Can We Help You?
Our office does not accept many motor vehicle accident cases. It has been our experience that most vehicle accident cases involve either soft tissue injuries or very limited insurance coverage. In the state of Louisiana the minimum required insurance is $10,000.00. Typically when an individual is injured in an automobile accident and only the minimum insurance coverage limits are available, the individual will receive very little recovery from the $10,000.00 insurance proceeds.
In order for our office to accept a motor vehicle accident case the following requirements must be met:
(1) Sufficient insurance coverage
Our office does not accept motor vehicle accidents which involve individually owned vehicles unless either you have sufficient UM insurance coverage provided through your own insurance policy (minimum of $25,000, preferably $100,000) or it is possible to confirm that the negligent driver had policy limits of at least $25,000, again preferably $100,000. Fortunately most commercially owned and operated vehicle as well as 18 wheel trucks typically have sufficient insurance coverage.
(2) Injuries have been confirmed through medical testing
Our office will not file a motor vehicle accident suit unless and until injuries can be confirmed through medical testing. Note that our office can and does arrange for medical testing in the cases we accept. But if the testing does not reveal a clear injury, we will kindly ask that you seek other counsel. Many automobile accident cases involve “soft tissue” injuries and attorneys will have the injured party submit to chiropractic treatment or physical therapy treatment for months and months. In our experience this does not benefit the injured person and typically runs up expensive medical bills which must be paid at the end of the case. Our office handles only motor vehicle accidents which involve serious, medically documented injuries.
(3) Damages must relate to injury claims and not simply property damage
Unfortunately many automobile cases involve a dispute concerning the amount of money paid for property damage in the accident. Typically insurance companies will adjust a claim based upon “Blue Book” or dealer estimated vehicle costs. Although the individual may not be receiving a fair settlement for the property damage involved in their case, our office does not handle automobile accident cases involving property damage disputes alone. Unfortunately it is simply not cost effective to file a claim over a few thousand dollars of disputed property damage.
If you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident and believe that our office may accept your case, please contact us. By limiting our practice to only serious motor vehicle accidents we are able to best assist our clients in obtaining the highest possible recovery.
UPDATE– In 2010 the minimum liability insurance required in Louisiana is now $15,000. Read more about this change in the law at this post.
