St. Tammany Parish
Truck Accident Lawyer in Covington, Louisiana
A loaded tractor-trailer weighs up to 80,000 pounds. A passenger car weighs about 4,000. That physics gap is why truck crashes produce catastrophic injuries — and why trucking companies dispatch a rapid-response investigator to the scene, sometimes within hours, before you have left the hospital.
What to do after a truck accident in Covington
The first two weeks after a crash shape the entire claim. Here is the order that matters most, in the specific context of Covington and St. Tammany Parish.
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Get medical attention, even if you feel okay
Adrenaline masks injury. Soft-tissue damage and concussion symptoms often surface 24 to 72 hours later. In Covington, that usually means St. Tammany Health System (1202 S Tyler St). A gap between the crash date and your first visit is the first thing an adjuster will use against you.
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Make sure a report is filed
Depending on where in Covington the crash occurred, the responding agency may be the local police department, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, or Louisiana State Police Troop L. Get the item or report number before you leave the scene.
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Photograph everything while it exists
Vehicle positions, skid marks, debris fields, roadway conditions, traffic controls, and your visible injuries. Scenes are cleared within hours; vehicles are repaired or scrapped within weeks.
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Do not give the other insurer a recorded statement
You are not required to. Those calls are designed to lock in quotes about fault and about how you feel before anyone knows the extent of the injury. You do have a duty to notify and cooperate with your own carrier.
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Get the claim reviewed before deadlines run
Louisiana’s filing deadline is unforgiving, and the evidence that proves liability has a much shorter shelf life than the deadline does. A free review costs nothing and takes a phone call.
How a truck accident claim works in Louisiana
A truck accident claim differs from a car accident claim because interstate motor carriers are governed by federal safety regulations, multiple companies can share liability, and commercial policies carry far higher limits. Critical evidence — ECM data, hours-of-service logs, dashcam footage — is routinely destroyed within months unless a preservation letter goes out immediately.
Deadline: Two years for injuries on or after July 1, 2024 — but key federal records may be lawfully destroyed in as little as six months. Confirm your own date with an attorney — missing it ends the claim permanently.
Where truck & 18-wheeler accidents happen in Covington
Covington is the parish seat, which means nearly every St. Tammany injury lawsuit is filed and tried here at the 22nd JDC courthouse on N Columbia Street. Traffic volume spikes where I-12 meets US-190, and the LA-21 corridor mixes commuter traffic with school zones and turning traffic into strip retail.
The corridors that generate the most serious crash claims in and around Covington:
- The I-12 / US-190 interchange
- N Highway 190 through the retail corridor
- LA-21 near the Covington High School zone
- The Claiborne Hill / Holiday Blvd shopping area
Primary routes through the area include Interstate 12, US-190, LA-21, and LA-1085 (Brewster Rd).
Injuries we see in these cases
- Spinal cord injury and paralysis
- Severe traumatic brain injury
- Crush injuries and amputations
- Multiple fractures and internal bleeding
- Severe burns from fuel fires
- Fatal injuries giving rise to wrongful death claims
What a Covington truck accident claim can recover
Louisiana law allows recovery for both economic losses you can document and non-economic losses that are real but harder to put a number on. A well-built claim accounts for both:
- Lifetime medical and attendant care costs
- Home and vehicle modifications for disability
- Full lost earning capacity over a work-life expectancy
- Past and future pain and suffering
- Disfigurement and permanent disability
- Loss of consortium for spouse and children
Evidence that decides these cases
Most of what proves a truck accident claim has a shelf life. Camera footage is overwritten, vehicles are repaired, and memories fade. This is the material we move to secure first:
- Electronic control module (ECM) / "black box" download before the tractor is repaired
- Electronic logging device and hours-of-service records
- The driver qualification file, training records, and prior violation history
- Pre-trip and post-trip inspection reports and maintenance history
- Bills of lading, dispatch records, and cargo loading documentation
- Drug and alcohol testing conducted after the crash
- Forward-facing and driver-facing dashcam footage
Mistakes that quietly reduce a claim
None of these are obvious in the moment. All of them show up later as a lower number:
- Waiting to send a spoliation letter while federal retention periods expire
- Assuming the driver's policy is the only coverage available
- Speaking with the carrier's rapid-response investigator without counsel
- Allowing the tractor and trailer to return to service uninspected
- Settling before the full extent of a spinal or brain injury is known
- Overlooking a negligent hiring or supervision claim against the carrier itself
Who can be held responsible
In a Covington case, the parties on the hook typically include the driver, the motor carrier, the trailer owner, the freight broker, the shipper, the maintenance contractor, and every layer of commercial insurance stacked behind them. Identifying every available policy early is often what determines whether a serious injury gets fully compensated or capped by a $15,000 minimum limit.
Louisiana law that shapes your case
Louisiana is not like other states. A few provisions do more to determine the value of a St. Tammany Parish claim than almost anything else:
Federal trucking rules apply on top of state law
Interstate motor carriers are governed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations (49 C.F.R. Parts 380–399): hours-of-service limits, driver qualification files, drug and alcohol testing, and inspection and maintenance records. A violation of those rules is powerful evidence of negligence — but the records behind them are only retained for limited periods.
Louisiana now bars recovery at 51% fault
This is the biggest change to Louisiana injury law in decades. Louisiana used pure comparative fault for years, meaning a plaintiff who was 90% at fault could still recover 10% of their damages. Act 15 of 2025 rewrote La. Civ. Code art. 2323 effective January 1, 2026. For causes of action arising on or after that date, a person found 51% or more at fault recovers nothing at all. Below 51%, damages are still reduced in proportion to fault. Where a jury decides comparative fault, it must now be instructed on exactly that consequence.
You usually cannot sue the insurance company directly anymore
Louisiana was long known for its Direct Action Statute, which let an injured person name the at-fault driver's liability insurer as a defendant. Act 275 of 2024 removed that general right effective August 1, 2024. La. R.S. 22:1269 still exists, but a direct action is now the exception rather than the rule — available only in defined circumstances such as the insured's bankruptcy or insolvency, inability to serve the insured, the insured's death, a claim against a family member, an uninsured motorist claim, or where the insurer has denied coverage or reserved its rights. Determining which exception applies is now an early strategic question in nearly every case.
Not wearing a seat belt can now be used against you
This one catches people out, including lawyers relying on older material. La. R.S. 32:295.1(E) used to bar evidence of seat belt non-use in a civil case. That subsection was repealed effective January 1, 2021, so the statutory shield is gone. If you were not belted, expect the defense to raise it. It is one more reason the medical and biomechanical proof in a case has to be built carefully rather than assumed.
"No Pay, No Play" now costs uninsured drivers up to $100,000
La. R.S. 32:866 has always limited what an uninsured driver can recover, even when someone else caused the crash. The thresholds used to be $15,000 in bodily injury and $25,000 in property damage. House Bill 434, effective August 1, 2025, raised both to $100,000. For a crash on or after that date, an uninsured driver may be unable to recover the first $100,000 of bodily injury damages and the first $100,000 of property damage. If you were uninsured at the time, say so at the first meeting so the claim can be structured around it.
Minimum coverage is low, which makes UM coverage critical
Louisiana's minimum liability limits are 15/30/25 — $15,000 per person, $30,000 per accident, and $25,000 in property damage. A single emergency room visit and an MRI can exhaust that. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on your own policy is very often the difference between a real recovery and a token one, particularly now that the direct action route against the other driver's insurer has narrowed.
Where your Covington case would be heard
Trial court
22nd Judicial District Court
Courthouse
701 N Columbia St, Covington, LA 70433
Parish
St. Tammany Parish
Federal district
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana
Most claims never reach a courtroom. But the court a case would be filed in still shapes it — local rules, scheduling practice, and the jury pool all factor into what an insurer is willing to pay.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to file a truck accident claim in Covington, Louisiana?
Louisiana changed its deadline for most personal injury claims from one year to two years for injuries occurring on or after July 1, 2024 (La. Civ. Code art. 3493.1). Injuries before that date generally remain subject to the old one-year period, and wrongful death claims run from the date of death. Because the applicable deadline depends on your specific dates and claim type — and missing it ends the case permanently — confirm it with an attorney as early as you can.
What does a truck accident lawyer cost in Covington?
Kervin Law LLC handles these cases on contingency. There is no retainer, no hourly billing, and no upfront cost. The fee is a percentage of what we recover, and if there is no recovery there is no fee. The initial case review is free and carries no obligation.
Where would my truck accident case be filed if I live in Covington?
Cases arising in Covington are typically filed in the 22nd Judicial District Court (701 N Columbia St, Covington, LA 70433). Some claims resolve before suit is filed; when they do not, that is the court where your case would proceed.
Should I give the other driver's insurance company a recorded statement?
Not before you have spoken with an attorney. You are not obligated to give a recorded statement to the other side's insurer. Those interviews are structured to produce quotable admissions about fault, prior injuries, and how you are feeling before the full extent of an injury is known. You do have a duty to cooperate with your own insurer, which is a different obligation.
What if the at-fault driver in Covington had no insurance or too little?
This is common in Louisiana, where minimum limits are only $15,000 per person. Your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage steps in to fill the gap, and it is a first-party claim against your own carrier — which does not mean it will be paid readily. We also look for additional layers: an employer if the driver was working, a vehicle owner, or a commercial policy. Note that since August 2024 you generally cannot name the other driver's insurer directly unless a statutory exception applies.
Do I have to go to court?
Most cases settle without a trial. Filing suit, though, is often what moves an insurer off an unreasonable number, so being genuinely prepared to try the case matters even when it ultimately settles. If your case does reach trial, you would attend — and we would prepare you thoroughly for it.
What evidence disappears after a truck crash?
Electronic control module (ECM) data, dashcam footage, hours-of-service logs, dispatch records, and post-trip inspection reports are all time-limited — some federal retention periods are as short as six months, and trucks are repaired or returned to service quickly. A spoliation letter demanding preservation should go out within days, not months.
Who can be held responsible besides the truck driver?
Frequently several parties: the motor carrier (for negligent hiring, training, supervision, or vicarious liability), the trailer owner, the shipper or loader if cargo shifted, the maintenance contractor, and sometimes a broker. Each may carry separate insurance, which is why truck cases can support recoveries far beyond what a single auto policy allows.
Further reading
- Covington Car Accident Claims and Louisiana’s New 51% Fault Rule
- Louisiana’s New 51% Comparative Fault Rule: What Changed on January 1, 2026
Reviewed by David Kervin, attorney licensed in Louisiana · Last updated
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