Car Wreck in Louisiana Leads to OWI and Other Charges

A Nov. 3 accident on I-10 in Louisiana has resulted in criminal charges for one driver. The car wreck resulted in the death of the driver whose vehicle was hit by the man now charged with his death. The driver has been charged with OWI and vehicular homicide along with lesser charges, including impeding the flow of traffic and failure to maintain insurance.

The accident occurred about 2:45 a.m. when a Ford pickup truck heading east on I-10 came to a stop on the Interstate. While the Ford was stopped, a Chevrolet pickup also heading east was reportedly unable to stop and collided with the rear of the first pickup. Both drivers were taken to area hospitals with critical injuries.

The driver of the Chevrolet pickup later died as a result of the injuries he sustained in the accident. Toxicology samples were taken as part of the ongoing investigation. The results of the toxicology tests have indicated that the driver of the truck stopped in the roadway was impaired at the time of the accident.

Now that the official investigation has led to the driver of the Ford pickup being criminally charged with causing the death of the other driver, the family may find the results of the investigation useful in a wrongful death lawsuit. According to Louisiana law, a person charged with vehicular homicide is accused of being responsible for a fatal car wreck while impaired by either drugs or alcohol. Even if the driver is not convicted on this charge in a criminal court, the burden of proof in civil court is such that he could still be found civilly liable for the other driver’s death.