How to Handle Hit-and-Run Incidents During Mardi Gras Celebrations
The details of your accident will determine how to handle a hit-and-run incident during Mardi Gras celebrations. An experienced New Orleans hit-and-run accident attorney can formulate a personalized plan and pursue the compensation you deserve. A couple of words of advice your attorney will likely give: Report the accident to your insurance company, get medical care, and let your legal team handle your case.
Hit-and-run accidents can be particularly complicated, especially if law enforcement has not yet located the fleeing motorist. Trust a personal injury attorney to work with the investigating authorities, determine the cost of your accident, and fight for a fair settlement or verdict.
Why Drivers Run After Hitting Victims During Mardi Gras
If you’re familiar with Mardi Gras culture, you can probably guess why many motorists cause accidents and flee. Let’s spell out those reasons why a driver might high-tail it after hitting another vehicle (or pedestrian) after a collision, as they include:
Alcohol Impairment
With its drive-through daiquiri shops and reputation for partying, New Orleans and greater Louisiana see more than its fair share of drunk drivers. Drunk driving substantially increases the risk of accidents because impaired drivers:
- Often act irrationally
- Engage in risky behavior
- Have slower response times
- Are more likely to lose control of their vehicle
- Are susceptible to fatigue and loss of concentration
The state’s drinking culture rages during Mardi Gras. Partygoers who drive drunk rather than arranging an Uber, Lyft, taxi, or designated driver may cause an accident. Despite local authorities’ efforts to curb drunk driving during Mardi Gras, impaired driving will happen.
When an accident happens, fear of criminal charges may prompt these drivers to flee the accident scene. Your New Orleans drunk driving attorney will work with law enforcement officials to identify any impaired driver who hit you and ran.
Being Under the Influence of Prescribed or Illicit Drugs
Drug use also tends to spike during Mardi Gras, though this, too, is a year-round hazard in New Orleans and throughout the state. Louisiana law explicitly prohibits drugged driving, and most drivers know this.
If a motorist believes they can be identified as a drugged driver, they might leave the accident scene before a police officer arrives.
Lack of Insurance
The latest available data from 2022 reveals that 13.7 percent of drivers in Louisiana were uninsured. This statistic is relevant to you because:
- Driving without valid insurance is against the law.
- Most drivers know that driving without valid insurance is against the law.
- Motorists who choose to drive without active insurance may be more likely to make other high-risk decisions, including fleeing the scene of an accident.
Those who drive without insurance make a selfish decision. They don’t want to pay the insurance cost, so they expose others to the financial risk of an accident. If an uninsured motorist hits you during Mardi Gras, it’s fair to think they would be more likely to flee the scene than an insured, the responsible motorist would.
A Desire to Avoid Financial Accountability (or Other Consequences of Causing an Accident)
Even if a motorist has insurance and was not impaired at the time of the accident, they may not want to:
- Deal with the annoyance of insurance claims and possible lawsuits
- Potentially be sued for damages resulting from the accident
- Accrue points on their license, which typically happens when someone causes an accident
- Pay higher insurance premiums
In other words, some drivers do not want to take responsibility for their actions. These drivers may flee an accident scene, creating more serious problems for themselves.
Panic
Believe it or not, some motorists flee the scene of an accident due to panic. Some who may be at a higher risk of panicking after an accident are:
- Young drivers
- Inexperienced drivers
- Elderly drivers
- Cognitively impaired drivers
Anyone is susceptible to panic. Most, though, understand that fleeing an accident scene is never acceptable and can potentially put others at immense risk.
If you or a loved one were in an accident and the at-fault driver left the scene, do not wait to find an attorney. Your New Orleans personal injury lawyer will investigate the accident and formulate a strategy for obtaining the compensation you deserve.
Related article: Tips for Staying Safe During Mardi Gras
Why Hit-and-Run Accidents May Be More Common During Mardi Gras
A hit-and-run accident can happen virtually anytime, anywhere in Louisiana. However, you should be especially ready to respond to a hit-and-run accident during Mardi Gras because:
- For many, Mardi Gras is a license to drink (and, for some, to use illicit drugs)
- Many Mardi Gras festivities occur during the daytime, which can lead to all-day drinking and extreme impairment
- Some parade-goers may want to bring their coolers and other personal items to the parades and may feel they need to take their vehicle to do so
- Parade-goers may justify driving while drunk because they don’t want to pay the cost of rideshare services or other transportation options
- Some may believe that a higher number of drunk drivers and the general chaos of Mardi Gras reduce the likelihood that they will be pulled over for impaired driving
Mardi Gras is an excuse to let loose. It is not, however, an excuse to put others’ lives at risk. Hire a hit-and-run accident attorney after your collision to hold the at-fault motorist accountable.
Hiring an Attorney Is a Good Idea When a Driver Hits Your Vehicle and Leaves the Scene
Most victims of hit-and-run accidents are not used to being in a collision. Even fewer have experienced another motorist leaving the accident scene. Therefore, you might be completely unsure of how to proceed after the crash. Start by hiring an attorney.
Victims of hit-and-run accidents should hire a hit-and-run accident lawyer after the collision because:
The Investigation of Your Accident May Be Very Time-Sensitive
One of your lawyer’s most urgent priorities is to track down the fleeing motorist if you haven’t identified them. These investigations are time-sensitive because:
- Relevant witness accounts can fade, as memories always do
- Your own recollection of the accident (which may include a description of the at-fault driver’s vehicle) may become less clear with time
- Video related to your accident may be erased or degraded over time
- An at-fault motorist might eventually flee the area, at which point tracking them down can become more difficult
Your lawyer will ensure law enforcement is prioritizing the investigation of your collision. Your lawyer will likely also investigate on their own. These are critical reasons to hire your attorney right away.
A Lawyer’s Familiarity with Law Enforcement Can Help
Many attorneys have existing contacts in law enforcement. This may be especially likely if your attorney has a history of representing hit-and-run accident victims.
Relationships can directly benefit cases like yours, so rely on a lawyer’s relationships with the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) or any other authorities investigating your crash.
Strategy for Hit-and-Run Collisions Can Be Complicated
Hit-and-run accident cases have an unusual number of variables, and this can complicate a hit-and-run lawyer’s strategy. Your attorney will need to determine and decide the following:
- Who caused your accident
- Why the at-fault motorist fled
- Whether the at-fault driver has valid insurance
- How much insurance coverage you are entitled to (whether through your own insurer or the at-fault motorist’s insurer)
- What the at-fault driver’s financial circumstance is
- Whether it’s necessary and worthwhile to sue the fleeing motorist
A strategy can change based on several factors, including whether you can identify who the fleeing motorist is. An attorney will consider all relevant factors, present the strategy they think is best for you, and adjust that strategy as necessary.
If You Need to Sue the Motorist Who Fled, a Lawyer Enables You to Do So
As an accident victim who deserves compensation, it’s preferable to have multiple strategic options. Being able to file a lawsuit is always a plus.
When you hire an attorney, you immediately gain the option of suing. If you identify the motorist who left the accident scene, a lawyer enables you to sue them—if this is the strategy you and your attorney decide on.
How a Hit-and-Run Accident Lawyer Will Pursue Fair Compensation for You
A good lawyer takes total control of their client’s case right away. They will keep you involved and in the loop, but your lawyer will take total responsibility for your case (and the outcome of the case).
Some of the duties a lawyer typically handles for clients like you are:
- Collaborating with law enforcement on the investigation of the collision, sharing and acquiring insights, and identifying the at-fault driver as soon as possible
- Reviewing all insurance policies that apply to your accident, determining exactly how much money insurers owe you
- Documenting your recoverable damages, which often means acquiring medical records, expert evaluations of your pain and suffering, accident-related financial records, and your account of damages
- Calculating the cost of all crash-related damages
- Personalizing your case strategy, including determining if you should sue the at-fault motorist or other liable parties
- Pursuing a settlement with insurance companies, civil defense lawyers, or any other parties responsible for negotiations
- Filing a lawsuit if you choose to
- Going to trial, if liable parties do not offer a fair settlement before the trial is set to begin
There are also day-to-day responsibilities your legal team will handle for you. This includes communicating with insurance companies, drafting case-related documents, and updating you regularly about the case.
Let a Hit-and-Run Accident Attorney Protect Your Case
If you’re not experienced with auto accidents (most safe drivers aren’t), you may also be unfamiliar with insurance companies’ bad-faith strategies.
Insurance companies want to make as much money as possible. Paying money to claimants works against this goal. Therefore, it’s all too common for insurance companies to:
- Actively engage in deceptive or unethical practices, with the explicit goal of paying the claimant less money than they deserve.
- Deny a claim, testing whether the claimant will fight the denial.
- Offer the claimant a lowball settlement, which some claimants accept because they don’t know better.
- Engage in other bad-faith strategies, hoping that the strategy will ultimately save the insurance company money.
While it’s illegal for insurers in Louisiana to dodge their contractual obligations, the law has not proven enough to stop bad-faith tactics. Protect your case by allowing a hit-and-run accident lawyer to combat bad-faith strategies and fight for the compensation you deserve.
Will My Lawyer Sue the At-Fault Motorist Who Left the Scene?
Your attorney may discuss the possibility of you suing the at-fault motorist or other liable parties. This conversation is typically only necessary if you cannot receive fair compensation through the insurance claims process.
Even if you do not ultimately sue, you should know that:
- An attorney’s sole goal is to obtain the compensation you deserve
- A lawyer has the training, knowledge, and experience necessary to sue, which is valuable in itself
- Insurance companies are aware that attorneys have the ability to sue, so insurers may be less likely to use bad-faith tactics or lowball you
If you want to sue and it makes sense to do so, that’s what your hit-and-run collision lawyer will do. If you don’t need to sue to get the compensation you deserve, your lawyer will tell you as much—and likely advise you to accept the fair settlement. You should get the money you deserve as soon and painlessly as possible.
The Fleeing Motorist (or Insurers) May Be Liable for Your Medical Costs and Other Damages
Whatever strategy you and your hit-and-run lawyer identify as best, the goal will be to secure fair compensation for your:
- Vehicle repairs (or the replacement of a totaled vehicle)
- Pain and suffering
- Lost income
- Medical expenses
- Other financial and non-economic damages caused by the accident
Your attorney will determine the cost of your collision and fight for the entire financial recovery to which you are entitled.
Hire Your Hit-and-Run Accident Attorney Today
Do not wait to hire your hit-and-run accident lawyer. The longer you wait to hire a lawyer, the greater risk you may face of insurance companies violating your rights, deadlines being missed, and your case falling short of the outcome you deserve.
