Who Is at Fault When Hitting an Animal?

Who is at fault when you hit an animal on the road depends on whether that animal was:

• Wild
• Livestock
• A domesticated pet

The issue of fault can vary greatly depending on the animal’s status. Our firm can help you navigate this tricky legal situation.

Who Is at Fault When You Strike a Wild Animal?

Nobody may be at fault if you strike a wild animal, such as a deer or an alligator. Wild animals have no owner, so, therefore, there may be no obvious party to hold liable. In some cases, the government of Louisiana may be liable for wild animals on the road. We will need to make a clear case that the state was negligent, however.

More often, your insurance will cover your accident with a wild animal, as the collision may qualify as unavoidable. Therefore, you may receive insurance coverage for:

• Damage to your vehicle
• Your medical care
• Medical care for your passengers
• Other losses your insurance policy covers

We can review your case to determine liability.

Who Is at Fault When You Strike Livestock or Another Farm Animal?

Laws like RS 3:2803 prohibit livestock from roaming certain roadways in Louisiana. When you hit a farm animal, the animal’s owner is generally at fault if:

• The accident took place in a location where farm animals are not allowed to roam freely.
• The farmer failed to take adequate steps to contain the animals.
• There are no other extenuating circumstances.

The farmer may be negligent if they failed to fix holes in the fence, left a gate open, or contributed to your accident in another way. The farmer may be liable for:

• Your medical care
• The cost to repair your vehicle
• Your pain and suffering
• Lost income
• Loss of earning power
• Rehabilitation costs
• Medication costs
• Loss of quality of life
• Other accident-related losses

Our team can help you seek coverage for these losses.

Who Is at Fault When You Strike a Domesticated Animal?

The pet’s owner is often at fault for an accident in this case, especially if the owner failed to contain the animal adequately.

The domesticated animal’s owner may be liable for your losses. These losses are generally the same as those listed for an accident with a farm animal.

Who Determines Whether You Have a Case?

Our team can help you determine whether you have grounds for a lawsuit. When making this determination, we rely on:

• Specific legal statutes like CC Art. 2321, which holds animal owners responsible for negligence
• Our general legal knowledge
• The facts and evidence related to your case
• Experts in fields relevant to your case

We use all data points to determine liability for your losses. Once we have the necessary information and evidence, we can recommend and assist you with your next steps.

How Can Our Team Help With Your Animal Accident Case?

When you hire our firm, we can help you determine liability and strategize the best path for financial recovery. Our team will also help you by:

• Collecting medical records, case-related bills, and other important paperwork to use as evidence
• Filing your case
• Completing your insurance claim or lawsuit

You could suffer health consequences from handling your case alone, as dealing with a lawsuit or claim may cause significant stress. We will take care of your case so that you can focus on your health.

We Have Resources to Help With an Animal Accident Case

Our team has resources that you may not have access to on your own. We use these resources in service of your case and at no extra cost. We can:

• Investigate your accident
• Obtain evidence
• Document your losses
• Hire experts to testify for your case
• Reconstruct your accident

Research and investigation are crucial to a winning case. We handle these responsibilities for you.

We Can Deal With Insurance Companies for You

If you file an insurance claim, several concerns could arise. We aim to:

• Advocate for your rights from insurance companies
• Ensure that you are not deemed at fault for your accident
• Fight for the amount of compensation that you deserve

We want to handle the headaches and complications of your claim so you don’t have to.

We Deal With Lawyers, Too

Lawyers may be involved in both insurance claims and lawsuits. The liable party’s legal team may:

• Try to intimidate you with legal documents and language
• Try to have you accept fault for your accident
• Represent someone who wants to deprive you of fair compensation
• Act against your interests

We understand how the other legal teams operate. Our team is your guardian against other lawyers’ tactics.

Call Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers today

Accidents involving animals can require strong legal knowledge. We will help you determine who is liable for your losses and seek compensation from those parties. We provide regular case updates but allow you to focus completely on your recovery.

Call Laborde Earles Injury Lawyers today at (337) 777-7777 for a free consultation. We have won more than $200 million for our clients and will fight hard for the awards that you deserve.