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If you experienced injuries because someone acted negligently, you can seek compensation for your medical bills and other losses. The size or amount of the compensation or money depends on the seriousness of your injuries, the quality of evidence that supports them, and the skills of your attorney.

You have enough to worry about without adding difficult legal matters to your plate. That is why you should reach out to Patrick Yancey, an experienced Houma personal injury lawyer who practices in the Bayou Area and statewide. He knows the difficult situation you now find yourself in, and will do everything possible to help you recover money or financial compensation. Call us and learn how we can help!

Negligence in a Personal Injury Case

The foundation of a strong personal injury case is based on negligence. A Houma attorney must prove that the at-fault party acted negligently and caused the personal injuries in question. The four elements of negligence are as follows.

Legal Duty of Care

The at-fault party in a personal injury case must have a legal requirement to act in a way that protects others from harm. For example, a motor vehicle driver must follow traffic laws to keep pedestrians safe.

Breach of Duty

A Houma personal injury lawyer must demonstrate that the at-fault party failed to meet their duty of care by acting carelessly. For example, a driver might run a red light, which is a violation of traffic laws.

Causation

The injured party’s legal team must prove that their injuries were a direct result of the defendant’s breach of their legal duty of care. For example, the motorist running the red light may have hit a pedestrian crossing the street, causing broken bones.

Damages

The final element of negligence involves proving that injuries led to damages, such as financial losses and emotional distress. A pedestrian hit by a car may require medical treatment and must miss work due to the accident.

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Compensation in Personal Injury Cases

Compensation in personal injury cases includes covering several types of damages:

  • Economic damages: All medical expenses related to treating injuries, rehabilitation, damaged property, and lost wages.
  • Non-economic damages: All harm and losses related to emotional distress, pain, suffering, disfigurement, disabilities, and everything else affecting the injured party’s quality of life, or loss of enjoyment of life.
  • Wrongful death damages: All expenses related to the person’s death due to sustained injuries (e.g. funeral and burial costs, loss of financial support)

In some cases, if the at-fault party acted recklessly when causing the accident, the judge or jury may also award the victim punitive damages. An experienced personal injury attorney in Houma or the Bayou region can help collect relevant evidence, build a strong case, and negotiate with the insurance company for a settlement or present the case to the judge or jury.

OUR PRACTICE AREAS

We can take most types of personal injury cases you have in Houma or elsewhere in Louisiana.

Car Accidents

Car Accidents

Even if a driver is not at fault, Louisiana law may limit the amount of compensation he or she can receive from the at-fault party, depending on the situation.
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18 Wheeler Accidents

Truck Accident Lawyer

Patrick Yancey Law Firm has successfully handled these kinds of cases, and is here to help you.
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Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcycle Accidents

The experienced personal injury attorneys at the Patrick Yancey Law Firm have handled many motorcycle accident injury cases and can help you recover money damages.
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Pedestrian Accidents

Pedestrian Accidents

Pedestrian accidents upend lives every single day in America, killing thousands every year and injuring tens of thousands more.
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Railroad injuries
Railroad injuries

Railroad injuries

If you are working in the railroad transportation industry and have been involved in a railroad incident while on the job, the Patrick Yancey Law Firm can assist you in obtaining compensation to restore your health.
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Diving Injuries
Diving Injuries

Diving Injuries

Most diving accidents occur because of poor equipment, inadequate training, or inadequate supervision.
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Cruise Ship Injury
Cruise Ship Injury

Maritime Injury

Patrick Yancey Law Firm has the experience you need if you are suffering from a maritime injury.
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Faulty Medical Devices
Faulty Medical Devices

Faulty Medical Devices

At the Patrick Yancey Law Firm, we fight for individuals who have suffered health problems or families who have lost a loved one because of a faulty medical device.
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Statute of Limitations in Louisiana

If a person is injured due to someone’s negligence, they have a limited time to file a lawsuit. In Louisiana, this time is two years, as of July 1, 2024. While two years is a long time, delaying legal action could cause issues when trying to recover damages. For example, important evidence may disappear or the at-fault party could leave the state. That is why experienced personal injury attorneys like Patrick Yancey recommend filing a claim as soon as possible.

Consult a Skilled Houma Personal Injury Attorney at Patrick Yancey Law Firm Today

If you or your loved one were hurt in an accident caused by another person’s negligent actions, you can seek compensation. Since navigating personal injuries is complicated, you can benefit from working with a legal professional. Without a competent Houma personal injury lawyer, you could lose your chance to recover fair damages. At the Patrick Yancey Law Firm, we care about protecting your rights and getting you the money you deserve. To schedule a free consultation, please contact us at any time.

Knowledgeable Attorneys
Knowledgeable Attorneys
Affordable Fees
Affordable Fees
Quick and Positive results
Quick and Positive results
Our Team

Meet Our Attorney

Patrick Yancey
Patrick Yancey
Founder
Patrick Yancey
Patrick Yancey
Founder

A native of Houma, Louisiana, Patrick Yancey obtained his Bachelor or Science degree in Petroleum Engineering from Louisiana Tech University. During the summers, he worked offshore as a roustabout for various offshore oil and gas operating companies.

After obtaining his engineering degree, Yancey worked with Mobil Oil both as an operations engineer and as a facilities engineer, where he spent a great amount of time offshore supervising numerous projects. After six years, Yancey resigned from Mobil Oil and enrolled in the Juris Doctorate program at Loyola University, New Orleans. He obtained his Juris Doctorate from Loyola University and worked as a law clerk for Judge Edward J. Gaidry.

If you have suffered a personal injury, you may be entitled to compensation for your injury. Legal responsibility, called “liability,” revolves around the simple fact that most injuries happen because someone was careless or “negligent” and hence coming under the legal status of “negligence”. Even if you believe you may have partly caused your own injury, in most states you can still get some compensation from anyone else who was also careless and partly responsible for your injury.

There are several factors that affect the potential success and value of a personal injury claim. Such factors include the ability to prove the fault of another for your injury and the nature and extent of your injuries.

If you suspect you may have a legal claim, you should contact a personal injury attorney for an evaluation of your case. Personal injury lawyers are experienced with cases like yours and can tell you at the outset whether it is worthwhile to pursue legal action of your lawsuit.

If you are unlikely to prevail, your attorney will tell you so, and you will not need to incur the time and expense of pursuing an unpromising claim. In pursuing personal injury claims, attorneys work with investigators and experts in specialized areas, who can skillfully investigate the technical and medical aspects of your case. More importantly, a personal injury attorney can work through the maze of paperwork necessary to resolve your claim so that you can get on with your life.

Write Down As Much As You Can
Writing down as much as you can about the accident or injury itself, your personal injuries and any other losses (such as wages) you’ve suffered as a result of the accident.

Make Notes
Making notes of conversations that you have with people involved in the accident or the injury claim.

Preserve Evidence
Preserving evidence of who caused the accident and what damage was done by collecting physical evidence and taking photographs.

Locate Witnesses
Locating people who witnessed the accident and who might be able to help you prove your case.

Notify Responsible Party
Notifying anyone you think might be responsible for your injuries of your intention to file a claim for your injuries, especially if a government agency or employee may be involved.

Determining how much certain injuries are worth is a critical aspect of any personal injury claim. It is also the part of a claim about which it is most difficult to generalize; the amount depends on your very particular circumstances. A personal injury attorney can be more objective about your case than you can, and will not make a rash decision concerning your lawsuit. Where you may be tempted, for instance, to go for a quick payout, your injury attorney may counsel you that it is in your best interests to wait for a more appropriate offer. Lawyers are used to working with insurance companies, and will not be confused by their tactics or feel pressured to settle for an unsatisfactory amount. Personal injury lawyers work hard to reach the best settlements for their clients, as early in the litigation process as possible.

If a trial becomes necessary, a personal injury lawyer can zealously represent you in court and work toward achieving the best possible jury verdict in your favor, including:

  • Medical care and related expenses
  • Income lost because of the accident, because of time spent unable to work or undergoing treatment for injuries, permanent physical disability or disfigurement
  • Loss of family, social and educational experiences, including missed school or training, vacation or recreation, or a special event
  • Emotional damages, such as stress, embarrassment, depression or strains on family relationships, for example, the inability to take care of children, anxiety over the effects of an accident on an unborn child, or interference with sexual relations
  • Damaged property

Also, the following guidelines usually applied:

  • The more painful the injury, the higher the potential damages you may recover.
  • The more invasive and longlasting the medical treatment, the higher potential damages you may recover.
  • The more obvious the medical evidence of the injury, the higher potential damages you may recover.
  • The longer the recovery period, the higher potential damages you may recover.
  • The more serious and visible any permanent effect of the injury, the higher potential damages you may recover.

LATEST BLOG POSTS

Check out our most recent blog posts and learn more about personal injury law and how our firm works with clients and the community.

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Louisiana’s New Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Lawsuits
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