Metairie Car Accident Lawyer
When you’re in a car accident in Metairie, getting fair compensation needs to be a priority. If you leave the fate of your claim up to insurance companies, they may lowball you—and you may be none the wiser. Take your claim into your own hands by hiring Smiley Law Firm, which proudly serves Metairie, New Orleans, and surrounding areas.
Attorney Seth Smiley leads a team of dedicated legal professionals whose mission is justice. Call Smiley Law Firm today at (504) 788-1319 for your free, zero-risk consultation with a Metairie car accident lawyer.
Who Should Hire a Car Accident Lawyer from Smiley Law Firm’s Metairie Team?
Anyone negatively affected by a car accident in Metairie should consider hiring Smiley Law Firm, and this includes:
- Drivers hit by other motorists
- Passengers in a vehicle hit by another motor vehicle
- Anyone in a vehicle run off the road or directed into a fixed object because of someone else’s negligence
- Pedestrians, bicyclists, and other non-motorists hit or otherwise injured by dangerous drivers
- Those who lose a loved one in a fatal car accident
Our clients are in pain, and we provide the relief they need. Do not wait to speak with our team. We want to get you justice so you can close this chapter and move on with your life.
The Insurance and Legal Processes Can Be Stressful and Complex; They’re Not When Smiley Law Firm Is on Your Side
Clients come to us for many reasons. The stress and complexity of insurance claims are two of the most common. Dealing with insurance claims can indeed be daunting and headache-inducing, particularly when:
- Insurance companies try to take advantage of claimants: Bad faith is a concern that every car accident survivor must be aware of. Insurance companies do not always honor the policies they issue; instead, they protect their financial interests over claimants’. Bad faith may look like lowball offers, intense pressure for an accident victim to give a recorded statement, gaslighting, lying about policy details, and making negotiations as difficult as possible.
- The car accident survivor has little experience handling claims: Unfamiliarity can be a detriment in many areas of life. Insurance claims are no exception. When you are handling a car accident claim, prior experience is best. The Metairie car accident attorneys at Smiley Law Firm have plenty of experience.
- Injuries and trauma affect one’s ability to handle stress or think clearly: Car accidents can cause brain injuries, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and other conditions that affect the survivor’s ability to think and handle stress. Even being “shaken up” from the crash might impair your decision-making abilities.
Smiley Law Firm makes the claims process substantially easier for our clients. We will protect you from bad faith, ensure you’ve thought through all decisions, and pursue the compensation you deserve. We will take the entire process—including the headaches—off your hands.
Let Smiley Law Firm Protect You from Bad Faith
Insurers’ bad faith tactics are among the most common and damaging hazards to car accident survivors. We need to alert you to a few of these tactics. This way, you can protect yourself until you’ve hired Smiley Law Firm to deal with insurance companies.
Some of the ways that insurance companies advance their agendas (rather than looking out for claimants) are:
- Denying a claim, a decision that too many accident victims accept without a fight
- Pressuring the accident survivor to give a statement immediately after an accident, when they may be suffering from a brain injury, psychologically rattled, and unfit to give a detailed account of the collision
- Inaccurately stating that the claimant is responsible for the accident.
- Stating that certain injuries predated the accident, so they are not covered.
- Lowballing the claimant
- Refusing to negotiate a settlement in good faith
Insurers have many tactics for avoiding financial liability. Your Metairie attorney from Smiley Law Firm will ensure no bad faith tactics cut down your claim. We hold insurance companies honest to their contracts.
Why Clients in Metairie and the Greater New Orleans Area Choose Smiley Law Firm
Smiley Law Firm focuses its resources on Metairie, New Orleans, and Mandeville. By focusing on this relatively limited geographic region, we believe we can provide our clients with the attention and legal services they deserve.
You might also be confident hiring Smiley Law Firm after your crash in Metairie because:
The New Orleans Area Is Inseparable from Our Firm’s History
Our firm’s past and present are tied deeply to New Orleans, Metairie, and Mandeville. You should know that:
- Our office on Airline Drive in Metairie allows us to meet with you and start work on your case today.
- Attorney Smiley earned his law degree from Loyola University New Orleans’ College of Law, where he learned about the region’s unique legal characteristics.
- Seth and many of the team members at Smiley Law are New Orleans residents, meaning it’s in our interest to see a safer community (we do this by getting justice for accident victims)
Our team cares about New Orleans, and we care about our clients. This will quickly become apparent once you retain us to lead your car accident case in Metairie.
Attorney Seth Smiley’s Own Accident Experience Molds His Legal Approach
Our Clients Are Family (and They Know It)
- You get to tell every detail of your story without feeling rushed.
- While we will provide our legal insights and do the work for you, you will always have control of your case.
- We communicate often, knowing regular updates and conversations are the surest way to ease accident-related uncertainty.
- In addition to going to bat for you with insurance companies, we ensure you get the medical care and mental health services you need after the crash.
The same spirit of community and brotherhood that makes New Orleans so special resonates through every interaction with Smiley Law Firm.
We Are Prepared to Fight for You in Court
We can often persuade insurance companies to compensate car accident survivors fairly. That said, some cases of bad faith prevent us from securing the settlement a client deserves. In other cases, unique circumstances like an uninsured motorist (about 14 percent of drivers in Louisiana) lead us to file a lawsuit. We are always ready to sue and take the case to trial.
Free consultations are the first step towards a fair financial recovery.Call Smiley Law Firm at (504) 788-1319 and complete yours today. Do not wait; Louisiana has an uncommonly short deadline for filing car accident cases.
We Don’t Require Any Out-of-Pocket Fee from Clients. Hire Us Today at No Upfront Cost.
One more important note. Smiley Law Firm’s attorneys do not require upfront payment to complete your case. We use contingency fee agreements. If your attorney secures compensation for you, they will cover their costs through that recovery. Otherwise, you pay us nothing.
We plan to win for you, so we’re comfortable moving forward without you paying us a dollar. We know about car accidents and how to secure the compensation that survivors deserve. Allow us to make the process ahead as easy as possible. If you cannot get to our office, we will come to you for meetings. At Smiley Law Firm, we meet you where you are.
The Smiley Law Firm Approach to Car Accident Cases in Metairie
Our approach to car accident claims is as follows:
- Urgent
- Aggressive
- Tailored to each client
- Intended to result in maximum financial recovery for the person we represent
We will have a substantial list of responsibilities for you, and we want to start completing items on that list as soon as possible. Your Metariie auto accident lawyer will:
Take Over Claim-Related Communications Immediately
We handle communications for our clients for several reasons, which include:
- Insurance companies are habitually pressuring and misleading claimants when given the chance to speak with them directly.
- We desire to complete your case as soon as possible—we have the resources to speak with insurers at all times of day and night, so there will be no delays.
- Your right to focus on recovery, which should not include potentially stressful conversations with insurance reps
Prove Who Caused Your Crash in Metairie
We need to prove that one or more other people caused the accident. By doing so, we will also prove that you did not cause the collision.
Your lawyer may use a combination of video footage, witness statements, accident reports, professional testimony, and other evidence to prove who caused the accident. After proving fault, the next step is to prove who is financially liable for your accident-related damages.
Detail Each of Your Economic and Non-Economic Damages
Smiley Law Firm is compassionate in everything we do. We will need to prove the damages you’ve suffered because of the collision, and we will do so with the utmost concern for your privacy and well-being.
We might:
- Secure multiple photographs and medical images of your injuries
- Get opinions, evaluations, and records from doctors who have already treated you
- Have our own medical professionals and mental health professionals evaluate your injuries, traumas, and damages
- Secure multiple financial records, such as bank statements and receipts, indicating your financial losses
You might also choose to share your reality. Accidents can cause physical pain, emotional anguish, and other challenges that the victim is most qualified to speak about. We will use your insights when doing so will improve your case.
Determine the Total Value of Your Damages
We need to know how much compensation you are entitled to. We will determine your case value by calculating the total cost of all your economic and non-economic damages.
Demand a Fair Settlement
Liable parties must pay you everything they owe you. Whether it’s an insurance company contractually obligated to pay or a negligent party required by law to cover the cost of their carelessness, we will pursue a fair settlement on your behalf.
Go the Legal Route If We Need To
Should you file a lawsuit, go to trial, or do both, Smiley Law Firm will blaze the trail through the appropriate legal venue. We are fighters, always ready to make our case in court.
This list may seem daunting to you, and it probably should be. This is quite the handful for those with little experience resolving high-stakes car accident claims. This is just our job for Attorney Smiley and his team of qualified legal professionals. We hope you will let us perform these duties so you can focus on your health.
Damages We Will Evaluate (and Seek Compensation For) in Your Car Accident Case
Let us document every instance of harm that has come from your car accident in Metairie, as this may include:
- Pain and suffering, which can include a broad range of emotional, psychological, and physical hardship
- Mental health treatment expenses
- Medical expenses
- Lost income, diminished earning power, lost benefits, lost bonus and promotion opportunities, and other professional harm.
- Vehicle repairs (or replacement of a totaled vehicle)
- Temporary transportation costs
We know how harmful auto accidents are. This harm only occurs when we boil it down because someone disregards the victim’s safety. We hold negligent parties accountable to ensure our clients are made whole.
Call Smiley Law Firm Today for Your Free Consultation About a Metairie Car Accident Attorney
When our clients interact with our team, they receive the trademark New Orleans good cheer. Yet, we swap out that Mardi Gras spirit for an aggressive approach when dealing with those who owe our clients compensation.
You deserve aggressive representation from a law firm in Metairie that you can trust. Call Smiley Law Firm today at (504) 788-1319 and complete your free, no-risk consultation.
Seth Smiley – Metairie Car Accident Lawyer
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