Louisiana Motor Vehicle Accident Attorneys
In 2013, Louisiana had 651 fatal traffic accidents resulting in 703 deaths, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and Highway Loss Data Institute (IIHS/HLDI). It is a particularly dangerous state for bicyclists. According to Governing, Louisiana has the second highest rate of bicycle accident fatalities, per capita, in the country. If you have been injured in any type of motor vehicle accident in Louisiana, an experienced Louisiana traffic accident lawyer can protect your legal rights and help you recover fair compensation
If You Were Not Insured
Louisiana has a law referred to as “No Pay, No Play”. It is used to punish people who do not purchase the legally required liability insurance for their vehicles. Louisiana law bars uninsured drivers from collecting first $15,000 of bodily injury damages and the first $25,000 of property damages, even when the other driver was at fault. Uninsured drivers who are injured are responsible for the first $15,000 of their medical expenses.
Passengers are not affected by the rule unless they own or co-own the uninsured vehicle. There are several exceptions to No Pay, No Play, including:
- The other driver was intoxicated
- The other driver intentionally caused the accident
- The other was committing a felony at the time of the accident
- Hit and run
- Your vehicle was parked legally at the time of the accident
- You were not a resident of Louisiana at the time of the accident
Liability insurance is required for very good reasons, and those who choose to drive without it place an unfair burden on everyone else. But, in real life, things do not always go as planned. Insurance coverage can lapse without your knowing it for a variety of reasons including clerical errors on the part of others. If you find yourself in a “No Pay, No Play” accident, an experienced Louisiana traffic accident lawyer is here to help.
If You Were Partly to Blame
Louisiana uses the rule of pure comparative fault when it comes to sharing the blame in an accident. That means you can still recover damages if you were partly to blame. In fact, you can get paid for your injuries if you were 99% to blame, although it would probably not be worth pursuing in most cases because you could only receive 1% of your damages. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if your damages are $100,000 and you were 25% to blame for the accident, your damages are reduced to $75,000.
If you have been injured in an accident or lost a loved one in a fatal crash in Louisiana, one of the experienced Louisiana motor vehicle accident lawyers profiled on this website is here to help.