Lake Charles Car Accident Statistics

Car accidents remain a serious concern in Lake Charles, especially for those who experience serious injuries. With insurance companies doing all they can to minimize payouts, understanding Lake Charles car accident statistics is more important than ever.

Familiarizing yourself with these statistics while understanding the correlation between the underlying cause and injuries can mean the difference between accepting whatever low-ball the insurance companies offer and going after every penny you deserve.

Louisiana’s Road Safety Landscape — Through the Lens of Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish

In the heart of Lake Charles, collisions are frequent at busy intersections and along high-traffic corridors like Ryan Street, Nelson Road, and Highway 14. These areas see a mix of commuter traffic, retail access points, and tourist vehicles, all contributing to rear-end accidents, side-swipes, and dangerous left-turn crashes.

Just outside the city center, rural stretches of roads like LA-27 and Highway 171 are common sites for head-on collisions and single-vehicle crashes. These roads often have narrow shoulders, limited lighting, and higher speed limits.

Motorcycles and pedestrians are also vulnerable. In areas where crosswalks are faded or drivers are in a hurry, visibility becomes a major safety issue.

If you’ve been in a crash, what matters most is what happens next. Injury claims can quickly become complicated, especially when insurance companies try to downplay your injuries or shift the blame onto you.

A local Lake Charles attorney can guide you through Louisiana’s legal process, gather evidence, and make sure your claim is taken seriously.

Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish: A Statistical Overview

In 2023, Lake Charles reported over 3000 car crashes, with over 900 reporting serious injuries. Nevertheless, the number of car crash-related deaths is down when compared with 2015 and 2016, which saw the highest number of fatal car accidents in Lake Charles — 24 per year, versus an average of 15 statewide.

As of 2024, Calcasieu Parish saw 31 total fatalities across the total number of car accidents. Those fatalities included:

• 21 drivers
• 1 passenger
• 5 pedestrians
• 3 bicyclists

By comparison, the state of Louisiana saw 767 car crash-related fatalities alone in 2024. These show that while Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish have lower fatality rates than the state average, traffic accidents — especially those involving serious injuries and death — remain a major concern.

Alcohol Impairment and Car Crashes in Lake Charles and Calcasieu Parish

In Calcasieu Parish, the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission has consistently flagged alcohol as a major contributing factor in fatal and injury-causing collisions.

According to Destination Zero Deaths — a state-backed initiative of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan from the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development — alcohol-impaired driving accounted for 40% of all traffic fatalities in the state over the last decade, with two-thirds of these fatalities occurring between 6 pm and 3 am.

Lake Charles, being a regional hub for nightlife, casinos, college events, and industrial shift work, sees an ongoing mix of high-risk scenarios for impaired driving. Whether it’s drivers heading home from bars on Ryan Street or late-night traffic along the I-210 loop, crashes involving alcohol are far too common.

The Center for Analytics & Research in Transportation Safety (CARTS) at LSU provides parish-level crash data through its CRASH system, and for 2023, it showed that alcohol was a contributing factor in 30% of all crashes in Calcasieu Parish.

Driving under the influence doesn’t just affect crash risk. In Louisiana, a first-time DWI offense can lead to license suspension, mandatory education courses, fines, and possible jail time — even when no crash occurs. But when impaired driving results in a collision, especially one involving serious injury or death, the legal consequences are far more severe.

Negligence Is the #1 Cause of Car Accidents in Lake Charles

Most car accidents in Lake Charles aren’t caused by bad weather or vehicle malfunctions — they happen because someone wasn’t paying attention or made a careless decision behind the wheel. Behaviors such as texting while driving, speeding through intersections, or failing to yield are all examples of negligence, and unfortunately, they’re the most common reasons crashes happen in our area.

In Louisiana, drivers have a legal responsibility to safely operate their vehicles. When someone breaks that responsibility — by driving distracted, aggressively, or recklessly — and it leads to an accident, they can be held accountable. Proving negligence is at the heart of most car accident claims, and it’s often what determines whether an injured person can receive the compensation they deserve.

FAQs

Q: Can I Be Held Partially at Fault for a Car Accident Even if the Other Driver Was Drunk?

A: Yes, you can be held partially responsible for a car accident even if the other person was drunk. Under Louisiana’s comparative fault system, you can still be assigned a percentage of blame, even if the other driver was intoxicated. For example, if you were speeding or made an illegal turn, that behavior could reduce your compensation.

Q: What if I Was Injured in a Crash Caused by Someone Driving a Company Vehicle?

A: If the at-fault driver was operating a vehicle for work, their employer may share liability under Louisiana’s vicarious liability laws. This opens the door to a claim against the company — not just the driver. An experienced Lake Charles car accident lawyer can identify whether the driver was acting within the scope of employment and determine if their corporate insurance policy should apply.

Q: Can I Recover Damages if I Wasn’t Wearing a Seatbelt During the Crash?

A: Yes, you can recover damages if you weren’t wearing a seatbelt during the crash. However, it might affect your claim. Louisiana law doesn’t bar recovery if you weren’t buckled up, but the defense could argue that your injuries were worsened by not wearing a seatbelt. This is a tactic often used to reduce compensation.

Q: How Do I File a Claim if the Driver Who Hit Me Fled the Scene and Was Never Identified?

A: If the at-fault driver can’t be identified, you might still be able to recover damages through your own uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. Louisiana requires insurers to offer UM coverage unless explicitly waived. An experienced lawyer can help you file a claim, prove the hit-and-run meets legal standards, and negotiate with your insurance provider.

Protecting Your Rights After a Crash in Lake Charles

If you’ve been injured in a car accident, the Lake Charles injury attorney team at Lee M. Schwalben, M.D., J.D., LLC helps individuals understand their rights, gather the evidence needed to prove fault, and fight for the compensation they’re entitled to

Contact us today to schedule a consultation with our team.