On this page
- Car Accidents on Covington’s Road Network
- Common Types of Covington Car Accidents
- What Should You Do After a Covington Car Accident?
- Why Evidence Can Matter When Fault Is Disputed
- Louisiana’s Current Comparative Fault Rule
- Louisiana Auto Insurance Requirements
- What If the Other Driver Is Uninsured or Underinsured?
- What Damages May Be Part of a Covington Car Accident Claim?
- How Long Do You Have After a Louisiana Car Accident?
- Where Could a Covington Car Accident Case Be Handled?
- Why Trust Jacqueline Scott With Your Covington Car Accident Case?
- Frequently Asked Questions About Covington Car Accidents
Covington drivers travel through a mix of historic downtown streets and larger regional corridors. U.S. 190, U.S. 190 Business, LA 21, LA 25, and nearby I-12 connect the city with other communities throughout St. Tammany Parish and the Northshore. Recent transportation projects have also changed portions of the road network around Covington.
When an accident causes injuries, a Covington car accident lawyer can investigate the collision, preserve evidence, review available insurance coverage, and determine how Louisiana’s current fault rules may affect the claim.
Car Accidents on Covington’s Road Network
Covington’s transportation environment is different from the interstate-heavy setting we covered in Slidell.
One particularly important corridor is U.S. 190, or Collins Boulevard. In February 2026, Louisiana DOTD announced completion of a $30 million project that constructed a new bridge beside the existing Bogue Falaya River Bridge and widened U.S. 190 between U.S. 190 Business and LA 437/Lee Road. The project also added traffic signals, highway dividers, drainage improvements, and J-turns.
DOTD has described U.S. 190 as an important commuter route connecting the northern portion of St. Tammany Parish with Covington, Mandeville, Slidell, and travel toward New Orleans.
Road improvements do not establish that a particular corridor is dangerous or caused a crash. They can, however, make understanding the roadway configuration that existed on the date of an accident important when investigating a collision.
Common Types of Covington Car Accidents
Car accident claims can arise from many different collision patterns, including:
- Rear-end crashes
- Intersection collisions
- Side-impact accidents
- Head-on collisions
- Lane-change and merging crashes
- Multi-vehicle accidents
- Distracted-driving crashes
- Speed-related collisions
- Accidents involving uninsured or underinsured motorists
The collision type alone does not determine legal responsibility.
Even when one driver’s actions initially appear obvious, photographs, witness accounts, traffic controls, vehicle damage, and other evidence should be evaluated before reaching conclusions about fault.
What Should You Do After a Covington Car Accident?
Immediate safety and appropriate medical attention should come first.
If a collision occurs within Covington city limits, the Covington Police Department may investigate. The department handles traffic enforcement and provides an online process for obtaining crash reports. Covington advises that a crash report may take up to 10 business days to appear in its system.
When it can be done safely, useful steps after a collision may include:
- Photographing the vehicles
- Photographing the surrounding roadway
- Recording traffic signs or signals
- Getting witness contact information
- Exchanging insurance information
- Saving the crash-report information
- Keeping medical bills and records
- Preserving towing and repair documents
- Saving communications from insurers
No one should remain in moving traffic or otherwise endanger themselves simply to gather evidence.
Why Evidence Can Matter When Fault Is Disputed
Drivers involved in the same collision may remember it differently.
One driver might say the light was green while another says it was red. Drivers may disagree about lane position, speed, following distance, or who entered an intersection first.
Evidence may help resolve those disputes.
Depending on the accident, that evidence could include:
- Police reports
- Scene photographs
- Dash-camera footage
- Business surveillance
- Witness statements
- Vehicle damage
- Traffic-signal information
- Electronic vehicle data
- Cell-phone records when legally obtainable
Because Covington has businesses along major corridors and throughout its commercial areas, nearby surveillance footage may sometimes be worth investigating. Whether useful footage actually exists depends on the particular crash.
Louisiana’s Current Comparative Fault Rule
Louisiana substantially changed its comparative-fault system for claims governed by the law effective January 1, 2026.
Under Civil Code Article 2323, if an injured person is found 51% or more at fault, that person is not entitled to recover damages. If the person’s negligence is less than 51%, recoverable damages are reduced according to that percentage of negligence.
For example, assigning fault is no longer simply a question of how much a recovery might be reduced. Crossing the 51% threshold can determine whether recovery is available at all under the current rule.
That makes evidence about how a Covington collision actually occurred particularly important.
An insurance adjuster’s initial fault determination is not necessarily the final legal determination.
Louisiana Auto Insurance Requirements
Louisiana requires vehicle owners to maintain liability insurance.
The Louisiana Department of Insurance identifies the state’s minimum liability limits as 15/30/25:
- $15,000 for bodily injury to one person
- $30,000 for bodily injury to more than one person in one accident
- $25,000 for damage to another person’s vehicle or property
These are minimum required liability limits, not an indication of how much coverage exists in a particular accident.
A serious collision may involve losses exceeding the responsible driver’s liability limits. That makes identifying all potentially applicable insurance policies an important part of some claims.
What If the Other Driver Is Uninsured or Underinsured?
Louisiana also has uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, commonly called UM/UIM coverage.
The Louisiana Department of Insurance explains that state law does not simply require every policyholder to carry UM/UIM coverage. Instead, insurers must offer the coverage, and applicants can accept or reject it under Louisiana’s statutory framework.
UM/UIM coverage may become important when another driver has no applicable liability insurance or does not have enough coverage for the losses involved.
Whether coverage exists and how much is available depends on the actual policy documents and legally effective coverage selections.
What Damages May Be Part of a Covington Car Accident Claim?
There is no standard settlement value for a Covington car accident.
Depending on the evidence, potential losses may include:
Medical expenses. Accident-related emergency care, treatment, therapy, medication, and other documented expenses may be relevant.
Lost income. Employment and wage records can document time missed from work.
Future losses. More serious injuries may create future medical or earning consequences when supported by appropriate evidence.
Property damage. Repair or replacement of a damaged vehicle may be involved.
Non-economic damages. Depending on Louisiana law and the circumstances, certain non-financial effects of an injury may also be considered.
The amount ultimately recoverable depends on factors including fault, injuries, evidence, insurance coverage, and applicable law.
How Long Do You Have After a Louisiana Car Accident?
Louisiana Civil Code Article 3493.1 generally establishes a two-year liberative prescription period for delictual actions, beginning on the day the injury or damage is sustained.
The current provision became effective July 1, 2024.
The specific deadline should still be reviewed individually because accident dates, defendants, claim types, and other circumstances can affect the analysis.
Waiting can also make a claim more difficult even before the legal deadline arrives because vehicles are repaired, witnesses become harder to locate, and electronic or video evidence may disappear.
Where Could a Covington Car Accident Case Be Handled?
Covington is the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish and is home to the St. Tammany Parish Justice Center at 701 North Columbia Street.
The 22nd Judicial District Court serves St. Tammany and Washington Parishes.
A car accident occurring in Covington does not automatically mean a lawsuit would be filed at the Justice Center. Venue depends on the circumstances and parties involved.
Still, unlike the Slidell hub we just completed, Covington residents have the parish’s principal district-court facility located directly within their city.
Why Trust Jacqueline Scott With Your Covington Car Accident Case?
Attorney Jacqueline Scott has more than 35 years of legal experience representing injured people in Louisiana. Jacqueline A. Scott & Associates handles car accidents, commercial truck crashes, 18-wheeler accidents, catastrophic injuries, wrongful death claims, and other serious personal injury matters.
Her professional background includes work as a clerk for two District Court judges, an assistant to a Louisiana State Senator, a paralegal instructor, and a probation and parole officer.
A Covington car accident claim may involve local police records, St. Tammany Parish courts, disputed fault under Louisiana’s current comparative-fault system, medical documentation, and multiple sources of insurance coverage.
Make ’Em Pay.
Make ’Em Pay is established Jacqueline A. Scott & Associates branding.
In a Covington car accident claim, it means pursuing accountability when the evidence and Louisiana law support holding another party responsible.
It does not guarantee compensation or establish fault before the evidence has been evaluated.
If you were injured in a car accident in Covington or elsewhere in St. Tammany Parish, Jacqueline A. Scott & Associates can review the collision, examine available insurance coverage, and explain the legal options that may be available.
Make ’Em Pay.
Frequently Asked Questions About Covington Car Accidents
How do I get a Covington Police crash report?
The Covington Police Department provides an online crash-report request process and advises allowing up to 10 business days for a crash report to appear in the system.
What are Louisiana’s minimum auto insurance limits?
Louisiana’s minimum liability limits are 15/30/25: $15,000 for bodily injury to one person, $30,000 for multiple injured people in one accident, and $25,000 for property damage.
Can I recover if I was partly responsible for the accident?
Under the current Article 2323 framework, someone found less than 51% negligent may potentially recover damages reduced by their percentage of negligence. Someone found 51% or more negligent is barred from recovery under the rule.
What if the driver who hit me does not have enough insurance?
UM/UIM coverage may become relevant. Whether it applies depends on the injured person’s policy, coverage selections, available liability insurance, and the circumstances of the accident.
Where is the district court serving Covington?
The St. Tammany Parish Justice Center for the 22nd Judicial District Court is located at 701 North Columbia Street in Covington.
This article is general information about Louisiana law and is not legal advice. Laws and deadlines can change, and every case depends on its own facts. Past results do not guarantee or predict future outcomes. Reading this page or contacting the firm does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship.
