Covington Truck Accident FAQs

Oftentimes, it may be difficult to get in touch with the right person with a big company to report and get information after a car wreck.  Big companies typically have their own car wreck claim units or hire third-party companies to handle such claims.  

Getting to the right person can be challenging and frustrating.  Front-line employees who answer the 1-800 number may not have the right information to get you in touch with the claim’s unit.  In most cases, it takes some digging to get to the right department.

If a big company is not responding to your calls, chances are that you do not have the right person’s attention.  For instance, if you have been leaving messages for the operator or another front-line employee, they are probably disregarding your calls as “not their problem.”  

Though years of experience, we have found that persistence and resourcefulness are the keys to making sure our clients’ claims are handled properly and taken seriously.  When our client is in an accident involving a big company, we gather all of the information possible to make sure we get the right person’s attention.  Ultimately, our goal is to get the claim in front of the insurance representative or third-party administrator in charge of handling car accident claims.  

Have You Been Injured In A Covington Area Truck Accident?

If you've been hurt in a semi-truck or large vehicle accident you need to speak with an experienced truck accident lawyer as soon as possible. Please contact me online or call my Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. I help clients throughout Louisiana including Mandeville, Slidell, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Hammond, New Orleans and Metairie.

Beware of an insurance company offering you a “quick settlement” following a car wreck.  This is the WORST TIME to settle your case.  Why?

First, adrenalin in your body is released during an accident and can often mask serious injuries for several days.  Never settle a car accident claim before you have fully recovered from your injuries or at least understand the extent of your injuries.  What may seem like a good offer a day after your wreck can look like pennies compared to how you feel a few days later.  

Second, in the days after an accident, you may not be thinking clearly, especially if you suffered a concussion or severe whiplash during the wreck.  Now is not the time to analyze a settlement offer.  

What happens if you accept an insurance company’s settlement offer?  In order to finalize the offer, the insurance company will send you a “release.”  This is a statement they want you to sign in order to give up any claims you may have in exchange for the settlement money.  By signing a release, you literally sign away your rights to ever bring a lawsuit against the at-fault party or their insurance company, even if a hidden injury pops up later.  

If you have received a settlement offer from an insurance company following a wreck and would like to review it with an attorney for free before you accept it!

Have You Been Injured In A Covington Area Car Accident?

If you've been hurt in a car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible. Please contact me online or call my Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. I help clients throughout Louisiana including Mandeville, Slidell, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Hammond, New Orleans and Metairie.

Car accidents can cause tragic losses, including death.  When the driver who caused an accident dies as a result, the car accident victim may still pursue an accident claim against them through their insurance company or even their estate.  

In these unfortunate cases, the deceased driver’s insurance company is still responsible for any injuries and damages suffered by the victims. If the at-fault driver did not have insurance or did not have enough insurance to cover the injuries and damages caused by their negligence, the victims may have a claim against their estate.  

Have You Been Injured In A Covington Area Car Accident?

If you've been hurt in a car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible. Please contact me online or call my Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. I help clients throughout Louisiana including Mandeville, Slidell, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Hammond, New Orleans and Metairie.

The most common excuse an at-fault driver has when accused of running a red light is that their light was green.  “Green light-red light” accidents are common and insurance companies love to deny insurance claims based on their insured’s own self-saving statement.  So, how can you establish fault after a red-light accident?

First, it is very important to study the police report for any evidence the police may have gathered during their investigation.  Were there any independent witnesses who saw the accident?  Perhaps a fellow driver who was nice enough to stop and provide their statement?  

Second, a trip to the accident scene may be useful to see if there are any stores or residences around with cameras which may have captured the accident.  It is important to do this as soon as possible, since many surveillance systems erase footage after a certain amount of time.  

Finally, we sometimes use an accident reconstruction expert to analyze the details of the accident, including damage to the vehicles, skid marks, etc., in order to prove how the accident occurred.  

These are just a few ways we attempt to establish fault when the other driver denies running a red light.   

Have You Been Injured In A Covington Area Car Accident?

If you'be been hurt in a car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident lawyer as soon as possible. Please contact me online or call my Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. I help families throughout Louisiana including Mandeville, Slidell, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Hammond, New Orleans and Metairie.

Being involved in an accident with a big truck or commercial vehicle is often confusing, especially when it comes to filing an insurance claim.  Sometimes, a police report will list the driver of the truck, the leasing company, the owner of the trailer, and finally, an insurance company you have never heard of.  What do you do?

When we receive a case involving a big truck or commercial vehicle, we immediately get to work researching the parties involved.  One of our first calls is to the at-fault insurance company in order to begin evaluating whether they are taking responsibility for the accident, and for the fault of the truck driver.  At the same time, we may also request information from the owner of the truck and its driver to make sure the information is matching up.  

Ultimately, the insurance claim will be filed with the truck’s insurance company.  However, if the insurance company is denying responsibility for the driver’s actions, further investigation is needed in order to protect our clients’ claims.

Have You Been Injured In A Covington Area Truck Accident?

If you've been hurt in a semi-truck or large vehicle accident you need to speak with an experienced truck accident lawyer as soon as possible. Please contact me online or call my Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. I help clients throughout Louisiana including Mandeville, Slidell, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Hammond, New Orleans and Metairie.

We often get phone calls from injury victims who are not satisfied with their current lawyer and are looking to hire another law firm to handle their case.  I always encourage those callers to contact their current attorney and schedule a meeting to discuss their concerns and to get a clear understanding of what is being done in their case.  Most times, a simple meeting with their attorney solves the problem.  

If a person is already represented by another attorney, we cannot discuss the specifics of their case with them unless they have discharged their present attorney.  The primary reason is that doing so may compromise the attorney-client confidentiality they have with their current lawyer.  

A client who fires their attorney should do so in writing.  The client should also request their entire file so that their new lawyer can review it.  It is important to note that firing an attorney does not mean that they will not be owed money at the end of your case.  In fact, a fired attorney may have a claim for repayment of case expenses and for fees, depending on the amount of work they did prior to getting fired.  

Communication with your current attorney is always encouraged prior to making the decision to switch lawyers.

Have You Been Injured In A Covington Area Car Accident?

If you've been hurt in a car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible. Please contact me online or call my Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. I help clients throughout Louisiana including Mandeville, Slidell, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Hammond, New Orleans and Metairie.

Delay is one strategy used by insurance companies, including big truck insurance companies, to deter people from pursuing their claims following an accident.  The longer insurance companies can keep their money, the better for their bottom line.  

Big truck insurance companies are different than the typical car insurance companies with which you may be familiar.  Oftentimes, they are from out of state and unfamiliar with Louisiana’s laws concerning property damage adjustment, timely claims handling, and third-party bad faith law.  

At Grady J. Flattmann, Attorneys at Law, we help our clients through all aspects of their big truck cases, including their claims for property damage.  If the insurance company is delaying the process, we find out the reason, make sure the insurance company has satisfactory proof of our client’s loss, and put them on notice as to Louisiana’s laws on timely claims handling.  

Have You Been Injured In A Covington Area Truck Accident?

If you've been hurt in a semi-truck or large vehicle accident you need to speak with an experienced truck accident lawyer as soon as possible. Please contact me online or call my Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. I help clients throughout Louisiana including Mandeville, Slidell, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Hammond, New Orleans and Metairie.

In Louisiana, the statute of limitations (also known as the prescriptive period) to file a lawsuit for car and truck accidents is one year from the date of the injury or damage sustained.  This means that if a lawsuit is not properly filed within that period, the injured person’s claims are no longer valid.  

To be clear, filing an insurance claim with a big truck’s insurance company following a wreck is NOT the same as filing a lawsuit.  An insurance claim is the process of notifying the at-fault insurance company of the wreck and your damages and injuries and pursuing compensation for those injuries.  Filing an insurance claim does not require filing a lawsuit if the claim can be resolved within that year period discussed above.  Sometimes, if a claim cannot be resolved, a lawsuit must be filed to preserve and pursue our client’s claims.

Have You Been Injured In A Covington Area Truck Accident?

If you've been hurt in a semi-truck or large vehicle accident you need to speak with an experienced truck accident lawyer as soon as possible. Please contact me online or call my Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. I help clients throughout Louisiana including Mandeville, Slidell, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Hammond, New Orleans and Metairie.

The term “commercial truck” typically refers to a truck owned by a company, and not by an individual.  Commercial trucks can mean anything from 18-wheelers to dump trucks, and even pickup trucks being used by a construction company.  If a truck, or any vehicle for that matter, is owned by a company and being used by that company’s employees, it would be considered a commercial vehicle. 

Just like a personal vehicle, a commercial vehicle must be insured in order to be legally driven in Louisiana.  However, a commercial vehicle will typically be covered by commercial liability insurance, under the company’s policy of insurance, and not necessarily by the driver’s personal liability insurance.  

When we represent someone injured by a commercial truck, it is important that we identify the business who owns the vehicle and the proper insurance company with whom to file an injury claim.  Sometimes, a commercial insurance company has a different claims process than a personal insurer, so that will also be determined in order to ensure that a claim is handled properly.  

Have You Been Injured In A Covington Area Truck Accident?

If you've been hurt in a semi-truck or large vehicle accident you need to speak with an experienced truck accident lawyer as soon as possible. Please contact me online or call my Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. I help clients throughout Louisiana including Mandeville, Slidell, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Hammond, New Orleans and Metairie.

At Grady J. Flattmann, Attorneys at Law, we offer free and confidential consultations for all accident cases, including wrecks involving big trucks.  At our consultation, you will meet with an experienced accident lawyer.  We discuss the facts of the wreck, the evidence collected, your injuries and medical treatment, and even your vehicle damage.  Then, we work together to create a plan of action moving forward in order to protect your legal rights.  

At our firm, we are 100% no pressure.  If we believe you can handle your case on your own, we will tell you and even provide some pointers.  Our goal during a consultation is to make sure your questions are answered and you come away from our visit feeling confident in the direction of your case.  

Have You Been Injured In A Covington Area Truck Accident?

If you've been hurt in a semi-truck or large vehicle accident you need to speak with an experienced truck accident lawyer as soon as possible. Please contact me online or call my Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. I help clients throughout Louisiana including Mandeville, Slidell, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Hammond, New Orleans and Metairie.