By simply walking anywhere near asphalt, a pedestrian is put into danger. Regardless of how diligent a pedestrian is as he or she attempts to keep out of harm’s way, accidents will happen. If a pedestrian vs. car wreck does occur, the driver is bound by Louisiana law to remain at the scene. Unfortunately, some people decide to drive away and leave the victims to fend for themselves, which can sometimes lead to the death of a pedestrian.
Recently, a pedestrian was struck on Louisiana’s Ole Highway 15. The driver did not stay at the scene, and police are searching for the vehicle and its driver. The vehicle is an extended cab pickup truck believed to be manufactured around the year 2000 by General Motors. The color of the vehicle is believed to be either gold or tan.
It may also be missing the mirror on the passenger side of the vehicle, as a mirror was found at the scene. The pickup would also have sustained damage to its front quarter panel on the passenger’s side. A handicap placard was seen in the rear view mirror of the vehicle and it has a handicap license plate. The driver may be around the age of 65 with white hair and a white beard.
The extent of the injuries suffered by the pedestrian were not reported. Depending on how badly the pedestrian was hurt in this car wreck, he or she may take a significant amount of time to recover — if a full recovery is even possible. Injuries do not have to be life-threatening to cause serious and permanent damage to an individual. Medical expenses and lost wages can quickly become a burden. Filing a personal injury claim against the driver once he is found could help alleviate that burden, if the pedestrian prevails in proving negligence on the part of the driver.
Car Accident
The Connection Between Cell Phones and Louisiana Car Accidents
It may be difficult to find anyone in Louisiana that does not have a cellphone these days. People carry their phones everywhere and some even use them while driving. The connection between cellphones and car accidents is gaining more attention. Drivers can now be fined for using a cell phone while driving, and those fines are typically doubled if an accident results from the driver’s use of the phone.
It may not surprise Louisiana drivers that the group of people most likely to cause accidents due to cellphone use is between the ages of 16 and 20. Simply due to inexperience, younger drivers have a higher probability of being involved in an accident. When those same drivers are texting, talking or checking Facebook, that probability increases significantly.
Even experienced drivers that talk on their phones are at risk. Sources indicate that it takes approximately six seconds to place a call. Six seconds is a significant period of time for a person not to pay attention to traffic or the road. Law enforcement officials look for behaviors indicative of someone using a cell phone. Looking down for any significant period is typically one indication the driver may be using a cellphone.
Plenty of car accidents occur without adding another distraction. Fines are not the only repercussions facing drivers that cause accidents by using their cell phones. Injured parties or the surviving family of a deceased victim may file civil actions such as personal injury claims or wrongful death lawsuits. The possibility of taking a life or seriously injuring another person because a driver could not wait to send a text or otherwise use his or her cellphone while driving simply is not worth the risk.
Louisiana Woman Killed in Pedestrian Vs. Motor Vehicle Accident
Pedestrians are often vulnerable when they have to share the roadway with vehicles. Even when a pedestrian stays out of the path of vehicles by walking along the edge of the road, a pedestrian vs. motor vehicle accident can occur. This is what happened to one Louisiana woman on Nov. 8.
The woman was walking on the west edge of Highway 631 through St. Charles Parish. As the 32-year-old woman walked toward the intersection of that highway and Highway 52, the driver of a vehicle heading east on the same highway attempted to pass another vehicle. When the 50-year-old driver of that vehicle moved into the westbound lane to pass, he hit the woman.
The pedestrian suffered fatal injuries, and authorities pronounced her dead at the scene at approximately 6 p.m. Troopers from the Louisiana State Police are investigating the accident. As part of their investigation, they obtained a toxicology sample from the driver of the vehicle that hit the woman, and those results are pending. The reports did not indicate if troopers took the Texas driver into custody or if authorities anticipate filing charges against him.
As the investigation continues, the victim’s family has to deal with the fact that she was taken from them prematurely due to this tragic motor vehicle accident. As the family members grieve, they have the legal right to make a wrongful death claim against the driver deemed responsible for her death. Any financial relief they may be awarded from a successfully navigated legal claim could ease the monetary burdens that accompany such a tragedy.
Louisiana Woman Killed in Car Wreck in Shreveport
The intersection of Klug Pines Road and West 70th Street in Shreveport became the scene of a fatal two-car accident on May 22. One of the vehicles was traveling south on Klug Pines Road while the other vehicle was headed west on West 70th Street. The southbound vehicle slammed into the driver’s side of the westbound vehicle. Investigators are still in the process of determining what exactly caused the car wreck.
Alcohol is not believed to have been a factor in the crash. However, state law requires toxicology testing to be done when there is a fatality as a result of an accident. The driver believed responsible for the accident, a 66-year-old Louisiana woman, did not suffer serious injuries in the crash. Nonetheless, she was taken to the hospital in order to have the state required blood draw for toxicology done.
The driver of the other vehicle involved, a 70-year-old woman also from Louisiana, was taken to an area hospital with unspecified injuries. The woman passed away at the hospital from the injuries she sustained in the crash, notwithstanding the efforts of medical personnel at the hospital. It remains to be seen whether the driver of the southbound vehicle will be criminally charged.
There is also a question as to whether the family of the victim will exercise its right to file a wrongful death claim against the other driver involved in this car wreck. Before the family makes that determination, they will have the unfortunate responsibility of prematurely burying their loved one. As they struggle to come to terms with their loss, they will surely also want to follow the progress of the official investigation and any related criminal proceedings, should charges result. Regardless, the family may also elect the consider the viability of pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit, and they may gain by researching their legal rights under Louisiana laws.
Flat Tire Leads to Homicide Plea in Fatal Accident in Louisiana
A man was traveling north on U.S. 171 last April when he got flat tire on the Calcasieu River Bridge. At the same time, another vehicle was also traveling north on U.S. 171 heading toward the man and his disabled vehicle. The woman driving that car ended up slamming into the disabled car killing the man and his daughter who was only 13 years old at the time of the fatal accident.
Now, a little more than a year later, the woman driving the car has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and negligent injuring in connection with the deaths of the father and daughter. Louisiana authorities discovered that the woman had taken a number of drugs on the day of the accident. It is believed that due to this drug use, she was impaired when she struck the man’s car.
The entered her plea just a week before she was to go to trial. Her sentencing has been scheduled for July 26. It is not known whether the victims’ family will be present at that sentencing.
This fatal accident may serve as a reminder to Louisiana drivers just how fragile life is and how quickly things can change. This family didn’t only lose one member that day, but two. The young girl that was killed will never get a chance to grow up, and her family will never know the kind of woman she would have become. The victims’ family may be able to gain their own sense of justice by filing wrongful death claims against the woman who has now admitted to taking their lives.
Louisiana Woman Still Hospitalized After Bicycle Vs. Car Wreck
A Louisiana woman is still in the hospital after having been run down in front of a movie theater in Lafayette. The vehicle that struck the woman in this bicycle vs. car wreck did not remain at the scene. A passerby that came upon the woman after the accident occurred felt that the she was lucky to be alive.
As it is, the woman suffered a broken back, lacerated spleen and broken neck. According to medical personnel, her prognosis is good, but her recovery could be lengthy. For a week, the victim’s daughter contacted the Lafayette Police Department to see whether they located the driver that struck her mother. Authorities have said that the driver involved was given a citation, but no further action will be taken because the two accounts of the accident differ.
According to the victim, she was looking at time for movies when she was hit. The driver of the vehicle says that the woman is in the middle of the road. Police did not say what kind of citation was given to the driver. The woman’s daughter is at a loss to understand how the driver was only given a ticket after putting her mother in the intensive care unit.
In order to try and achieve a sense of justice and closure about the situation, the victim may exercise her right under Louisiana law to file a personal injury claim against the driver that hit her. If she can show a court that the driver was negligent and caused or contributed to her injuries, the court may award her the costs and damages she has incurred and will incur as a result of the injuries she sustained in the car wreck. Her injuries could takes weeks or even months to heal, and costs such as medical bills, physical therapy bills and possibly even lost wages if the woman works will be adding up while she heals.