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Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyer in Louisiana
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Best Louisiana Hit and Run Accident Attorneys Near Me
Fighting for Hit-and-Run Victims Statewide
A crash is already a bad day. It gets worse when the other driver speeds off and leaves you hurt, with no name and no insurance details. In Louisiana, leaving the scene this way is a crime. Knowing your rights can help you take the next step.
A Louisiana hit-and-run accident attorney can help you find out who may pay for your injuries, even if the driver is never caught. At Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys, our Louisiana personal injury lawyers serve clients across the entire state. We can deal with the insurance companies so you can focus on healing.
Our firm has recovered $3 Billion for injured clients, including 230+ Million dollar verdicts and settlements. Your consultation is free. With No Fee Unless We Win, you pay nothing unless we win or settle your case.
Types of Hit-and-Run Accident Injury Cases Our Louisiana Lawyers Handle
When a driver flees, you may be left hurt with no one stopping to help. As your hit-and-run injury lawyer in Louisiana, we learn how the crash affects your health, job, and family. Our Lafayette hit-and-run accident lawyers and teams across the state use that full picture to pursue the compensation you need.
Here are some of the injuries our team handles:
Louisiana Hit and Run Crash Statistics
Researchers at LSU track Louisiana crashes each year. Here is what their 2025 report found:
About 139,700
crashes in Louisiana in 2025
About 54,700
injuries from those crashes
766
people killed in 727 fatal crashes
Our Attorneys
What Is a Hit and Run Accident?
Louisiana law defines a hit and run as a driver’s intentional failure to do three things after being involved in or causing a crash (R.S. 14:100):
- Stop at the scene
- Give their identity
- Give reasonable aid
Giving identity means sharing their name, address, and license plate number, or reporting the crash to police. A driver who intentionally skips these duties commits the crime of hit-and-run driving.
The state can bring criminal charges against that driver. You can also bring your own civil claim. Louisiana law says anyone whose fault causes damage to another must repair it (Civil Code Article 2315). Your claim can seek money for your injuries, pain and suffering, and property damage.
Louisiana Legal Penalties for Hit-and-Run Drivers
The penalty depends on how badly someone was hurt (R.S. 14:100). Some cases are misdemeanors. Others are felonies, which can bring prison at hard labor (R.S. 14:2).
Misdemeanor Hit-and-Run
If no one is killed or seriously hurt, the driver faces a fine of up to $500, up to six months in jail, or both. Any jail term must be at least 10 days if alcohol or drugs played a part and the driver fled knowing it could affect a criminal case.
Felony Hit-and-Run
A felony applies when someone is killed or seriously hurt, the driver knew or should have known it, and their vehicle was directly involved. The penalty is a fine of up to $5,000, 2 to 10 years in prison, or both.
The range rises to 5 to 20 years when the driver has certain past convictions. These include drunk or impaired driving on two or more occasions within 10 years, vehicular homicide, and vehicular negligent injuring.
Administrative Penalties for Hit-and-Run Cases
A conviction can also cost the driver their license. Louisiana must suspend the license of a driver convicted of failing to stop and render aid after a crash that hurts or kills someone. Getting it back takes a reinstatement fee (R.S. 32:414).
How Fault Works When the Driver Flees
Louisiana’s comparative fault law assigns fault to every person who caused or helped cause the harm. That includes a person whose identity is not known (Civil Code Article 2323). So the driver who fled still carries a share of the blame, even if no one learns their name.
Your own share matters, too. Since January 1, 2026 (Civil Code Article 2323):
- If you are less than 51% at fault, your damages are reduced by your share
- If you are 51% or more at fault, you cannot recover damages
An insurer, even your own, may argue that you share the blame. A few percentage points can change what you recover.
Help From Louisiana’s Crime Victims Reparations Program
Louisiana’s Crime Victims Reparations program helps crime victims with out-of-pocket costs such as medical care, lost earnings, and funeral expenses. It does not pay for pain and suffering. Injuries caused by a driver who broke the hit and run law can qualify (R.S. 46:1805).
The East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff’s Office says you can apply even if the offender is never identified. The rules are strict:
- The sheriff’s office says the crime must be reported to police within 72 hours, unless there is a valid reason for a delay
- The application must be filed within one year of the injury or death (R.S. 46:1806)
- The state board can deny or reduce an award if the victim shares responsibility or was not wearing a seat belt (R.S. 46:1809)
You can get an application at any Louisiana sheriff’s office.
Recovering Damages From the Liable Party in a Hit and Run Accident
When the driver flees, you may not know where to turn. How do you hold someone responsible when they drove away?
It starts with evidence. Dash camera video and nearby security footage can be valuable. Investigators can also look at tire tread marks, your description of the vehicle, and what witnesses saw. A hit and run crash attorney in Louisiana works quickly to find what is still out there.
How a Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyer Can Help Your Case
With 679+ years of combined legal experience, our Louisiana car accident lawyers know where to look. Every case gets a team of lawyers and support staff. If you hire us, we may:
- Review scene evidence and work with investigators to help identify the driver
- Look for video from nearby businesses, homes, and traffic cameras
- Find and interview witnesses
- Review your auto policy and any other coverage that may apply
- Handle deadlines, paperwork, and calls with insurance companies
If a commercial truck hit you and kept going, our truck accident lawyers can look into the trucking company’s role. Our New Orleans hit and run accident lawyers and the rest of our team will take your case to court if that’s what it takes.
Compensation You May Be Entitled To
Depending on your case and your coverage, a hit and run accident lawyer in Louisiana can help you pursue:
- Medical bills, past and future
- Lost wages and lost ability to earn
- Pain and suffering
- Vehicle repair or replacement
- Loss of consortium (companionship) for certain family members
If you lost a loved one, a wrongful death claim may be possible. Louisiana law lists who can file, in order: a spouse and children first, then parents, then brothers and sisters, then grandparents (Civil Code Article 2315.2).
Speak to a Louisiana Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyer Near You Today
Healing from a hit-and-run is hard on both body and mind. You may not have the time or energy to fight an insurance company. You do not have to do it alone. Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys has over 180 employees, including 130+ staff and 47 attorneys ready to stand up for injured Louisianans, from our Shreveport hit and run accident lawyers to our offices across the state.
Call 888.501.7888 or contact us online for a free consultation with a Louisiana hit and run accident attorney. With our No Fee Unless We Win promise, you pay nothing unless we win or settle your case. That’s the G Guarantee.
Get Gordon. Get It Done.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Results may vary depending on the facts and circumstances of each case. Viewing this website or contacting the firm does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Who Pays After a Hit-and-Run in Louisiana?
It depends on whether the driver is found and what insurance you carry. Many hit-and-run accident claims in Louisiana come down to your own auto policy.
When the Driver Is Never Found
The Louisiana Department of Insurance says hit-and-run drivers may be classified as uninsured motorists. That means your uninsured motorist (UM) coverage may pay for your injuries.
Louisiana auto policies must include UM coverage unless a named insured turned it down, chose lower limits, or chose “economic-only” coverage on a signed state form (R.S. 22:1295). Economic-only coverage pays only the actual costs of your injuries, not pain and suffering.
Do not assume you have no coverage. Our uninsured motorist accident lawyers can review your policy with you.
When the Other Car Never Touched You
Some drivers force you off the road, then leave without ever making contact. UM coverage still applies to these crashes. But you must prove what happened through an independent and disinterested witness (R.S. 22:1295). That is why witness names and phone numbers matter so much.
When Police Find the Driver
Once the driver is identified, their liability insurance may pay. Each Louisiana vehicle must carry at least $15,000 per person and $30,000 per crash for injuries, plus $25,000 for property damage (R.S. 32:900). If those limits fall short, your UM coverage may also pay.
Other Coverage That May Help
The Department of Insurance describes other coverage you may already have:
- Medical payments coverage, which pays medical bills for a set time after a crash, no matter who was at fault
- Collision coverage, which pays for damage to your car whether or not you were at fault
- UM property damage coverage, which drivers without collision coverage can request in writing, with a $250 deductible (R.S. 22:1295)
If You Did Not Have Insurance
Louisiana’s “No Pay, No Play” law usually bars an uninsured owner or driver from recovering the first $100,000 of injury damages and the first $100,000 of property damage. That limit does not apply when the other driver flees the scene (R.S. 32:866).
Deadlines for Hit-and-Run Claims in Louisiana
Louisiana law calls a filing deadline “prescription.” Miss it, and you can lose your right to recover. A Louisiana hit-and-run lawyer can help you track each one:
- Injury claims from crashes after July 1, 2024: 2 years from the day of the injury (Civil Code Article 3493.1)
- Uninsured motorist claims: 2 years from the date of the crash (R.S. 9:5629)
- Wrongful death claims: 1 year from the death or 2 years from the day of the injury, whichever is longer (Civil Code Article 2315.2)
Crashes on or before July 1, 2024 may fall under older rules, not the current two-year deadline. Call us, and we will review your timeline.
What to Do After a Hit and Run in Louisiana
If you are able, take these steps:
- Call 911 if anyone is hurt, and ask for police
- Do not chase the other driver
- Write down the plate number, make, color, and direction of the car, if you saw them
- Take photos of the scene, your car, and your injuries, if it is safe
- Ask witnesses for their names and phone numbers
- Get medical care, even if you feel fine
- Tell your insurance company about the crash
- Get a copy of the police report
Talk with a lawyer before you give a recorded statement or sign anything. Missed a step? Our Baton Rouge hit and run accident lawyers and teams across the state can help fill in the gaps.
Don’t Wait — Talk to a Louisiana Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyer Today
At Gordon Mckernan Injury Attorneys, we understand that emotional and physical recovery come hand and hand after an injury or accident. We also know that you may not have the energy or time to fight with an insurance company and the complexities of your personal injury claim.
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