Shreveport Car Accident Lawyer

Trusted Car Accident Attorney in Shreveport, LA

Accidents can cause problems that go far beyond repair bills. Injuries may prevent someone from working, medical expenses might arrive before recovery begins, and there could be disputes about who was at fault for the crash or who should pay. A Shreveport car accident lawyer can help an injured person learn about the claims process and deal with disagreements with insurers or other parties about medical bills, lost income, and other losses related to the accident.

Car crashes occur on roads across Shreveport, including busy highways like I-20 and I-49 as well as local streets such as Youree Drive, Bert Kouns Industrial Loop, Mansfield Road, and Line Avenue. Collisions can happen while commuting downtown, near Louisiana State University Shreveport campus, or while driving to or from Bossier City. Factors that surround an accident can affect how the claim should be handled.

About Jacqueline A. Scott & Associates

Jacqueline A. Scott & Associates is led by Attorney Jacqueline Scott. She has over 35 years of legal experience. The firm’s staff collectively has over 75 years of legal experience working with clients. Attorney Scott has also worked as a clerk for two District Court judges in Louisiana. She has experience as an assistant to a Louisiana State Senator, paralegal instructor, and as a probation officer and parole officer.

Throughout her career, Attorney Scott has successfully obtained many multimillion-dollar settlements and has been repeatedly recognized in SB Magazine’s Lawyers Poll. The firm works with clients throughout Shreveport and surrounding communities using technology and years of courtroom and legal experience.

Car Accidents Remain a Serious Problem in Louisiana

Statistics provide insight into how often crashes lead to injuries and fatalities. According to traffic data from the LSU Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation Safety, 753 people were killed in Louisiana traffic crashes in 2024. In Caddo Parish, there were 38 fatal crashes and 2,015 injury crashes in 2024.

Crashes happen for many reasons and vary in severity. Some accidents only cause damage to one or more vehicles. Other accidents lead to injuries that may require hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, or long-term care. These incidents may lead to Personal Injury claim and can involve Longshore & Harbor Workers’ Compensation, Truck Accident, Workplace Accident, or Product Liability matters.

There are numerous busy traffic corridors in Shreveport where people regularly merge lanes, switch lanes, enter businesses, or transition between local roads and interstates. Interstate 20 runs north and south through Shreveport and links the city to Bossier City. I-49 also carries traffic through the region, running north toward Arkansas and south toward Louisiana’s state capital in Baton Rouge.

While highways generally present their own challenges, crowded surface streets can create unique risks when drivers deal with intersections, traffic lights, pedestrians, storefronts, and vehicles entering from parking lots.

Common Causes of Car Accidents in Louisiana

Learning how a crash occurred can be a critical piece of information for a car accident claim. While two accidents may seem similar based on the resulting damage, they could involve very different facts. Reading insurance policies, taking pictures of damage, interviewing witnesses, and reviewing other evidence can reveal important details about how the crash happened. Typical causes of car accidents include:

• Distracted driving
• Running red lights or stop signs
• Failing to yield
• Disobeying traffic signs
• Speeding
• Weather conditions
• Poor road maintenance
• Reckless driving, particularly in hazardous areas, such as construction zones

Sometimes more than one factor contributes to a crash. A driver may be speeding and tailgating at the same time. Determining how multiple vehicles were involved in a crash can be even more complex.

What To Do After a Car Accident in Shreveport

Actions taken immediately after a crash can impact an individual’s well-being and a claim. Individuals with serious injuries should seek medical attention as soon as possible. While some injuries may be noticeable right away, headaches, back pain, soft tissue injuries, and neck injuries may not appear until later. Taking pictures of vehicle damage and exchanging insurance information with the other driver may be possible, but health comes first. Similar concerns may arise with Oil & Gas Injuries, Construction Injuries, Brain & Spinal Cord Injuries, Wrongful Death, Offshore Claim, or Plant Explosion Injury.

Pictures of the accident site can help establish the damage to each vehicle, location of vehicles, skid marks on the road, nearby signs, weather conditions, road conditions, and other elements of the surrounding area. Obtaining contact information from witnesses can also help if the drivers involved in the accident provide conflicting stories to the insurance companies.

Preserve any documents that relate to the crash. This includes records of medical treatment, repair estimates, towing bills, rental car receipts, insurance correspondence, and proof of lost income from missing work. Keeping these documents in one place can help you see that a person understands the financial impact of the accident.

Understanding a Car Accident Claim

A car accident claim typically involves determining what happened, the losses caused by the accident, and who may be responsible for covering costs. The claim may involve the insurance companies of two or more drivers. Evidence analyzed may include:

• Accident reports from law enforcement
• Photos and videos of the crash and resulting damage
• Witness testimony
• Medical records
• Electronic data from the vehicle

The severity of injuries may affect the type of documentation that is available. Medical records can prove that injuries required treatment, while time sheets and pay stubs may prove a person lost income. Serious injuries may create additional expenses in the future that are not initially apparent. Other legal matters involving evidence and documentation may include Medical Malpractice, Defective Drugs, Defective Medical Devices, Nursing Home Neglect & Abuse, Wrongful & Missed Diagnosis, and Entertainment Law.

Available Compensation After a Crash

The costs associated with an accident depend on many factors. A crash that requires several days of missed work is going to have different financial consequences from a crash that causes long-term disability. Potential sources of compensation include:

• Medical bills
• Lost income
• Future medical care
• Rehabilitation
• Pain and suffering
• Property damage/vehicle repairs

Accurate recordkeeping is often important when bills add up over time. A single bill from the hospital may not capture the cost of treatment if someone is hospitalized for weeks. Similarly, a person who cannot return to work may suffer lost income that is not represented by a single paystub.

When Fault Is Disputed

Disputes can easily arise among drivers regarding the events that led to an accident. The drivers involved may offer different versions of what occurred. An insurance company may also dispute its policyholder’s account of the accident. Sometimes multiple drivers may share fault in a chain-reaction accident.

Evidence can help clarify these types of disagreements. Damage to vehicles can show what part of the vehicle was impacted and sometimes the direction from which it came. Pictures may show where vehicles were located in relation to road markings. Witness testimony can identify events that led up to a crash. Complex accidents may require additional investigation.

The Impact of Severe Accidents

Not every collision results in significant injuries. The impact of a parking lot scrape is vastly different from the severe consequences of a spinal cord or traumatic brain injury. Serious accidents can lead to fractures, burns, and other injuries that require emergency treatment and possibly months of recovery.

Some injuries also create long-term consequences. Injuries could impact a person’s ability to work, stand, walk, or perform daily tasks. They could require additional medical treatment in the future. Recovering from a serious injury requires a person to understand not only what treatment has been completed but what treatment may be needed in the future. Depending on the circumstances, related planning or support matters may include Estate Planning, Mediation, Public Finance Transactions, Social Security Disability, and Workers’ Compensation.

Settling a case before the full extent of injuries is known could lead to problems if the injured person incurs more expenses.

Engaging With Insurance Companies

Insurance companies investigate claims by reviewing their policyholders’ accounts of what happened, examining accident reports, reviewing medical records, taking pictures of damage, and requesting recorded statements about the accident. The insurer may dispute how the accident occurred, whether all medical conditions are caused by the accident, and the cost of medical bills.

Keep copies of any documents or correspondence sent during the process. If a person accepts a settlement offer, they should carefully review the agreement before signing it. Settling a claim typically resolves the dispute. You’ll want to be clear about which losses the insurance company plans to pay for and which they won’t before agreeing to anything.

Car Accident Cases in Caddo Parish

Insurance companies and individuals can resolve car accident disputes without going to court. In some cases, these disputes lead to a claim in Caddo Parish court. Like in other parishes, Caddo Parish maintains records of civil claims filed in court. These records are available from the Caddo Parish Clerk of Court at the Caddo Parish Courthouse located at 501 Texas Street, Shreveport, LA 71101.

Filing a claim does not mean a case is going to go to trial. Legal claims are the start of a legal process that allows parties to obtain evidence, resolve factual disputes, and seek recovery through a judge or jury when necessary. Other legal proceedings that may involve court hearings or dispute resolution include Criminal Defense, Expungement, DWI, and Probation And Parole Violation matters.

Hire a Top Rated Car Accident Lawyer Today

Accidents can raise many questions about medical bills, insurance coverage, who was responsible for causing the accident, and the financial impact of being injured. Gathering information and evidence from the scene can preserve options and help a person understand their choices after an accident. Depending on the circumstances, claims may involve Catastrophic Work injuries, Product Liability, Slip and Fall, Premises Liability, or Motorcycle Accident.

A Shreveport car accident attorney can review a settlement offer and explain how it relates to medical bills, lost income, future treatment costs, and other losses resulting from the crash. This allows a client to make an educated decision rather than simply reviewing how much money an insurance company is offering.

Jacqueline A. Scott & Associates serves clients in Shreveport and surrounding areas and can help you in your car accident case. Contact Jacqueline A. Scott & Associates to discuss your case and hire a car accident lawyer today.

Shreveport, LA Car Accident Resources

• How to Fight a Denied Car Accident Claim in Shreveport?
• How Dangerous Intersections in Shreveport Contribute to Car Accidents?
• Car Accident Statute of Limitations in Louisiana
• Understanding Whiplash Following a Car Accident
• What to Do in Your Case If You Contributed to Your Car Accident
• Steps to Take When You Are Involved in a Car Crash