Jacob Hargett
Top rated Personal Injury attorney in Lafayette, Louisiana
Welborn & Hargett Injury Attorneys
Practice areas: Personal Injury, Transportation & Maritime; view more
Licensed in Louisiana since: 2009
Education: Loyola University New Orleans College of Law
Selected to Super Lawyers: 2023 - 2026 Call today:
337-234-5533
Free Consultation Welborn & Hargett Injury Attorneys
1031 Camellia BlvdLafayette, LA 70508 Visit website
Details
Jacob Hargett, a personal injury attorney at Welborn & Hargett Injury Attorneys in Lafayette, Louisiana, proudly serves clients in Lafayette, Lake Charles and the surrounding regions. His practice encompasses various cases, including motor vehicle accidents, trucking accidents, admiralty and maritime issues, offshore injuries, and product liability.
Born and raised in Lafayette, Louisiana, Mr. Hargett pursued his education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, earning his Master of Business Administration. Subsequently, he attended Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where he obtained his Juris Doctorate.
During his time at law school, Mr. Hargett demonstrated leadership as the president of Loyola’s Trial Advocacy program and contributed to the success of the Trial Advocacy National Team. Notably, he organized the inaugural National Trial Advocacy Competition, a significant event that elevated Loyola’s Trial Advocacy Program on a national scale. Mr. Hargett's achievements were acknowledged with induction into the National Order of the Barristers and the receipt of the Blue Williams Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy in 2009.
As an accomplished attorney, Mr. Hargett boasts several honors, including being:
- A "Superb" Avvo rated attorney
- The Litigator of the Year by the American Institute of Trial Lawyers in 2023
- A member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
- One of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers listed by The National Trial Lawyers in both 2021 and 2020
- The 2020 Attorney of the Year by the Top 100 Registry
- Listed in the Top 10 Under 40 by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys in 2018
- Recognized among the Top Lawyers by Acadiana Profile
Mr. Hargett was admitted to the bar in Louisiana in 2009 and holds admissions to the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of Louisiana, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit.
Practice areas
Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff, Transportation/MaritimeFocus areas
Admiralty & Maritime Law, Animal Bites, Brain Injury, Motor Vehicle Accidents, Personal Injury - Plaintiff, Premises Liability - Plaintiff, Trucking Accidents, Wrongful Death
- 60% Personal Injury - General: Plaintiff
- 40% Transportation/Maritime
First Admitted: 2009, Louisiana
Professional Webpage: https://www.wandhlawfirm.com/attorney-profiles/
Bar / Professional Activity
- Louisiana, 2009
- U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit, 2009
- U.S. District Court Western District of Louisiana, 2009
- U.S. District Court Middle District of Louisiana, 2009
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Louisiana, 2009
Verdicts / Settlements (Case Results)
- $9,000,000.00 Recovered. Our client, a pipe inspector, was on his hands and knees removing thread protectors on an oil company’s workover yard when a drilling company employee ran over his left lower extremity with a 12,000-pound industrial forklift. He underwent a big toe amputation and more than 15 procedures to repair the foot and nerve damage. A dorsal column stimulator was required to control pain and delay complex regional pain syndrome. He also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and was unable to return to work. He became limited to light-duty occupations. Depositions revealed that the forklift operator had taken two doses of suboxone that day, including one dose 15 minutes before the incident. The operator called “stop work” when he was refused a spotter for the operation, but his supervisor insisted that he proceed. Depositions also uncovered that the forklift had no working reverse alarm or amber light. Defendants contested the damage calculations of our experts and argued that a toe injury could not be seen as a traumatic case. However, they brought no experts to support their position. Our client incurred $523,000 in medical expenses and is expected to have $1.2 million in future expenses. The target defendant was headquartered in Texas, and the accident occurred in Mississippi. We established sufficient contacts between the defendant and Louisiana to bring the case to court in this state. The case resolved more than a month before trial for $9 million., 2025
- $8,500,000.00 Recovered. Our client, a thread representative, was working on a bucking jig in Fourchon, Louisiana. While bucking drill pipe, there was a bad make-up between two joints of pipe. Our client called an "All stop" to shut down the job, so he could go and inspect the threads of the pipe. While our client was inspecting the threads, another 4,600-pound pipe rolled downhill and onto our client, crushing his left arm and hand. He underwent multiple hand surgeries and a neck surgery. All doctors, even the defense doctors, agreed that our client had complex regional pain syndrome ("CRPS") following the crush injury. A dorsal column stimulator was recommended to control and delay the CRPS. All doctors stated that he could not return to any type of employment. Depositions revealed that the bucking jig operator had the only radio to notify other crew members of the "All Stop. However, the operator failed to notify anyone of the "All stop". As such, additional drill pipe was allowed to move and crush the plaintiff's left arm and hand. Our client incurred $285,598.91 in medical expenses and is expected to have $2.8 million in future medical expenses. The case resolved after a failed mediation for $8,500,000.00., 2025
- I obtained a $48,000,000.00 verdict in the Western District of Louisiana, Federal Court. The case involved a breach of contract for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during COVID. The contract at issue was for the purchase of 500,000,000 3M N-95 masks at a purchase price of $950,000,000.00. The defendant executed the contract, then breached the contract by failing to pay the required deposit to the required escrow account. My client was the business which put the entire business deal involving multiple parties together. As a result of the breach of contract, my client suffered a $45,000,000.00 loss. The case first went through arbitration as required by the contract. Then, we had to get a federal court judge in the WDLA to affirm the arbitration award through the Federal Arbitration Act. After multiple briefs and arguments, we won on all issues and the award was affirmed by the federal judge. , 2024
- I obtained a jury verdict of $3,400,000.00 on a dog bite case. The medical specials of the injured minor were approximately $15,000.00. Prior to trial the defendants' settlement offer was only $30,000.00. , 2024
- I received a Jury verdict of $5,000,000.00. I went to trial on a case where a Box truck rear-ended a police cruiser. The plaintiff, a police officer in a marked unit, was traveling down Hwy 167 towards Abbeville, when a box truck rear-ended his vehicle. The box truck’s speed at impact was 65 mph. The impact knocked the police cruiser forward 150 feet and off the roadway. Plaintiff suffered lumbar and cervical spine injuries, as well as bilateral shoulder injuries, and a mild concussion. The plaintiff underwent a two-level lumbar fusion, a spinal cord stimulator, and a right shoulder surgery. Further, the plaintiff was required to undergo Botox injections for migraine headaches. Lastly, the plaintiff was diagnosed with depression and PTSD. Prior to the subject collision, the plaintiff had been a body builder and a police officer in vermillion parish for nearly 30 years. After the spine surgery, his treating physicians restricted him to only lifting 20 pounds occasionally and restricted him from ever returning to work as a police officer. The out of state trucking company failed to comply with the DOT requirements for vetting its driver. Specifically, the trucking company had no knowledge that its driver had four prior collisions with his immediate prior employer. Additionally, while employed with the defendant trucking company, the driver had two collisions prior to the one made the basis of the instant lawsuit. Indeed, if the defendant trucking company followed its own driver hiring and evaluation guidelines, the subject collision would not have occurred. We sued the truck driver and the trucking company for independent claims of negligence. Two weeks prior to trial, all defendants filed an “irrevocable stipulation of liability” into the record, accepting 100% liability and documenting the trucking company was vicariously liable for its driver. After five days of testimony, 26 witnesses, the jury returned a verdict (in less than two hours, right after lunch) for the plaintiff in the amount of $5,000,000.00. The award included $3,231,941.87 in general damages. The Defendants appealed the case to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and we won on all issues. Then, the Defendants filed writs to the Louisiana Supreme Court, and we won again. , 2022
- We obtained a total settlement of over $690,000.00 for an offshore worker who was being transferred from a jack-up vessel to a supply vessel in the Gulf of Mexico. Specifically, the crew change was taking place at night, in high winds (27 m.p.h.), and rough seas of over six (6) feet. Our client suffered a knee injury and a back injury. Prior to trial, the plaintiff had a knee surgery and had a recommendation for a back surgery., 2023
- I recovered $750,000.00 for a man who suffered a hip injury after an 18-wheeler attempted a right turn into his lane of travel from a side street., 2022
- I recently obtained a policy limits settlement of $1,300,000.00 for a 75 year-old woman that rear-ended an 18-wheeler at night. Initially, the insurance company argued that the plaintiff was the at-fault party for rear-ending the 18-wheeler. However, after engaging the services of an accident reconstructionist and being able to prove that the truck was negligently entering the roadway from the shoulder of the highway, the insurance companies paid their policy limits., 2023
- In November of 2022, I obtained a verdict in the matter of Robinson v. Pelican Waste, in St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. In that case, Mr. Robinson was injured as a result of a trash truck backing into his vehicle at a speed of less than five (5) miles per hour. As a result, Mr. Robinson underwent a series of three epidural steroid injections which alleviated 90% of his pain. Mr. Robinson then had a one-year gap in treatment. Thereafter, Mr. Robinson had a resumption of symptoms, and sought additional care. After full presentation of trial on the merits, the jury awarded the past medicals of $29,732.00 and made a general damage award of $280,000.00. The total award received in the Robinson matter was $555,700.00. Additionally, the defendant, Prime Insurance Company, had to pay all of the plaintiff's costs., 2022
- I recently recovered $2,265,000.00 for a 51-year-old woman injured while at a stop in traffic in Lafayette, Louisiana. The defendant driver was driving a 15,000 pound tow truck, failed to stop when three vehicles in front of him stopped. The Defendant’s tow truck rear-ended plaintiff’s vehicle with significant force causing her vehicle to collide with the two stopped vehicles in front of her vehicle. Following the collision, the defendant driver failed a drug screen for marijuana. However, this was not the first drug screen failure by the defendant driver. Indeed, there were multiple prior failed drug screens in the defendant driver’s employee file with the tow truck company. The tow truck company attempted to hide the drug screens during the pendency of the case, however, after taking the issue up to the Louisiana Supreme Court, I was able to obtain the defendant driver’s medical and drug testing records. This proof went a long way in helping to obtain just compensation for my client., 2020
- I recovered $1,631,000.00 for an injured Jones Act seaman who was being transported via a john boat. Specifically, the plaintiff was being transported in a 1979 john boat that was in a state of disrepair through the coastal waters of Louisiana when the vessel was confronted with dangerous sea conditions. Due to the captain's negligent operation of the vessel through the dangerous sea conditions, the plaintiff sustained a lumbar injury. The plaintiff underwent a two-level lumbar fusion. After the lumbar fusion did not resolve the plaintiff's pain, a spinal cord stimulator was implanted. Prior to my involvement, the defendants were only paying the plaintiff LHWCA benefits. I won a motion for summary judgment on seaman status, which completely changed the valuation of the subject case. , 2019
- I recovered $1,800,000.00 for a woman who was injured when an eighteen-wheeler tire blew out while traveling down Interstate 10. After the blowout, it became detached from the tractor truck, then collided with our client's vehicle. The client suffered a back and knee injury. Shortly after the collision, she underwent two knee surgeries. After two years of struggling with back pain, she underwent a lumbar fusion surgery. The case was mediated without success. The case was mediated without success. The insurance company only offered $450,000.00 at mediation. Four days before trial, the insurance company finally offered $1,800,000.00., 2019
- I recently recovered $1,800,000.00 for a man injured in Opelousas, Louisiana. Specifically, my client was stopped, waiting to exit a Walgreen’s parking lot, when an Furniture Store’s box truck attempted to turn into the parking lot. Unfortunately, the box truck turned too sharp and collided with the driver’s side of my client’s truck. The investigating officer determined that my client was in a proper exit lane at the time of collision. The defense attempted to dig deep into the plaintiff’s past medical records and argue the plaintiff’s injuries were all pre-existing. However, my client had a normal MRI prior to the collision and significant changes on his MRI scan following the collision. That helped him recover for his injuries, as well as his lost past and future income as a contract welder., 2020
Representative Clients
- I obtained a $48,000,000.00 verdict in the Western District of Louisiana, Federal Court. The case involved a breach of contract for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) during COVID. The contract at issue was for the purchase of 500,000,000 3M N-95 masks at a purchase price of $950,000,000.00. The defendant executed the contract, then breached the contract by failing to pay the required deposit to the required escrow account. My client was the business which put the entire business deal involving multiple parties together. As a result of the breach of contract, my client suffered a $45,000,000.00 loss. The case first went through arbitration as required by the contract. Then, we had to get a federal court judge in the WDLA to affirm the arbitration award through the Federal Arbitration Act. After multiple briefs and arguments, we won on all issues and the award was affirmed by the federal judge. , 2024
- I obtained a jury verdict in the amount of $3,400,000.00 on a dog bite case. The defendants' offer prior to trial was $70,000.00., 2024
- I obtained a $5,000,000.00 jury verdict on a trucking case. The case went up on appeal to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and won again. Then, the case went up on appeal to the Louisiana Supreme Court and won again. After judicial interest was calculated, the total amount recovered for our client was nearly $7,000,000.00. Note, the defendants' offer prior to trial was only $1,200,000.00., 2022
- I recently recovered $2,265,000.00 for a 51-year-old woman injured while at a stop in traffic in Lafayette, Louisiana. The defendant driver was driving a 15,000 pound tow truck, failed to stop when three vehicles in front of him stopped. The Defendant’s tow truck rear-ended plaintiff’s vehicle with significant force causing her vehicle to collide with the two stopped vehicles in front of her vehicle. Following the collision, the defendant driver failed a drug screen for marijuana. However, this was not the first drug screen failure by the defendant driver. Indeed, there were multiple prior failed drug screens in the defendant driver’s employee file with the tow truck company. The tow truck company attempted to hide the drug screens during the pendency of the case, however, after taking the issue up to the Louisiana Supreme Court, I was able to obtain the defendant driver’s medical and drug testing records. This proof went a long way in helping to obtain just compensation for my client., 2020
- I recovered $1,800,000.00 for a woman involved in a motor vehicle collision with an 18-wheeler truck tire that became disconnected from the truck while traveling on Interstate 10., 2018
- I recently recovered $1,800,000.00 for a man injured in Opelousas, Louisiana. Specifically, my client was stopped, waiting to exit a Walgreen’s parking lot, when an Furniture Store’s box truck attempted to turn into the parking lot. Unfortunately, the box truck turned too sharp and collided with the driver’s side of my client’s truck. The investigating officer determined that my client was in a proper exit lane at the time of collision. The defense attempted to dig deep into the plaintiff’s past medical records and argue the plaintiff’s injuries were all pre-existing. However, my client had a normal MRI prior to the collision and significant changes on his MRI scan following the collision. That helped him recover for his injuries, as well as his lost past and future income as a contract welder., 2020
Pro bono / Community Service
- A woman had a slip and fall at Walmart. I took several depositions and negotiated a settlement of over $200,000.00., 2025
- I obtained a settlement of $50,000.00 to a teacher who was shopping at a chain grocery store. While shopping, she was bending over looking at an item for sale, when a store employee was pushing an overloaded cart. The store employee could not see the customer and struck her in the back with the cart. All of the work was performed on a pro bono basis. , 2025
- A woman was at a complete stop in her vehicle at a red light, when she was rear-ended by another vehicle at 55 m.p.h. The rear of her vehicle was crushed by three feet. Our client incurred more than $50,000.00 in medical bills after just three days in the Hospital. Unfortunately, the offending driver only had $15,000.00 in liability insurance coverage. I recovered the policy limits for her. Given her injuries and damages, I felt compelled to help this person for free., 2023
- I recently handled a woman's food poisoning case pro bono. This was a highly contested case and the defendants only paid after numerous depositions were taken and we mediated the case. The case resolved for $50,000.00., 2022
- I handled a motor vehicle collision for free and recovered $30,000.00 for the client., 2021
Educational Background
- University of Louisiana at Lafayette
- Graduated from Loyal University, College of Law in 2009. During my time there I served as the President of the Trial Advocacy Program. Under my tenure as President, the Loyola Trial Advocacy program held its first national competition and truly put Loyola on the map for its trial advocacy program. , 2006-2009
- Masters of Business Administration from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. , 2005-2006
Honors
- I was nominated and accepted by Super Lawyers in 2023., Super Lawyer, Super Lawyers, 2023
- 2023 Litigator of the Year - Louisiana, American Institute of Trial Lawyers, 2023
- Blue Williams Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy in 2009
- National Order of the Barristers
- I was accepted to the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum., Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, The Top Trial Lawyers in America, 2021
- Prior to turning 40, I was selected to the Top 40 under 40 by The National Trial Lawyers. Thereafter, I was selected to the Top 100 Trail Lawyers., Top 100 Lawyers, The National Trial Lawyers, 2021
Selections
4 Years Super Lawyers
- Super Lawyers: 2023 - 2026
