New Orleans Red-Light & Stop-Sign accident ATtorNEY

Red-Light and Stop-Sign Accident Lawyer in New Orleans East

Intersection Crashes Can Cause Serious Injuries When Drivers Ignore Traffic Signals

Red-light and stop-sign accidents often happen because a driver is distracted, speeding, impaired, impatient, or trying to beat traffic. These crashes can be especially dangerous because the injured person may be hit from the side or struck with little warning.

Donald D’Aunoy Jr. represents people injured in New Orleans East crashes caused by drivers who ignored red lights, stop signs, or other traffic controls, including accidents on Chef Menteur Highway, Lake Forest Boulevard, Crowder Boulevard, I-10 access roads, and neighborhood intersections.

Why Red-Light and Stop-Sign Crashes Are So Dangerous

Traffic signals and stop signs are supposed to create predictable movement through intersections. When one driver ignores them, other drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and cyclists may have little time to react.

Common red-light and stop-sign crash scenarios include:

• A driver accelerates through a red light and strikes a vehicle entering on green
• A driver rolls through a stop sign and hits cross traffic
• A driver fails to stop before turning right
• A driver stops briefly but pulls out without checking both directions
• A driver runs a light and causes a multi-vehicle intersection crash

These are often T-bone, angle, or broadside collisions. Side impacts can cause serious injuries because there is usually less vehicle structure between the occupant and the striking vehicle.

Running a Light Is Not Always the Same as Misjudging a Yellow

Some intersection crashes involve a driver knowingly running a red light or stop sign. Others involve a driver misjudging a yellow light, stopping too late, rolling through a stop sign, or entering the intersection after failing to fully check traffic.

That distinction can matter when evaluating how the crash happened and how the driver’s conduct should be described. However, from an injury-claim standpoint, the central issue is usually straightforward: did the driver fail to obey the traffic control and cause the crash?

Evidence That Can Help Prove a Traffic Signal or Stop-Sign Violation

Red-light and stop-sign crashes often seem obvious at the scene. Your light was green, their light was red. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation may still need to be proven with evidence, particularly once insurance companies get involved. Evidence can help show who had the light, who entered the intersection, and where the impact occurred.

Useful evidence may include:

• Police reports and citations
• Witness statements from drivers, passengers, pedestrians, or nearby businesses
• Traffic camera or intersection camera footage, if available
• Dashcam footage
• Surveillance video from nearby stores, gas stations, homes, or apartment complexes
• Photos of vehicle positions after impact
• Damage patterns showing angle and direction of impact
• Skid marks, debris fields, and impact location
• Traffic light timing or signal sequencing in serious disputed cases
• 911 calls or statements made immediately after the crash

If video footage exists, it may only be stored for a limited time. Acting early can help preserve evidence before it is deleted or overwritten.