Your Advocate In Serious Injury Claims

Suing the government requires additional steps

As our blog has discussed on previous occasions, a Louisiana resident who has been the victim of another person’s negligence, or has lost a loved one due to negligence, will likely have to take several legal steps in order to recover compensation for their losses.

After all, very few people or businesses are willing to come out and admit that they were careless. Likewise, they and their insurance carriers may for a variety of reasons decline to pay compensation even if every indication is that the victim is entitled to it.

The same is true with respect to the government at all levels. Even though they are supposed to be in the business of protecting the public, they are just as prone to compelling a victim in to filing a personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit in order to recover compensation.

A victim may find himself needing to file a lawsuit against the government for a number of reasons. To give just one example, if the driver of a government vehicle, particularly if he is a government employee, causes an accident, the victims will likely have to sue the federal, state or local government.

When doing so, special steps, including strict deadlines, may apply. For instance, Louisiana has a law called the Louisiana Governmental Claims Act which sets out rules should a person need to file a lawsuit against the State of Louisiana or the local government. Likewise, the federal government also has its own set of special rules for those who want to sue it for negligence.

Not following these rules can mean that a person loses her right to pursue compensation against the person who carelessly injured her. This is just one more reason why personal injury and wrongful death claims are best handled through an experienced attorney.