Car Accidents

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to another driver’s negligence, our personal injury attorneys may be able to recover damages on your behalf.

In the United States, a car accident occurs every five seconds. Accidents can range from a minor fender bender to immediate death. In the event that you or a loved one receives serious injuries due to a car accident, you need legal representation.

At the Law Office of Brock Duke, our lawyers understand the hardships and damages that another person’s careless decisions can cause. With our extensive knowledge of car accident law, we may be able to assist you in recovering compensation for medical bills, pain, and suffering, lost wages, property damage, or wrongful death.

Causes of Car Accidents

Car accidents happen every day. You may be able to recover damages if the accident was caused by or results in:

Driver Error / Distracted Driving

The number one cause of car accidents is driver error or distracted driving. A driver must always focus on the road, have their hands on the wheel, and have their mind focused on safety.

Drunk Driving

In 2021, 40% of all wrecks in Louisiana were alcohol-related. Being involved in a drunk driving accident can be painful and devastating. Nothing is worse than knowing that the pain you and your family are experiencing is due to another driver’s deliberate and reckless behavior.

Every year, drunk driving endangers over 100 million people because of someone else’s poor decisions and dangerous habits. Drunk driving accidents can be life-altering for innocent individuals who suffer injury or death because of another impaired driver’s choices. If you were hurt by a drunk driver, a car accident lawyer can fight for your physical and financial recovery.

Texting While Driving Accidents

Louisiana is a big place, and this means there are a lot of cars and people on the road. Texting while driving has been identified as a major cause of car accidents and vehicle-related fatalities. States are currently passing laws to prevent drivers from texting while on the roads to ensure driver safety. Never text and drive. If you have been affected by a texting while driving accident, reach out today. 

Pedestrian Accidents

Over 6,000 pedestrians are killed annually as the result of being hit by a car.

The lack of efficient public transportation and infrastructure makes our streets and roadways heavily traveled. This is a danger to others on or near the roadway. Every year, children playing in the streets are severely injured, and some lose their lives to negligent drivers. Inattentive drivers also hit cyclists and people legally and safely walking across or alongside the street. As a pedestrian, you have the ability to place yourself in safe and vulnerable situations. Remember to always practice safe transportation procedures if you are walking alongside roads.

Car Defects or Malfunctions

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration reports that more than 6 million car accidents happen on our nation’s roads and highways every year. Over 3 million people are injured, and tens of thousands lose their lives. Some of these accidents are due to driver error. Others can be attributed to defects or malfunctions by the vehicle.

People are often injured due to no fault of their own. In fact, it is the car itself that caused the accident. Vehicle production defects and car malfunctions are common causes of car accidents. Due to the heightened demand for advanced safety measures in cars, the vehicle production process is more technical than ever. Too many technical features and too much going on in the production process can create multiple opportunities for something to go wrong with the car. 

Brake Malfunctions

Brake malfunctions account for nearly 300,000 car accidents in the US annually. Efficient and effective brakes are essential to the successful operation of a motor vehicle. If the brakes fail, injuries can be severe and sometimes catastrophic for all parties involved. Remember to always stay vigilant of your car’s brake system and if you’ve fallen victim to a car brake malfunction, reach out to our car accident attorney team today.

Tire Defects

It is not often that tires come damaged from the store. Often or not, a tire defect can create an unexpected and challenging situation for the driver and all other cars around them. Our car accident attorneys understand the severity of a tire malfunction. There are a few things that could cause tire defects. Sometimes this happens during the design or manufacturing process.

The tire design, vehicle compatibility, and proper installation and mount, alignment, and general maintenance can all affect the effectiveness of the tire. Various parties may be liable for your injury or loss.

Airbag Defects

Airbags are designed to save lives, but they can also be extremely dangerous if they don’t operate properly. Failure of an airbag to deploy can mean the difference between life and death for the driver and their passengers. An airbag deployed unexpectedly can cause an accident and may result in physical harm.

During a collision, airbags are designed to deploy and lessen the impending impact. The rest of the time, an airbag is to remain safely secured within the steering wheel or passenger dash. Failure to perform either of these functions properly can result in an array of injuries that may make you entitled to compensation.

Child Car Seat Defects

Child safety is the focus of all families. Failure of a child’s car seat to function properly can result in injury or death to an infant. Child car seats become defective due to humans being negligent. The defect can occur either during the design or manufacturing process. An error at the factory can cause a defective car seat to be produced. In addition, various conditions created by the distribution centers can cause damage to the devices while they are waiting to be shipped to the stores for sale. Also, negligent shipping procedures can cause damage or defects to the car seats.

The production and distribution process is not the only source of child car seat defects or malfunctions. Various factors can affect its reliability and durability, including its design, vehicle compatibility, proper installation, and mounting. Parents deserve to provide their children with safe seating while driving. Car seat defects can indicate various liable parties that will be held responsible for their negligent actions.

Seat Back Defects

Rear-end collisions can result in severe injury and sometimes death. Defects in a vehicle’s seatbacks can increase the chances of severe injuries.

The seats of a vehicle must maintain a safe position for all the safety devices to work.

 When seats malfunction during a wreck, the vehicle’s occupants can be seriously injured. The seat must stay intact for the seat belts and airbag systems to work correctly. If the seat collapses, the seat belt and airbag are useless, and the occupants can be injured.

Highway Defects

Driving on roads and highways at high speeds is, by its very nature, dangerous. Therefore the roads must be kept in good condition to keep people safe. In some cases, even the most attentive, safe, and cautious drivers cannot avoid an accident.

If roads and highways are unfit for driving, the city and state agencies responsible for maintenance are liable for damages.

The Law Office of Brock Duke’s car accident attorneys provide years of courtroom experience to those families and individuals who have suffered injury or loss due to road and highway defects.

Uninsured Motorist

What happens after an accident if the other driver does not have insurance? Our attorneys have provided years of courtroom experience to those who are the victims of an uninsured driver. Accidents involving uninsured drivers account for compounded stress. In addition to the possible injuries at hand, vehicle repairs and insurance disputes are multiplied in a situation of this magnitude. 

Our attorneys may be able to assist you in recovering compensation. If you or a loved one has suffered a car wreck due to an uninsured motorist, our attorneys are more than capable of helping you through your dilemma. Let our car accident injury lawyers get to work for you and your family.

Car Accident Injuries

Car accidents can result in injuries that can drastically change the course of an individual and family’s life. Luckily, our experienced lawyers have provided years of courtroom representation for those families and individuals who have suffered a car wreck injury due to another person’s negligence.

Back and Neck Injuries

Back and neck injuries are commonly associated with car accidents. A back or neck injury resulting from the negligent or reckless behavior of another can cause years or even permanent injuries, pain, and disability.

Herniated and Bulging Discs

The human spine is made up of vertebrates; in between each vertebra, there’s a soft material called a disc. When the disc ruptures, it is called a herniated disc. When the disc moves or protrudes outward, it is called a bulging disc. Herniated and bulging discs push on a nerve or compress one’s spinal cord.

When this happens, the person is left in a severe amount of pain and is at risk for permanent nerve damage and even paralysis. This pain is not limited to the site of the herniated disc but radiates throughout the body.

The intense pain caused by a herniated disc gets worse when the person isn’t treated. Any action can put pressure on the nerve causing severe pain. This limits a person from driving, walking, exercising, golfing, playing with kids, and endless other activities. Often the only solution is surgery to repair the damaged area. If you have suffered a herniated disc due to the negligence of another, you may be entitled to compensation.

Nerve Injury

Nerves transmit messages from the brain to the various parts of the human body. This is how your brain tells your legs to walk or your hands to grab something. Nerves also control our ability to breathe, digest food, and tell our hearts to beat.

If the nerves are damaged or injured, these functions can be limited or inhibited altogether. Our attorneys have provided years of courtroom experience to those families and individuals who have suffered nerve damage due to another person’s negligence.

Suffering a nerve injury is extremely painful and frustrating. The inability to perform simple everyday tasks can lead to depression and even suicidal thoughts. This is even more difficult to bear when the resulting injury is not your fault.

If you or a loved one has suffered nerve damage, our attorneys are here to help you in your time of need. Let our personal injury attorneys get to work for you and your family.

Seat Belt Injuries

Over the years, car manufacturers have taken giant leaps in increasing the safety of cars. One of the simplest inventions is the seat belt. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, over 9,000 lives are saved every year simply because the driver was wearing their seat belt. Families across the country rely on seat belts to keep them safe. When a seat belt fails or malfunctions, someone usually gets hurt.

A seat belt is designed to retract, meaning it is loose while one is driving and lets out slack when stretched. A driver can safely reach across the seat, adjust the air conditioning or heating unit, and manage the gears without being held tightly in place. This allows the driver to react and operate the car safely. When an accident occurs, a driver is violently thrown in various directions. When the seat belt is pulled forward too quickly, the locking mechanism will engage. The seat belt is then prevented from allowing slack, thereby effectively holding the driver and passengers in place. It is not the initial accident that harms the driver or passenger; it is usually the impact after the accident that causes injury (i.e., colliding with the windshield, steering wheel, dashboard, etc.).

By locking the person into their seat, the seat belt prevents them from being thrown like a pinball inside the car or even being ejected from the vehicle. When the seat belt fails, the person can be critically injured.

The Law Office of Brock Duke Can Help

Car wreck injuries are a serious occurrence and should not be taken lightly. Car accidents can change your or a loved one’s life forever. For this reason, always protect yourself with a car accident attorney near you. The Law Office of Brock Duke has a continuous record of receiving compensation for clients affected by car accidents. Reach out today for a free consultation and to see how Brock Duke can help you recover physically and financially.