Shreveport’s catastrophic injuries come off I-20, I-49, and US-80 where the loaded 18-wheelers run, off the LA-3132 Inner Loop and Bert Kouns, off the oilfield work along the industrial corridor through the Port of Shreveport-Bossier, and off the construction sites downtown. The injured go to Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport on Kings Highway, the Level I trauma center for northwest Louisiana, or to Willis-Knighton or CHRISTUS Highland, and the inpatient rehabilitation that follows a spinal or brain injury runs at Ochsner LSU Health and Willis-Knighton. The Shreveport Police Department writes the report inside the city, and the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office writes it in the parish. Trey Morris Injury Lawyers is at 509 Milam Street downtown, across the street from the Caddo Parish Courthouse at 501 Texas Street, where Caddo suits are filed and tried in the First Judicial District Court. In the first week we order the report, ask the treating physician for the discharge summary and imaging, and send the preservation letter for the engine control module and the site video before either is overwritten.
The law that governs the claim is Louisiana law and it is the same in every parish. If a Shreveport wreck or fall left someone in your family unable to work or live on their own, the claim runs on a two-year clock under La. C.C. Art. 3493.1 for injuries on or after July 1, 2024. Art. 2323 ends it if the injured person is found 51% or more at fault. We build the file around a life-care plan before an insurer treats a TBI or a spinal injury as a stack of bills that ends at discharge.
Results for Louisiana Clients
- $409 MillionWrongful Death
A tragic case where an impaired driver of a commercial vehicle ran a red light, then collided with our client, causing serious bodily injury to the mother and the loss of life of her daughter.
- $49 MillionMotor Vehicle Accident
An impaired driver of a stolen vehicle driving the wrong way collided with our client head-on, resulting in brain injury and multiple broken bones.
- $32.2 MillionIndustrial / Workplace
Failure to maintain proper safety protocols led to an explosion at an industrial plant causing a series of catastrophic injuries from broken bones, burns, spinal injury, and mental anguish.
- $31.5 MillionIndustrial / Workplace
Brain and spinal injuries followed an oil-field company failing to maintain equipment and provide a safe work site.
- $17.2 MillionCommercial Vehicle Accident
Client was struck head-on by a disconnected load of an 18-wheeler that crossed the median causing broken bones and amputation.
- $13 MillionCommercial Vehicle Accident
On the interstate, an 18-wheeler failed to yield right of way then made an unsafe lane change causing the accident which resulted in major bone breaks, damaged organs, and ultimately a leg amputation.
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes; each case is decided on its own facts.
What Is a Catastrophic Injury?
A catastrophic injury is one that permanently changes what a person can do: hold a job, care for themselves, live independently. These cases carry costs a standard injury claim never sees, and they need a different approach from the first week.
spinal cord injury
Damage to the spinal cord causing partial or complete loss of movement, sensation, or function below the injury site. Doctors classify these injuries by level (cervical, thoracic, lumbar) and by whether they are complete or incomplete.
traumatic brain injury
TBI. Normal brain function disrupted by a blow, a jolt, or something that penetrates the skull. Severity runs from mild concussion to permanent cognitive impairment.
The injuries here are spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, amputation, severe burns, broken bones, and brain trauma. Each produces ongoing costs and permanent limits that Louisiana’s damages framework recognizes. Valuing one means projecting care across the rest of a life, not adding up the bills already in the mailbox.
The difference between a standard personal injury case and a catastrophic one is scope. A broken wrist heals. A severed spinal cord does not.
Ask the treating physician this week for the discharge summary and the imaging reports and keep them in one folder. A life-care planner starts there.
Local Office. Statewide Record.
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From the 1st JDC
Our 509 Milam St office sits across the street from the First Judicial District Court, where Shreveport injury suits are filed and tried.
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Trial attorneys, one team
Your case is handled by the firm's own trial attorneys, and we respond in minutes, 24/7.
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We come to you
Hospital, home, or the office at 509 Milam St. Free case review, and no fee unless we win.
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Cases resolved over $1 million
Verdicts and settlements of $1 million or more, won by the same trial team that handles Shreveport cases.
How Catastrophic Injuries Happen in Shreveport
Where this town sits and how it earns its living decide which injuries come through the door. I-20, I-49, and US-80 carry heavy commercial truck traffic every day. When a loaded 18-wheeler hits a passenger vehicle at highway speed, the outcome is rarely minor. Car accidents and truck accidents on those corridors are a large share of the catastrophic cases in Caddo Parish.
Northwest Louisiana’s energy sector is its own category. Oilfield accidents along the industrial corridor through the Port of Shreveport-Bossier produce crush injuries, falls from height, and blast exposure. Construction site accidents downtown and in Bossier, DeSoto, and Webster parishes repeat the same hazards: scaffolding collapses, falling objects, equipment that fails under load.
Premises liability and product liability fill out the rest. A slip and fall on a commercial floor can injure a spinal cord as badly as a crash on the LA-3132 Inner Loop, and defective equipment has taken limbs and left permanent neurological damage in Caddo Parish workplaces. The mechanism decides what evidence you need, and knowing the road and the operator shortens the time it takes to get it.
If it happened at a job site or a store, write down this week what you remember: the scene, the equipment, who else was standing there.
Establishing Liability for a Catastrophic Injury Claim
Liability comes down to three pieces: a duty of care, a breach of that duty, and a direct line from the breach to the injury. Each piece takes its own evidence.
Duty depends on the setting. Every driver on Youree Drive owes one to everyone else on Youree Drive. Property owners owe one to the people walking their aisles under La. R.S. 9:2800, the premises liability statute. Employers owe one to employees and sometimes to third parties harmed by what their workers do.
Breach takes particular forms here. A driver texting on Bert Kouns Industrial Loop violates La. R.S. 32:300, the handheld device prohibition. An employer who lets equipment go unmaintained may violate OSHA standards and Louisiana worker protection statutes. Neither violation decides the case by itself, and both are powerful evidence of breach.
Causation ties the negligent act to the catastrophic outcome, through medical records, accident reconstruction, and expert testimony.
comparative fault
A legal rule that reduces what you collect by your percentage of fault. In Louisiana, at 51% or more you collect nothing. At 50% or less, your damages are reduced by your share.
Louisiana uses a modified comparative fault system under La. C.C. Art. 2323. The 51% bar is a hard cutoff, not a sliding scale. Adjusters build the whole defense around pushing the injured person past half, which is why the fault file gets built early and out of documents rather than argument.
respondeat superior
Latin for let the master answer. A doctrine holding an employer liable for the negligent acts an employee commits within the scope of employment.
Naming every liable party moves the number most. It means pulling vehicle ownership records, employment relationships, product supply chains, and property records. The person who caused the accident is often not the only defendant with legal exposure. Under respondeat superior (La. C.C. Art. 2320), a commercial truck driver’s negligence reaches the trucking company directly. A defect brings in the manufacturer. More defendants means more policies, and policy limits decide whether a life-care plan ever gets funded.
Give us the date, the location, and the names this week. We send the preservation letter for the engine control module and the site video before either is overwritten.
Shreveport Practice Areas
Car AccidentsRear-end, intersection, and highway collisions across Louisiana.
Truck Accidents18-wheeler and commercial-vehicle wrecks governed by federal trucking rules.
Catastrophic InjuryBrain, spinal-cord, amputation, and severe-burn injuries that change a life.
Wrongful DeathClaims brought by families after a fatal accident or act of negligence.
Premises LiabilitySlip-and-fall and unsafe-property injuries on someone else's premises.
Product LiabilityInjuries caused by defective or unreasonably dangerous products.
Oilfield AccidentsDrilling, pipeline, and refinery injuries across the energy sector.
Industrial AccidentsPlant, warehouse, and heavy-equipment injuries in industrial settings.
Offshore AccidentsRig, platform, and vessel injuries beyond the shoreline.
Damages Available in a Shreveport Catastrophic Injury Case
Damages split in two. Economic damages are calculable: documented costs and projected future expenses you can price with records and expert analysis. Non-economic damages are not. They are real harm, and setting a fair value on them takes argument rather than arithmetic.
loss of earning capacity
The difference between what you could have earned over your working lifetime and what you can earn now after the injury. A vocational expert measures it. An economist converts it to present value.
Economic damages start with lost wages from the date of injury, documented with pay stubs and employer records. Then comes loss of earning capacity, often the largest single item in a catastrophic injury case. A construction worker with a spinal cord injury who cannot return to physical labor has lost decades of earning. An office worker whose TBI affects memory and attention may lose the career entirely.
Medical costs at Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport, Willis-Knighton, or CHRISTUS Highland, from the emergency department through hospitalization and surgery, are economic damages too. So is what comes after: physical therapy, occupational therapy, assistive devices, and modifications to the house.
loss of consortium
A claim belonging to a spouse for the companionship, affection, and support lost to the injured person’s condition. It is separate from the injured person’s own claims.
Non-economic damages cover physical pain, emotional anguish, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. Loss of consortium belongs to the spouse and is counted on its own. Punitive damages are available in Louisiana when a defendant acted with reckless disregard, an impaired commercial driver who got behind the wheel anyway being the clearest example.
Settlement value in a catastrophic case is built, not estimated. A life-care planner works with the treating physicians to project total care needs across the remaining lifespan. A vocational rehabilitation expert measures what work, if any, is still possible. An economist reduces both projections to present value.
Start a running log this week of every dollar out of pocket: mileage to Kings Highway, parking, pharmacy, equipment rental. Nobody can reconstruct those receipts later.
What Shreveport Clients Say
- Emma Dvorak
I was overwhelmed dealing with everything after my injury, but their team took a lot of the pressure off of me.They were patient, answered all my questions, and made sure I understood what was happening.
- Diane Didier
I was recommended to Trey Morris by a friend, and they have been amazing!They kept me up to date with all the details of my case. I was in the loop during the entire process. Having to go over the details my accident was so uncomfortable, but they were so understanding and made every effort to make the entire process as smooth as possible. I would highly recommend Trey Morris and his team to anyone.
- Laurie Shearin
I'll always appreciate the way I was treated here.I felt heard, respected and taken care of from beginning to end.
- Zachary Krengle
Trey Morris and the team treated me so well after my accident.Beyond taking the steps to make sure my case was taken care of timely and apropiatelly. They listened and made me feel like I was a priority to them and not just another client. I hope none of my friends are put in a situation to need them, but if they do I would highly suggest Trey Morris and the team.
- Valorie Schneider
Really glad I chose Trey Morris Injury Law.They were easy to work with and made sure I understood what was going on.
- Alayna Cantrell
I would recommend Trey Morris to my friends and family.Trey Morris & the team there helped me with my case. The firm is amazing!
- Sunshine Halpert
This is the firm you want handling your car accident.Trey Morris Injury Lawyers is the best. Jessica, Seth, and Brian handled my case quickly. They kept me up to date and infor ed the whole time. I will send everyone I know to you guys. Thanks so much!
- Alyx Braud
My mans Trey Trey got it done!All the people at the firm were super friendly and they really made me feel like they cared about my case as much as I did. It didn't take too long and I got my settlement 🤑
- Raley Snead
I had a great experience with Morris Injury Attorneys.Everyone is professional, responsive, and kept me / my loved ones updated throughout the entire process. They made everything easy to understand and handled our cases quickly. I'm really pleased with the outcome and would definitely recommend them to anyone who needs a good injury attorney.
- Annabelle Lee
Trey morris injury lawyers handled my case with the utmost professionalism.I will definitely be recommending to any friends and family!!
- Lindsie Waguespack
Trey Morris Injury lawyers handled my claim with so much professionalism!Thank yall for everything!!
- LAM Rogers
Trey Morris and his team were the only attorneys i needed to call.After I was in an accident they helped my case and got me a settlement I am very happy with. They were very professional. I recommend them highly. Thank you to the whole office at Tray Morris.
Rehabilitation and Long-Term Care After a Catastrophic Injury
Healing from a catastrophic injury is not a straight line. Setbacks happen. Surgeries get added. Care plans change. Each of those changes moves the long-term cost projection that carries the damages number in your case.
Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport and Willis-Knighton both run inpatient rehabilitation programs for spinal cord and traumatic brain injury patients. Rehabilitation usually runs across several disciplines: physical therapy to restore movement and strength, occupational therapy to rebuild the ordinary tasks of a day. Speech-language pathology handles the communication deficits that follow a TBI.
Cognitive rehabilitation works on memory, attention, and executive function. How long each therapy runs and how hard it is pushed feeds straight into the life-care plan that sets the future medical expense figure.
Home modification and assistive technology are compensable, and the life-care plan is where they get documented. Ramps, widened doorways, a hospital bed, a wheelchair, a stair lift, a communication device: each has a price and a replacement interval the planner projects across the lifespan. Not speculative. Itemized costs tied to the medical evidence in your file.
Take a settlement before the full scope of future care is known and the money runs out years before the care does. A life-care plan prevents that.
If the discharge planner offered a home evaluation, take it this week and keep the written report.
Louisiana’s Prescriptive Period for Catastrophic Injury Claims
prescriptive period
Louisiana’s term for statute of limitations. The legal deadline to file a lawsuit. For personal injury, it is two years from the date of injury under La. C.C. Art. 3493.1 (effective July 1, 2024).
Two years from the date of the accident, under La. C.C. Art. 3493.1, which took effect July 1, 2024. That is longer than the one-year deadline that governed before the 2024 tort reform, and still a shorter window than most people assume. Skid marks get paved over. Witnesses move. Store and terminal video writes over itself in a matter of weeks.
There is a discovery rule exception. Where the injury was not apparent at the time, the clock starts when you discovered it or reasonably should have. That comes up more in toxic exposure and occupational disease than in acute trauma.
Claims against government entities, including the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development for a road defect, follow different rules. They require a 90-day notice of claim and carry separate procedural requirements. Missing that notice can bar the claim entirely.
Missing the prescriptive period ends most claims: no court hears a suit filed after the deadline, no matter how clean the fault is. If a parish road, a state highway, or any public body is in this, verify the notice requirement now.
Write the date of the injury on the front of the folder this week. Every deadline here runs off that date.
How Insurance Companies Handle Catastrophic Injury Claims
An adjuster on a catastrophic claim works toward one number: the lowest one that closes the file. That interest runs opposite to yours, and the methods repeat often enough to name.
Denying liability is the opening position in many of these cases. The carrier argues the injured person caused it, or that the negligence is not proven. Disputing injury severity is the second track. Insurers retain their own physicians to read the records and say the injuries pre-existed the accident or are exaggerated. Those are not independent opinions. They are paid opinions written for litigation.
Early offers are common. They arrive before the life-care plan exists, before the vocational assessment is done, before anyone has priced the next thirty years. An offer that looks substantial in the third month can be a fraction of what the case is worth once future costs are calculated.
Delay is the other tool: slow answers, the same document requested three times, the file reassigned. All of it builds pressure to settle before the case is built.
Do not give a recorded statement to any adjuster before you talk to a lawyer. Statements made before anyone knows the full extent of the injury get used later to shrink or deny the claim. This is not a technicality. It is one of the most common ways a catastrophic case loses value in its first month.
contingency fee
A fee paid as a percentage of what the client collects, and only if the client collects. Nothing upfront, and no attorney fee if the case does not succeed.
Against those tactics we retain independent medical experts, a life-care planner, and a vocational rehabilitation specialist, and document the claim to the number the file supports. We work on a contingency fee: the percentage is agreed in writing before we start, and you owe no attorney fee unless the case resolves in your favor.
If an adjuster has already called, write down the date, the name, and what was asked before you answer anything else.
What to Do Immediately After a Catastrophic Injury in Shreveport
What happens in the first hours and days decides what evidence exists later.
Get emergency medical care first. Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport on Kings Highway operates a Level I trauma center, the highest designation, for the most severe injuries in northwest Louisiana. Care documented at the right level from the beginning creates a record that matches the injury.
Document the scene if you are physically able. Photographs, witness names, contact information, and video of the conditions are evidence, and they may not exist a week later. If you cannot do it yourself, ask someone who can.
Do not admit fault and do not give a recorded statement to any insurance company before speaking with an attorney. Keep every medical record, bill, and letter from an employer or an insurer. Bring in a catastrophic injury attorney early; the investigation has to start while the evidence is fresh.
The two-year prescriptive period under La. C.C. Art. 3493.1 runs from the date of the accident. It does not pause while someone is in rehabilitation and it does not wait for a final diagnosis.
Pick one person in the family this week to hold the folder and take the calls. Split four ways, records go missing and deadlines get assumed away.
Your Shreveport Trial Team
The lawyers who work your file. Every Shreveport case is handled by the firm's own trial attorneys.
Results Trey Morris Injury Lawyers Has Recovered for Catastrophic Injury Clients
Trey Morris Injury Lawyers has recovered significant amounts across catastrophic injury cases involving impaired commercial drivers, oilfield safety violations, highway crashes, and premises liability. The results include wrongful death, spinal and brain injuries, 18-wheeler crashes, and severe personal injury. View our case results.
The firm has recovered hundreds of millions for clients in Louisiana across thousands of cases. The attorneys hold AV Preeminent ratings from Martindale-Hubbell and recognition from Super Lawyers. Clients across Shreveport, Covington, Lake Charles, and northwest Louisiana have left more than 2,753 five-star Google reviews. Read the results before you decide who to call. Our office at 509 Milam Street is across the street from the courthouse at 501 Texas Street.