Car Accident Lawyer in Louisiana

Louisiana is a growing state, especially in its major metro areas like New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport, and Lake Charles. With this growing population comes an increase in traffic, as more people commute to work, drive their kids to school, run errands, and experience all that Louisiana has to offer.

Unfortunately, more cars on the road add up to longer commutes, more traffic congestion, and more automobile accidents. If you’ve been in a car accident this year, you need legal representation as you work to recover the costs of your injuries.

The Louisiana personal injury lawyers with Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys have 679+ years of combined legal experience fighting for Louisiana victims of car wrecks. Learn more about your rights by giving us a call at 888.501.7888 for a free legal consultation.

Types of Car Accident Cases We Handle

Every car wreck is unique and each comes with complex legal challenges that make it difficult to get the compensation you deserve. That’s why you should call the experienced car wreck attorneys at Gordon McKernan today! We handle a variety of different auto accident cases including

• Food delivery accidents
• Head on collisions
• T Bone accidents
• Rear end collisions
• Rollover crashes
• Pedestrian accidents
• Accidents involving rental cars
• Red light crashes
• Multi-car accidents
• Hit and runs
• Rideshare collisions
• And more

Louisiana Car Crash Statistics

According to the LSU Crash Reports and World Population Review, Louisiana was the site of 768 fatal traffic accidents in 2021—making it the 18th-deadliest state in the nation for car wrecks. What are the main contributing factors to car accidents in Louisiana? Two main causes stand out: drunk driving and distracted driving.

Sources: LSU Crash Reports and World Population Review

Driving Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol

According to the LSU study cited above, fully 40% of traffic fatalities were alcohol-related in 2021. This figure is part of a rising trend of alcohol-fueled deaths in Louisiana; in addition, the average blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) in impaired drivers has been increasing over the years, which translates to a higher likelihood of a deadly crash.

While alcohol is the most common drug abused before driving, many drugs can impair drivers’ ability to drive safely. Illicit drugs like marijuana and others can slow reaction time and lead to confusion, lane drifting, and other dangerous driving behaviors. Even prescription drugs can impair drivers’ ability, so if you’ve been prescribed a new medication, make sure to check its label and follow the warnings regarding operating heavy machinery.

Distracted Driving in Louisiana

After the advent of cellular technology, it’s become easier than ever to stay connected with the people we care about throughout the day. However, texting or otherwise using the phone while driving is one of the most dangerous activities you can engage in.

Distracted driving has killed 193 people between 2016 and 2020 in Louisiana, and injured 23,010 people in 2020 alone. Louisiana has multiple laws on the books to penalize distracted driving, so it’s now illegal to do any of the following while behind the wheel:

• Write, send, or read any kind of text-based communication
• Access, read, or post on social media
• Engage in a phone call in a school zone during school hours

Further restrictions apply to those with Learner’s Permits and drivers under 18. While the law is somewhat complex, the common wisdom is not: don’t use your phone while driving. If you’ve been hit by a distracted driver, you could be entitled to help with repairing your car, your medical bills, and your other expenses.

Other Causes of Car Accidents

While drunk and distracted driving are two of the most common causes of auto accidents, a sudden crash can be caused by a wide variety of factors so it’s important to stay alert and diligent while on the road. Other common accident causes include:

• Hazardous road conditions
• Driving while fatigued
• Texting and driving
• Speeding
• And many more

Possible Car Crash Injuries

With so many different types of car accidents and causes for them, unfortunately, bring a wide variety of injuries experienced afterward. It’s important to hire a car wreck lawyer that knows how to get you the highest compensation possible for common injuries including

• Spinal cord injuries
• Neck injuries such as whiplash
• Quadriplegia and other forms of paralysis
• Broken bones
• Burns
• Hearing loss
• Head injuries
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Catastrophic injuries such as amputation
• Injuries to your eyes
• And more

Wrongful Death Claim: What You Need to Know

You may be wondering what is considered a catastrophic injury. This term generally refers to any major injury that affects vital parts of the body—for instance, the brain, neck, or spinal cord—or that results in long-term physical disability or even wrongful death.

A wrongful death happens when an individual’s death is directly caused by the wrongful act or negligence of either a person or business. If you have lost a loved one in a car accident, you should take the following steps below (All of the below relations also include those relations by adoption).

Step 1: Pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit in Louisiana can only be carried out by certain survivors of the car accident victim. The survivors of the victim who can file a claim are:

• The surviving spouse and/or children of the deceased or
• If both spouse and children are dead, the surviving parents of the deceased or
• If the spouse, children, and parents are dead, the surviving siblings of the deceased or
• If the spouse, children, parents, and siblings are deceased, the surviving grandparents of the deceased

Step 2: Remember you need to get in touch with an attorney to file this claim within 1 year of the car accident because Louisiana follows a 1-year statute of limitations. In other words, your lawyer has 1 year to bring a wrongful death claim to the court. 

Step 3: Call our Louisiana Wrongful Death Attorneys to get familiar with your legal options and receive the help you deserve.

Who’s Liable for a Car Wreck in Louisiana?

The legal doctrine used to determine liability after a car accident in Louisiana is called pure comparative negligence. Under this scheme, multiple parties can be found liable for an accident, and each is required to pay for a number of damages proportional to their fault.

Applying pure comparative negligence to your accident case could mean any of the following:

• More than one party could owe you compensation for your losses, including
  • The other driver(s) responsible for your crash
  • Their employer if they were driving as part of their work duties
  • DOTD or other government entities who failed to properly maintain infrastructure
  • The manufacturer of your car, or an auto repair shop, if their mistake led to your accident
• You can still be awarded damages if you’re found partially at fault. For example: say you’ve suffered $12,000 in damages from a car wreck. If you were found 30% liable, you could still recover $8400 from the other party.

The more parties involved in a personal injury lawsuit, the more complex that suit becomes. A car accident claim can become quite complex quickly, so it’s important to hire a Louisiana car wreck injury attorney who can help guide your case to the outcome you deserve.

When Should I Hire a Car Accident Lawyer?

Car accident claims in Louisiana are bound to a one-year statute of limitations, meaning if you wait any longer to file your claim, you could be left holding the bag. As soon as you’re stable following a car accident, call an experienced car wreck lawyer with Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys.

Our staff has decades of experience helping thousands of Louisianans recover over $2.5 Billion following their car wrecks and other accidents, and we can help you too. Give us a call at for a free consultation about your case. We’ll get started right away, and we promise to do everything we can to get you the compensation you deserve.