Motor Vehicle Accidents

Collisions involving 18-wheelers, automobiles and motorcycles are among the most common causes of minor injuries, serious injuries and death in Louisiana. Gil Dozier has represented thousands of individuals and families as a result of motor vehicle collisions across Louisiana. Mr. Dozier and his staff will handle your claim against the party at fault and the responsible insurance companies to recover full financial compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages and injuries.

Trucking Cases Involving 18-Wheelers

Under Louisiana law, the operator of a heavy vehicle hired to transport cargo over our roads and highways must hold a commercial drivers license. The law imposes a higher standard of care on these commercial truck drivers as a result of the harmful consequences associated with 18-wheeler collisions. Despite the extra care that should be taken to avoid collisions, 18-wheelers are frequently at fault for the tragic loss of life and/or disabling personal injuries.

Some common injuries suffered in trucking cases include:

• Burns
• Spine injuries
• Back injuries
• Neck injuries
• Head trauma
• Concussion / brain injury
• Internal organ injuries
• Shoulder injuries
• Broken bones
• Cuts / lacerations
• Disfigurement
• Loss of function (disability)

Collisions involving 18-wheelers often cause more damage due to the weight and the energy transferred upon impact (force of collision) of the tractor-trailer. The law imposes additional responsibility upon the trucking companies, including higher limits of insurance and higher duty of skill and care upon its truck drivers. In his extensive experience handling commercial trucking cases, Mr. Dozier has demonstrated how and why the collision was caused based on the lack of attention or care by the trucking company or its driver. When the damages are significant, Mr. Dozier will use his experience, and retain liability experts and medical experts as necessary, to develop your case.

For the victims of 18-wheeler collisions, Gil Dozier provides a thorough investigation of the circumstances that contributed to the collision. Mr. Dozier is familiar with the special duty the law imposes on commercial truck drivers, such as the duty to maintain a credible time/trip log, to maintain all equipment of the truck/trailer in good working order, DOTD regulations, and the heightened duty of driving the 18-wheeler in a safe manner under the existing circumstances.

Gil Dozier is familiar with the specific laws that apply to the commercial trucking industry. When Mr. Dozier is retained to represent the victims of an 18-wheeler collision, he acts immediately to gather all available evidence, providing the opportunity for the injured individuals to receive necessary medical treatment and to retain well-recognized, proven experts for all medical issues and for any issues involving the cause of the collision.

In current and previous cases, Mr. Dozier has proven that the truck drivers are at fault for the collision due to truck driver time/distance violations, lack of rest or sleep, speeding, failure to maintain the truck or other equipment in a good working condition, use of drugs/alcohol, abuse of over-the-counter drugs, abuse of prescription drugs, inadequate training, failure to follow safe operations manual, and failure to pay attention to slower traffic.

If you have been victimized by fault of a commercial truck driver, then contact us to protect your rights.

Drunk Drivers

Motor vehicle accidents caused by drunk or impaired drivers are all too common in Louisiana. Those injured as a result of the fault of an intoxicated driver may be able to recover punitive damages. Mr. Dozier has successfully handled many drunk driver cases, recovering both compensatory and punitive damages for his clients.

Some common injuries suffered in drunk driver cases include:

• Broken bones
• Cuts / lacerations
• Head trauma
• Concussion/brain injury
• Spine injuries
• Back injuries
• Neck injuries
• Shoulder injuries
• Internal organ injuries

Although the consumption of alcohol is the most common form of intoxication, the law also imposes punitive damages on those who are impaired as a result of using any substance that impairs the driver of a vehicle, including illegal drugs or the abuse of prescription medications. For cases involving impaired drivers, Mr. Dozier often retains an expert (usually a toxicologist) to assess the positive test results of the impaired driver and give their opinion on the effect of the intoxicating substance on the driver’s ability to operate a vehicle safely. Mr. Dozier will build the strongest case possible in pursuit of recovering damages for you.

Aviation Claims (Airplane & Helicopter Crashes)

The risk of loss from an aviation accident is relatively low, but just as real as any other activity. The consequences however are usually greater (severe injury or loss of life). The passengers aboard an aircraft have no control regarding the equipment (design, inspection or maintenance), the flight plan, the weather conditions, or even pilot’s condition. The passengers are in a position of having to trust the manufacturer of the aircraft, and the owner and operator. For this reason, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulates and oversees all aspects of air-borne transportation and imposes a higher duty of care upon the manufacturers, owners and operators (pilots and their employers) to make sound decisions and to use and maintain safe equipment. Gil Dozier has represented families who have suffered severe losses from aviation accidents. The issues regarding the cause of the crash are usually contested. The predominant cause is pilot error. Like with any activity, mistakes or errors of judgment or the lack of skill can cause an aircraft to crash. The second-most cause is faulty equipment designed or produced by the manufacturer or due to the failure of the owner/operator to properly inspect and maintain the equipment. The third-most common cause relates to ground control (Air Traffic Controllers). Following every aircraft crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is required to conduct an investigation. The federal agency issues a preliminary report and a final report. On occasion, Mr. Dozier will further hire an expert to evaluate the cause of the aviation accident and further to evaluate the federal report.

The law applicable to an aviation accident differs in certain respects for commercial Aviation (Common Carriers/Public Transportation) is contrast to General Aviation (private transportation). The majority of aviation losses relate to general aviation, which includes:

• Business Airplanes/Jets
• Personal Aircraft
• Charter Flights
• Offshore/Oilfield Helicopters
• Air-Ambulance Aircraft
• Crop-dusters

Losses from Aviation Accidents are often substantial. The following losses are recoverable:

• Medical expenses, past & future
• Loss of wages/income, past & future
• Physical pain and suffering, past & future
• Mental pain & emotional distress, past & future
• Punitive damages (in certain circumstances)

Punitive Damages

Louisiana law provides that an individual who is injured as a result of the fault of an intoxicated driver and the intoxication is a substantial factor of the driver’s error (which is usually so) is entitled to recover punitive damages as well as compensatory damages. This special law is designed for the specific purpose to punish the person at fault and to discourage such conduct in the future to save others from similar injury. The recovery of punitive damages (sometimes called exemplary damages) is in addition to the compensatory damages. Too often we see that the drunk driver was arrested or convicted of drunk driving on a previous charge and then repeated his reckless behavior without regard to the safety of others. The punitive damage statute, La. C.C.P. Art. 2315.7, coupled with the standard negligence statute, LA. C.C. P. Art. 2315, seeks to provide compensatory damages to compensate the injured person for her losses and then to punish the bad actor to deter such unacceptable (and criminal) conduct in the future.

Although the consumption of alcohol is the most common form of intoxication (drunk driving), Louisiana law also imposes punitive damages on those who are impaired as a result of the use of illegal drugs or the abuse of prescription drugs.