LouisianaLouisiana law sets prison terms for deadly hit-and-runs
Louisiana law sets prison terms for hit-and-run drivers when a crash directly causes death or serious injury, with longer terms for some repeat offenders.
What it does
A driver convicted of hit-and-run driving that directly causes death or serious injury faces a fine of up to $5,000, two to ten years in prison, or both. If the victim was walking or biking, at least two years must be served without parole, probation, or a suspended sentence.
A driver with a listed serious prior driving conviction faces five to twenty years in prison for hit-and-run driving that directly causes death or serious injury. If the victim was walking or biking, at least five years must be served without parole, probation, or a suspended sentence.
Argument forLong prison terms could discourage drivers with serious prior convictions from leaving after a crash that causes death or serious injury.
Argument againstLong prison terms could keep convicted drivers away from their families and communities for many years.
More detail
A person convicted of hit-and-run driving faces a fine of up to $5,000, two to ten years in prison, or both. This applies to hit-and-run driving when the accident directly causes death or serious bodily injury. The accident must directly cause death or serious bodily injury. The driver must know or have reason to know that death or serious bodily injury occurred, and the vehicle must be directly involved in the accident. If the victim was a pedestrian or bicyclist, at least two years of the sentence must be served without parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.
A person convicted of hit-and-run driving under the listed conditions faces five to twenty years in prison. This applies when hit-and-run driving directly causes death or serious bodily injury and the driver has one of the listed prior convictions. The accident must directly cause death or serious bodily injury, and the driver must have known or, under the text's unclear wording, been required to know the vehicle was involved in or directly caused an accident. The driver must have a prior conviction for one of the listed serious driving offenses: repeated impaired-driving offenses within ten years, vehicular homicide, or vehicular negligent-injury offenses. If the victim was a pedestrian or bicyclist, at least five years of the sentence must be served without parole, probation, or suspension of sentence.
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed House
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Jun 9Signed by the Governor Jeff Landry. Becomes Act No. 890.Became Law
- Jun 9Effective date: 08/01/2026.
- May 28Sent to the Governor for executive approval.To Governor
- May 27Enrolled and signed by the Speaker of the House.Minor
- May 27Signed by the President of the Senate.
- May 26Rules suspended. Read by title, passed by a vote of 36 yeas and 0 nays, and ordered returned to the House. Motion to reconsider tabled.Passed Senate
- Vote recorded FINAL PASSAGE (#1323). Result: pass.Upper
- May 26Received from the Senate without amendments.Minor
- May 21Reported without Legislative Bureau amendments. Read by title and passed to third reading and final passage.Minor
- May 20Read by title and referred to the Legislative Bureau.
- May 19Reported favorably.Minor
- May 12Read second time by title and referred to the Committee on Judiciary C.Minor
- May 11Received in the Senate. Read first time by title and placed on the Calendar for a second reading.Minor
- May 7Called from the calendar.
- Vote recorded FINAL PASSAGE (#987). Result: pass.Lower
- May 7Read third time by title, roll called on final passage, yeas 97, nays 0. Finally passed, title adopted, ordered to the Senate.Passed House
- May 6Notice given.
- May 6Scheduled for floor debate on 05/07/2026.
- Apr 15Read by title, returned to the calendar.
- Apr 14Scheduled for floor debate on 04/15/2026.
- Apr 13Read by title, ordered engrossed, passed to 3rd reading.Minor
- Apr 9Read by title, substitute title adopted, lies over in the same order of business, substitute for HB No. 84 reported by the Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice (9-0).Introduced
Criminal JusticePublic Safety