If another driver hurt you in a Shreveport car wreck, you have two years from the date of the crash to file suit in Louisiana. That deadline sounds generous. It is not. Evidence disappears, witnesses move, and the other driver’s insurance company starts building its defense the same week your car gets towed.
In an instant you are facing injuries, medical bills, a damaged vehicle, and time away from work. It is a devastating blow physically, emotionally, and financially.
At Ford Injury Firm in Shreveport, we have seen the impact car accidents have on the lives of Shreveport residents. We handle the adjusters, the paperwork, and the medical bills so you can get treated and get back to work.
Free case review. You pay nothing unless we recover money for you.
Louisiana car accident law has deadlines to meet, paperwork to file, and evidence to gather, and one misstep can cost you. Two of those rules also changed recently, which is covered in the next section.
When you work with Ford Injury Firm, we can:
La. Civil Code art. 3493.1 sets a two-year prescriptive period for most injury claims, effective July 1, 2024. Before that, Louisiana gave injured people only one year. A lot of older material online still says one year, which is why the date of your crash matters when you check any deadline.
Miss it and your claim is gone no matter how strong it was.
Louisiana divides fault among everyone who contributed to a crash under La. Civil Code art. 2323. If you are found 20 percent responsible, your recovery drops by 20 percent.
The rule changed on January 1, 2026. Louisiana now applies a 51 percent bar, which means a person found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing at all. Before that date, Louisiana allowed a proportional recovery no matter how much fault was assigned.
That change makes the fault argument the whole ballgame in a close case, and it is the main reason insurers work so hard to pin a share of the blame on you.
Louisiana eliminated the Housley presumption through La. Code of Evidence art. 306.1, effective May 28, 2025. That presumption used to help someone who was healthy before a crash and symptomatic afterward connect the two.
Without it, the link between the crash and your injuries has to be established through medical evidence. Early treatment and a consistent record are worth more now than they were two years ago.
Louisiana repealed the statute that kept seat belt use out of civil cases. A defendant can now raise your failure to wear one. It does not end your claim, but it is a factor we prepare for.
Louisiana’s No Pay No Play law, La. R.S. 32:866, blocks an uninsured driver from recovering the first $100,000 in bodily injury damages and the first $100,000 in property damage. That threshold rose to $100,000 effective August 1, 2025. Exceptions exist, including a vehicle that was legally parked. If you were uninsured, tell us early so we can work out where you stand.
No two car accidents are exactly alike, but some types of collisions are more common on Shreveport roads than others.
Rear-end crashes often occur when one driver is following too closely or fails to brake in time. Distracted driving is a leading cause. Even at low speeds these accidents cause painful whiplash injuries. They are common on I-20 and I-49 during rush hour and along Youree Drive, where traffic stops constantly for turning vehicles.
Also called broadside collisions, these frequently happen at intersections when a driver runs a red light or stop sign. The impact lands on the side of the vehicle, where there is almost nothing to absorb it, which is why these produce serious injuries like traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and internal bleeding.
Less common than other crashes and far more likely to result in catastrophic or fatal injuries. They happen when a driver veers into oncoming traffic, tries to pass illegally, or enters a highway going the wrong direction.
With I-20 and I-49 running through Shreveport, chain-reaction crashes involving multiple vehicles occur regularly, especially in poor weather. Determining fault in these cases is genuinely contested and requires a thorough investigation.
Corridors like Bert Kouns Industrial Loop, Mansfield Road, and Shreveport-Barksdale Highway combine high speeds with dense commercial driveways. Left-turn and merging collisions are a predictable result.
If you were injured in any type of car accident that was not your fault, you may be entitled to significant compensation. We also handle truck and 18-wheeler crashes, motorcycle wrecks, and pedestrian collisions across Caddo Parish.
Nobody can quote you a number from a phone call, and you should be careful with any firm that does. What your case is worth comes out of specific facts:
That coverage point surprises people. Louisiana only requires drivers to carry 15/30/25 liability coverage under La. R.S. 32:900, meaning $15,000 per injured person, $30,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. A single surgery can exceed that before anyone discusses pain and suffering.
Under Louisiana law you can recover for medical expenses past and future, lost wages and lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, emotional distress, disability and disfigurement, loss of enjoyment of life, and property damage. Our guide to car accident damages in Louisiana covers each category.
The steps you take after a crash have a real impact on your health and your legal case. Here is what to do after a car accident in Shreveport:
When you hire Ford Injury Firm to handle your claim, you have a team working to:
The adjusters may seem friendly, but their goal is to minimize what they pay out. They might offer a quick settlement before you know the full extent of your injuries, or try to get you to say something that shifts blame onto you. We know these tactics and we will not let them take advantage of you. You are never obligated to accept a settlement offer.
Full compensation requires solid evidence of the other driver’s negligence and of your damages. We gather:
There are often multiple avenues beyond the at-fault driver’s policy:
With strong evidence and a full accounting of your damages, we negotiate hard with the insurers. We know how to build a compelling demand and we are prepared to try the case, which is what moves a settlement number.
If the insurer will not make a reasonable offer, we file in Caddo Parish and prepare the case for trial. How long that takes depends on the complexity of the case and the extent of your treatment.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident in Shreveport, don’t wait to get the legal help you need. Contact Ford Injury Firm today for a free, no-obligation consultation.
We’re here to listen to your story, answer your questions, and explain your legal options. If we take your case, we’ll start building your claim right away and fighting for the maximum compensation you deserve.
With our contingency fee policy, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by reaching out. Call us today to learn how we can help you move forward after a crash. We’re here to be your voice for justice.
Find clear answers to your questions and the next steps for your case here.