Covington Car Accident FAQs

Highway 190 in Covington was renovated years ago in order to help alleviate traffic along the busy corridor between Covington and Mandeville.  As all Northshore residents know, traffic is still bad and accidents are an everyday occurrence. 

All along Hwy 190 are U-turns which allow drivers to make a left-hand turn on a red light after stopping if traffic is not coming.  The problem is that a lot of drivers forget to make sure traffic is not coming or misjudge how much time they need to safely make the U-turn.  That’s when accidents happen. 

Rememeber To Look For Oncoming Traffic, Even If You Have A Green Light!

The left-turn/U-turn traffic lights on Hwy 190 can be tricky.  Most of them consist of 2 traffic lights.  The first can be seen when you enter the left-turn lane and is straight in front of you.  The second is across the street from the turn itself and visible only after you enter the turn.  Both lights are in sync with one another, meaning that they turn green, yellow, and red at the same time. 

The problem occurs, however, when the first light is turning from green to yellow.  If you are traveling at a good rate of speed and are in close proximity to the light, you may think that you will be able to make the light.  However, it is likely that the second light (across the street) may be red before you get through the intersection, leading to a possible accident. 

Our suggestion when making a U-turn on Highway 190 in Covington or Mandeville: If the first light is turning yellow, slow down and be prepared to stop before entering the intersection.  Remember that most of the U-turns allow a left turn on red, so you will have the opportunity to finish your U-turn if it is safe to do so after your stop.  Better safe than sorry!

Have You Been Injured In A Car Wreck On Highway 190 In Covington Or Mandeville?

If you've been hurt in a car accident and need help contact us online or call our Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. Flattmann Law serves clients on the Northshore, including Covington, Mandeville, Abita Springs, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Folsom, Hammond, Lacombe, Pearl River, and Slidell.

Roundabouts (or traffic circles) are becoming more popular in the United States, and they have found their way to the Northshore (and in Covington especially).  If you have driven in Hammond recently, you know that traffic engineers go nuts for roundabouts, but why? 

According to the Federal Highway Administration, roundabouts are “proven safety countermeasures” because they can substantially reduce crashes, mainly by promoting slower speeds and reducing conflict points (ie. intersections). 

What Are The Traffic Rules For A Roundabout? 

Roundabouts are used in a counterclockwise direction.  Vehicles entering a roundabout must yield to drivers already inside the roundabout, who always have the right-of-way over traffic entering the roundabout.  Every entrance into the roundabout should have a yield sign for approaching vehicles. 

Also, you should still use your turn signal, especially when exiting the roundabout.  Finally, while you may want to be nice and let someone in, this may lead to accidents.  The best thing to do is drive normally and do not stop while inside of the roundabout.

Have You Been Injured While In A Roundabout?

If you've been hurt in a car accident while in a traffic circle and need help contact us online or call our Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. Flattmann Law serves clients on the Northshore, including Covington, Mandeville, Abita Springs, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Folsom, Hammond, Lacombe, Pearl River, and Slidell.

Car accidents can occur anywhere at any time.  On the Northshore, we have some big shopping centers with lots of stores, lots of shopping, and lots of cars!  Those lots are typically private property, as opposed to public roads.  So, what happens if a car accident happens on private property? 

First of all, call the police.  Depending on where you are, the police may or may not be willing or able to issue an accident report.  They may tell you that they do not issue reports for wrecks that occur on private property. 

Make Sure To Obtain As Much Evidence As Possible

Regardless of whether a police report is done, make sure to take as many pictures and videos as possible of the accident scene, of the vehicles involved, and even of the parties.  Do this ESPECIALLY if a police report is not going to be issued.  This is your only chance to preserve evidence of the scene. 

Also, make sure to get the other driver’s insurance and driver’s license information.  Take photos of his or her license plate and note the make, model, and color of their vehicle.

Finally, if you think that liability (who is at fault) will be an issue, it would be worthwhile to check with store owners around the area to see if they have surveillance video of the wreck. 

Were You Injured In A Private Property Car Accident?

If you've been hurt in a car accident on private property and need help contact us online or call our Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. Flattmann Law serves clients on the Northshore, including Covington, Mandeville, Abita Springs, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Folsom, Hammond, Lacombe, Pearl River, and Slidell.

One of the biggest mistakes of handling your own personal injury claim is settling with the car insurance company before you understand who you may owe and how much you may owe out of the settlement.  Yes, in most cases, there are third-parties that should be reimbursed or paid out of the settlement proceeds. 

Most commonly are health insurance companies, like Blue Cross, Aetna, Cigna, and Humana.  Typically, if your health insurance company paid for medical services you received due to a car wreck, they have the right to request reimbursement out of settlement proceeds.  The good news is that you are only required to repay the (typically discounted) amount the health insurer paid to the medical provider.  For instance, if Blue Cross paid St. Tammany Parish Hospital $100 for your ER visit, Blue Cross will put their hand out for the reimbursement of $100. 

Other health insurers we may not think about are Medicare and Medicaid, who have statutory rights to repayment out of settlement funds.  Failing to report a car wreck case to Medicare or Medicaid or failing to consider their repayment interests can result in fines or even the denial of future benefits, even those unrelated to the subject car wreck.

You should also consider paying any unpaid medical bills out of settlement proceeds.  While technically, some medical providers are required to put you on notice of a repayment lien obligation, they can certainly pursue collections for medical bills that go unpaid. 

At Flattmann Law, we carefully collect and analyze billing information for our clients and work with health insurance companies, medical providers, and other interested third-parties to make sure your claim is handled the right way.

Are You Struggling To Handle Your Own Personal Injury Insurance Claim?

If you've been injured and feel you are struggling on handling your own personal injury insurance claim and need help contact us online or call our Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. Flattmann Law serves clients on the Northshore, including Covington, Mandeville, Abita Springs, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Folsom, Hammond, Lacombe, Pearl River, and Slidell.

Emergency medical responders, including paramedics are true heroes.  They respond to countless car accidents and other emergencies every day and provide lifesaving help to those in need.

When a car accident happens, 911 operators typically dispatch not only the police, but also EMS and sometimes the fire department, depending on the situation.  Oftentimes, EMS will ask the parties involved in the wreck if they would like to be transported to the hospital for further evaluation.  Should you accept the offer and be taken via ambulance to the hospital? 

Ambulance services may be run by for-profit private companies, such as Acadian Ambulance Service, or by the government, such as the City of New Orleans EMS.  An ambulance ride to a hospital, even a short distance away, can be expensive.  On average, ambulance bills can be anywhere from $1,500 to $3,500 for one trip, depending on services rendered and mileage.  In cases of EMS air-lift services (helicopters), the bill can be in the tens of thousands of dollars. 

Injured But You Don't Know If An Ambulance Ride Is Necessarily

Of course, life-threatening injuries require EMS assistance and an ambulance ride.  But what if you are injured, but don’t necessarily have non-life-threatening injuries (for instance, you have neck, back, or head pain but not to the point of being disabled)? 

Keep in mind that EMS personnel are trained to mitigate injuries and prevent further injury (think neck immobilization and spine boards).  At the accident scene, it is likely that you will not be able to fully assess or appreciate the extent of your injuries.  Later, when the adrenaline begins to wear off, you may realize that you have more pain than you initially thought. 

When the ambulance bill comes, make sure they have your correct health insurance information and have billed the encounter appropriately.

In summary, err on the side of caution when deciding whether to take the ambulance to the hospital following a car wreck.  EMS workers are trained to help! 

Did You Have To Take An Ambulance To The Hospital Following A Car Wreck?

If you had to take an ambulance to the hospital following your car wreck contact us online or call our Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. Flattmann Law serves clients on the Northshore, including Covington, Mandeville, Abita Springs, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Folsom, Hammond, Lacombe, Pearl River, and Slidell.

Dash cams are becoming more and more popular these days.  Whether it is due to the desire to deter thefts or capture car accidents, a majority of new car buyers are now requesting dash cams on their vehicles.  During the last few years, I’ve been seeing more of my clients’ accidents caught on tape than ever before.  So, should you get a dash cam for your car?  I say “yes,” but be careful if you do have a dash cam as explained below.

Dash cam footage can be great at proving fault during a car or truck wreck.  This is especially the case when the at-fault driver denies liability or tries to lie about what happened.  I’ve seen this several times in cases where, but not for the dash cam footage of a good Samaritan, my client would have been wronged by a driver who lied about what happened. 

But, Be Careful.....

If you are at fault for causing an accident, be careful what you do with dash cam footage and certainly do not destroy it.  If you do, the other party may claim that you purposefully destroyed important evidence.

Do You Have Dash Cam Video Of Your Own Accident?

If you've been injured and have your own accident on tape and need help using it to prove your claim contact us online or call our Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. Flattmann Law serves clients on the Northshore, including Covington, Mandeville, Abita Springs, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Folsom, Hammond, Lacombe, Pearl River, and Slidell.

We have lots of two-lane road highways in south Louisiana, especially on the rural areas of the Northshore.  Take for instance the Folsom Highway (Hwy 25), Highway 21 (Military Rd.) from Bogalusa through Bush, to Covington, and even Highway 36, from Covington, through Abita Springs, and to Pearl River.

Two-lane roads refer to roads with one lane of traffic in either direction.  That means when you pass someone on a two-lane highway, you have to go into the oncoming lane of traffic during the pass.  Even on rural roads, this can be dangerous for a variety of reasons.

First, you should always obey the passing indicator lines.  Never pass over a solid stripe, as that indicates that it is not safe to pass, typically due to lack of visibility ahead (such as a turn in the road) or an upcoming intersection.  Simply put, a solid stripe indicates that you don’t have time to pass the vehicle ahead of you.

But even when you have a dashed line, allowing you to pass the vehicle in front of you, be aware.

You Can Take The Following Precautions To Avoid Two-Lane Road Crashes

(1) Look in front of you to make sure there is not an oncoming vehicle in the other lane anywhere close.  Err on the side of caution, as you don’t know the oncoming vehicle’s speed and how fast it is approaching.

(2) Look for cars in driveways in front of you and anticipate that they are going to enter the highway right when you try to make your pass.  The car in a driveway may be turning onto the highway in the opposite direction to you and think that it is safe to enter, not knowing that you are about to use their lane for passing.  (While we are on the subject, if you are about to enter onto a highway, let ALL cars in BOTH directions pass before entering the highway.  You never know when a vehicle is going to try to pass another). 

(3) Look behind you before passing the vehicle in front of you.  Another driver may be in even more of a hurry behind you and about to pass you. 

Have You Been Injured In A Two-Lane Road Accident?

If you've been injured in a two-lane road car accident contact us online or call our Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. Flattmann Law serves clients on the Northshore, including Covington, Mandeville, Abita Springs, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Folsom, Hammond, Lacombe, Pearl River, and Slidell.

Negligence refers to the failure of someone in taking the proper care in doing something.  It can include the wrongful action or inaction of a person which contributes to a car accident.  For example, a person’s use of a cell phone while driving may be negligent, especially if it leads to distracted driving and causes a wreck.  

Car accident lawyers seek to prove negligence by gathering evidence about the car accident including witness statements, dash cam footage, “black box” data, and other things.  Sometimes, an expert in accident reconstruction and human factors may be consulted in order to better understand the specific circumstances leading up to a wreck.  

In order to be successful in a personal injury claim in Louisiana, you must prove that the other party was negligent.  Understanding how to do this may mean the difference between winning and losing your case.  

Have You Been Injured In A Covington Area Car Accident?

If you've been hurt in a car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible. Please contact me online or call my Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. I help clients throughout Louisiana including Mandeville, Slidell, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Hammond, New Orleans and Metairie.

Injuries to the abdomen and stomach are common in serious car accidents, especially after head-on collisions.  Seat belts, while lifesaving, can cause intra-abdominal injuries as a result of the force of the collision, including perforations of internal organs.  

Seeking medical attention as soon as possible following an accident and accurately reporting all of your symptoms are extremely important.  Medical providers may use CT-scans and ultrasounds to diagnose internal injuries so that they can be treated correctly.  

Injuries to the chest and ribs are also common following car accidents, once again caused by the force of the body being restrained by a seat belt.  It is not uncommon for our clients to report chest pain and even broken ribs following a serious accident.  

While abdominal and chest injuries are common during car wrecks, it is undisputed that seat belts save lives!  Buckle up and stay safe!  

Have You Been Injured In A Covington Area Car Accident?

If you've been hurt in a car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible. Please contact me online or call my Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. I help clients throughout Louisiana including Mandeville, Slidell, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Hammond, New Orleans and Metairie.

Single vehicle accidents can be deadly and typically involve driver distraction or loss of control at high speeds.  But, if there is not another car involved, do you (the passenger) still have an insurance claim?

The answer is yes.  If you are a passenger in a single-car accident where the driver’s negligence caused the accident, you have a claim against the negligent driver and their insurance company.  This can be true, even if you are related to the at-fault driver.  Yes, this may get awkward, but it is true. 

If the at-fault driver didn’t have insurance, or if they don’t have enough insurance coverage to cover you for your injuries, then your own insurance may be available through the form of your “UM” (uninsured/underinsured motorist) coverage and any existing medical payment coverage.  

Understanding the ins and outs of insurance coverage is key, even in a single-car accident.  

Have You Been Injured In A Covington Area Car Accident?

If you've been hurt in a car accident you need to speak with an experienced car accident attorney as soon as possible. Please contact me online or call my Covington office directly at 985.590.6182 to schedule your free consultation today. I help clients throughout Louisiana including Mandeville, Slidell, Bogalusa, Franklinton, Hammond, New Orleans and Metairie.