There is no single 30-day rule for reporting every Louisiana car accident to an insurer. Look at the policy that may cover the loss and give notice promptly under its terms. The duty to notify police is a separate question with its own statutory threshold. If you are still at the scene, get emergency…
Electric vehicles are not inherently unsafe, and most crashes involving them are investigated like other serious collisions. What changes is the need to account for a high-voltage system, a large battery pack, specialized towing and storage instructions, and the possibility of a delayed battery event after the vehicle appears stable. The legal case still…
An insurance call after a Louisiana accident may sound routine, but the conversation can become part of the claim record. A person who is sore, shaken, or still learning what happened should not feel pressured to give precise answers that are really guesses. The right response depends on who is calling. Your own insurer…
There is no reliable “typical” Louisiana car accident settlement. Two crashes that look similar in photographs can produce very different results because the injuries, proof, fault, available insurance, and future needs are different. A useful evaluation starts with those facts, not an online average. This article explains the parts of a settlement that can…
A delivery order has its own timeline. The driver may have been waiting for an assignment, on the way to a restaurant, or carrying an accepted order when the crash happened. That timing can determine which insurance policies need to be examined. Start with the driving facts, then preserve the order receipt, app messages…
Louisiana requires drivers to notify law enforcement after a crash involving injury, death, or property damage over $500. The report is also a useful starting record of the people, vehicles, location, and accounts of what happened. It does not replace medical care or the other evidence needed to understand an accident. Which agency should…
A commercial driver’s license answers one question: did the driver satisfy the licensing requirements that applied at the time? It does not answer whether the driver was prepared for the tractor, trailer, route, cargo, weather, or traffic conditions involved in a particular crash. That distinction matters after a serious Louisiana truck wreck. The useful…
Responsibility for an aviation injury depends on what failed and who controlled that part of the operation. A turbulence injury may turn on warnings and cabin procedures, while a mechanical event may require maintenance records, safety directives, and component history. Start with the flight and incident records that may be hardest to replace. Save…
A driver starts a left turn while a motorcycle approaches. A car moves into the rider’s lane. Gravel appears halfway through a curve. These situations call for different responses, but each becomes harder to manage when the rider has little time or room left. Crash prevention starts with recognizing those situations early and matching…
A delivery truck crash can look like an ordinary traffic collision, but the proof may sit in several places at once. The driver may have an employer, a contractor, a vehicle owner, a dispatch platform and more than one insurer. Camera footage, route records and vehicle data may also be overwritten while an injured…
No. A Louisiana car accident does not create an automatic right to payment. A person seeking damages generally must prove that someone was legally at fault, that the crash caused an injury or loss, and that the amount claimed is supported by evidence. Insurance coverage and the defendant’s ability to pay can also affect…
Archive note: This article was first published in 2019 and discusses an initial account of a fatal Whiskey Bay crash. The cited news reports describe what authorities said during the early investigation. They do not supply the investigation’s final findings or establish civil responsibility. Shortly before 7:30 a.m. on October 21, 2019, Louisiana State…
Note from Stephen: I was the attorney who handled this case. A car falling through a road surface raises questions that a photograph alone cannot answer. What caused the void? Who maintained the roadway and the infrastructure beneath it? Was there a warning before the collapse? In its October 10, 2019 report on the…
A trucking company may be responsible when its driver causes a crash while impaired, but the claim requires more than proof that the driver worked for the company. The driver’s role, purpose of the trip and conduct at the time of the collision all matter. The company’s own hiring, supervision and safety decisions may…
A brake part found broken after a motorcycle crash leaves an important question: did it fail before the impact, or did the impact break it? A claim against the manufacturer requires evidence connecting a legally actionable defect to the crash or the severity of the injuries. The damaged motorcycle and component may be essential…