A car crash on I-20, US 167, or a neighborhood street in Ruston can leave you shaken and unsure what to do next. The first priorities are simple: get out of danger, call for help, and take care of your health. What you do in the hours and days that follow can also affect your ability to recover medical expenses, lost income, vehicle damage, and other losses.
Quick Answer: What Should You Do After a Ruston Car Accident?
- Call 911 and report the crash.
- Move to a safe place if you can do so safely.
- Get medical attention for anyone who may be injured.
- Exchange driver, vehicle, and insurance information.
- Photograph the scene, vehicles, injuries, and road conditions when it is safe.
- Get the names and contact information of witnesses.
- Do not admit fault or guess about what happened.
- Notify your insurer, but be careful with recorded statements and broad medical authorizations.
- Follow your doctor’s instructions and keep records of every crash-related loss.
- Talk with a Louisiana car accident lawyer before accepting a settlement.
If you were hurt, a Ruston car accident lawyer can help preserve evidence, identify available insurance coverage, and keep the claim moving while you focus on treatment.
1. Call 911 and Put Safety First
Check yourself and your passengers for injuries. If anyone may be hurt, ask for emergency medical assistance. Do not try to move a seriously injured person unless leaving the person in place creates an immediate danger.
If the vehicles can be moved and remaining where they are would expose people to traffic, move to a safe location nearby. Turn on your hazard lights and stay behind a barrier or well away from moving traffic when possible. Photographs are valuable, but no photograph is worth being struck by another vehicle.
Louisiana Revised Statute 32:398 requires immediate notice to law enforcement when a crash causes injury, death, or more than $500 in property damage. Inside Ruston, that ordinarily means the Ruston Police Department. Outside the city limits, the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office or Louisiana State Police may investigate, depending on the location.
2. Exchange Information Without Arguing About Fault
Get the other driver’s:
- Full name, address, and telephone number
- Driver’s license information
- License plate number and vehicle description
- Insurance company, policy number, and insured’s name
- Employer information if the driver was working
Be polite, but do not argue, apologize, admit fault, or speculate. A simple statement such as “I did not see the other vehicle” can be taken out of context later. Tell the officer what you personally saw and heard. If you do not know an answer, say that you do not know.
3. Document the Crash When It Is Safe
Crash scenes change quickly. Vehicles are moved, debris is cleared, skid marks fade, and witnesses leave. If you can safely do so, use your phone to photograph or record:
- All sides of every vehicle, including license plates
- The point of impact and the vehicles’ final positions
- Debris, skid marks, gouge marks, and fluid trails
- Traffic signals, stop signs, lane markings, and nearby construction
- Weather, lighting, and visibility
- Visible injuries and damaged personal property
- The other driver’s insurance card and driver’s license, with permission
Ask witnesses for their names and telephone numbers. Do not assume the officer has recorded every witness. Also write down the investigating agency, officer’s name, badge number, and crash report number.
4. Get Medical Care and Describe Your Symptoms Accurately
Some injuries are obvious at the scene. Others, including concussions and many neck, back, and soft-tissue injuries, may become more noticeable after the initial shock wears off. Seek prompt medical care if you are in pain, feel confused or dizzy, have numbness or weakness, or notice any other concerning symptom.
Tell each medical provider about every symptom and when it began. Do not exaggerate, but do not minimize what you feel. Follow the treatment plan, attend appointments, and explain any unavoidable gap in care. The insurer will compare your later claim with the history recorded in the first medical records.
5. Be Careful When an Insurance Adjuster Calls
The other driver’s insurer may call quickly and ask for a recorded statement. You generally do not have a contractual duty to give that insurer a recorded statement. You can provide basic contact information and decline to discuss fault, injuries, or settlement until you understand the situation.
Your relationship with your own insurer is different. Your policy may require reasonable cooperation and notice, particularly if you seek collision, medical payments, or uninsured/underinsured motorist benefits. That does not mean you should guess, minimize symptoms, or sign an unlimited medical authorization. Review the request carefully and consider getting legal advice before a detailed recorded statement.
Common problems in early insurance calls include:
- The casual “How are you?” question. A polite “I’m fine” may later be quoted as evidence that you were not injured.
- Questions that ask you to estimate. Do not guess about speed, distance, or timing.
- A quick settlement offer. Once you sign a full release, you ordinarily cannot reopen the claim if the injury is worse than expected.
- A broad medical authorization. It may allow the insurer to search records unrelated to the crash.
6. Preserve Evidence Beyond the Police Report
A police report is useful, but it is not the entire case. Save the original photographs and videos. Keep damaged personal items, receipts, estimates, towing records, rental-car records, work excuses, and medical bills. Photograph bruising and other visible injuries as they change.
Also identify evidence that may disappear, such as nearby business video, residential doorbell footage, vehicle event data, dash-camera recordings, and electronic records held by a commercial driver or trucking company. Some of this evidence may be overwritten within days or weeks. A lawyer can send preservation letters before that happens.
7. Understand Louisiana’s New Comparative-Fault Rule
For crashes occurring on or after January 1, 2026, Louisiana follows a modified comparative-fault rule. Under Louisiana Civil Code article 2323, an injured person who is found 51% or more at fault cannot recover damages. If the injured person is less than 51% at fault, the recovery is reduced by that person’s percentage of fault.
For example, if a driver has $100,000 in proven damages and is found 20% at fault, the recoverable amount is reduced to $80,000. If that driver is found 51% at fault for a crash governed by the new law, the driver recovers nothing.
The crash date matters. Louisiana’s former pure comparative-fault rule generally applies to incidents before January 1, 2026. Because a few percentage points can now decide whether an injured person recovers anything, preserving evidence and avoiding careless admissions are more important than ever.
8. Know the Deadline for Filing a Louisiana Car Accident Lawsuit
Most Louisiana car accident injury claims arising on or after July 1, 2024, are subject to a two-year prescriptive period under Louisiana Civil Code article 3493.1. Act 423 of 2024 applies prospectively to delictual actions arising after its July 1, 2024 effective date.
Most accident claims arising before July 1, 2024, were governed by the former one-year period. Special facts can change the analysis, including the identity of the defendants, a fatality, an injured minor, a defective product, or a crash involving an out-of-state party. Insurance policies may also impose contractual duties that arise long before a lawsuit deadline.
Do not use the two-year period as a reason to wait. Video can be overwritten, vehicles can be repaired or destroyed, and witnesses become harder to locate.
9. Check Every Potential Source of Insurance Coverage
The at-fault driver’s liability policy is not always the only available coverage. Depending on the facts and the policies involved, a claim may also involve:
- Your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
- Medical payments coverage
- Collision and rental reimbursement coverage
- An employer’s commercial auto policy
- Coverage on another vehicle or policy in the household
- Excess or umbrella insurance
Do not assume the other driver is uninsured, underinsured, or the only legally responsible party until the policies and crash facts have been investigated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to call the police after a crash in Ruston?
Louisiana law requires immediate notice to law enforcement when a crash causes injury, death, or more than $500 in property damage. Calling the police also creates a contemporaneous record and allows an officer to identify drivers, vehicles, insurers, and witnesses.
Should I move my car after the crash?
Safety comes first. If the vehicle can be moved and leaving it in the travel lane creates a danger, move to a safe nearby location. If someone is seriously injured, the vehicle cannot be moved safely, or law enforcement instructs you otherwise, wait for emergency responders. Take scene photographs only when it is safe.
Do I have to give the other driver’s insurer a recorded statement?
Generally, no. The other driver’s insurer does not insure you and ordinarily cannot require your recorded statement. Your own policy may contain cooperation duties, so requests from your insurer should be evaluated separately.
What if I was partly at fault?
For a crash on or after January 1, 2026, you may still recover if your share of fault is less than 51%, but your damages are reduced by that percentage. A finding of 51% or more fault bars recovery. Earlier crashes are generally governed by the prior rule.
How long do I have to file a car accident lawsuit in Louisiana?
Most tort claims arising on or after July 1, 2024, have a two-year prescriptive period. Most claims arising before that date had a one-year period. Do not wait until the deadline to investigate your specific claim.
Where are Ruston car accident lawsuits filed?
A case connected to Ruston may be filed in the Third Judicial District Court for Lincoln Parish, but venue depends on facts such as where the crash occurred and where the defendants are located. Some cases may belong in another state or federal court.
Talk With a Ruston Car Accident Lawyer
The insurer begins investigating as soon as the crash is reported. You deserve the chance to understand the evidence, available coverage, medical consequences, and full value of the claim before signing a release.
Contact Babcock Injury Lawyers for a free consultation or call our Ruston office at (318) 777-5000. We handle personal injury cases on a contingency-fee basis, which means you owe no attorney’s fee unless we recover money for you.
About Babcock Injury Lawyers
Babcock Injury Lawyers represents people injured in car, truck, motorcycle, and other serious accidents in Ruston, Lincoln Parish, and throughout Louisiana. Learn more about our Ruston personal injury practice and our firm.
Editorial & Legal Accuracy Notice (Louisiana)
Sources checked: September 22, 2026
Prepared by: Babcock Injury Lawyers
This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Every case depends on its facts. Reading this article or contacting the firm does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship. Louisiana law can change, and you should consult a licensed Louisiana attorney about your specific situation.