BLOG - Lake Charles Personal Injury Attorney

Feb 26 2020

Think the other guy’s insurance company is going to pay your medical bills after a crash? WRONG.

After being injured in a crash, your number one priority should be getting better, not getting a settlement or dealing with lawyers and insurance companies. Unfortunately, medical care isn’t cheap, and the costs start at the crash scene if you need an ambulance (and you will find out most ambulance drivers are high pressure salesman). From there, your accident-related expenses could just keep piling up, from overnight stays, to surgical procedures, prescription drugs, physical rehabilitation, and more.

Most people think the other driver or their insurance company are required to pay these bills as they come in, but that is not how it works. They will tell you the bills are your problem unless until you enter a final settlement with them.

EMS services, hospitals, and outpatient facilities don’t waste time when it comes to sending bills, either. To make matters worse, your injuries may prevent you from working while you’re receiving treatments and trying to recover. That means you’re looking at huge expenses that you can’t afford on your normal salary, let alone during a time when you’re not earning the paychecks you depend on.

Here is the reality check – Insurance companies do not play fair. They are in business for one reason and one reason only: Money. The business plan is simple. They make money off selling insurance for accidents and then pay as little possible when those accidents happen by whatever means necessary.

Use These Options to Stay on Top of Your Medical Bills

The costs associated with an auto accident are often far too much for the average family to bear, especially out of pocket. But that fact doesn’t stop bills from being due. Utilizing the following resources can help you stay on top of your medical expenses while waiting for your compensation check to arrive:

Your health insurance coverage—Whether it’s through your job, your spouse’s job, or a private plan, health insurance coverage can pay some or all of your medical bills after a crash. Be sure to provide the hospital or healthcare clinic your insurance information as soon as possible after you arrive and begin receiving treatment. Just know that your health insurance company will want to be reimbursed from your settlement.
Medicare or Medicaid—If you receive Medicare or Medicaid, that coverage may be used to pay some of your crash-related expenses. Keep in mind that you may have to pay some or all of that money back if you receive a settlement check from the other driver’s insurance provider.
Med pay or personal injury protection (PIP) plans—If you purchased supplemental injury policies for your auto insurance, including med pay or PIP, you may be able to use those policies to pay for some of your bills. Keep in mind that med pay and PIP are usually limited in the amounts they pay out, and they may not pay for all your expenses.
Payment plans—Hospitals are often willing to work with victims who are struggling financially. Getting in touch with the hospital’s billing department or service and asking for a reduced payment or setting up a payment plan can make your bills more manageable while you wait for your settlement check.
Hire a lawyer!

Feb 17 2020

New Vehicle Technology: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown

There is a lot of new vehicle tech coming… some of it is already here. To name a few:

Predictive Vehicle Technology
Self-Driving Technology
Smart Car Rentals
Better GPS
Shared Vehicles
Brain Assisted Vehicles
Intelligent Dashboards
Driver Health Monitoring
Voice Commands
Mechanics on Wheels

Let’s look at the upsides, the downsides, and the unknown about future vehicle tech.

The Upside of New Vehicle Technology

Fewer deaths (hopefully): More than 35,000 people died in the U.S. in crashes in 2018. Any technology that reduces the number of vehicle accidents brings a welcomed change to road safety.
More advanced GPS features mean more efficient routes: Advanced GPS features are already being used in vehicles. As automated features and even more advanced maps become the norm, we will see routes that are quicker and less congested.
Responsive vehicles: From intelligent dashboards to thought-assisted vehicles, experts speculate that a number of user-friendly technologies could not only make our commutes safer, but also more enjoyable.
Improved energy efficiency: Several technologies are already making vehicles more energy efficient. But more might be on the way, including lighter engines and hybrid vehicles that use less fuel and emit fewer greenhouse gases.
Money Savings: Better fuel efficiency and ride sharing should decrease costs.

The Downsides of New Vehicle Technology

A difficult transition for some to smarter cars: Many people are not “techy” and have been driving “normal cars” for a long time. Every year it will get more difficult to buy a car without smart features. Some people will no doubt have difficulty with the transition.
Hacking poses a more serious threat. The more that new technologies are integrated with vehicles, the more vulnerable they are to hackers. Many cars sync with your phone, and many people have their entire life on their phone.
Less-skilled drivers. The less time drivers spend operating their own vehicles, the less prepared they’ll be to take over in emergency situations.
Self-driving cars, also known as autonomous vehicles, are scary. It is hard for many of us to imagine trusting our lives to driverless cars on the interstate going 70mph.

The Unknown: Could Vehicle Ownership Become a Thing of the Past?

Think about how often your vehicle isn’t being used. Chances are good that most of the time your car is parked, just like your neighbor’s car. As self-driving vehicles become more common, we could see self-driving car services take over.

Smart vehicles are likely to be incredibly expensive. Shared ownership or vehicles-on-demand services could make vehicles more attainable but create a future where fewer of us own the vehicles we drive.

The Dangers of Placing Our Trust in Automakers

Automakers have a sordid history of selling dangerous products. Takata is still reeling from the massive recall that included more than 40 million vehicles. GM’s defective ignition switches resulted in 2.6 million recalled automobiles. The list of dangerous vehicles and vehicle parts is a long one, and it highlights just how bad things can get when manufacturers sell dangerous products.

Few products require the trust of consumers more than automobiles. Not only are vehicles an investment, they also affect our safety in a way few other products do. As we become more reliant on vehicle technology, we place even more trust in vehicle manufacturers.

Like it or not, vehicles are changing rapidly. The next car you buy is likely to be far more technologically advanced than the one you’re currently driving. With this change comes hope for a safer and more enjoyable driving experience. Unfortunately, not all changes come without risks.

Feb 10 2020

Recognizing Birth Injuries

How much do you know about birth injuries? Would you know how to diagnose one?

Did you know that some birth injuries are not apparent until months or even years later?

Some injuries that occur during pregnancy, delivery, or shortly after birth can have serious consequences for the health of your child and may not become apparent until months or even years later.

Our free guide covers some of the most common forms of birth injury, what symptoms to look out for, and what to do if you suspect your child suffered a birth injury. Click the image below to open your free guide.

Causes of a Birth Injury

There are many possible causes, some avoidable and some not. Preventable birth injuries are often caused by a failure to notice a dangerous infection in the mother, or by being too rough with the baby during delivery and injuring their limbs or head.

Some birth injuries are minor and heal on their own or with minor treatment. Others, however, can cause permanent harm.

Feb 03 2020

Choosing the Right Nursing Home for Your Loved One

No one wants to talk or think about our loved ones living in a nursing home, but sometimes it is the only safe place for them to be. When it comes time to make hard decisions about your loved one’s future care, it helps to have some guidance. Choosing the right nursing home might seem like an overwhelming process, but it doesn’t need to be.

We’ve identified a few tips to get you started in your search for the right nursing home. From researching your options to recognizing red flags, these tips will help you choose the right facility.

What You’ll Get from Our Guide

In this guide, you’ll find essential information to help in your goal of choosing the right nursing home. Items we cover include:

Questions to ask yourself during the process
Why visiting a nursing home in person is so important
Qualities of a good nursing home
Warning signs of a bad nursing home
And more

This free guide is an easy and quick read. It will give you valuable information to reference during your search.

Knowing When Your Loved One is Being Mistreated

If you currently have a loved one in a nursing home, you already know that you can only catch glimpses of the care they’re receiving. You might wonder what their experience is like when you’re not around. If you suspect a nursing home’s staff is neglecting or abusing your loved one, here are some signs you can look for:

Unexplained injuries, such as cuts, bruises, or broken bones
Lack of proper nutrition or hydration
Dramatic weight loss
Unclean facilities
Overworked or unhappy staff
Dramatic changes in your loved one’s personality

If you’ve noticed any of the above and fear for your loved one’s health and safety, then consider transferring your loved one to a new facility. Get the patient’s medical records to see what has been going on. Be on the lookout for suspicious explanation and inconsistent entries.

Unfortunately, we have seen many cases over the years where nursing home patients have been severely neglected. We hope we never see another one, which is why we made this guide.

Jan 27 2020

Stay Safe on Super Bowl Sunday

We love a good Super Bowl party at Broussard & Hart, but did you know Super Bowl Sunday is also one the biggest days of the year for DUIs and drunk driving crashes?

If you’re planning on spending Super Bowl LIV at a party, make advance plans for safe travel. No football game, not even the Super Bowl, is worth getting a DUI, and especially not worth hurting yourself or someone else.

Be smart and be safe this year by following these tips to reduce the risk to yourself and others:

Be a Smart Host with These Party Planning Tips

If you’re planning on hosting a Super Bowl party, the team at Broussard & Hart has some tips on how to keep things fun while still keeping your guests safe.

Provide plenty of water and other non-alcoholic drinks.
Never provide alcohol to underage guests.
Offer desserts and coffee instead of alcohol after the end of the third quarter.
Sometimes driving home drunk makes perfect sense to a drunk person. If your guests don’t appear safe to drive home, don’t let them. Remind them to call a cab or LYFT/UBER or give them a place to sleep.
Stay relatively sober yourself. You’re the host.
Make sure all walkways to, around, and in your home are free of tripping hazards.
Keep pets away from guests. Even pets who are normally friendly may bite or scratch if surprised by loud noises, like cheering at a touchdown, or by too many unfamiliar people.
Be aware of all food allergies of your guests, and clean your cutting boards and knives frequently when preparing food.