Until children reach a certain age, they rely on their parents for almost everything. Parents typically do what they can to keep their children safe, and that includes keeping them safe on the Louisiana roadways. However, even when a parent takes every precaution, the possibility of a car accident or truck accident still exists.
A Dodge Stratus containing two adults and two children was pulled over on the right shoulder of I-12 when tragedy struck recently. A delivery truck drifted off the road onto the same shoulder, causing the Freightliner to slam into the right rear of the Dodge. The impact sent the Dodge spinning across the roadway into the median.
According to the Louisiana State Police, the truck driver was not paying attention to the road when this truck drifted onto the shoulder. He has been charged with negligent homicide, among other things, due to the death of a 1-year-old that was in the Dodge at the time of the accident. A front seat passenger is in serious condition at North Oaks Medical Center. The driver and a 2-year-old boy suffered moderate injuries and were transported to St. Tammany Parish Hospital.
There are several potential legal actions as a result of this truck accident. The surviving family of the deceased baby retains the right to pursue a wrongful death action based on proof of negligence by any party deemed at fault for the tragedy. Further the three people injured in the crash also have the right to press forward with personal injury claims, again based upon evidence of negligence. If liability is established, claims for monetary damages will be considered.
Louisiana
2 Louisiana Men Dead After Motorcycle Versus Car Wreck
As many Louisiana residents know, being involved in an accident can be devastating. When the same accident is a motorcycle vs. car wreck, the results can be fatal and completely devastate a family. The vulnerability of motorcycle riders makes any accident they are involved in potentially that much worse.
For instance, a head on collision between two cars is sometimes survivable, but the probability of the accident being fatal increases dramatically when one of the vehicles is a motorcycle. The Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office knows this all too well. They are currently investigating a head on collision between a car and motorcycle that left the driver and passenger of the motorcycle dead.
The accident occurred when a motorcycle headed west on Quarter Pole Road in Acadia Parish was hit head on by a car going east. One of the motorcycle riders was pronounced dead at the scene while the other succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital. The driver of the car suffered non-life threatening injuries. Louisiana authorities say that no charges have as yet been filed, but they are pending the results of the investigation.
While the families of the victims await the results of the investigation, they are left to bury their loved ones. When a life is cut short in a car wreck, families are never prepared for such a sudden, violent loss. As they struggle to come to terms with what occurred, they retain the right to file a wrongful death action against the driver of the car if the evidence confirms the deaths were caused by the negligence of the other driver. Filing a wrongful death claim won’t bring back their loved one, but it may help the family recover the inevitable financial loss associated with a fatal car accident if they prevail in proving that the driver was negligent in causing the death of the victims.
Louisiana Family Mourns Death After Hit-and-Run Auto Accident
Even when a loved one dies of natural causes, it leaves a hole in the family’s life. Losing a loved one in an auto accident adds another dimension of grief since the loss is so sudden. One Louisiana family must deal with the sudden loss of a woman who was killed by a hit-and-run driver.
The woman and her fiancé were leaving the Gueydan Duck Festival on foot when they were both struck by a car. Both victims were taken to a local Louisiana hospital. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, the woman later died as a result of her injuries. Her fiancé is still in the hospital and has already had to undergo three separate surgeries to repair damage to his legs.
There is still no news of the vehicle that hit them. The woman’s fiancé is assuming that there should be significant damage to the vehicle after hitting two people. Authorities are asking for anyone to come forward who may have information about this tragic accident.
The family knows that finding the person who hit the woman and her fiancé won’t bring the woman back or heal her fiancé’s injuries, but it may provide them with a sense of closure. The family may want to be advised of their rights in connection with this auto accident so that when authorities find the driver, they have the information they need to file civil actions if they choose to do so. Any civil action they file may also be affected by the outcome of criminal charges, if any, and any conviction may be offered as evidence of liability in a related civil proceeding.
Louisiana Police Seek Driver in Hit-and-Run Car Wreck
Most Louisiana drivers do the best they can to follow the rules of the road and remain vigilant while driving. After all, no one wants to have an accident, but when accidents do happen, most people are responsible enough to stop. However, that wasn’t the case with a recent hit-and-run car wreck that killed a man on a bicycle.
Louisiana State Police are trying to find the driver of a Mazda 626 that they believe struck the bicycle rider. Authorities say that the wreck occurred when the Mazda collided with the right front corner of the bicycle, knocking the man off. The bicycle rider was not wearing a helmet and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Mazda was found abandoned in a parking lot not far from the scene of the accident. The State Police Crime Lab is collecting evidence from the vehicle in an attempt to identify its driver. Meanwhile, investigators are piecing together the accident. State Police are asking anyone with information to contact them.
While the authorities do what they can to find the driver of the Mazda that was involved in this fatal car wreck, the bicycle rider’s family is left to deal with both his loss and uncertainty about what happened. When authorities find the driver of the Mazda, that driver will most likely be subject to criminal charges. What those charges will be is unknown at this time. In addition to criminal charges, the victim’s family retains the right to sue for wrongful death against any party whose negligence is deemed to have caused the fatality. Sadly, any attempt to prove the driver was negligent will not change what occurred, but a successful claim may provide the family with some sense of justice and restitution for monetary damages sustained.
Louisiana Police Officer Killed in Off-Duty Accident
Everyone in Louisiana knows that being a police officer can be a dangerous job. Every time an officer puts on a uniform and goes to work, he or she takes on a risk of being injured or killed. Most news stories about police officers being killed are when they are on the job. However, off-duty police officers are perhaps just as likely to be the victim of an accident, even a fatal accident, as the rest of the drivers on the road.
An off-duty Rosepine, Louisiana, police officer was killed in a traffic accident earlier this month. The officer was preparing to make a right-hand turn when another vehicle rear-ended him, causing the officer’s car to overturn. The officer wasn’t wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle. He was taken to Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, where he later died despite the efforts of medical personnel to save his life. The driver of the vehicle that collided with the officer was also not wearing a seat belt but did not suffer any injuries as a result of the accident.
As part of their initial investigation, Louisiana authorities have cited the driver for following too closely. The accident is still under investigation, and toxicology samples were also taken to determine whether impairment was a factor in the accident. Whether any further citations or charges will be filed remains to be seen.
In the meantime, the family of the officer is left to grieve their loss. At some point, the family may wish to assess whether they want to file a wrongful death action against the driver. Making that determination involves several factors, and the family may gain from seeking advice from a personal injury attorney regarding their decision. Although it is true that nothing can bring back a loved one who has died in a fatal accident, the family may often gain some sense of justice from civil action. There are also financial considerations when a loved one dies, such as medical and funeral expenses, based on proof of negligence by another party in the accident.
Louisiana Teen Passenger Killed in One Vehicle Car Wreck
What starts out as a night of fun can quickly become a nightmare when drinking and driving. Thousands of people around the country, including in Louisiana, lose their lives every day because of drunk drivers. Accidents can happen at any time, but when drinking is involved, the possibility of a car wreck increases exponentially.
Police suspect that alcohol may have played a part in an accident that killed one 19-year-old and injured another. The 19-year-old driver was heading south on Louisiana 363 in the Grand Prairie area when he lost control on a curve, crossed the center line, careened into two cement culverts, flipped, and finally came to rest in a ditch. Even though the driver wasn’t wearing a seat belt, he was only injured. His passenger was not as lucky–he died at the scene of the accident.
Police have indicated that when the teenage driver is released from the hospital, he will be arrested on charges of vehicular homicide, reckless operation of a vehicle, no seat belt and open alcoholic beverage container. Apparently because of drinking and driving, two lives were forever altered that night. While the police complete their investigation and the driver recovers from his injuries, the family of the young man that died has to begin the excruciating process of trying to come to grips with the breadth of the tragedy.
While the driver faces the criminal proceedings against him, he will also have to deal with the possibility of a wrongful death claim from the family of his young passenger. Louisiana law permits such a civil claim when a fatality occurs through the negligent or intentional conduct of another. Whether the family chooses to pursue this avenue of relief remains to be seen, though they will likely look to the official report of the accident investigation as they consider their rights under state law in connection with this tragic car wreck.