The Law Offices of Blaine Barrilleaux are devoted Lafayette personal injury lawyers and car accident attorneys standing by to help victims in Lafayette, LA. We want to make sure that you understand your legal options. The car accident and personal injury lawyers in Lafayette, LA, are fully devoted to providing aggressive legal representation to help you get the compensation that you need. We know how stressful recovering from an accident can be. Our goal is to provide you with compassionate attention while handling the other involved parties on your behalf.
Here's What You Need to Know About Lafayette Personal Injury Lawyers
Our Lafayette Personal Injury Lawyers Specialties
The Law Offices of Blaine Barrilleaux helps victims who were hurt because of:
- Car accidents
- 18-wheeler accidents
- Maritime injuries
- On-the-job accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Wrongful death
- Slip and fall accidents
- Dog bite injuries
- Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
We’ve made it our mission to put our more than 25 years of legal experience to work for personal injury victims in Lafayette, LA and the surrounding areas. We fight for you and help you get the compensation that you deserve for your injuries.
Many personal injury claims never go to court because the parties decide to settle. Our personal injury lawyers in Lafayette, LA will represent you during the settlement process. If the settlement process fails, we’ll represent you in court.
Here at The Law Offices of Blaine Barrilleaux, we want you to have a resource you can call when you get injured in Lafayette, LA. That’s why our slogan is “In Pain? Call Blaine!” Our office is open 24/7, including holidays, so that you can always reach us when you need to. We chose to focus on helping those who have been injured because we believe that is where we can have the biggest positive impact. We sincerely care about making the Lafayette community the best place it can be, and to do that, we need to help each other. So please don’t hesitate to reach out to us when you’re ready. The Law Offices of Blaine Barrilleaux is here for you.
Lafayette Is Blaine’s Community
Lafayette personal injury attorney Blaine Barrilleaux was born and raised in Lafayette. He attended St. Thomas More High School and later earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Then after he received his law degree from Loyola Law School in New Orleans, he moved straight back to Lafayette to fulfill his dream: to build a personal injury law practice that would serve the people of Lafayette and the surrounding communities.
25 years later and Blaine has been doing just that. Lafayette is Blaine’s community, and if you asked him, he’d tell you straight-up that he’s never leaving. Every person in Lafayette neighboring areas is like family to Blaine, and he will do his utmost to serve you well and see to it that you are treated fairly and get the compensation that you deserve.
When you choose to work with Blaine, whether you’ve been in a car or truck accident or bitten by a neighbor’s dog, he is right by your side. You won’t be ignored and passed off to only his representatives or paralegals: if you work with Blaine, he works for you until your case has reached its conclusion.
Blaine Barrilleaux is one of a few Lafayette personal injury lawyers with your best interests at the center of his heart. If you want more information, call at 337-989-1212 or complete this form.
Personal Injuries & Car Accidents Are Caused by Negligence
When someone suffers from a personal injury, such as a car accident, in Lafayette, LA, the court and the insurance companies consider is negligence. In plain English, this means that we’re looking at fault. Who is at fault for causing the accident? When you’re hurt, that may seem like an easy question to answer. There are certain elements that must be present to create the legal concept of negligence.
Proving Negligence
We’ll use a car accident as an example since it is a common personal injury claim in Lafayette. Every driver has several legal duties to other drivers. For instance, drivers have a legal duty to drive the speed limit and obey stop lights and street signs.
When a duty is breached, it means that the person didn’t do what they were legally obligated to do. So, speeding or running a red light would be a breach of the duty owed to other drivers.
If a duty is breached and there is no accident, there are almost no grounds for a legal claim. For a personal injury claim to be viable, the breach of duty must be the proximate cause of the accident. This is commonly referred to as the but-for test. But for the other person running the red light, your car wouldn’t have been totaled and you wouldn’t have broken your leg.
Common damages include medical expenses, property damage, pain and suffering, and loss of wages. Of course, that’s not an all-inclusive list. The type of damages, and how much you may be eligible to recover, depends on the circumstances surrounding the accident. You should have your claim evaluated by our Lafayette lawyers or one of the many other Lafayette personal injury lawyers.
What Should You Do If You’re Hurt in Lafayette, LA?
Getting hurt in an accident of any kind is devastating. It’s not something that people really expect to happen. If it does, it can be hard for you to know what to do. Use this list to protect your legal rights:
The police report is an important component of personal injury and car accident claims. It gives an unbiased opinion related to what caused the accident. The police can also help you get personal and insurance information from the other party.
If you have a medical emergency, call 911. Don’t wait. It’s important that you protect your health.
If you don’t need emergency medical care, document the scene of the accident. Take photos of the accident site and any hazard that caused your injury. Take photos of all the vehicles involved in a car accident. You should also take photos of the street’s condition. This can help you in your claim. Also, take pictures of any injuries that you have.
Make an appointment to see your doctor or go to an urgent care clinic to assess any potential injuries you have suffered. Minor injuries can get much worse if they are left untreated. If you don’t get medical attention and later decide to pursue a legal claim, the other side may argue that you weren’t really hurt.
A qualified injury lawyer in Lafayette, LA can help you deal with the insurance company and the opposing party. Your lawyer looks out for what is in your best interest.
How Long a Personal Injury Lawsuit Take in Lafayette, LA?
How long a personal injury lawsuit or settlement takes depends on several factors. How willing are the parties to come to an agreement? Will the claim need to be heard in court? How long does it take to get through the discovery process? There’s no single way to answer the question of how long the process will take.
Speaking of time, there’s another important aspect to consider. If you’re hurt because of the negligence of another person, state law says that you only have one year from the day of the accident to file the claim. Make sure that you call The Law Offices of Blaine Barrilleaux as soon as you can after you’re hurt.
Personal Injury Case Timeline
In a perfect world, you would receive compensation immediately following an injury caused by someone else’s negligence. Unfortunately, in the real world that doesn’t always happen – it often takes months or even years to reach a successful personal injury settlement, even with the help of a skilled Lafayette personal injury lawyer.
While all cases look a little different, the following will give you an idea of what to expect timeline-wise in an injury case.
Every personal injury case begins with the onset of a physical injury caused by the fault of another person or entity. This can be anything from a TBI following a fall to a herniated disc caused by a car accident.
It’s crucial to contact a personal injury attorney in Lafayette, Louisiana, soon after an injury so they can immediately start working on your behalf. Details are essential to any injury case, and over time memories fade: the sooner you can share the details of your case with an injury lawyer, the less chance there is of evidence getting missed.
Our Lafayette personal injury attorneys that you speak with will go over the details of your situation and give you an idea of how strong your case is and what to expect going forward.
After an injury, you’ll want to seek medical care and save copies of any medical bills or receipts you receive.
Most Lafayette personal injury lawyers will recommend trying to wait until you reach maximum medical improvement (or MMI) in order to get the largest settlement, but remember that you only have one year from the date of the accident to file a claim for the injury. That’s why it’s so important to contact a personal injury lawyer in Louisiana as soon as you get hurt, so you can get the ball rolling rather than waiting until the last minute.
Hiring a personal injury attorney in Lafayette, LA, doesn’t necessarily mean going to court (and in most cases won’t require it at all). Usually, your attorney will try to reach a settlement directly with the other party’s insurance carrier in order to keep the process streamlined and efficient. It’s only when negotiations reach a standstill that a lawsuit is filed.
If you and your personal injury lawyer in Louisiana are unable to reach an agreement with the other party or their insurance provider, the next step is usually to file a personal injury lawsuit in court. If your case results in a lawsuit being filed, you can usually expect to wait for several months as the court process goes through a number of steps, including:
- The discovery phase: lawyers from each side review each other’s claims
- Further negotiation and/or mediation: the two parties will continue to try and reach an agreement, sometimes with the help of a mediator
Trial: personal injury trials are rare, and only happen when neither side can reach an agreement despite their best efforts
Lafayette Personal Injury FAQs
If you’re looking for a Lafayette personal injury lawyer, you undoubtedly have a lot of questions. To help you get started, below are some of the ones we hear most often from clients.
Only about 4-5% of personal injury cases ever make it to trial, so the chances that you’ll have to go to court after an injury are minimal. Even if you hire a personal injury attorney in Lafayette, Louisiana, who files a lawsuit on your behalf, there’s a high probability that the case will be settled out of court.
Of course, every case is different: if you’re concerned about the inconvenience of going to court, be sure to bring that up when you speak with your Lafayette injury law firm during the initial consultation.
Lafayette attorneys’ fees vary from firm to firm, so you’ll need to speak directly with the Lafayette injury lawyer you’re thinking about hiring in order to get their rates. Rates will vary depending on the amount of time, effort, and resources that go into working your case, but it’s common for them to be around 33-40% of your settlement amount.
The Law Offices of Blaine J. Barrilleaux in Lafayette, LA work on a contingency fee basis, which means that we don’t charge you a dime until we reach a settlement. If we don’t win you any money, you don’t have to pay us. It’s that simple.
What Our Clients Are Saying
Call Today to Schedule Your Consultation
If you’ve been hurt in Lafayette or the surrounding area, call one of our Lafayette personal injury lawyers, today to schedule your consultation. Our attorneys in Lafayette, LA will let you know if you have a potential case and explain your legal options. Call us now: 337-989-1212 or fill out our form below.
Our Office
At the Law Offices of Blaine Barrilleaux, we are dedicated to helping individuals who have been injured and need legal support. Our experienced personal injury lawyers are committed to guiding you through the legal process, providing personalized attention, and working to secure the compensation you need. Whether you’ve been injured in an accident or faced another type of harm, we’re here to listen, advocate, and help you move forward.
Visit our conveniently located office, designed to provide a welcoming and professional environment where you can feel comfortable discussing your case. Schedule a consultation with us today to start your journey toward justice and recovery.