ATV driver sentenced in July 2014 fatal accident
On July 27, 2014, a woman was killed in Louisiana when she was struck by an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) on the streets of New Orleans. Three people faced criminal charges in connection with the fatal accident. The impending trail for two of them is currently set for April 11. The man who was driving the ATV that hit the victim was recently sentenced in connection with a plea deal.
The accident occurred outside a night club at approximately 11:30 p.m. The 37-year-old woman was struck and left for dead by both drivers of the two ATVs and the passenger who was on the second one. None of them even attempted to save the woman. Her family took her off life support nine days after the accident.
In exchange for his testimony against the other two, the driver of the ATV who hit the woman will serve two five-year sentences consecutively without the possibility of parole or early release. The family of the victim approved of the agreement. However, they still do not believe that justice will ever be done.
Even though a driver such as the one in this fatal accident is convicted and sentenced to prison, the family of the victim retains the right to file a wrongful death claim against the party or parties believed to have caused or contributed to the death of their loved one. If a Louisiana court rules that a victim died due to the negligence of another, it might consider an award of damages. A monetary judgment will never bring back a loved one, but it could help with the financial losses that are inevitable in these cases.
Source: nola.com, “ATV driver gets 10 years guilty plea in fatal Treme crash“, Ken Daley, Feb. 22, 2016