Why Hire Our Car Accident Attorneys in Lafayette?
The Lafayette personal injury attorneys at Anderson Blanda & Saltzman can provide the help and support you need in these situations. Our Lafayette car accident lawyers have been named among the US News Best Lawyers/Law Firms and have earned the honor of becoming members of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum. Our personal injury law experience and compassion are unparalleled, which is why more than 10,000 clients have turned to our firm in their time of need.
Don’t hesitate to schedule a free consultation with our car accident attorneys by calling (337) 233-3366. We’ll explain what we can do for you in an accident’s aftermath and help you get the justice you deserve—and you won’t pay legal fees unless we win your case.
Meet The Team – Bennett Boyd Anderson, Jr.
Bennett Boyd Anderson, Jr. was selected to Super Lawyers in 2026 and has been recognized in Best Lawyers since 2016 for Personal Injury Litigation.
Testimonial
“Boyd and Jacob did a great job handling what amounted to a small case and making sure I was satisfied. They truly are top shelf in every aspect and do what’s best for their clients. While I hope not to need them again, I will only use them if I do and will highly recommend them to any one that asks my opinion.”
– P Martin, Google Review
Personal Injury Law Firm Awards
How a Lafayette Car Accident Lawyer Can Help
After a crash, you’re dealing with a lot at once: medical appointments, a damaged car, missed paychecks, and an insurance adjuster who’s already looking for reasons to pay you less than you deserve.
A car accident lawyer takes that weight off your shoulders. At Anderson Blanda & Saltzman, our Lafayette car accident lawyers carefully investigate your accident to determine how the crash happened, rather than relying on an assumption based on the police report. We pull the evidence that matters, gather witness statements while memories are still fresh, and bring in accident reconstruction or medical experts when a case calls for it.
We then work to establish and accurately value your damages. That means adding up your medical bills and projected future care, calculating what the crash has cost you in lost income, and putting a fair number on the pain and disruption you’ve been through.
Insurance companies routinely lowball this part, hoping you’ll accept a number that doesn’t come close to covering everything. Having a lawyer who knows how these companies operate, and who isn’t afraid to take a case to trial, changes the leverage in the negotiation.
Our attorneys have been named among the National Top 100 Trial Lawyers and have recovered more than $300 million for injured clients across Louisiana. That track record matters because insurers know which firms will actually go to court if a fair settlement isn’t on the table, and they tend to negotiate differently with those firms from the start.
How Long Do I Have to File a Car Accident Claim in Louisiana?
In most cases, Louisiana gives you two years from the date of the accident to file a car accident claim, under Louisiana Civil Code Article 3493.1.
There are exceptions worth knowing about. Claims against a government entity, such as a city, parish, or state agency, often come with a much shorter notice requirement, sometimes as little as 30 days to formally notify the agency of your claim, even though the underlying deadline to file suit may still be two years. If a defective roadway, a malfunctioning traffic signal, or a government vehicle played a role in your crash, that shorter notice period can sneak up on you fast.
Waiting to talk to a lawyer rarely works in your favor. Evidence disappears, witnesses become harder to track down, and vehicles get repaired or scrapped before anyone gets a proper look at them. The earlier you get an attorney involved, the more options you have for building a strong claim before that two-year window closes.
What Is My Louisiana Car Accident Case Worth?
There’s no flat number that applies to every car accident case, and anyone who tells you otherwise before reviewing your specific situation isn’t being straight with you. What your case is worth depends on a combination of factors: the severity and permanence of your injuries, your medical costs so far and any future treatment you’ll need, how much income you’ve lost and whether the injury affects your ability to work going forward, and how clear the fault picture is.
Insurance coverage matters too. Even a case with catastrophic injuries can be limited by how much coverage the at-fault driver actually carries, which is one reason it’s worth checking your own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage after a crash. And under Louisiana’s comparative fault rule, if you’re found to share some of the blame for the accident, your recovery gets reduced by that percentage, with no recovery at all if you’re found 51% or more at fault.
Because so many moving parts affect the final number, the best way to get a real answer is to have an attorney review your medical records, your lost income, and the facts of how the crash happened. At Anderson Blanda & Saltzman, we walk clients through exactly what goes into that calculation so there are no surprises later in the process.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Car Accident in Lafayette?
When a collision occurs, someone is usually responsible for the incident. In Louisiana, fault laws exist to hold the other driver liable for your losses. This means you can pursue a car accident claim against another driver who caused your car accident to occur. You don’t have to go through your own insurer for more minor injuries, which is required in no-fault states.
Unfortunately, insurance companies will do their best to shift blame and minimize the payouts for you and your loved one. This where our Lafayette car accident lawyers can deal with the insurance companies for you and make sure you get what you deserve.
Louisiana Civil Code Article 2323 establishes the state’s comparative fault rule, which was updated effective January 1, 2026. Louisiana now follows a modified comparative fault system: you can still pursue a car accident claim for damages even if you were partly to blame for your accident, as long as your own share of fault does not reach 51%.
This is different from rules in some states that preclude you from making your case if you shared any fault at all, and it’s also different from Louisiana’s own prior rule, which allowed recovery no matter how much fault a person carried. Under the current rule, if you are found to be 51% or more at fault for the accident, you cannot recover damages from the other party.
Louisiana Civil Code Article 2323 states that “if a person suffers injury, death, or loss as the result partly of his own negligence and partly as a result of the fault of another person or persons, the amount of damages recoverable shall be reduced in proportion to the degree or percentage of negligence attributable to the person suffering the injury, death, or loss.”
Under Louisiana’s comparative fault law, your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if you were 20% at fault, you could recover 80% of your damages from the other responsible party. But if you were found 51% or more at fault, you would not be entitled to recover anything.
You may also have a claim if your injuries were caused by a defective roadway or vehicle, allowing you to pursue compensation from the responsible government agency or manufacturer.
If the at-fault driver is uninsured or underinsured, your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage may help pay for medical bills, lost wages, and other damages. However, compensation is limited to your policy limits, making adequate coverage important.
How to Hold Another Driver Liable for a Louisiana Car Accident
If you want to pursue a claim against another driver, you’ll need to show that they breached a duty to you. You can demonstrate that they did something wrong intentionally, or you can show they were negligent.
As Louisiana Civil Code Article 2316 states, “every person is responsible for the damage he occasions not merely by his act, but by his negligence, his imprudence, or his want of skill.” This means if you can demonstrate the other driver was unreasonably careless behind the wheel, you can recover compensation from that driver if their negligence was the direct cause of your harm.
In some cases, you can pursue a car accident claim not just against the negligent driver who caused your accident but also against their employer. Louisiana has a vicarious liability statute in place stating that “masters and employers are answerable for the damage occasioned by their servants and overseers, in the exercise of the functions in which they are employed.”
When a careless driver is on the job, this statute allows you to pursue your car accident case against the company employing them. This can be helpful if that business has more insurance coverage to fully pay for your damages.
Whether you are a car accident victim pursuing a case against the other driver, his employer, or any other defendant, you may want to settle your car accident case outside of court to get compensation. Our car accident lawyers at Anderson Blanda & Saltzman can work to negotiate a settlement on your behalf.
If no fair settlement can be reached, we can also fight for your rights in court. Our attorneys have been designated among the National Top 100 Trial Lawyers, so we have the courtroom experience you need to put together a strong claim for property damage.
Regardless of whether you want to settle or sue, though, you can’t hesitate to move forward with your claim. Although ACT No. 423 extended the statute of limitations for personal injury claims to two years, you have limited time to make your case.
Common Causes of Car Accidents
Drivers in Louisiana must be licensed and must follow the rules of the road. They also have a legal obligation to exercise reasonable care to avoid harming their fellow citizens.
Despite these safety precautions, accidents happen far too often on Louisiana roads. In fact, there were a total of 755 fatal crashes in the state in 2023, according to data from LSU. If you or someone you love was involved in an accident that caused a death or an injury, understanding your rights is crucial as you may be able to pursue a claim for compensation for your losses.
Car accidents can happen for many different reasons. Here are some of the most common causes of motor vehicle accidents:
- Distracted drivers: Distracted drivers in Lafayette put others at risk. This includes people who send text messages and drive, but also individuals who are eating while driving, using the infotainment system, or otherwise not focusing fully on the road.
- Impaired drivers: Driving after drinking can result in impaired judgment and delayed reaction times, among other things. Drunk drivers are in violation of the law and they significantly increase the risk of a collision occurring.
- Drowsy drivers: Driving while fatigued can be almost as dangerous as drunk driving, as it can also cause similar symptoms like impaired judgment and delayed reaction time.
- Speeding: When drivers travel too fast on the road, this increases their stopping distance and makes it harder for them to avoid accidents. High-speed crashes are also typically more dangerous than those that occur at slower speeds.
- Intersection issues: Many accidents happen at intersections because so many cars come together. A huge range of things can go wrong, from overly wide turns to drivers not following the rules for who has the right-of-way.
- Reckless driving: If a driver behaves carelessly by doing things like going too fast or weaving in and out of traffic, this significantly increases the chances of a motor vehicle accident happening.
- Failure to follow the rules of the road: Drivers are expected to obey traffic laws, including stopping at stop signs and yielding when required. When they don’t follow the rules, this can increase the chances of a crash.
While accidents are especially likely to occur in these types of situations, there could also be other causes as well. It will be important to determine how your accident happened, as this can affect your ability to recover compensation for losses.
Common Car Accident Injuries in Lafayette Parish
After a crash, you should be compensated for all injuries you endure. Some common injuries that result from auto accidents include:
- Spinal cord damage
- Traumatic brain injury
- Broken bones
- Sprains and strains
- Whiplash
- Burn injuries
- Lacerations
You should seek prompt medical help after an auto accident so you can document the damage and prove your injuries are crash-related. If you prevail in your case, you have the right to be “made whole” for all the damages occurring as a result of the crash and resulting injuries. This means you should be paid compensation for:
- Past and future medical costs
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
In the event that car crash injuries are fatal, surviving family members should be able to pursue a wrongful death claim against the at-fault driver to recover payment for not just these losses, but also for lost companionship as well.
Types of Car Accidents in Lafayette
There are a few common types of car accidents that occur regularly as a result of a failure on the part of drivers to be reasonably safe. Common car accident types include;
- Head-on crashes: Two cars collide at their front ends. It can occur due to things like distracted driving or fatigued driving, or it can happen because drivers make mistakes like entering a highway from an exit ramp or going the wrong way down a one-way street. Because the force and impact are magnified in a head-on accident, these accidents can be very serious.
- T-bone accidents: One car collides with another from the wide side, with the vehicles effectively making a T. These T-bone crashes are more likely to happen at intersections, and they can result in serious harm to vehicle occupants because the side of the vehicle is thinner and thus absorbs less force than the bumper or hood of a vehicle.
- Rear-end accidents: One car hits another from behind. By default, the driver in the rear is considered to be at fault for the crash because they are supposed to maintain a safe stopping distance. The fact they hit the other vehicle means they did not do that.
- Roll-over accidents: A vehicle rolls onto its side or onto the roof. The risk of a rollover is greatest in a top-heavy vehicle, such as a large truck or an SUV. In some cases, the vehicle manufacturer can be held liable if a defect in the car caused or contributed to the rollover occurring.
- Sideswipe accidents: One car cuts too close to the other and swipes it from the side. Drivers who are drowsy, drunk, or distracted are more likely to veer over a yellow line and sideswipe another motorist.
Different kinds of accidents are known for causing specific types of injuries. For example, whiplash is common after a rear-end crash because your head is thrown forward from the force of the impact.
Understanding the type of accident you were involved in can help you to watch out for symptoms of common injuries and can also guide you in deciding all of the different defendants who could potentially be held legally liable for covering the crash-related injuries you endured.
Let Our Lafayette Car Accident Attorneys Help You
A Lafayette car accident attorney at Anderson Blanda & Saltzman can provide the legal advocacy you deserve in the aftermath of a car accident. From obtaining police reports and witness statements to putting together a strong car accident case to representing you in a court of law or during settlement negotiations, we will fight hard for your rights at every step of the way.
To learn more, give us a call at (337) 233-3366 to schedule a free case review. You will only pay legal fees if we win your case, so don’t hesitate to contact us and get a dedicated advocate on your side in the aftermath of your accident.
Visit Our Lafayette Office:
1500 Camellia Blvd
Lafayette, LA 70508