LOUISIANA PERSONAL INJURY LAW A Guide for Victims Chad Dudley, Steven DeBosier, James Peltier, Jr. LOUISIANA PERSONAL INJURY A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR VICTIMS First Edition CHAD DUDLEY · STEVEN DEBOSIER · JAMES PELTIER Page 1 of 117 LOUISIANA PERSONAL INJURY A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR VICTIMS First Edition CHAD DUDLEY · STEVEN DEBOSIER · JAMES PELTIER Page 2 of 117 COPYRIGHT NOTICE © 2018 Dudley DeBosier® All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Dudley DeBosier®. For more information, please contact: Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers 1075 Government Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802 Page 3 of 117 DISCLAIMER The purpose of this book is not to give legal advice. Unless you have agreed to hire our law firm and we have agreed to represent you, our law firm does not represent you and will take no action on your behalf. Should you have any legal questions or concerns, we recommend that you contact your attorney and discuss the specifics of your case with them immediately. Please be aware that there are often deadlines that may apply to your claim, and therefore, it is important to act quickly! In the event you do not currently have legal representation and would like to set up a free consultation with an attorney at our firm, you may call our toll-free number 800-300-8300 or visit our website www.dudleydebosier.com to set up an appointment. Page 4 of 117 It is important to know that one attorney may act differently from another, but this does not mean that one is right and the other is wrong. Rather, this should be a reminder that when choosing legal representation, you must make a judgment call as to which attorney you think is the best fit to pursue your claim. Page 5 of 117 Contents DISCLAIMER ........................................................................ 4 FOREWORD ........................................................................ 11 INTRODUCTION ................................................................. 15 1. The insurance company is not on your side. .......... 15 2. Their goal is to settle your claim for as little as possible. ............................................................................. 16 3. Time is on their side. .............................................. 17 CHAPTER 1 .......................................................................... 18 YOU OR A LOVED ONE IS INJURED...WHAT NEXT? . 18 I. The Aftermath ............................................................ 19 1. Report the claim…………………………….……19 2. Get contact information from witnesses. ............... 20 3. Take pictures.......................................................... 21 4. Get Medical Treatment…………………………..22 II. Health Insurance ........................................................ 25 Page 6 of 117 III. Keeping Records .................................................... 27 IV. Filing a Claim ........................................................ 30 CHAPTER 2 .......................................................................... 36 WHAT TYPE OF CLAIM DO I HAVE? ............................. 36 General Negligence Claims. .............................................. 37 Workers’ Compensation Claims. ...................................... 37 Medical Malpractice Claims. ............................................ 38 Product Liability Claims. .................................................. 38 Premises Liability Claims. ................................................ 39 CHAPTER 3 .......................................................................... 41 INJURIES ............................................................................. 41 I. The Medical Provider .............................................. 41 II. Treatment ................................................................. 45 III. Physical Injuries ...................................................... 48 IV. Emotional Injuries .................................................... 53 V. Pre-Existing Conditions ........................................... 55 Page 7 of 117 CHAPTER 4….. .................................................................... 57 AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS ............................................. 57 I. Property Damage ..................................................... 57 II. Product Liability Claim ........................................... 59 III. 18-Wheeler Claims ................................................... 60 IV. Other Questions ........................................................ 61 CHAPTER 5 .......................................................................... 65 PREMISES LIABILITY CLAIMS ....................................... 65 I. General Law .............................................................. 65 II. Liability..................................................................... 67 Merchant Liability ......................................................... 67 Landowner/Custodian Liability ..................................... 68 III. Types of Claims ......................................................... 70 Trip-and-Fall .................................................................. 71 Slip-and-Fall .................................................................. 71 Falling Merchandise ...................................................... 72 Page 8 of 117 CHAPTER 6 ………………………………………………75 WHAT KIND OF DAMAGES CAN I RECOVER? ............ 75 I. Special Damages ........................................................ 76 II. General Damages ....................................................... 76 III. Other Damages .......................................................... 77 IV. Wrongful Death and Survival Action ...................... 78 CHAPTER 7 .......................................................................... 80 PRODUCT LIABILITY ....................................................... 80 I. General Law ............................................................... 81 CHAPTER 8 .......................................................................... 84 WORKERS’ COMPENSATION .......................................... 84 I. Overview .................................................................... 85 II. Filing a Claim ............................................................ 88 III. Medical Treatment ................................................... 89 IV. Unemployment ......................................................... 91 CHAPTER 9 .......................................................................... 93 Page 9 of 117 MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ............................................... 93 I. Overview .................................................................... 94 II. Filing a Claim ............................................................ 95 III. Damages .................................................................... 97 CHAPTER 10 ...................................................................... 100 RESOLVING THE CLAIM................................................ 100 I. Creating a Demand Package .................................... 100 II. Negotiations ............................................................. 103 III. Trial ......................................................................... 107 CHAPTER 11 ...................................................................... 108 WHY CONSULT AN ATTORNEY? ................................. 108 GLOSSARY ........................................................................ 110 Page 10 of 117 FOREWORD Welcome to Dudley DeBosier’s Louisiana Personal Injury Law: A Guide for Victims. If you are reading this book, you or someone you love has probably been injured. Perhaps you are considering hiring an attorney but want to first do some initial research about the law and which firm you want to choose. Or perhaps you want to better understand the legal process and your claim. Regardless of your reasons, we have created this book to help provide you with the answers you are seeking and help guide you through this process. People who have been in accidents need help. They need someone they can trust and who will provide the right answers and passionately fight on their behalf. At Dudley DeBosier, our mission statement is that we want to “change the way that people think about attorneys, one relationship at a time.” That concept is important to us because we know Page 11 of 117 that attorneys don’t always have the best public image. There is no denying that some can seem “money-hungry,” egotistical, selfish, and the like. However, just as every human being is unique, each attorney also has their own individual personality. My partners and I got into the practice of law because we wanted to help people and we wanted to fight for those who have been harmed. It has been our goal to build a law firm that is made of attorneys and support personnel that are not only the best at what they do but care about people. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” We believe that to be true for the legal practice as well. Page 12 of 117 At Dudley DeBosier, we pride ourselves in staffing a great group of people that are excellent at what they do and love helping people. Our firm has helped tens of thousands of people with their legal matters all throughout Louisiana. We have fought for them, we have argued their cases, and we have