Lake Charles personal injury attorney

Trusted Personal Injury Representation in Lake Charles Since 1980

Sustaining an injury is stressful. The last thing you need on top of the physical and emotional pain is the worry of figuring out how you’re going to pay for your medical bills and other losses.

The Johnson Firm’s personal injury lawyers will explain your legal options for claiming compensation. Their guidance can help you understand your rights and make decisions.

As preeminent personal injury attorneys in Lake Charles, we understand your need for a speedy outcome for your personal injury lawsuit, ensuring that you can pay your bills on time. Our team of attorneys has experience successfully handling a wide range of personal injury cases. We help people recover from all the harm and losses they suffer because of somebody else’s negligence, including lost wages, medical expenses, and more.

Call 337-433-1414 or contact us online to schedule a case evaluation with a skilled personal injury lawyer in Lake Charles from The Johnson Firm today.

Why choose The Johnson Firm as your personal injury attorneys?

We believe wholeheartedly in the phrase, “Justice isn’t given – it’s won.” As a trusted family-owned law firm with deep roots in Lake Charles, we approach each case with vigor, diligence, and integrity. Our goal is to obtain maximum compensation for your injuries, and we put extra effort into our approach because we’re confident in the results.

Here’s why you can trust The Johnson Firm to be your personal injury lawyers in Lake Charles.

We only get paid if you win

The Johnson Firm operates on a contingency fee basis, meaning you won’t pay a dime until you receive a settlement from the other party’s insurance or a verdict from the jury. We’ll even pay the court fees in advance so you can focus on recovery. We know our clients have a lot on their minds; we don’t want to add more stress by piling on the bills.

When you receive a settlement, we’ll ask for the standard fee of 33.33%. Other lawyers will try to keep you in the dark about their fees, but we know that our clients deserve better.

We treat clients like family

The Johnson Firm is proud of our Louisiana roots and our community in Lake Charles. When clients hire us, they know they’ll be treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve.

When you hire us, rest assured we won’t take your case and forget about you; we believe a successful personal injury case requires participation, and we’ll keep you informed every step of the way.

We prepare every case for trial

Defense lawyers and insurance companies are intimidated by personal injury lawyers who are ready to go to court on behalf of their clients. When defense lawyers and insurance companies hear that The Johnson Firm is on the case, they know that we’ll fight relentlessly for our clients, no matter what it takes.

When a personal injury lawyer is prepared to take a case to trial, those other parties are far less likely to offer a lowball settlement. The Johnson Firm will get you the compensation you deserve for your injuries and won’t let the other party devalue or derail your claim.

As a Lake Charles personal injury attorney, we’ll take you through every step of the process

A trusted Lake Charles personal injury law firm can provide several beneficial services for your case in addition to decades of combined legal experience.

First, we help you investigate your claim so that you can document 100% of your damages in full and identify everyone who may be at fault. We then determine how each party was negligent and how that negligence directly led to your accident and your subsequent losses.

The Johnson Firm has experience arguing cases in front of jurors, so we build each case as though it will go to trial. In fact, many of our most positive outcomes have resulted from jury verdicts. We are not afraid to take liable parties to court to ensure that you can recover from the consequences of someone not following the rules of the road, basic safety procedures, or using the kind of care we expect of the average person.

We’ll help get compensation for your injury

It’s your right to seek compensation for a personal injury resulting from negligence, an accident, or an intentional wrongful act. In fact, it is the wrongdoer’s responsibility to compensate you for your injuries. A successful claim can get you compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, physical and emotional pain and suffering, disfigurement, rehabilitation, and more.

Many people refer to these incidents as “accidents,” but they are not always really “accidents.” These incidents are caused by someone not following basic safety procedures or using the kind of normal care we expect of others going about their daily lives.

As trusted Lake Charles personal injury lawyers, it is our responsibility to make sure you get the right amount of compensation. However, we don’t want further to compromise your financial situation after a traumatic injury. That’s why we operate on a contingency basis. This means we don’t charge you unless you successfully recover compensation. Our motto is simple: We don’t get paid until you do

What damages can we potentially help you claim in a Lake Charles personal injury lawsuit?

“Damages” refer to the harms and losses you experienced as a result of someone else’s negligence or deliberate wrongful acts.

Common damages claimed in a personal injury case include:

• • Medical bills – past and future

• • Out-of-pocket costs

• • Personal property replacement

• • Vehicle repairs

• • Replacement domestic services

• • Reduced earning capacity

• • Funeral and burial costs (wrongful death cases)

Some harms and losses are not strictly financial. Nonetheless, victims deserve compensation for these damages. They include:

• • Pain, suffering, and emotional hardship

• • Loss of enjoyment of life

• • Disability, scarring, or disfigurement

• • Mental suffering

• • Humiliation

• • Embarrassment

• • Stress

• • Anxiety

• • Loss of comfort of a close family member

We refuse to back down from insurance companies and big corporations that want to deny your claim or stick you with an unreasonable offer. We believe people in Lake Charles deserve compensation for all of the harm and losses they suffer, and our personal injury lawyers fight for that every day.

The Johnson Firm practice areas

Located at 1419 Ryan Street, the personal injury lawyers at The Johnson Firm handle personal injury cases across the Lake Charles area and beyond. We’ve offered exceptional legal services for all types of personal injury cases for more than 30 years.

Some of the types of accidents we have successfully represented Lake Charles clients in include:

• • Car accidents

• • Truck accidents

• • Motorcycle accidents

• • Pedestrian accidents

• • Medical malpractice

• • Plant explosions

• • Offshore accidents

• • Construction, refinery, and pipeline accidents

• • Wrongful death

We know that every personal injury case is unique. Our Lake Charles personal injury lawyer takes the time to get to know our clients and pays close personal attention to each case. You can talk to our experienced attorneys directly, who will evaluate your situation thoroughly before deciding the next course of action.

Our job is to simplify your legal claims process and help you get full and fair compensation as quickly as possible. While our attorneys try to resolve cases through negotiation, we are ready to take your case to trial if the insurance company is trying to force you to settle for less.

From the very beginning, only an experienced accident Lake Charles personal injury lawyer will handle your case, making note of the smallest details and advising you of the best legal choices available. We will leave no stone unturned to help you get your life back on track.

A Lake Charles personal injury lawyer from our firm can help get you back on your feet after an accident.

No matter where or when your injury occurred, you need someone who will stand in your corner and fight for you.

How do we determine fault in a personal injury case?

Some cases involve multiple claims against multiple parties. The Johnson Firm investigates any negligence involved in causing your injury before making claims against every person or company who contributed to it. This legal strategy increases the chances that you will have a successful injury claim that compensates you for all of your injuries.

Many of the cases we pursue in the Lake Charles area involve:

• • At-fault drivers who caused your motor vehicle accident

• • Employers of truck drivers who caused your accident

• • Negligent companies that allowed conditions for an accident to develop

• • Manufacturers of defective products, including refinery safety systems

• • Property owners who allow hazards to injure visitors

• • Care provider agencies (malpractice claims)

• • Owners of dangerous dogs

• • Contractors that negligently put subcontractors and other contractors in danger

In determining fault, our Lake Charles personal injury lawyer will acquire all relevant evidence from the scene of the accident, including police reports, witness testimony, and any capturable video. We’ll work closely with your doctor or medical team to understand the full extent and prognosis of your injuries, which allows us to work toward maximum compensation.

How does Louisiana law determine settlement amounts?

Louisiana operates under a comparative fault system, a rule that determines how much money will be awarded to the injured party (plaintiff) when they are partly at fault for their injuries. This rule allows a judge or jury to assign a percentage of fault to anyone who contributed to causing an accident.

Louisiana’s rule reduces the injured party’s recovery by their degree of fault. For example, Driver A is going through an intersection a few miles over the speed limit when Driver B runs a red light and hits their car.

In court, the jury determined that Driver A’s damages totaled $10,000 and that they were 20% at fault for the accident since they were speeding. The rule of comparative fault dictates that Driver A’s damages will be reduced by 20%, meaning they’ll recover $8,000 in compensation instead of the full $10,000.

No matter the facts of your case, The Johnson Firm will work hard to recover the maximum amount of compensation. We won’t let the other party’s lawyers or insurance company devalue or delegitimize your claim. Call us today to schedule a consultation and learn how we’ll fight to get you the money you need for treatment and recovery.

What is Louisiana’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims?

Each state sets a statute of limitations, or deadline, for filing a personal injury lawsuit in court.

Louisiana’s “statute of limitations” is actually called “liberative prescription,” but the same general concept applies.

In Louisiana, an injured party must file the lawsuit within one year of the date of the accident. That might not seem like a lot of time, but you must follow this deadline. If you don’t file after a year, you’ll likely lose your right to sue.

If you have any questions about the deadline and time frame of your potential case, call The Johnson Firm at (337) 433-1414.

Common types of personal injury claims we handle

Car accidents

In 2023 alone, 2,655 people were injured in car accidents in Calcasieu Parish. The physical, emotional, and fiscal cost of those injuries is enormous. A Lake Charles personal injury attorney from the Johnson Firm can handle all aspects of car accident cases, and we represent anyone who was injured in the crash – a driver, a passenger, or a pedestrian.

If you were injured in a car accident in Lake Charles, call The Johnson Firm today. We’re devoted, dependable, and ready to speak with you.

Truck accidents

At 20-30 times the weight of passenger vehicles, semi-trucks are a formidable presence on Louisiana roads. These big rigs can legally carry up to 80,000 pounds in cargo and are subject to federal and state regulations, one of the most important being the number of hours truckers are allowed to drive before taking a break or going off duty.

Unfortunately, many trucking companies push their drivers to work past the legal limit, putting them in danger of exhaustion and overexertion and making a wreck much more likely. If you or a loved one were injured in a truck accident in Lake Charles, contact The Johnson firm today for a case consultation. We’ll help hold the trucker or their employer accountable, and we’ll work toward getting you the compensation you deserve.

Motorcycle accidents

Studies have found that traveling on a motorcycle poses a significantly higher risk than traveling by car. That could be due to their size and lesser stability than passenger vehicles, but a large number of accidents involving motorcycles are due to passenger vehicle negligence or sheer disregard of the motorcyclist’s right to be on the road.

For example, the driver of a passenger vehicle fails to yield the right-of-way for a motorcyclist and crashes into them. Too often, drivers of passenger vehicles ignore or fail to treat motorcyclists with the same discretion as they would other drivers. This is an unacceptable trend among many drivers that needs to be dealt with.

If you or a loved one were injured or killed in a motorcycle accident, call The Johnson Firm now.

Medical malpractice

Upon leaving medical school, doctors promise to follow the tenets outlined in the ancient Hippocratic Oath – one of the oldest binding documents in history. The Hippocratic Oath implores doctors to treat patients to the best of their ability and to do no harm in the process.

Unfortunately, some doctors and medical professionals fail to live up to this oath, causing their patients harm by making a negligent mistake or careless error. We trust healthcare professionals to treat us with the care and discretion that they’re taught throughout school, but when they don’t, we need to hold them accountable to prevent future injuries.

Wrongful death

Pain and confusion can be unbearable when you lose a loved one due to someone else’s carelessness or recklessness. No amount of money can bring your loved one back, but our personal injury lawyers in Lake Charles will fight to obtain compensation that will provide financial relief to you and your family.

With one of our attorneys by your side, you and your family can grieve and have closure in peace.

Offshore accidents

Offshore accidents are often the result of poorly maintained machinery, crew members’ negligence, or a lack of protective gear. Thanks to our unique exposure to different types of offshore accident claims, one of our personal injury lawyers in Lake Charles will represent you to the best of our ability and get you the compensation you deserve.

Plant explosions

Although petrochemical plants provide job opportunities to workers in Louisiana, they can be highly dangerous facilities, especially when safety protocols are disregarded, poor oversight and training are provided, maintenance is neglected, and safety gear is improper. If you were injured in a plant explosion, you must hold the appropriate party accountable. Call (337) 433-1414 for more information.

How do you choose the best personal injury lawyer in Lake Charles?

One of the best ways to protect yourself and your legal rights is to hire an effective and experienced lawyer. Because your case is unique and you have specific needs, it’s good practice to have an in-depth conversation with each lawyer you consider hiring.

Here are some tips to help you choose the right one:

1. Evaluate the lawyer’s experience

Just like any other profession, you don’t want to hire a personal injury lawyer who’s never worked in personal injury. That would be like hiring a plumber to fix your roof. To properly assess the lawyer’s experience, consider asking these questions:

• • How many years of experience do you have working with my particular type of injury?

• • Tell me about your trial experience.

• • What are some of your awards and recognitions within the legal community?

2. Ensure they have a successful track record

Plenty of attorneys have years of experience but weak or nonexistent track records for success. For example, an “experienced” attorney could still settle for lowball offers from the insurance company, or they might have shaky results in winning tough, high-value cases. Ask your lawyer these questions to learn more about their track record:

• • Have you consistently recovered multi-million dollar settlements (and verdicts) for your clients?

• • Have you won cases involving serious, catastrophic injuries and wrongful death, not just minor injury cases?

• • Have you won any awards for your settlements and verdicts?

3. Make communication a priority

An open, trustworthy attorney-client relationship is crucial for a successful case. Make sure you are comfortable with the way your attorney communicates with you, and make sure you feel comfortable communicating with them. Here are some questions you should ask yourself as you observe how the potential legal advisor interacts with you:

• • Are they willing to answer any questions you have?

• • Are they a strong communicator? (Returning your calls promptly, etc.)

• • Does the lawyer seem genuinely concerned about the case and your well-being?

4. Understand how their payment model works

Hidden fees are one surprise no one wants to be faced with. Make sure you read the fine print carefully and ask the attorney outright if they work on a contingency fee basis or not. Don’t assume that all personal injury lawyers are the same and share that type of payment model. When you assume, you can get in trouble. Here are a couple of questions to ask your attorney about their payment model:

• • Do you offer a consultation?

• • Can you cover my court fees and related costs before I receive a settlement?

How does a personal injury claim work?

A legal team can provide several beneficial services for your case in addition to decades of combined legal experience.

First, we help you investigate your claim so that you can document 100% of your damages in full and identify everyone who may be at fault. We then determine how each party was negligent and how that negligence directly led to your accident and your subsequent losses.

The Johnson Firm has experience arguing cases in front of jurors, so we build each case as though it will go to trial. In fact, many of our most positive outcomes have resulted from jury verdicts.

We are not afraid to take liable parties to court. We ensure that you can recover from the consequences of someone not following the rules of the road, basic safety procedures, or using the kind of care we expect of the average person.

Get in touch with a Lake Charles personal injury lawyer today

The Johnson Firm’s personal injury attorneys in Lake Charles are ready and waiting to take your case. Call us today to schedule your consultation and learn more about your legal rights and options.

Call 3337-433-1414 or contact us online to schedule your case review now.

Looking for more information? Check out these helpful articles:

• • WORK ACCIDENT DUE TO THIRD-PARTY NEGLIGENCE? HERE ARE YOUR OPTIONS

• • CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS ADVISE NEVER TO SAY THESE TWO WORDS AFTER BEING IN A CRASH

• • TOP SIGNS OF NURSING HOME ABUSE AND NEGLECT