A motorcycle claim gets scrutinized differently than a car accident claim. Questions about speed, lane position, and protective gear come up early, often before anyone has looked at the physical evidence. Motorcycle claims also tend to carry higher medical costs and larger wage losses, which raises what is at stake in every fault dispute.
A motorcycle accident lawyer Thibodaux riders can turn to can help address the legal and insurance issues that follow a serious crash on LA-1, LA-24, US-90, or another Lafourche Parish road. At Ory Law Group, we represent injured motorcyclists throughout Thibodaux and the Highway 90 corridor, with fully staffed offices in Thibodaux, Houma, and New Iberia. Our team takes a fact-focused approach to these issues while providing personal representation throughout the claim.
Call 855-MATT-ORY for a free case review.
What Makes Motorcycle Accident Claims Different in Louisiana?
Motorcycle accident claims can be more complicated because riders have less physical protection than people inside passenger vehicles, and insurance investigations may place particular attention on the rider's conduct. A motorcycle's smaller profile can also lead to disputes about whether another driver saw the rider before turning, changing lanes, entering an intersection, or moving into the motorcycle's path.
A crash does not automatically become the rider's fault simply because a motorcycle was involved. Evidence can show what each driver did before impact, whether traffic signals or signs were followed, how vehicles were positioned, and whether roadway or weather conditions affected visibility.
Injury severity also drives the value and complexity of a claim. A catastrophic injury claim takes more proof than a minor one, and insurers assign their more experienced adjusters accordingly.
Insurance carriers may ask questions about speed, lane position, protective equipment, or other circumstances. We examine those questions in the context of the available evidence rather than relying on assumptions about motorcyclists.
If an insurer is questioning your role in a crash, call 855-MATT-ORY for a free case review. A Thibodaux, LA motorcycle crash attorney from our team can review the circumstances and explain how the claim process may apply to your situation.
Common Causes of Motorcycle Crashes Along the Highway 90 Corridor
Motorcycle crashes along the Highway 90 corridor can arise from many different circumstances, including driver inattention, turning errors, traffic congestion, roadway conditions, and weather. Roads such as LA-1, LA-24, and US-90 connect Thibodaux with communities throughout South Louisiana, bringing passenger vehicles, motorcycles, commercial trucks, and oilfield traffic into the same travel network.
The area also includes rural roads and intersections where traffic patterns can change quickly. Heavy rain, standing water, reduced visibility, and other weather conditions can add another factor when determining how a collision occurred.
Common circumstances involved in motorcycle crashes may include:
- Left-turn collisions: A vehicle turning across a motorcycle's path may create a serious impact when the driver does not see the rider in time.
- Lane changes: A driver moving between lanes may fail to notice a motorcycle traveling nearby.
- Rear-end collisions: Failing to recognize slowing traffic can result in a motorcycle being struck from behind.
- Intersection crashes: Intersections along busy corridors can involve turning vehicles, traffic signals, cross traffic, and changing traffic patterns.
- Commercial vehicle collisions: Trucks and other commercial vehicles serving the region's oil, gas, maritime, and industrial sectors can create additional hazards because of their size and operating characteristics.
- Distracted driving: Looking at a phone, adjusting controls, or focusing on something other than traffic can prevent a driver from noticing a motorcycle.
- Weather and roadway conditions: Rain, standing water, debris, construction, or visibility issues may contribute to a collision.
Notably, seasonal factors add another layer of risk. Hurricane season brings sudden downpours and flooded roadways, while harvest season increases farm equipment traffic on rural routes near Thibodaux. We factor these local patterns into how we investigate a crash, since they often explain why a driver failed to react in time.
Lafourche Parish also has a road geometry that shapes these crashes. The parish runs the length of Bayou Lafourche, with LA-1 on the west bank and LA-308 on the east, so traffic crosses between the two at bridges rather than at conventional intersections.
Those crossings put turning vehicles and through traffic in the same place at the same moment, which is the configuration that produces left-turn motorcycle collisions.
Louisiana Highway Safety Commission data records 97 motorcyclist deaths and 1,229 motorcycle injury crashes in Louisiana in 2023. Knowing these patterns shapes what we look for when we investigate a crash.
Most of these hazards are avoidable, and when a driver's carelessness causes a crash, Louisiana law allows an injured rider to recover from that driver. We can examine the available records, photographs, witness accounts, vehicle damage, and other information when evaluating a Thibodaux motorcycle accident claim.
What Our Clients Say:
Does Louisiana's Comparative Fault Law Affect My Claim?
Louisiana's current comparative fault rule does not automatically bar recovery simply because an injured rider shares some responsibility for a crash. Under Louisiana Civil Code article 2323, a person found to be less than 51% at fault may recover damages reduced in proportion to that person's percentage of fault, while a person found to be 51% or more at fault cannot recover damages under the current rule.
This rule changed effective January 1, 2026. Older information describing Louisiana as a pure comparative fault state may no longer accurately describe the law governing a current claim.
Fault can become a major issue in a motorcycle accident case. An insurance carrier may contend that the rider was speeding, changed lanes improperly, failed to yield, or otherwise contributed to the collision.
Those allegations need to be evaluated against the available evidence. A crash investigation may involve the accident report, photographs, video footage, vehicle damage, witness statements, roadway evidence, and other records that help establish what happened.
The percentage of fault assigned to each person can affect the amount of compensation available under Louisiana law. Because the current rule can bar recovery at 51% fault, disputes over responsibility can have significant consequences.
If you are being told that you caused or contributed to a motorcycle crash, let a Thibodaux motorcycle attorney examine the circumstances before you make assumptions about how fault will affect your claim.
Do I Have to Wear a Helmet to File a Claim?
Louisiana's helmet requirement does not by itself mean an injured rider cannot pursue a motorcycle accident claim. Louisiana law requires motorcycle operators and passengers to wear an approved safety helmet secured with a chin strap while the motorcycle is moving, subject to the requirements contained in Louisiana Revised Statutes 32:190.
Helmet use can become an issue when an insurance carrier or another party argues that a rider's conduct contributed to the injuries. That question is separate from determining who caused the collision itself.
For example, a driver may have caused a crash by turning across a motorcycle's path. A separate dispute may then arise over whether helmet use affected the severity of particular injuries.
The distinction matters because a helmet allegation does not automatically establish that the rider caused the collision. The circumstances of the crash and the nature of the claimed injuries must be considered under the applicable law.
Louisiana Revised Statute 32:190.1 separately requires an approved eye-protection device unless the motorcycle has a qualifying windshield. These requirements can become part of the factual issues considered after a collision.
Our team can review questions involving helmet use, traffic conduct, injuries, and fault together rather than treating one fact as the complete answer. Schedule a confidential case evaluation with a motorcycle accident lawyer Thibodaux residents can turn to if an insurer is raising a helmet-use or another issue after your crash.
Damages Available After a Louisiana Motorcycle Accident
A motorcycle accident claim may seek compensation for losses caused by another party's legally actionable conduct. The damages available in a particular case depend on the injuries, evidence, applicable law, insurance coverage, and other circumstances.
Potential categories may include:
- Medical expenses: Past and future accident-related medical costs, including anticipated care, when supported by the evidence.
- Lost income: Time away from work following an injury can create financial losses, and some injuries may affect future earning ability.
- Pain and suffering: Physical pain, discomfort, and limitations associated with an injury may be considered as part of a personal injury claim.
- Disability and impairment: Losses tied to a lasting reduction in the ability to work or carry out ordinary daily activities.
- Property damage: Reasonable expenses for repairing or replacing the motorcycle and other qualifying property losses may form part of the claim.
- Wrongful death and survival damages: When a crash results in death, family members may bring a wrongful death claim for their own losses, and the estate may bring a survival claim for what the rider could have recovered had they lived.
If you are not sure which of these categories apply to your crash, call 855-MATT-ORY, and we will go through them with you.
Two Louisiana Rules That Can Limit a Motorcycle Claim
One Louisiana rule can erase most of a claim before fault is even argued. Under Louisiana Revised Statute 32:866, a rider operating without the required liability insurance cannot recover the first $100,000 of bodily injury damages or the first $100,000 of property damage, even when another driver caused the crash.
Those thresholds rose sharply under a 2025 amendment, up from $15,000 and $25,000. If you were riding uninsured, say so early, because it changes how the entire claim should be approached.
The second rule is the filing deadline, called a prescriptive period in Louisiana. Under Louisiana Civil Code article 3493.1, you have two years, and the clock starts the day the injury is sustained, though different rules apply to some claims, including wrongful death.
This two-year period replaced the former one-year rule for qualifying claims arising after the 2024 legislation took effect. If you are unsure which deadline applies to your crash, call 855-MATT-ORY, and we will work it out from the date of the collision.
Why Choose Ory Law Group?
Ory Law Group has a real presence throughout the Highway 90 corridor, with fully staffed offices in Thibodaux, Houma, and New Iberia. Our Thibodaux office at 213-B E Bayou Rd gives injured riders a local place to meet with our team and discuss their claims.
Matthew Ory built the firm around discipline, resilience, and a commitment to helping people facing serious consequences. We take a personal approach to representation, respond to our clients, and work to make the legal process understandable.
Our connection to the corridor is practical. A Lafourche Parish motorcycle case is filed in the 17th Judicial District Court in Thibodaux. We know which LA-1 and LA-24 intersections these crashes cluster around, and we can be at the scene while the roadway evidence is still there.
Thibodaux, Houma, New Iberia, Morgan City, and Franklin are home to families working in oil and gas, maritime, industrial, and transportation jobs. We build case timelines around oilfield rotations and hurricane season because those are the schedules our clients actually live on.
Serious consequences call for serious representation. Reach out to us for a free case review at our Thibodaux, Houma, or New Iberia office.
FAQs: Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Thibodaux
Here are answers to a few more questions riders often ask after a crash in the Thibodaux area.
What should I do immediately after a motorcycle crash in Thibodaux?
Get checked by a doctor right away, even if you feel able to wait, because a gap in treatment is one of the first things an insurer will point to. Report the crash to law enforcement and photograph the scene if you are able. Avoid speculating fault or how the crash occurred with the other driver or an insurance company before speaking to a Thibodaux motorcycle attorney.
Will my settlement be reduced if I wasn't wearing a helmet?
Failure to wear a helmet can factor into the case depending on how your injuries relate to helmet use, but it does not eliminate your right to recover. However, our team can address this issue directly with the insurance company rather than letting it dominate the conversation.
What if the at-fault driver was uninsured?
Louisiana policies include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage automatically unless you signed a form rejecting it or reducing the limits, so many riders have more coverage than they realize. We review your own policy alongside the other driver's to find every source that applies.
Should I talk to the other driver's insurance company after a motorcycle crash?
You should be cautious about providing a recorded statement or discussing the extent of your injuries before understanding the claim process. At Ory Law Group, our Thibodaux motorcycle accident lawyers communicate with insurers and address claim-related questions while your potential motorcycle accident claim is being evaluated.
How much does it cost to hire a motorcycle accident lawyer?
At Ory Law Group, there is no charge for an initial consultation. Fee arrangements depend on the type of case, and we go over those terms with you before any representation begins, so you know what you are agreeing to before you agree to it.
Talk to a Thibodaux Motorcycle Accident Lawyer Today
A motorcycle crash raises questions that do not come up in an ordinary car accident claim, from fault scrutiny to Louisiana's current filing deadline. At Ory Law Group, we serve injured riders throughout Thibodaux and the Highway 90 corridor from fully staffed offices in Thibodaux, Houma, and New Iberia.
Our team includes Heather Peth Fairchild, who served as a Louisiana Workers' Compensation Judge before joining us, which matters when a crash happens on the clock. Call 855-MATT-ORY for a free case review.