New Orleans Motorcycle Accident Lawyer
The most expensive mistake after a motorcycle crash in Louisiana is often a recorded statement given in the first few days, before anyone knows how bad the injury really is. Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC represents injured people in New Orleans and across South Louisiana and Mississippi in personal injury claims, including motorcycle crashes, and in workers’ compensation cases when the ride happened on the job.
A New Orleans motorcycle accident lawyer deals with a problem car-crash cases rarely have: insurers and jurors who start from the assumption that the rider was reckless. Under Louisiana’s fault rules, that assumption is not just unfair, it can be the whole case. A rider found mostly at fault can lose the claim entirely, which is why how the crash gets documented in the first weeks matters so much.
The firm’s lawyers know how adjusters build a fault argument against a rider, and they build the evidence to take it apart before it hardens into the official story.
Why Louisiana’s Fault Rules Make Motorcycle Cases Different
Louisiana changed its comparative fault law recently. For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant found 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing. Below that line, the award is reduced by the claimant’s percentage of fault. Juries in these cases are told about the cutoff, so the percentage assigned to the rider is the central fight.
That is why insurers lean on familiar themes: lane splitting, speed, “he came out of nowhere,” no helmet, a rider who was weaving. A strong motorcycle accident attorney in New Orleans responds with physical evidence, not argument. Skid marks, vehicle crush patterns, the point of impact, traffic camera footage, nearby business video, event data from the other vehicle, and independent witnesses all go to the question of who actually created the hazard.
The driver who says “I never saw him” is describing a failure to look, and that is usually negligence, not a rider’s mistake. Left-turning drivers who cut across a rider’s path, drivers who change lanes without checking mirrors, and drivers who open a door into traffic all fall in that category.
Why Choose Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe for a New Orleans Motorcycle Injury Case
Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC is a Louisiana and Mississippi injury firm built around injured workers, with more than 75 years of combined attorney experience and over $100 million recovered for clients. The firm serves New Orleans and communities across South Louisiana and Mississippi. Consultations are free, the firm advances case costs, and clients owe no fee unless there is a recovery. Phones are answered 24 hours a day, and Spanish-speaking clients can work with the team in their own language.
The firm’s depth in injury medicine matters on a motorcycle claim, because riders absorb the crash directly. The firm’s results include a $685,000 settlement for a surgical tech with a lower back injury, $600,000 for a construction worker with a complex back injury, and $385,000 for a project manager with back injuries after being struck in his work vehicle. Spine, shoulder, knee, and fracture injuries are the daily work of this firm, and those are the injuries motorcycle crashes produce.
Rob Lunsford, Founding Partner, has spent his entire legal career representing injured workers. Partners Brad Baskin and Jennifer Priebe have been recognized by Best Lawyers, Super Lawyers, and The National Trial Lawyers, and the firm was ranked by Best Law Firms for workers’ compensation law, claimants. Andrew Rueff has tried dozens of jury and bench trials to verdict, which matters when an insurer will not value a rider’s claim fairly without a courtroom behind it.
Clients describe lawyers who listen, answer questions, and stand between them and the insurance company at every step.
Common Motorcycle Crash Scenarios and Injuries in New Orleans
- Left-Turn and Intersection Collisions: A driver turns across a rider’s lane and claims not to have seen the motorcycle. These crashes are common at busy intersections along Canal Street, St. Charles Avenue, Claiborne Avenue, and the major routes feeding the Central Business District.
- Lane-Change and Merge Crashes: Interstate traffic on I-10 and I-610 puts riders in blind spots, and a driver drifting over without checking mirrors can send a rider into the barrier or another lane.
- Road Defects and Potholes: New Orleans streets are known for broken pavement, sunken utility cuts, and standing water. A pothole that costs a car a tire can throw a motorcycle, and claims against public bodies carry their own notice rules, so these cases need early attention.
- Dooring and Parked-Vehicle Crashes: Dense parking in neighborhoods like the French Quarter, Marigny, and Uptown leaves riders exposed to opening doors and cars pulling from the curb.
- Commercial Truck and Delivery Vehicle Impacts: A rider hit by a tractor-trailer, a delivery van, or a vehicle driven for work may have both an injury claim against the driver and employer and, if the rider was working, a workers’ compensation claim.
- Spine, Shoulder, and Knee Injuries: Herniated discs, rotator cuff and SLAP tears, and meniscus and ligament tears are routine in motorcycle cases and often need surgery and long rehabilitation.
- Fractures and Burns: Hip, ankle, foot, and wrist fractures require specialists and sometimes repeated surgery, and exhaust and road burns can cause lasting damage.
- Wrongful Death: When a rider does not survive, family members may bring a wrongful death claim, with its own timing rules discussed below.
What to Do After a Motorcycle Crash in New Orleans
Get medical care first, even if you feel mobile. Adrenaline hides injuries, and a gap between the crash and treatment gives an insurer room to argue the injury came from something else. Hospitals in the city treat motorcycle trauma regularly, and the records created that day become the backbone of the claim.
Call the police so a report is made, and ask for the report number. If you can, photograph the scene before vehicles move: the road surface, skid marks, damage to every vehicle, traffic signs and signals, and your gear. Keep your helmet, jacket, and boots as they are. Damaged equipment is physical proof of how the impact happened. Get names and numbers for witnesses, and note any cameras on nearby businesses, since much of that footage is overwritten in days.
Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer, and be careful with your own. Do not accept a quick settlement offer before you know the full extent of your injuries. Early offers are built to close the file while your treatment is still unfolding.
Deadlines matter. For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, Louisiana gives two years from the date of injury to file a personal injury suit, and earlier injuries remain under the former one-year period. For a wrongful death claim, the period is one year from the death or two years from the date of the injury, whichever is longer. A claim against a government body, such as one over a road defect, can have shorter timelines and notice requirements, so do not wait to find out.
If you were riding for work, say for a delivery job, a company errand, or between job sites, report the injury to your employer within 30 days, and be aware that a Louisiana workers’ compensation claim generally must be filed within one year of the injury. Comp benefits and a claim against the at-fault driver can run side by side, and the two need to be coordinated so one does not undercut the other. Claims are heard by a workers’ compensation judge at the Office of Workers’ Compensation Administration, and decisions can be appealed to the Louisiana courts of appeal.
How These Claims Are Valued and Where They Are Fought
A motorcycle claim is valued on medical expenses past and future, lost income, loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, and the long-term effect on daily life. Because riders tend to be hurt more seriously than occupants of cars, future medical care is often the largest piece, and it requires real medical opinions, not a lawyer’s estimate. Policy limits are the other half of the equation. Many drivers carry low limits, so the attorney also looks at uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on the rider’s own policy, coverage held by an employer, and any commercial policy behind a work vehicle.
Suits arising from crashes in Orleans Parish are generally pursued in the state courts there, with appeals going to the Fourth Circuit, which covers Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard parishes. Cases involving certain out-of-state parties or commercial carriers may land in the federal Eastern District of Louisiana, which sits in New Orleans.
Most claims settle, but the lawyer’s value shows in whether the insurer believes the case can be tried. Insurers price a claim differently when the other side has trial lawyers and a documented fault case ready to put before a jury.
Frequently Asked Questions About New Orleans Motorcycle Accident Claims
How much does it cost to hire a motorcycle accident lawyer?
Nothing up front. Consultations are free, the firm advances the costs of the case, and fees are collected only if there is a recovery.
How long do I have to file a motorcycle accident lawsuit in Louisiana?
For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, the period is two years from the date of injury. Injuries before that date fall under the former one-year period. Government-related claims and wrongful death have their own timing, so get advice early.
What if I was partly at fault for the crash?
Your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault. For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, a claimant at 51 percent or more at fault recovers nothing. That cutoff makes the fault investigation the most important part of the case.
Does not wearing a helmet ruin my claim?
Not automatically. Insurers raise it to shift blame, but what matters is whether it actually contributed to the injury and how the fault is divided. A head injury case is affected more than a broken leg or a shoulder tear caused by the other driver’s turn.
Should I talk to the other driver’s insurance company?
Give basic identifying information and nothing more. Recorded statements are used to find inconsistencies and fault, and you may not yet know the extent of your injuries.
What if the driver who hit me had no insurance or too little?
Your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage may apply, and so might coverage tied to an employer or commercial vehicle. A lawyer reviews every policy that might respond before any recovery is written off.
Can I bring a claim if the crash happened while I was working?
Yes. You may have a workers’ compensation claim and a separate claim against the at-fault driver. Report the injury to your employer within 30 days, and have both claims coordinated.
What if a pothole or road defect caused my crash?
You may have a claim against the public body responsible for the road, but those claims carry strict notice and timing requirements and require proof the agency knew or should have known of the defect. Photograph the spot and speak to a lawyer promptly.
Will my health insurance cover treatment while the claim is pending?
Often yes, though the insurer may later seek reimbursement from a settlement. Keep treating, keep records, and let your lawyer handle how those liens are resolved so they do not eat your recovery.
My family member died in a motorcycle crash. What are the deadlines?
A wrongful death claim in Louisiana may be brought within one year of the death or two years from the date the injury occurred, whichever is longer. Do not rely on the longer period without checking how it applies to your situation.
How long will my case take?
It depends on when you reach maximum medical improvement. Settling before the full extent of your injuries is known is a common and costly mistake, so a serious case often takes longer than people expect.
Serving Motorcycle Accident Clients Across New Orleans and South Louisiana
The firm represents riders throughout New Orleans, from the French Quarter, the Marigny, and the Central Business District to Uptown, the Garden District, Mid-City, Gentilly, New Orleans East, and the Lower Ninth Ward. We also serve clients in Algiers, Lakeview, Bywater, and Carrollton, and the surrounding parishes including Jefferson, St. Bernard, Plaquemines, St. Tammany, and St. Charles.
Beyond the metro area, the firm handles injury and workers’ compensation claims across South Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Lake Charles, as well as north Louisiana and Shreveport. In Mississippi, we represent clients in Jackson, Madison, Hattiesburg, Southaven, the Gulf Coast, and the Delta. Wherever the crash happened, the same trial-ready approach applies.
Talk With a New Orleans Motorcycle Accident Attorney Today
If a crash has left you hurt and the insurance company is already building a story about your riding, call Lunsford, Baskin & Priebe PLLC. A New Orleans motorcycle accident attorney from our team can review what happened, secure the evidence while it still exists, and explain where you stand under Louisiana’s fault rules. The consultation is free, and you pay no fee unless we recover for you. Call any time, day or night, and Spanish-speaking clients are welcome.
