hide neurological symptoms. When you settle your motorcycle accident case with an insurance company, you’ll be…Read More
It’s very likely that you can still make successful claims against a negligent or reckless driver, even if you weren’t wearing a helmet during a motorcycle accident in New Orleans. While Louisiana does require that a helmet be worn when operating a motorcycle, its absence doesn’t negate the role the other driver played in causing the events in question. Where a lack of helmet can matter is in evaluating the size of an award you may win for medical expenses. Louisiana injury law relies on a concept called “comparative negligence.” Comparative negligence requires that the jury in a motorcycle accident case determine the relative degree to which each party was at fault in the incident, and those percentages establish the size of an award. For instance, if you make a claim to recover for costs associated with a head injury sustained while not wearing a helmet and being involved in an accident, the…Read More
At The Gertler Law Firm, we take cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that if we don’t collect for you, you pay us nothing. If we win your case – and our track record of success is very good – you will pay us a percentage of the award, usually between one-quarter and one-third. This may sound like a lot, but consider that people who negotiate on their own behalf in these cases rarely receive a fair settlement offer from the insurer of the at-fault driver in a motorcycle accident case. The insurance company has huge incentive to take every step possible to reduce their exposure to financial loss, and in the best of circumstances, they’re likely to give you only a fraction of what you’re entitled to. When you work with an experienced New Orleans motorcycle accident attorney, you can trust that professionals are fighting for the largest award possible.…Read More
