How long do I have to file a personal injury lawsuit in Washington Parish?

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 keep a one-year prescriptive period regardless of the injury date. 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 Washington Parish government, the City of Bogalusa, the Town of Franklinton, or a state agency follow the same two-year prescription, with no pre-suit notice required, 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)](https://codes.findlaw.com/la/revised-statutes/la-rev-stat-tit-13-sect-5107/). Because a Washington 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. On rural Washington Parish highways such as LA-21 and LA-10, the at-fault driver may carry only minimum limits, which makes your own coverage matter more. If you were in a commercial vehicle, log truck, or paper-mill fleet vehicle, that vehicle's insurer may add coverage. Counsel can identify every available source before treatment bills force an early settlement.

My case involves the City of Bogalusa or a state highway. What changes?

Government claims run on the same two-year prescription as other injury claims, and Louisiana imposes no pre-suit notice of claim and no pre-suit review process for a tort suit against the City of Bogalusa, the Town of Franklinton, the Washington Parish government, or a state agency such as [LaDOTD](https://www.dotd.la.gov/). The difference is procedural: under [La. R.S. 13:5107(D)](https://codes.findlaw.com/la/revised-statutes/la-rev-stat-tit-13-sect-5107/), once the suit is filed you must request service of citation on the government defendant within 90 days of filing, or the suit may be dismissed without prejudice as to that defendant. If a road defect, a dangerous condition, or a government vehicle contributed to your injury on a Washington Parish road or a state highway such as LA-21 or LA-10, an attorney can preserve the claim and meet that service requirement.

Where will my Washington Parish injury case be filed and tried?

Civil injury suits for Washington Parish are filed in the [22nd Judicial District Court](https://online.22ndjdc.org/), which serves both Washington Parish and St. Tammany Parish. Washington Parish matters are heard at the parish courthouse in Franklinton, the parish seat. If the case does not settle, a 12-person Washington Parish jury decides it, and 9 of the 12 jurors must agree to reach a verdict in a civil case. The Washington Parish jury pool is drawn from the parish population, a rural community distinct from the St. Tammany Parish pool on the other side of the same judicial district. Some cases instead proceed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana when federal jurisdiction applies.

Does it cost anything to hire Morris & Dewett?

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.

Washington Parish Injury Lawyers

Q: 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.

Washington Parish Injury Claims: Where They Are Filed and How They Work

Washington Parish occupies the northeast corner of the Florida Parishes, on the Mississippi line, with Franklinton as its parish seat and Bogalusa as its largest city. It is a rural parish shaped by timber and the paper mill, and if your injury claim does not settle, it is where the case will be tried.

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, 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 for Washington Parish are filed in the 22nd Judicial District Court, which the parish shares with St. Tammany Parish. Washington Parish matters are heard at the parish courthouse in Franklinton, while St. Tammany cases proceed in Covington across the same district. That shared structure means the judges and clerk’s office that handle a Washington Parish claim also handle the larger St. Tammany docket, so local familiarity with how the Franklinton courthouse runs its calendar matters to the pace of a case.

Serving Washington Parish

Served from our Covington office.

661 River Highland Blvd
Covington, LA 70433

985-328-2332

Open 24/7 for injured Washington Parish residents

Get directions →

What Types of Cases We Handle in Washington Parish

Morris & Dewett represents clients in Washington Parish and the surrounding parishes in cases involving:

Wrongful death claims for Washington Parish families proceed under La. C.C. Art. 2315.2, 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, which sets the exclusive theories against a manufacturer.

Most Washington Parish injury cases stay in state court at the 22nd JDC in Franklinton. Federal court in the Eastern District of Louisiana takes jurisdiction when the parties are citizens of different states and the amount in dispute exceeds $75,000, or when a federal statute controls. Morris & Dewett handles cases in both the 22nd Judicial District Court and the Eastern District, depending on the facts of the claim.

What We Handle

Washington Parish Practice Areas

The roads that move Washington Parish traffic also generate its crash volume. LA-21 runs through Bogalusa and connects the parish toward Covington and the St. Tammany line, carrying the parish’s heaviest commuter and commercial traffic. LA-10 runs east to west through Franklinton, linking the parish seat to neighboring parishes. Two-lane state highways and rural parish roads carry log trucks and farm equipment alongside passenger vehicles, a mix that produces head-on and run-off-road crashes at highway speed rather than the stop-and-go intersection collisions of an urban core.

The parish economy widens the range of injury contexts. Timber and forest products anchor the local economy, and the Bogalusa paper mill has been the parish’s defining industrial employer for more than a century. Logging crews, mill operations, and the trucks that haul raw timber and finished paper all carry their own hazard profiles, from heavy-equipment injuries to highway collisions with loaded log trucks. When a third party’s negligence causes a workplace injury, La. R.S. 23:1101 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. Crossing the center line on LA-21 is a breach. Leaving a wet floor unmarked in a Bogalusa 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 stop sign and struck you supplies the duty and breach, and the focus shifts to causation and damages.

Government and Premises Claims

Some Washington Parish injuries involve a government defendant rather than a private one. If the City of Bogalusa, the Town of Franklinton, the Washington Parish government, or LaDOTD contributed to your injury through a road defect, a dangerous condition, or a government vehicle, the same two-year prescription applies and no pre-suit notice of claim is required. The difference is procedural: under La. R.S. 13:5107(D), once suit is filed you must request service of citation on the government defendant within 90 days of filing, or the suit may be dismissed without prejudice as to that defendant.

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, 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 Washington 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.

Representative Results

$409 Million Wrongful 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 Million Motor 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 Million Industrial / 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 Million Industrial / Workplace

Brain and spinal injuries followed an oil-field company failing to maintain equipment and provide a safe work site.

$17.2 Million Commercial 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 Million Commercial 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.

$12.1 Million Motor Vehicle Accident

A commercial vehicle failed to stop at a red light subsequently crashing into our client causing serious brain injury and permanent loss of function.

$7 Million Motor Vehicle Accident

When the other vehicle struck our client, the result was a major hemorrhage and a stroke.

$7 Million Commercial Vehicle Accident

An 18-wheeler cut across traffic on an illegal left turn and hit our client, who suffered neck and back injuries.

$6.2 Million Motor Vehicle Accident

A fatigued commercial-vehicle driver fell asleep at the wheel and rear-ended our client, leaving our client with severe neck and back injuries.

$5 Million Wrongful Death

A hydraulic line exploded at a job site, taking the life of our client's loved one.

$4 Million Commercial Vehicle Accident

Our client's vehicle was struck by the at-fault vehicle, resulting in neck and back injuries.

$3.2 Million Commercial Vehicle Accident

While our client was stopped, the at-fault driver rear-ended our client's vehicle and set it on fire, leaving our client seriously hurt.

$3.1 Million Wrongful Death

An 18-wheeler caused a fatal collision that took the life of our client's loved one.

$3 Million Commercial Vehicle Accident

A commercial vehicle struck and killed our client's loved one, who was on foot.

$3 Million Motor Vehicle Accident

Out on the highway, the at-fault driver hit our client.

$2.9 Million Motor Vehicle Accident

Our client was rear-ended by the other driver and seriously injured.

$2.8 Million Commercial Vehicle Accident

On the highway, an unsecured load came off an 18-wheeler and struck our client's vehicle, causing orthopedic injuries.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes; each case is decided on its own facts. See our full case results.

Louisiana Tort Reform: What Changed and When

Louisiana’s personal injury law changed substantially between 2024 and 2026. Here is what directly affects Washington Parish claims.

Filing deadline. For injuries on or after July 1, 2024, you have two years to file suit (La. C.C. Art. 3493.1), enacted by Act 423 of the 2024 session. This replaced the one-year deadline in place since 1825. Product liability claims keep the one-year prescriptive period. Injuries before July 1, 2024 remain governed by the one-year rule. A prescriptive period is the legal filing deadline, and a Washington 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).

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). 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).

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 in Louisiana. Medical malpractice cases carry a separate $500,000 cap under La. R.S. 40:1231.2, 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 Washington 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:

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.

Your Washington Parish Injury Attorneys

Founding partners Trey Morris and Justin Dewett lead every Washington Parish injury case Morris & Dewett takes.

What to Do After an Accident in Washington Parish

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. Our Lady of the Angels Hospital in Bogalusa and Riverside Medical Center in Franklinton handle local emergency care; for the most serious injuries, such as traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, or severe burns, the parish’s rural hospitals stabilize and transfer to a regional trauma center.

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 Louisiana State Police work crashes on the state highways through Washington Parish, including LA-21 and LA-10; city streets in Bogalusa and Franklinton fall to the local police departments, and unincorporated parish roads to the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office.

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 22nd Judicial District Matters for Your Case

Washington Parish civil injury cases that go to trial are heard in the 22nd Judicial District Court at the parish courthouse in Franklinton. A civil jury seats 12 people, and 9 of the 12 must agree to return a verdict.

The Washington Parish jury pool is drawn from the parish population, a rural community distinct from the St. Tammany Parish pool that shares the same judicial district. Because the 22nd JDC spans both parishes, the same judges and procedures govern a far larger St. Tammany docket, and an attorney who understands how Washington Parish matters are scheduled and tried in Franklinton has a practical advantage in moving a case. The 22nd 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 Morris & Dewett

Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers handles personal injury cases in Washington Parish, St. Tammany Parish, and across the Florida Parishes. The firm pairs trial experience with the local knowledge that a rural parish docket rewards.

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 to weigh the track record for yourself.

Morris & Dewett 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.

What clients say

★★★★★
I hired Morris and Dewett back in November of 2025.
They helped me get through my hard times of being off work, stress, and worry. Anytime I had a question I could call and they always had an answer. Very nice and professtional people. Thank you Morris and Dewett for making this an easy process for me and my family.
jonathan ChandlerShreveport Office · Jun. 27, 2026
★★★★★
Morris and Dewett and their team of attorneys and staff go above and beyond.
They always were there to support me and answer all my questions after a shoulder injury that included multiple surgeries. They are caring and compassionate and that goes a long way! Highly recommended!
Carolyn LawsonMinden Office · Jun. 26, 2026
★★★★★
Thanks Morris and Dewett for the excellent work you have done on my behalf.
I want to personally thank Sarah for her kindness.
Lydell ScottCovington Office · Jun. 18, 2026
★★★★★
Morris & Dewett does things the right way!
They put their clients first in measurable and impactful ways.
Brooke BirkeyRuston Office · Jun. 11, 2026
★★★★★
First time being injured and needing a lawyer they where very helpful.
They answered my questions Id have very well. Highly recommend them.
Sarah StarlingLake Charles Office · Jun. 5, 2026
★★★★★
Wonderful experience with Morris and DeWitt, everyone was articulate and punctual, and open to all my questions about the process.
My case couldn't have been handled by a better team! Caity Nerren, Jessica Christian, and Meghan Nolen were all fantastic and helped every step of the way. Thanks again for all of your hard work.
Taylor ThorneShreveport Office · Jun. 20, 2026

Reviews reflect individual client experiences. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

How to Request Records in Washington Parish

The hospitals, police agencies, and courts that serve a Washington Parish 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. Crashes inside the city are released by the Bogalusa Police Department and crashes inside Franklinton by the Franklinton Police Department; allow about 48 hours after the crash. The Louisiana State Police, which work crashes on LA-21, LA-10, and other state highways, post reports at crashreports.dps.la.gov, typically 10 to 15 business days after the crash. For unincorporated parish roads, the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office records division handles the request. 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 22nd Judicial District Court at the Washington Parish courthouse in Franklinton; civil filings run through the Washington Parish Clerk of Court. St. Tammany Parish crashes file instead at the 22nd JDC courthouse in Covington.

Driving records. Driving and vehicle-registration records come from the Louisiana OMV ExpressLane portal. 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 Washington Parish?: 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. For injuries before that date, the prior one-year deadline applies under La. C.C. Art. 3492. Product liability claims keep a one-year prescriptive period regardless of the injury date. 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 Washington Parish government, the City of Bogalusa, the Town of Franklinton, or a state agency follow the same two-year prescription, with no pre-suit notice required, 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 Washington 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. 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. On rural Washington Parish highways such as LA-21 and LA-10, the at-fault driver may carry only minimum limits, which makes your own coverage matter more. If you were in a commercial vehicle, log truck, or paper-mill fleet vehicle, 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) 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 City of Bogalusa or a state highway. What changes?: Government claims run on the same two-year prescription as other injury claims, and Louisiana imposes no pre-suit notice of claim and no pre-suit review process for a tort suit against the City of Bogalusa, the Town of Franklinton, the Washington Parish government, or a state agency such as LaDOTD. The difference is procedural: under La. R.S. 13:5107(D), once the suit is filed you must request service of citation on the government defendant within 90 days of filing, or the suit may be dismissed without prejudice as to that defendant. If a road defect, a dangerous condition, or a government vehicle contributed to your injury on a Washington Parish road or a state highway such as LA-21 or LA-10, an attorney can preserve the claim and meet that service requirement.
Where will my Washington Parish injury case be filed and tried?: Civil injury suits for Washington Parish are filed in the 22nd Judicial District Court, which serves both Washington Parish and St. Tammany Parish. Washington Parish matters are heard at the parish courthouse in Franklinton, the parish seat. If the case does not settle, a 12-person Washington Parish jury decides it, and 9 of the 12 jurors must agree to reach a verdict in a civil case. The Washington Parish jury pool is drawn from the parish population, a rural community distinct from the St. Tammany Parish pool on the other side of the same judicial district. Some cases instead proceed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana when federal jurisdiction applies.
Does it cost anything to hire Morris & Dewett?: 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.