When Should I Call a Lawyer After a Car Accident in Louisiana?

Why It’s Important to Call a Lawyer Soon After a Crash

If you’ve been injured in a car wreck, you may be tempted to wait.“Let me see how I feel” or “I’ll talk to them tomorrow.” We used to advise clients to wait a bit and see how things unfolded. But today, especially with video evidence disappearing quickly and insurance companies pushing hard, we no longer recommend that delay.

Calling a Louisiana car accident lawyer as soon as possible after a crash is essential: it helps preserve evidence before it disappears, protects your rights from aggressive insurance tactics, ensures legal deadlines are met, helps avoid costly mistakes, and increases your chances of getting fair compensation, including future losses. Here’s what you need to know.

Why Is Preserving Evidence After a Crash So Urgent?

Perishable evidence matters: Physical traces like skid marks, debris, and vehicle damage vanish quickly. Weather, cleanup crews, and time all erase details that may be vital to your claim. Witnesses may forget or disappear.

Video and photo evidence fades fast: Surveillance cameras at gas stations or stores often delete or overwrite footage within days. If someone doesn’t act quickly to secure that video, it may be gone forever.

What an attorney can do: Once hired, your lawyer can move quickly to gather and protect what matters. That includes:

• Obtaining surveillance footage from nearby businesses or traffic cameras
• Securing official police and crash reports
• Interviewing witnesses while memories are still fresh
• Documenting injuries, damage, and road conditions through photographs
• Consulting crash experts and investigators, if needed

When you wait, you risk giving the insurance company the upper hand. If evidence is gone, it’s your word against theirs — and that’s rarely enough.

How Do Insurance Companies Use Delay Against You?

Insurance companies have one goal: to protect their bottom line. The longer you go without legal help, the more chances they have to influence your case and lower your payout.

• Asking for recorded statements that can be used against you
• Pushing fast, lowball settlement offers before the full damage is known
• Asking you to sign releases or forms that hurt your rights
• Claiming you weren’t really hurt because you didn’t seek help early

When you hire a lawyer quickly, you gain someone who knows the rules and speaks their language. Your lawyer can take over communication, handle paperwork, and stop unfair tactics before they start.

What Mistakes Can Happen Without a Lawyer?

Even smart, careful people can make errors that damage their case. Often, these mistakes come from trying to be polite or wait things out. But they can cost you dearly — especially when it comes to medical care.

• Admitting fault or saying “I’m sorry” without realizing it may be used against them
• Downplaying injuries because they don’t want to seem dramatic
• Delaying medical care or waiting too long to see a specialist
• Missing paperwork deadlines or giving incomplete information
• Signing settlement offers or waivers without full understanding

Delays in treatment give the insurance company an excuse to say your injuries weren’t serious or weren’t caused by the crash. They’ll argue, “If it was really that bad, you would have gone to the doctor right away.” That’s not always fair. People wait for many reasons, especially when they’re unsure what to do next. But it can weaken your case.

Seeing a doctor soon after the crash and following up as recommended demonstrates that the injury was real and related to the accident. A lawyer can help you avoid treatment gaps that the insurance company may try to use against you later. Getting early legal guidance means you can focus on healing while your team protects the value of your claim.

Many people wonder, “Do I need an accident lawyer?” The answer often becomes clear once you see how easily these mistakes can happen without one.

Can a Lawyer Help You Get More Compensation?

Yes. A Louisiana personal injury lawyer helps you understand the full value of your case. It’s not just about fixing your car or covering your first ER visit. A strong claim also includes:

• Future medical treatment, therapy, and surgeries
• Lost wages and future lost earning ability
• Pain and suffering, both physical and emotional
• Loss of enjoyment of life and long-term impacts

By working with medical professionals and financial experts, your lawyer builds a clearer picture of what you’ve truly lost — and what it will take to make things right. That’s what puts pressure on the insurance company to offer a fair settlement.

What Are the Legal Deadlines in Louisiana?

Every injury claim has a deadline. This is commonly referred to as a “statute of limitations.” In Louisiana, this is called the “prescriptive period.” For many years, it was one year. That meant you had only 12 months to file a lawsuit or lose the right forever.

Now, for car accidents that happen on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana gives injured people two years to file suit. That sounds like plenty of time, but it goes quickly when you’re recovering, gathering records, or dealing with repairs and insurance. If you wait until the last minute, your lawyer may not have time to build the case. Not to mention, the insurance company has a team working against you almost immediately.

Calling early helps ensure your lawyer can act before it’s too late and gives your case the time and attention it needs.

Client Story: How a Quick Call Saved the Case

A woman and her wife were driving late at night on a rural highway in Leesville, Louisiana. A truck carrying a man and his two sons turned left across traffic and caused a violent crash. Both women were seriously injured, and their dog was tragically killed.

The police officer, relying on the other driver and a “witness,” gave our client a citation for running a red light. But there was a gas station nearby, and its security camera held the truth. If we hadn’t acted fast, that video would’ve been erased.

Our team was hired just days after the crash. We obtained and reviewed the footage. It showed our client had the green light, and the witness who claimed to see the crash actually arrived after it happened. Another witness who was present backed our client’s story.

With this evidence, we got the citation dismissed. Then we presented the case to the insurance company, who saw the full story and agreed to pay the policy limits. We also recovered damages for surgeries, therapy, missed work, long-term injuries, and the loss of their beloved dog.

If the client had waited a few weeks, the video would’ve been gone, and her case might have ended very differently.

Why We Changed Our Advice About Calling a Lawyer

Years ago, we told people to take their time after a crash. That no longer works. Here’s why:

• More cameras = more video, but most systems delete in 24 to 72 hours
• Insurance companies move fast to push low offers and get you on record
• Evidence fades, people forget, and vehicles get repaired
• Legal deadlines still apply, and missing one can end your case

Today, the smart move is to call a lawyer as soon as you’re safe. The earlier we’re involved, the stronger your case will be.

What Should You Do Right After a Crash?

If you’re able, or if someone with you can help, do this:

• Take pictures of the scene, vehicles, road signs, and injuries
• Get names and numbers of any witnesses
• Write down everything you remember about the crash
• See a doctor promptly and follow medical advice
• Get a copy of the police report
• Call a Metairie car accident lawyer before talking to the insurance company or signing anything

Don’t Wait. Your Case Depends on It.

If you’ve been in a crash, calling a lawyer early is one of the most important decisions you can make. The right legal help protects your rights, your evidence, and your chance at fair compensation.

Whether your case settles quickly or goes to court, you want someone ready to do both and ready to fight for you from the beginning. That’s what we do at LJBLegal.

Call us today at 985-240-9773. Let our team step in early and protect your case before key evidence disappears.