Even though she was properly restrained, a 14-year-old girl is dead after a tortfeasor (negligent driver) ran off the road and smashed into a tree.
The wreck occurred on westbound Louisiana Route 422 near the intersection of Louisiana Route 19. According to police, 24-year-old Shannon Sessions “became distracted by a bug that flew into her vehicle.” She then drove her Jeep Wrangler off the road, and it plummeted down a steep embankment before crashing into a tree and overturning. Backseat passenger 14-year-old Emily Sessions, of Woodville, Miss., was declared dead at the scene; Shannon Sessions and a frontseat passenger were both seriously injured. [Read more…] about Distracted Driver Kills Teenager
Authorities Initiate 'Zero For December' Campaign
This month, the Louisiana State Police will supplement the nationwide Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign with the annual Zero for December initiative, to hopefully eliminate fatal accidents in the coming weeks.
Officers plan to use a combination of sobriety checkpoints and aggressive saturation enforcement to combat impaired driving this holiday season. Although the Zero for December program has never reached that goal, Cassie Parker of the South Central Planning and Development Commission said the goal remained the same. “Every fatality involving a car crash is preventable, 100 percent,” she insisted, if vehicle occupants buckle up, drivers avoid alcohol, obey the speed limit, and focus on driving. “We all have a responsibility to do those things,” she added. The LSP has observed Zero for December every year since 2001. [Read more…] about Authorities Initiate 'Zero For December' Campaign
Reckless Injuries To Sewer Workers
Federal authorities ordered Don M. Barron Contractor to pay over $152,000 in fines after investigators determined that bosses sent workers into a potentially dangerous work injury situation; two of them fell seriously ill after they inhaled toxic fumes.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued seven safety citations: six for serious violations and one for a willful violation. Investigators concluded that the company sent sewer workers into a confined space without first testing the atmosphere. Two employees completely lost consciousness and were rushed to nearby hospitals. “This employer must take responsibility for making sure these types of injuries and the potential for loss of life do not happen again,” declared OSHA area director Dorinda Folse. [Read more…] about Reckless Injuries To Sewer Workers
Buckle Your Seat Belt In Texas And Louisiana
The Lone Star State and Bayou State share a dubious distinction, because according to an insurance company survey, they are the two most dangerous states in the Union, in terms of motor vehicle accidents.
Texas moved from fourth to first on the list, and it is the only state among the top fifteen in all five categories, including drunk driving, speeding, and fatalities per miles driven. In fact, there has been at least one motor vehicle accident fatality on a Texas roadway every day for the last 55,000-plus consecutive days, a period covering sixteen years. Here in Louisiana, failure to obey traffic signals and distracted driving are among the primary culprits, and the Bayou State also ranks near the top (or the bottom, depending on your perspective) in terms of fatalities per miles driven.
South Carolina, North Dakota, Delaware, New Mexico, Nevada, Alabama, Arizona and Montana are the other top-ten most dangerous states. [Read more…] about Buckle Your Seat Belt In Texas And Louisiana
I-10 Crash Kills Good Samaritan And Seriously Injures Driver
A runaway tractor-trailer killed a bystander as he tried to help a stranded motorist re-attach a U-Haul trailer to her vehicle.
According to Louisiana State Police, the large truck wreck occurred on westbound Interstate 10 in Henderson. As 26-year-old Tanika Adams, of Jacksonville, Fla., pulled a trailer with her Volkswagen Tiguan, it came loose and blocked the outside lane. Ms. Adams pulled to the shoulder and then tried to pull the stranded trailer out of the traffic lane; a short time thereafter, 25-year-old Vineeth Keesara, of Lafayette, stopped and rendered assistance. A few moments later, an oncoming Perterbilt tractor-trailer slammed into the disabled trailer, instantly killing Mr. Keesara and seriously injuring Ms. Adams. [Read more…] about I-10 Crash Kills Good Samaritan And Seriously Injures Driver
Gruesome Highway Crash Kills One
A pickup truck ran over a woman in the road after she was ejected from her car in a vehicle crash.
The wreck occurred on southbound U.S. Highway 61 between Kenner and Laplace. Per Louisiana State Police, 20-year-old Angelica Matamoros drifted across the center line and collided with 23-year-old Norman Porter, who driving an SUV. Ms. Matamoros was not restrained and was ejected from her vehicle. As she lay on the ground, 28-year-old Justin Hunter ran over the woman. Ms. Matamoros was pronounced dead at the scene.
State police opine that if she had been wearing her seat belt, the woman may have survived. “Motorists are encouraged to make the smart choice and to always wear their seat belt,” police said in a news release. [Read more…] about Gruesome Highway Crash Kills One