Do I Have to Give a Recorded Statement After a Car Accident? (Louisiana)

A request for a recorded statement after a Louisiana car accident needs one question answered first: whose policy is the adjuster handling? A voluntary interview requested by the other driver’s liability insurer is different from a statement required under coverage you are claiming. A subpoena, deposition notice, or examination-under-oath demand requires a different response…

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Will Using Health Insurance Hurt My Settlement?

Using health insurance can affect a Louisiana injury settlement. Under the current medical-expense statute, payments to a contracted provider can limit the medical expenses recoverable in the claim. A health plan may also seek reimbursement afterward. Those are two separate effects, and both matter when evaluating what you may receive. That does not mean…

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Medical Liens & Subrogation in Louisiana Injury Cases: What Gets Paid Back (and What Can Be Reduced)

A settlement offer and the amount you receive are different numbers. A hospital may still be owed money, a health plan may seek repayment for bills it covered, and Medicare or Medicaid may have recovery rights. Before accepting an offer, you need to know which demands are valid, which amounts are still being checked,…

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Electronic Logging Devices: What ELD Records Can Show About Truck Driver Fatigue

A truck’s electronic log can show when the driver recorded driving, other work, sleeper-berth time, and time off duty. It cannot tell you whether the driver actually slept or was alert at the moment of a collision. In a Louisiana truck crash investigation, an electronic logging device, or ELD, supplies part of the work…

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Who Pays Medical Bills After a Car Accident in Louisiana?

A hospital bill may arrive while the other driver’s insurer is still investigating the crash. Opening an injury claim does not, by itself, arrange payment to the hospital or stop collection. The immediate question is which coverage or payment arrangement applies to that bill. Three amounts can differ: what the provider charged, what you…

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Negligent Hiring / Negligent Retention in Truck Cases: What Red Flags Look Like

A trucking company’s hiring file can change the questions asked after a crash. If the driver had a documented history of unsafe backing, for example, the investigation may need to examine what the company knew before assigning that driver to a difficult delivery. The collision itself does not prove that hiring or keeping the…

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Owner-Operator vs Trucking Company: Why the Paperwork Matters

“The driver owns the truck” does not answer who is responsible for a Louisiana truck crash. An owner-operator may own the tractor while hauling a load under another motor carrier’s authority. The driver, the operating carrier, the trailer owner, and the business arranging the shipment can be different entities. The useful question is what…

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Who Can You Sue After a Truck Accident in Louisiana?

A Louisiana truck crash can lead to claims against the driver, the motor carrier, or another business whose conduct contributed to the collision. The company painted on the trailer is a starting point for an investigation, but it may not be the company that employed the driver, maintained the tractor, or chose the carrier…

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What Is a Longshoreman? Louisiana Guide to Waterfront Work and LHWCA Coverage

A longshoreman loads, unloads, or handles cargo moving between a vessel and the shore. The work may involve a ship’s hold, a dock, a crane, cargo lashings, or a terminal where containers are transferred. It is different from simply having a job near the Mississippi River or working for a business with “marine” in…

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The Dumbest and Weirdest Laws in Louisiana (Verified)

Louisiana really does have a law with a maximum $1 fine for setting off fireworks near a hospital. It also has laws about bridge jumping for publicity, bear wrestling, white alligators, traditional jambalaya, telegram privacy, frog sizes, and what happens when a vessel carries a New Orleans bar pilot out to sea. Most online…

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Mansfield Bars and Truck Underride Guards: What They Do

A Mansfield bar is the horizontal guard below the rear of a truck trailer. Its formal name is a rear impact guard or rear underride guard. It is intended to limit how far a smaller vehicle can slide beneath the trailer when it strikes from behind. The bar is only part of the protection….

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Atchafalaya Basin Bridge Crashes: Safety, Cameras and Fault

After a crash on the Atchafalaya Basin Bridge, the first concern is the traffic still approaching. A damaged vehicle, people outside their cars, and a queue forming behind the collision can create another emergency before anyone has sorted out the first one. Call 911, give your direction of travel and the nearest mile marker…

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Should You Accept the Property Damage Check Before the Injury Claim Is Done?

You may be able to resolve the damage to your car while an injury claim remains open. Before accepting the money, though, read the check, the accompanying letter, and any release together. A payment described over the phone as “just for the car” can come with written terms that reach further. The practical question…

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I-10, I-12 and Airline Highway Crashes: What Evidence Matters

A rear-end collision in stopped traffic on I-10 raises different questions from a turning crash on Airline Highway. In the first, the sequence of braking and impacts may be disputed. In the second, the important facts may be the signal, the turning path, and whether either driver could see the other vehicle. The road…

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Remote Online Notarization in Louisiana: What You Can Do, What You Can’t, and Where You Must Be

Louisiana permits remote online notarization, but not for every document. The process can replace an in-person appearance before a notary only when the document is eligible and the session satisfies the state’s technology, identity, signature, location, and recordkeeping rules. That distinction matters when someone sends a link and describes the signature as routine. Remote…

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