Louisiana Car Accident Laws – All You Need to Know

Car accidents happen all the time in Louisiana, especially on busy roads like I-10 and I-20. Louisiana car accident laws dictate how the aftermath of a collision is managed. They also enable the victims of the accident to get fairly compensated.

Experienced Car Accident Lawyers in Louisiana

At Hammond Law Firm, LLC, we’ve seen firsthand how devastating a car accident can be. One of our clients required neck surgery, which increased their medical costs, and it took a while to recover from. Our Louisiana personal injury lawyers have recovered $500,000 for our client, enabling them to return to daily life as soon as possible.

Louisiana Car Accident Laws

In 2024, there were over 59,000 suspected car accident injuries in Louisiana. It can be beneficial to learn more about the most important car accident laws in the state, including:

• No pay, no play. In Louisiana, you need to have vehicle insurance. This can have real effects on how much you can obtain after an accident. If you’re uninsured or underinsured and get into a collision, Louisiana’s no pay, no play law could come into effect. This limits how much you can recover, regardless of your level of fault.
• At-fault insurance. Louisiana is an at-fault insurance state. Unlike no-fault states, it is very important to determine blame for causing the accident. That person’s insurance company pays everyone else involved for any damages they experienced as a result of the accident.
• Comparative fault. In many car accidents, multiple people are a little bit at fault for causing the accident. Even though the person mostly at fault might have run a red light, another person might have been looking down and did not notice the vehicle speeding past. Comparative fault reduces how much you can get, depending on your level of fault.
• Time limit. You need to file a personal injury claim as soon as possible after a car accident. These cases normally have a two-year statute of limitations. This prevents victims from recovering compensation from the accident if they do not file in time. Sometimes, the limit is even shorter.
• Reporting. In Louisiana, you need to report most accidents. This is true if anyone was injured. Any accident that resulted in property damage over $500 also needs to be reported. Since most accidents far exceed this value, it is generally a good idea to report any accident, regardless of its severity.

In Louisiana, there were 706 fatal car accidents in 2024. The families of these victims can still file claims for their loved ones, but it takes a slightly different process and follows different rules.

Receiving Medical Treatment

Many people get into serious car accidents and feel fine immediately after. This makes them avoid seeking medical attention. The cost of a physical evaluation is also a deterrent for some. However, any car accident victim should consider receiving medical care.

First, many people have deep tissue injuries, head injuries, or even internal organ damage that might not show up immediately. These can take a long time to appear. If you wait to be examined, an insurance company might try to argue that you were injured after the accident to avoid having to pay you.

Even if your injuries are minimal, consider seeking medical care after an accident.

Why Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?

Most people are in a bad mental headspace shortly after a car accident. They are often unsure about what to do or who will pay for damages. This doesn’t lead to good results when filing insurance claims.

Insurance companies regularly take advantage of car accident victims by offering them a low offer quickly. Many people accept out of desperation before finding out that their settlement value doesn’t match the injuries they experienced.

This is why a Louisiana car accident attorney is so important. They regularly see lowball offers by insurance companies, so they can watch out for your case to make sure you are not getting taken advantage of.

Why Choose Us?

When hiring an attorney to represent you in a car accident claim, choose one who has experience in winning cases, like Hammond Law Firm, LLC. We recovered $245,000 for one of our clients so they could pay for the back surgery they needed because of the accident. We don’t have to brag because our record does it for us.