# Haughton Injury Lawyers

A Haughton injury claim is a two-year filing under La. C.C. Art. 3493.1 for injuries on or after July 1, 2024, and for accidents on or after January 1, 2026 a 51% fault finding under Art. 2323 ends recovery. Trey Morris Injury Lawyers files that eastern Bossier Parish case in the 26th Judicial District Court in Benton and proves duty-risk under Art. 2315 before an insurer treats a Barksdale-corridor crash as a barred claim.

## Haughton Injury Claims: Where They Are Filed and How They Work

Louisiana is a civil law state, and that distinction shapes how a negligence claim is built. Claims here run on the duty-risk analysis of [La. C.C. Art. 2315](https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=109369), not the common law framework used in most other states. You must establish duty, the scope of the risk, breach, causation, and damages, each on the evidence.

Civil injury suits arising in Haughton are filed in the [26th Judicial District Court](https://www.26jdc.com/) at 204 Burt Boulevard in Benton, the Bossier Parish seat. The 26th Judicial District serves Bossier Parish and Webster Parish. Crashes that occur across the Red River in Caddo Parish are filed in the [1st Judicial District Court](https://www.caddoclerk.com/court-system/first-judicial-district-court/) in Shreveport instead, so the parish line through the river is also a courthouse line.

## Haughton as a Bedroom Community: What That Means for an Injury Claim

Haughton's growth character matters for these cases because it puts residents on the road, at highway speeds, more than a typical small-town population is. According to [Data USA](https://datausa.io/profile/geo/haughton-la), 84.1 percent of Haughton workers drive alone to work and the average one-way commute is 26.8 minutes, longer than a Bossier City commute and consistent with the town's role as an outlying residential community. Households average close to two vehicles, and Haughton is marketed in Barksdale housing guidance as a longer-commute alternative to South Bossier City for families who want newer construction. Median household income is $51,932 and the median age is 33.5, a working-age profile that tracks with a population going to work.

The practical consequence is that a Haughton injury case is unusually likely to involve a crash on the I-20 or US-80 corridor, a workplace injury away from home in Bossier City or Shreveport, or an out-of-parish premises injury on the commute. That in turn affects where the report was worked, which agency holds it, which hospital delivered the emergency care, and which of the venue rules described below governs the filing. It is a materially different profile from a parish seat like Benton, and it is why this page treats corridor exposure, distance to trauma care, and the Town of Haughton's own governmental posture separately from the broader Bossier Parish page.

## What Types of Cases We Handle in Bossier Parish

Trey Morris Injury Lawyers represents clients in Haughton, Bossier Parish, and the surrounding parishes in cases involving:

* [Car accidents](/louisiana/car-accident-lawyer/bossier-city/)
* [Truck and 18-wheeler accidents](/louisiana/truck-accident-lawyer/bossier-city/)
* [Motorcycle accidents](/louisiana/motorcycle-accident-lawyer/bossier-city/)
* [Pedestrian accidents](/louisiana/pedestrian-accident-lawyer/)
* [Bicycle accidents](/louisiana/bicycle-accident-lawyer/)
* [Bus accidents](/louisiana/bus-accident-lawyer/bossier-city/)
* [Slip and fall accidents](/louisiana/slip-and-fall-lawyer/bossier-city/)
* [Premises liability](/louisiana/premises-liability-lawyer/)
* [Product liability](/louisiana/product-liability-lawyer/)
* [Workplace and industrial accidents](/louisiana/workers-compensation-lawyer/bossier-city/)
* [Oilfield accidents](/louisiana/oilfield-accident-lawyer/)
* [Wrongful death](/louisiana/wrongful-death-lawyer/bossier-city/)

Wrongful death claims for Haughton families proceed under [La. C.C. Art. 2315.2](https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=109371), which lets surviving spouses, children, and other named relatives recover for their own losses. Defective-product claims run under the Louisiana Products Liability Act, [La. R.S. 9:2800.52](https://legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=78553), which sets the exclusive theories against a manufacturer.

Most Haughton injury cases stay in state court at the 26th JDC in Benton. Federal court in the [Western District of Louisiana](https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/) in Shreveport takes jurisdiction when the parties are citizens of different states and the amount in dispute exceeds $75,000, or when a federal statute controls. Trey Morris Injury Lawyers handles cases in both the 26th Judicial District Court and the Western District, depending on the facts of the claim.

## The I-20, US-80, and LA-157 Corridors: Where Haughton Crashes Actually Happen

Haughton residents' crash exposure is concentrated on a small number of arterial roads rather than a dense urban grid, which is unusual and worth being specific about. [Interstate 20](https://www.interstate-guide.com/i-020-la/) runs east to west a short distance north of town, with the Haughton/Fillmore interchange at Exit 33 tying I-20 into LA-157. U.S. Highway 80 runs east to west through Haughton itself and links it directly to Bossier City, carrying the daily commuter flow between the two. Louisiana Highway 157 runs north to south and threads the residential and school-zone traffic through a town that has grown faster than its road network. Each corridor presents a different injury profile, from high-speed interstate truck collisions on I-20 to lower-speed intersection crashes on the US-80 commercial strip and residential-street crashes on LA-157 and the town's local streets.

The public record from the corridor shows the kind of crash that has actually killed and injured people near Haughton in recent years. On February 27, 2025, [Ronnie Garcia](https://www.ksla.com/2025/02/27/haughton-man-killed-crash-highway-80/), 43, of Haughton, died when his SUV ran off U.S. Highway 80 near Bellevue Road in Bossier Parish and overturned. On February 7, 2024, at about 10:30 p.m., [Alejandra Berry](https://710keel.com/fatal-wreck-i-20-near-haughton/), 38, of Shreveport, was killed in a wrong-way head-on collision on I-20 eastbound near the Haughton/Fillmore exit when her Jeep, traveling the wrong direction on the interstate, struck an 18-wheeler; Louisiana State Police suspected impairment. In late July 2025, a [multi-vehicle chain crash on I-20 West past LA-157](https://www.ksla.com/2025/07/31/traffic-congested-i-20-west-past-la-157-due-accidents/) included a pickup that struck a wrecker recovery vehicle already on scene, causing extended congestion. These are not aggregate statistics; they are the case types a Haughton personal injury practice actually sees: run-off-road and overturn crashes on US-80, wrong-way and impairment-driven collisions on I-20, and secondary crashes at active-scene work zones on the same corridors.

The parish economy widens the range of injury contexts. [Barksdale Air Force Base](https://www.barksdale.af.mil/) anchors employment across the Shreveport-Bossier region and draws a share of Haughton's workforce west each morning, adding heavy vehicle and base-traffic exposure to the same I-20 and US-80 corridors. Within Haughton itself, manufacturing is the single largest employment sector according to Data USA, ahead of healthcare and food service, a workforce composition that raises equipment- and workplace-injury exposure relative to a purely retail or service economy. [Duckwater Services](https://www.ksla.com/story/37997912/ar-company-to-bring-4m-facility-28-new-jobs-to-haughton/) opened a commercial tanker-cleaning and transportation-services facility off I-20 at Exit 33 in 2018, bringing 28 jobs together with tenant operations; tanker cleaning and hazmat-adjacent transportation work carry meaningful chemical-exposure and equipment-injury risk, and injuries in that setting are distinct from the gaming and hospitality workplace injuries concentrated across the river in Bossier City. When a third party's negligence causes a workplace injury, [La. R.S. 23:1101](https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=83361) preserves the right to pursue a civil claim against that party in addition to workers compensation benefits.

## Proving Negligence in Louisiana

To recover, you must prove the defendant was negligent. Louisiana's duty-risk analysis requires five elements, and each must be established with evidence.

**Duty.** The defendant owed you a legal duty of care. Drivers owe a duty to others on the road. Property owners owe a duty to lawful visitors.

**Scope of the risk.** Your injury fell within the range of harm the duty was meant to guard against.

**Breach.** The defendant failed to meet the duty. Running a red light on US-80 is a breach. Leaving a wet floor unmarked in a Haughton store is a breach.

**Causation.** The breach caused your injury. The connection between the conduct and the harm must be shown.

**Damages.** You suffered actual harm. Without measurable injury or loss, there is no compensable claim.

### Negligence Per Se

When a defendant violated a safety statute and that violation caused your injury, the violation can establish duty and breach without separate proof. Traffic violations are the common example: a driver who ran a signal and struck you supplies the duty and breach, and the focus shifts to causation and damages.

### Government and Premises Claims: Town of Haughton and Parish Defendants

Some Haughton injuries involve a government defendant rather than a private one. If the Town of Haughton, the Bossier Parish Police Jury, or [LaDOTD](https://www.dotd.la.gov/) contributed to your injury through a road defect, a dangerous condition, or a government vehicle, the same general two-year prescriptive period applies; Louisiana does not impose a pre-suit notice-of-claim requirement for tort claims against a political subdivision. Two rules follow separately once the claim is on file. First, [La. R.S. 13:5104](https://law.justia.com/codes/louisiana/revised-statutes/title-13/rs-13-5104/) requires suits against a political subdivision, or its officer or employee acting in the course of employment, to be filed in the district court of the judicial district where the subdivision is located or where the cause of action arose, which for a Haughton claim against the town, the parish, or a parish employee is the 26th JDC in Benton. Second, under [La. R.S. 13:5107(D)](https://codes.findlaw.com/la/revised-statutes/la-rev-stat-tit-13-sect-5107/), service of citation on the state or political-subdivision defendant must be requested within 90 days of filing, or the suit may be dismissed without prejudice as to that defendant. A separate cap under [La. R.S. 13:5106](https://law.justia.com/codes/louisiana/revised-statutes/title-13/rs-13-5106/) limits the state's or a political subdivision's total liability for personal injury to any one person to $500,000, exclusive of medical care and related benefits and lost earnings; the same $500,000 cap applies separately to wrongful death claims. These government-claim rules do not apply to a Haughton-resident claim against a purely private defendant, such as a driver, a trucking company, or an employer.

## Louisiana's Comparative Fault Law and the 51% Bar

Louisiana follows comparative fault, the rule that divides responsibility when more than one party contributed to an accident.

For causes of action arising on or after January 1, 2026, the state applies a modified comparative fault system under [La. C.C. Art. 2323](https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=109387), enacted by Act 15 of the 2025 Regular Session (HB 431). If you are 51% or more at fault, you recover nothing. If you are 50% or less at fault, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault.

In practice: say you were 20% at fault and your total damages are $100,000. You recover $80,000. At 51% fault, you recover zero.

That one-percentage-point line between 50% and 51% separates partial recovery from no recovery. Insurance carriers now have a direct financial incentive to argue you were more than half at fault, because pushing your share past 50% does not just shrink the payout, it eliminates it. Documentation, early investigation, and evidence preservation carry more weight in a Bossier Parish case because of this rule.

For injuries before January 1, 2026, pure comparative fault applies, and your damages are reduced by your fault percentage no matter how high it is.

## Louisiana Tort Reform: What Changed and When

Louisiana's personal injury law changed substantially between 2024 and 2026. Here is what directly affects Haughton claims.

**Filing deadline.** For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, you have two years to file suit ([La. C.C. Art. 3493.1](https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=1386443)), enacted by Act 423 of the 2024 session. This replaced the one-year deadline in place since 1825. Product liability claims follow the same two-year period. Injuries before July 1, 2024 remain governed by the one-year rule. A prescriptive period is the legal filing deadline, and a Bossier Parish suit filed after it runs is usually dismissed even when liability is strong.

**No Pay, No Play.** Since August 1, 2025, a driver who carried no automobile insurance at the time of a crash cannot recover the first $100,000 in bodily injury damages or the first $100,000 in property damage, even if the crash was not their fault ([La. R.S. 32:866](https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=88612)).

**Causation standard.** For injuries on or after May 28, 2025, the absence of prior similar symptoms no longer creates a presumption that the accident caused the injury ([La. Code Evid. Art. 306.1](https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=1428930)). Medical or expert testimony is now required on causation, so prompt and documented treatment matters more than before.

**Medical expense recovery.** For causes of action on or after January 1, 2026, recovery of past medical expenses is limited to amounts actually paid by your health insurer or Medicare plus your out-of-pocket costs ([La. R.S. 9:2800.27](https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=1188021)).

**Seat belt evidence.** Since January 1, 2021, failure to wear a seat belt is admissible in civil cases and can support a comparative fault argument.

These changes apply prospectively. The law that governs your claim depends on when your injury occurred.

## Damages You May Recover

If negligence is established, two main categories of damages are available.

**Economic damages** are measurable financial losses backed by bills, pay records, and repair estimates.

* Past and future medical costs
* Rehabilitation costs
* Lost wages and income
* Lost earning capacity
* Property damage

**Non-economic damages** compensate for human harm that carries no fixed bill.

* Pain and suffering
* Mental anguish
* Emotional distress
* Loss of enjoyment of life
* Loss of consortium and companionship

**Punitive damages** are a separate category aimed at punishment, not compensation. In Louisiana they apply only in narrow circumstances, such as DWI crashes and certain other statutory cases, and are not available in ordinary negligence claims.

There is no statutory cap on damages in general [personal injury cases](/louisiana/personal-injury-lawyer/bossier-city/) in Louisiana. [Medical malpractice](/louisiana/medical-malpractice-lawyer/) cases carry a separate $500,000 cap under [La. R.S. 40:1231.2](https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=97087), which does not apply to car accidents, truck accidents, premises liability, or other general tort claims.

## Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Approximately 12% of Louisiana drivers carry no automobile insurance, according to Insurance Research Council data, roughly one in eight on Bossier Parish roads. Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is the part of your own policy that pays when the at-fault driver has none. Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage activates when the at-fault driver's insurance is not enough to cover your damages.

Louisiana requires insurers to offer UM coverage, and you can reject it in writing. Many drivers have rejected it without understanding what they gave up.

If an uninsured driver injured you, review your own policy before concluding there is no recovery. The fastest practical step is to pull the declarations page for every policy in your household, then confirm in writing whether UM/UIM was accepted and at what limits. That documentation helps your lawyer find available coverage before bills and lost wages push you toward an early low settlement.

## Common Injuries

**Physical injuries** in these cases range from soft tissue damage to catastrophic harm. Common injuries include:

* [Traumatic brain injury](/louisiana/catastrophic-injury-lawyer/bossier-city/)
* Spinal cord injury
* Neck and back injuries, including herniated discs
* Broken bones
* [Amputation](/louisiana/catastrophic-injury-lawyer/amputation/)
* [Severe burns](/louisiana/burn-injury-lawyer/bossier-city/)
* Internal injuries
* Scarring and disfigurement

Not every injury shows at the scene. Concussion, internal bleeding, and disc injuries can develop over days, so prompt medical evaluation matters regardless of how you feel immediately after a crash.

**Psychological injuries** are recognized under Louisiana law. Anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and adjustment disorder can follow a serious accident and require diagnosis and documentation from a licensed mental health professional to support a claim.

## What to Do After an Accident in Haughton

### 1. Get medical attention

* Seek evaluation even if you do not believe you were seriously hurt.
* Records from the date of the accident are important evidence.
* Attend all follow-up appointments and follow your doctor's instructions.

Prompt treatment protects your health and creates dated records that tie the accident to your injuries. Gaps in treatment are among the first things an insurer uses to challenge a claim. Haughton has no hospital of its own, so the nearest emergency care is roughly 15 miles west at [Willis-Knighton Bossier Health Center](https://www.wkhs.com/locations/hospitals/wk-bossier) at 2400 Hospital Drive in Bossier City, which runs a 24/7 emergency department, with [CHRISTUS Bossier Emergency Hospital](https://www.christushealth.org/locations/bossier-emergency-hospital) at 2531 Viking Drive in Bossier City as an alternate 24/7 ER. For the most serious injuries, [Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport](https://www.ochsnerlsuhs.org/services-departments/trauma-care) at 1541 Kings Highway is the only Level I trauma center in north Louisiana, verified by the American College of Surgeons, and the destination for [traumatic brain injury](/louisiana/brain-injury-lawyer/bossier-city/), spinal cord injury, severe burns, and multiple-fracture cases. The distance from the crash scene to trauma-level care is a relevant fact in time-sensitive cases such as intracranial bleeding, because Haughton residents who need Level I care are routinely transported 15 to 17 miles west before they reach it.

### 2. Report the incident

* In a car accident, call the police.
* In a workplace injury, notify your supervisor in writing.
* A formal report documents that the accident occurred.

A police report is among the first documents your attorney will request. It establishes that the accident happened, identifies the at-fault driver, records any citations, and captures the responding officer's assessment. The [Haughton Police Department](https://haughtonla.gov/police-division/), at 120 West McKinley Avenue in Haughton, works crashes within the town limits; the [Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office](https://www.bossiersheriff.com/), at 204 Burt Boulevard in Benton, covers unincorporated parish roads in eastern Bossier Parish; and [Louisiana State Police Troop G](https://lsp.org/about/troop-information/troop-g-information/), headquartered at 5300 Industrial Drive Extension in Bossier City, works most fatal and highway crashes on I-20, US-80, and LA-157 in the area.

### 3. Gather evidence

* Photograph the scene, your injuries, and the property damage if you are able.
* Collect witness names and contact information.

### 4. Consult an attorney before speaking to the other side's insurer

* Adjusters may contact you quickly after a crash.
* Their goal is to resolve the claim for as little as possible.
* A recorded statement given before you understand your injuries can be used against you.
* An attorney can advise you before that conversation happens.

### 5. Track deadlines and preserve documents

* Save towing invoices, pharmacy receipts, mileage logs, and every insurer letter or email in one place.
* Ask your providers for complete records and itemized billing, not just visit summaries.
* Early organization helps your lawyer value damages and avoid preventable deadline mistakes.

## Why the 26th Judicial District Matters for Your Case

Haughton civil injury cases that go to trial are heard in the [26th Judicial District Court](https://www.26jdc.com/) at 204 Burt Boulevard in Benton. A civil jury seats 12 people, and 9 of the 12 must agree to return a verdict.

The Bossier Parish jury pool is drawn from the parish population, a different community than the Caddo Parish pool across the Red River or the Webster Parish pool to the east. The demographics, community context, and local knowledge jurors bring differ across parishes, and an attorney who understands the Bossier Parish pool has a practical advantage in deciding how to frame a case. The 26th JDC also carries its own local rules, case management procedures, and judicial assignments, which come from working in that courthouse rather than from a statute book.

## Why Choose Trey Morris Injury Lawyers

Trey Morris Injury Lawyers handles personal injury cases in Haughton, Bossier Parish, Caddo Parish, and throughout Northwest Louisiana. Both partners were raised in Northwest Louisiana and have practiced in these courts throughout their careers.

The firm is a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, a national organization that recognizes trial attorneys for significant case results. View our [case results](/case-results/) to weigh the track record for yourself.

Trey Morris Injury Lawyers represents personal injury clients on a contingency fee basis. There is no attorney fee unless the firm recovers compensation for you. The fee percentage is agreed in writing at the outset, and court costs are advanced by the firm and deducted from the recovery. The initial consultation is free. If you want to talk through your case, [contact us](/contact-us/).

## How to Request Records in Bossier Parish

The hospitals, police agencies, and courts that serve a Haughton injury claim are mapped in the sections above, beside the steps where you need them. This is how to pull the documents those agencies hold.

**Accident reports.** The [Haughton Police Department](https://haughtonla.gov/police-division/) at 120 West McKinley Avenue releases reports for crashes within the town limits; the department's phone line is (318) 949-6666. The [Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office](https://www.bossiersheriff.com/contactUs) at 204 Burt Boulevard in Benton, records line (318) 965-3409, handles crashes on unincorporated parish roads. Reports from crashes worked by the [Louisiana State Police](https://lsp.org/about/troop-information/troop-g-information/), which covers most I-20, US-80, and LA-157 crashes near Haughton, are purchased online at [crashreports.dps.la.gov](https://crashreports.dps.la.gov/) for $11.50 per report plus a processing fee, searchable by case number, driver's license number, plate number, or party's last name, and typically become available roughly 15 or more business days after the crash; fatal-crash reports are not sold through the online system, and crashes worked by Haughton PD or the Bossier Parish Sheriff's Office are not in the LSP database and must be requested from those agencies directly. If you are unsure which agency responded, your attorney can obtain the report once you provide the date, location, and names of the parties.

**Court filings.** Civil suits are filed with the [26th Judicial District Court](https://www.26jdc.com/) at 204 Burt Boulevard in Benton; civil filings run through the Bossier Parish Clerk of Court at the same courthouse address, main line (318) 965-2336. Crashes in Caddo Parish file instead at the [1st Judicial District Court](https://www.caddoclerk.com/court-system/first-judicial-district-court/) in Shreveport.

**Driving records.** Driving and vehicle-registration records come from the [Louisiana OMV ExpressLane portal](https://www.expresslane.org). A defendant's prior violation history can be relevant evidence in some cases.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Haughton?

For injuries occurring on or after July 1, 2024, you have two years from the date of injury to file under [La. C.C. Art. 3493.1](https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=1386443). For injuries before that date, the prior one-year deadline applies under [La. C.C. Art. 3492](https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=110515). Product liability claims follow these same deadlines. Some exceptions extend these deadlines. The discovery rule applies when an injury was not apparent at first. The deadline is tolled for claimants under age 18. Claims against the Town of Haughton, the Bossier Parish Police Jury, or a state agency follow the same general prescriptive period, but after suit is filed, service of citation on the government defendant must be requested within 90 days of filing under La. R.S. 13:5107(D). Because a Bossier Parish suit that misses prescription is usually dismissed even when liability is clear, the safer course is to consult counsel promptly rather than assume time remains.

### What if I was partly at fault for the accident?

For accidents occurring on or after January 1, 2026, Louisiana applies a 51% bar under [La. C.C. Art. 2323](https://www.legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=109387). If you are 50% or less at fault, you recover your damages reduced by your fault percentage. If you are 51% or more at fault, you recover nothing. For accidents before January 1, 2026, pure comparative fault applies and your damages are reduced by your percentage no matter how high it runs. Fault is allocated on the evidence, so partial fault does not automatically end your claim. Early investigation and documentation produce a more accurate account of what happened on the road.

### What happens if the driver who hit me had no insurance or too little?

Your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage may be your primary source of recovery. Louisiana requires insurers to offer UM coverage, but a driver can reject it in writing, and many people have without realizing it. Pull the declarations page for every policy in your household and confirm whether UM/UIM was accepted and at what limits. If you were in a commercial vehicle, rideshare, or bus, that vehicle's insurer may add coverage. Counsel can identify every available source before treatment bills force an early settlement.

### What is the No Pay, No Play rule in Louisiana?

Louisiana's No Pay, No Play law ([La. R.S. 32:866](https://legis.la.gov/Legis/Law.aspx?d=88612)) applies to drivers who carried no automobile insurance at the time of a crash. Since August 1, 2025, an uninsured driver cannot recover the first $100,000 in bodily injury damages or the first $100,000 in property damage, even when the other driver was entirely at fault. Maintaining coverage protects both your legal obligations and your right to recover if you are hurt.

### My case involves the Town of Haughton or a state road. What changes?

Government claims follow the same general two-year prescriptive period as other tort claims, and Louisiana does not require a pre-suit notice of claim before suing the Town of Haughton, the Bossier Parish Police Jury, or a state agency such as [LaDOTD](https://www.dotd.la.gov/). Two separate rules apply once the claim advances. First, [La. R.S. 13:5104](https://law.justia.com/codes/louisiana/revised-statutes/title-13/rs-13-5104/) requires suits against a political subdivision or its officer or employee to be filed in the district court of the judicial district where the subdivision is located or where the cause of action arose, which for a Haughton claim against the town, the parish, or a parish employee is the 26th JDC in Benton. Second, under [La. R.S. 13:5107(D)](https://codes.findlaw.com/la/revised-statutes/la-rev-stat-tit-13-sect-5107/), service of citation on the government defendant must be requested within 90 days of filing the suit, or the claim may be dismissed without prejudice as to that defendant. A separate damages cap under [La. R.S. 13:5106](https://law.justia.com/codes/louisiana/revised-statutes/title-13/rs-13-5106/) limits the state's or a political subdivision's total liability for personal injury to any one person to $500,000, exclusive of medical care and lost earnings, with the same $500,000 cap applying separately to wrongful death claims. If a road defect, a dangerous condition, or a government vehicle contributed to your injury on a Haughton street, a parish road, or a state highway such as US-80 or I-20, contact an attorney to protect both the prescriptive deadline and the service requirement.

### Where will my Haughton injury case be filed and tried?

Civil injury suits for Haughton, which sits in Bossier Parish, are filed in the [26th Judicial District Court](https://www.26jdc.com/) at 204 Burt Boulevard in Benton, the parish seat. If the case does not settle, a 12-person Bossier Parish jury decides it, and 9 of the 12 jurors must agree to reach a verdict in a civil case. The Bossier Parish jury pool is drawn from the parish population, which is its own community distinct from the Caddo Parish pool across the Red River. Some cases instead proceed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana when federal jurisdiction applies.

### Does it cost anything to hire Trey Morris Injury Lawyers?

There is no attorney fee unless the firm recovers compensation for you. The fee is a contingency percentage agreed in writing before representation begins. Court costs and case expenses are advanced by the firm and deducted from the recovery if the case succeeds. The initial consultation is free.

### What should I bring to my first meeting with a personal injury lawyer?

Bring the core documents that let counsel evaluate liability, damages, and deadlines quickly: the crash or incident report number, photos, witness names, your health insurance card, any medical records you already have, and all insurer correspondence. If a vehicle is involved, bring the declarations page showing your UM/UIM elections and policy limits. You do not need every record before the first meeting. A complete timeline with dates of treatment, missed work, and insurer contact is usually enough for the lawyer to identify immediate next steps and preservation tasks.